Callum Easter, Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh ****

It was impossible not to feel sympathy for Edinburgh-based polymath Callum Easter at this Friday night gig, which was meant to be a showcase of his formidable ability as a DIY indie-rock songwriter in the company of fans, friends and family. Easter’s latest album for the Moshi Moshi label, System, was recently longlisted for the Scottish Album of the Year Award, to follow up the shortlisting of its predecessor Here or Nowhere in 2019, and this kind of platform is the least his talent deserves.

Yet following support sets from friends and kindred spirits Eyes of Others and Law Holt, what was announced soon after Easter’s onstage time had come and gone as “an ongoing first aid incident” in the audience delayed his entrance substantially. There was no impatience or disgruntlement, but by the time Easter came on, much of the substantial crowd had had to leave, and his set was necessarily truncated.

He began alone on piano, singing the bittersweet song of farewell Only Sun, before being joined by his four-piece backing band and a pair of female supporting singers, whose vocals built a gospel tone around Easter’s own lived-in but perfectly soulful voice. Highlights included the raw, romantic punk of Little Honey, the righteous synth-pop anti-politics of System, which demands release in “sweet music everywhere”, and the smooth dub reggae groove of Fall in Love.

Holt appeared on the balcony, unfurling a red flag down to the floor as she duetted with Easter on Lose Sometime, and our host hopefully insisted “let’s dae it again, yeah?”, before a quick but masterful encore of Feeling’s Gone, one of the great Scottish pop songs of recent times. The gig will be rerun in December with all tickets still valid, apparently. If you weren’t able to stay for this one, don’t miss your second chance.

Music review: Callum Easter, Queen's Hall, Edinburgh