Music review: Counterflows, Maryhill Community Central Hall, Glasgow

Counterflows, Maryhill Community Central Hall, Glasgow ***

Despite uniquely trying times for all festivals which seek to bring international talent to these shores, there was a palpably celebratory atmosphere at the opening night of experimental music festival Counterflows, spurred on by the infectious enthusiasm of its festival programmers Alasdair Campbell and Fielding Hope.

The eclecticism of their programme was showcased by three diverse collaborations. First up, a piping partnership between Skye’s Brìghde Chaimbeul on the Scottish smallpipes and Portuguese piper Vasco Alves on Galician bagpipes as they are not routinely played, with the airflow from the chanter amplified. A lengthy dual drone was speckled with squeaks, dissonant notes and the application of glass jars as stoppers before a precious Celtic melody was imparted and their respective piping traditions crossed over with a couple of gathering tunes and dance tunes of varying cheer.

The presence of the Gorbals Youth Brass Band was guaranteed to lift the spirits even if their full vibrancy was bridled by their playful collaboration with laptop artist Tom Mudd, who specialises in the possibilities of synthesized brass. The real thing, meanwhile, involved a slow crawl up the scale, playing through mouthpiece alone, a couple of cheeky competitive duets between cornet and trombone and general messing with fellow band members. Fun but fractional.

South Korean composer Park Jiha was a one-woman orchestra, switching elegantly between piri, a neat reed instrument, hammered dulcimer and the remarkable saenghwang, a Korean bamboo mouth organ which looked a bit like a pint-sized version of Kate Bush’s Cloudbusting contraption. Her music was hypnotic in its own right, even before English spoken word artist Roy Claire Potter layered on their carefully weighed impressionistic words, inspired by a series of visuals which Park had supplied to stimulate their arresting collaboration.

Counterflows continues until Sunday, www.counterflows.com

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