Celtic Connections reviews: Hannah Peel & BeiBei Wang | Mark Radcliffe & David Boardman | Jesca Hoop

This year’s Celtic Connections programme has many big, curated events, but there have also been some fascinating smaller-scale shows, writes Fiona Shepherd

Hannah Peel & BeiBei Wang, Drygate, Glasgow ***

Mark Radcliffe & David Boardman, National Piping Centre, Glasgow ***

Jesca Hoop, Oran Mor, Glasgow ****

In its 30th birthday year, Celtic Connections is more about the latter half of its name than ever. Northern Ireland-based electronic composer Hannah Peel and London-based Chinese percussionist BeiBei Wang were, according to Wang, on their “second date” at Drygate, testing the waters for creative compatibility – literally, in Wang’s case as she paddled her hands in a large bowl of water while Peel established a mournful electronic drone from her bank of wires and knobs.

Their set consisted of three entirely improvised pieces. There were certain guidelines – it is a date after all – but those boundaries were quickly breached as the duo fell deep into their musical conversation. Wang, in particular, has much to improvise with. Her percussive armoury, miked up to the max, and her focussed performance provided the visual as much as audio stimulation in the set-up. Her percussive pitter-patter became more frenzied as Peel’s electronics increased in velocity.

As the latest winter storm whipped up outside the venue, their final piece incorporated a Chinese poem about rain, suitably soundtracked with droplets of xylophone, floating gourds and a submerged cowbell. This was a playful dialogue, as if the duo were trying to outdo each other in audacity. Presumably there will be a third date.

The opening set from The Other was a sonic smorgasbord of a different style with querulous woodwind, devotional ululation and Latino percussion emanating from an ensemble of international musicians, hailing from Iran, Brazil, Chile and Scotland, led by guitarist Iain Mackechnie and including harpist Esther Swift, singer Aref Ghorbani and saxophonist Matt Wright.

Hannah Peel

Swift and Ghorbani duetted on a wistful ballad in English and Farsi with everyone softly coalescing, Toumani Antics was inspired by Malian kora player Toumani Diabate and, best of all, a traditional Persian song, soulfully delivered by Ghorbani with plangent double bass, built to a snake-hipped groove.

There was none of that fancy stuff from Mark Radcliffe & David Boardman, just two blokes with guitars and a love of Everlys-style harmonies. Radcliffe, as we know, is “sort of in showbusiness” as a DJ and broadcaster, and his humorous introductions were as gentle and reassuring as the duo’s songs, mostly involving low stakes social comment such as exasperation with cafes or forward planning for funerals or celebrating simple pleasures such as Cheese and Beer.

Radcliffe joked that On The Town, about contentment with the quiet life, was their anti-Born to Run. Yet he was prepared to live slightly dangerously in debuting a new song, Merchant City Divine Rain, written in the wee small stormy hours of the previous night, yet premiered fully formed with shades of Leonard Cohen and Simon & Garfunkel.

Over at Oran Mor on Burns Night, Jesca Hoop eschewed haggis to talk about elk testicles. This Californian musician has been to the wilderness to cook for hunters and returned to tell the tale in most alluring, intriguing style. She has range and she was gonna use it – mostly high and lonesome but occasionally with deep alto resonance.

There was purity to her tone but devilment in her delivery as she etched out spindly, sonorous patterns on an electric guitar, all the better to foreground her bewitching vocals. Her esoteric tunes were elevated further by the harmonies of her wingwoman Rachel Rimmer – their voices so simpatico that it often sounded as if they were sharing or swapping notes to mess with us. Celtic Connections has many brilliant big, curated events, but this mesmeric performance showed you only need two voices and one guitar to create magic.

Opening act Michael & Michelle just happen to be Downton Abbey actors Michelle Dockery and Michael Fox, making thoroughly pleasant harmonic acoustic pop with folk and country inflections and a touch of moody blues of the kind which often finds its way on to the soundtracks of US crime dramas.