Type and hit ENTER

Commonly used tags...

Brighton Festival Brighton Fringe Brighton Pride British Sea Power Cinecity Lewes Psychedelic Festival Locally Sourced Lost & Found Love Supreme Festival Mutations Festival Nick Cave Poets Vs MCs Politics Rag'n'Bone Man Record Store Day Save Our Venues Six Of The Best Source Virgins Streets Of Brighton Street Source Tattoos The Great Escape Tru Thoughts Unsung Heroes
  • Home
  • News
  • Previews
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • Food
  • Tickets
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Advertise
  • Home
  • News
  • Previews
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • Food
  • Tickets
  • Contact
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Advertise
Reviews

Alasdair Roberts Review

Mar 17, 2015
-
Posted by Jon Southcoasting

The new Hope & Ruin is an absolute pleasure. The venue has been converted into a proper rock club, with the bar moved back to make room for bigger audiences. The air conditioning situation has been sorted out which used to make the venue an unbearable sauna much of the time. Gone too is the appalling sound system which used to break down with annoying regularity. Tonight the sound is immaculate and makes this intimate audience with one of Scotland’s finest troubadours a real treat.

Opening act Heliopause is one Richard Davis, an excellent singer songwriter from Belfast but now living in Brighton. He has a number of fine songs available for free on Bandcamp and a new album in the making. Tonight Davis is joined by a sympathetic drummer on stage, and his ambient passionate guitar-led songs remind us of Elliott Smith.

Second on the bill is Stevie Jones, in a solo version of his Sound Of Yell vision, released on Chemikal Underground. He gives us a mesmerising intimate set of guitar riffs accompanied by an array of echoing sounds and murmuring vibrations, along with Alasdair Roberts on an original hurdy-gurdy for two songs.

Then comes the man himself, with a solo set of songs taken mostly from his self-titled album released in January. This is a challenge for some of the audience as without the backing of his band Al comes across a little like a traditional Highland folk purist. In fact these new songs sound like an amazing collection, overflowing with lyrical beauty and they’re entertaining too. There’s some lighter relief when Stevie Jones repays the favour and joins in on bass, providing a little more of the warmth and rhythm we see in Roberts’ full band performances.

Roberts ends with an encore of a song once played by his father, also an eminent Scottish folk musician. Wherever he got it from, the younger Roberts is an incredible songwriter and performer, well worth catching up close in this sort of intimate space.

The Hope & Ruin, Saturday 14th March 2015
Words and photos by Jon Southcoasting

Mar 17, 2015
Email
Jon Southcoasting
Jon Southcoasting photographs all sorts, including music, writes about things, as often as not musical, and sometimes plays his own songs too. He lives in Brighton.
← PREVIOUS POST
Locally Sourced, Mar 2015
NEXT POST →
Yuri's Night, Sat 11th April
Mailing List

Recent Posts
  • Great Escape 2025 Day 4 Review
    Jun 13, 2025

    Day 4 started with a party whistle thrash punk Extravaganza and ended with the glorious debut of Post Common. We love you TGE.

  • Great Escape 2025 Day 3 Review
    Jun 9, 2025

    One of the real joys of the Great Escape is you can often see the bands that really grab you more than once. Day 3 delivered.

  • Great Escape 2025 Day 2 Review
    Jun 7, 2025

    Day 2 provided a diverse range of acts. Within 30 minutes we went from beautiful Australian folk to riotous Korean DnB and that was before tea time!

  • The Girl On The Train Review
    Jun 7, 2025

    A fantastic adaptation of Paula Hawkins’ bestselling novel which is a beautiful balance of acting, theatricality and gritty story telling.

  • Great Escape 2025 Day 1 Review
    Jun 6, 2025

    No longer just a day for getting your wrist band; some serious heavy hitters were brought out for a cracking day one.

  • Winnie The Pooh Review
    Jun 2, 2025

    A delightful venture into the 100 acre wood with Christopher Robin, Winnie the Pooh and their friends: full of wonder, innocence and charm.

  • Lower Slaughter Return With New Album And Headline Show
    May 30, 2025

    New line up! New Album! New Show! Same heavy heavy monster riffs. Winner.

  • Delightfully Dark Review
    May 30, 2025

    A fresh and hilariously funny one man cabaret show about the absurdity of death, living a finite existence and embracing life in all its imperfections.

Website developed in Brighton by Infobo
Copyright © Brighton Source 2009-2023
Alasdair Roberts Review - Brighton Source