Celtic Connections review: Roaming Roots Revue, Barrowland, Glasgow

Backed by the RCS Symphony, Roddy Hart’s Roaming Roots review was an all-star celebration of the songs of modern Scotland, writes Fiona Shepherd

Roaming Roots Revue, Barrowland, Glasgow ****

Celtic Connections mainstay Roaming Roots Revue was a two-night affair this year, including this maiden incursion to Barrowland in order to celebrate its 2024 theme, the Songs of Modern Scotland. In another first for the Roddy Hart-curated event, the RCS Symphony added heft, romance and character under the baton of John Logan to the Lonesome Fire’s usual judicious backing.

The all-Scottish line-up extended to the performers, some of whom performed their own modern pop classics – not least, Roddy Woomble and Rod Jones of Idlewild, Camera Obscura frontwoman Tracyanne Campbell soaring once more on French Navy and Justin Currie who spurred the first big singalong to Nothing Ever Happens but truly excelled on his solo track The Fight To Be Human, a soulful torch song with bonus orchestral flourish.

Roddy Hart PIC: Kris Kesiak

Inevitably, the interest lay in the cover versions, mostly rendered faithfully, although Eddi Reader gave a ballad spin to the opening of In a Big Country before the air-punching began. Her brother Frank and partner John Douglas mellowed out to Al Stewart’s Year of the Cat, Delgados frontwoman Emma Pollock exercised her love of Gerry Rafferty with a classy version of Night Owl and Brown Bear stuck close to the joy and melody of Aztec Camera’s Somewhere In My Heart, right down to its ringing guitar solo.

Sarah Hayes, Louis Abbott and Kevin Brolly from Admiral Fallow made a valiant attempt at The Associates’ peerless Party Fears Two, with the orchestra strings covering the keyboard hookline, but fared better with a lighter-waving singalong to Sunshine on Leith.

Hamish Hawk, new to the Roaming Roots family, was well matched to the drama of Franz Ferdinand’s Take Me Out, delivering one of the storming performances of the night before a cinematic instrumental medley of tracks by the likes of The Communards, Annie Lennox and Biffy Clyro and a closing ensemble celebration of The Waterboys’ Whole of the Moon, with brass fanfare.