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This year the festival was held in a marquee in the
walled garden, which seemed much simpler while missing the activities in the
courtyard. The Mugdock festival brought together a broad range and depth of
artists and had a strong international flavour. The Shawlands, Chinese and
belly dancer dance groups brought colour. The flamenco dancers and musicians
brought energy and colourful African drums with Arawarra. Seylan Baxter and
Cheyanne Brown played their warm flowing harp and cello tunes. The Sighthill Project
was a fresh, well taught group of talented youngsters from different countries,
who sing and play violin together.
Headlining this year were John McCusker, Michel
Marra, and the Battlefield band. The Battlefield band played a fun
energy-filled set of Scottish tunes. McCusker. Woomble and Drever, three
talented artists plus Heidi Talbot, have joined forces to produce a class album
of contemporary tunes with folk influences. To our delight Scottish singing
royalty Eddi Reader turned up and sang on a couple of songs with the
group!
Some artists are both unassuming and also brimming
with talent and they play intelligent, insightful and instinctive music.
Michael Marra and John McCusker both fall into the category in different ways.
McCusker has that ability to sink into the emotion and grip you with his music
through his expressive dynamic fiddle playing.
Michael Marra at Mugdock theatre
When he arrived at Mugdock he discovered the perfect
small theatre. The theatre is fairly new and seats about 50 in a tiered semi
circle and with a shiny grand piano to the left of the small stage. There is
one side entrance and the door to the back stage room. It has been built with
music lovers in mind.
I managed a chat with Marra and he appeared to
recognise me from last year. I sense he doesn’t miss a beat. He had his green
shirt laid out on the side table and he said how much he loved the Mugdock
theatre and the beautiful piano. You could feel his excitement. Last year in
2008 he said he had travelled through the rain and the winding country roads
wondering where he was coming to.
Marra's is unforgettable playing the
small Murdock theatre. His songs are both very humorous (as is his
chat) and insightful and his clever use of words and images in his songs, he
takes himself into the others heads. There are echoes of his
poet and musical hero, Bob Dylan. He cleverly uses humour and irony to describe
the truths of the diversity of human nature. He draws on Dundee his home town
often and of the football team Dundee United FC. All eyes are fixed on
Marra throughout.
Marra finished with the Robert Burn's song Green Grow
the Rashes O and his smile said it all. For his encore he sang a beautiful,
moving song, He talked about an uncle he never knew who died and about family
being in the huff with each other
He sang the words, ‘Did you forget the world and did
the world forget you?’
You could feel Marra’s joy of it after his encore
song. A perfect ending to the Saturday.
Whenever I think of the special audience connection
this has to be the perfect small venue where that magic can happen. Buckley
calls it the 'romance of the small venue'.
My Edinburgh Experience - The Clan Gathering Edinburgh 2009
