Music review: Foy Vance, Saint Luke's, Glasgow

Brutally honest and wickedly funny, Foy Vance elicited a mix of rapt attention and lusty sing-alongs at this Glasgow show, writes Fiona Shepherd

Foy Vance, St Luke’s, Glasgow ***

Foy Vance is a Bangor boy living in the Highlands, and this Glasgow show saw him winding his way home as his tour drew to a close, feeling able to be brutally honest, wickedly funny and exposed emotionally with his audience. This supremely confident performer and raconteur regaled with stories which landed for locals – “love you big man” came the verbal embrace from one of his adopted countrymen, even though one suspected he would have no problem charming listeners wherever he was.

His Celtic gospel ode to his original home, Bangor Town, was a fine example of the balancing act he achieves with his lyrics – a love/hate celebration/indictment of social problems given a human face. His portrayal of the two town drunks – in real life, the heads of the art and history departments at local grammar school – echoed the bickering couple from Fairytale of New York, a seasonal must which he covered later in (dis)harmony with opening act Bonnie Bishop.

Foy Vance PIC: Jamie Niesh

Before raising a festive glass to Shane MacGowan, he also paid tribute to the late Sinead O’Connor with a fair cover of Prince’s Nothing Compares 2 U. Elsewhere, he ranged from the gravelly over emoting and resonant guitar playing of Joy of Nothing to pin-drop piano ballads, channelled a bit of Gerry Rafferty on See You At the Ragtime, playfully recast She Burns into a country song to foot-stomping reaction and followed up with the genuine unvarnished country of Burden and bluesy Upbeat Feelgood.

Whether solo at piano or on guitar, Vance elicited a mix of rapt attention and raised glasses and lusty sing-alongs, with scenarios instantly recognisable to Glaswegians – this from a musician who once despaired that there was nothing worth writing about, claiming he was “not here to make sense, I’m here for the craic”.