Karine Polwart Oran Mor 19th Sept 2012

Polwart is one of Scotland’s best loved songstress with her beautiful voice and relevant moving songs. 

Many folk artists fill the folk clubs but not so many can fill halls the size of the Oran Mor church auditorium. Her pure softly soothing voice captivated the full house in the clear acoustic church setting with its ornate stained glass windows and with Scottish artist Alastair Gray's colourful mural ceiling.

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Karine sang the flowing harmonies and melodies of her story-telling and honest songs. She had her usual two backing musicians, her brother Steven on guitar and Inge Thomson on accordion, plus for this larger event - percussionist Iain Sandilands who added depth and energy to the new songs along with a wind section that included flute and clarinet.

She performed songs from her well received third album Traces - Strange News, We’re all Leaving, Tears For Lots Wife, Salters Road and Sticks and Stones.

One highlight was a lovely duet of the song Solstice with the guitarist Craig from the Scottish band Unwinding Hand. Another set highlight was a haunting solo song from Inge Thomson. 

The set included songs from Polwart's new album Traces. The song Tinsel Show was written about the lights of Grangemouth which shone in the night sky near to where Karine grew up in East Lothian. Karine also included a few of her classic well loved songs from previous albums - Daisy, Rivers Run.

She spoke of her fascination with birds and how many of her songs reflected this. One stand out song from Traces was the song King of Birds. For an encore she sang Follow The Heron. Her new album has her classy songs and a more intricate depth to it.  

Karine said that as she wasn’t an Indie artist she wouldn’t simply come on and play the album songs and leave and that as she had come up through the folk circuit she would play two full sets with an interval and a raffle! 

I’ve heard Karine at several of those smaller folk venues, as well as her leading a Celtic Connections concert on Scottish songs at the Glasgow concert hall. This was another perfect setting for her intimate songs. 

I have met Karine a couple of times and just a week later at the Lake of Monteith Hotel Bar the night before my son's wedding!  She recognised me by name which made me feel just that little bit famous!. She is such a genuine person and this reflects in her music. 

I recommend checking out Karine Polwart's fourth studio album 'Traces' - http://www.facebook.com/karinepolwart/

Black and White Music Photography

Broken Records

Head and Heart

I try to mix the old with the new and capture moods such as quiet moments of inner reflection. One of my interests is images of new artists and several of those I've photographed are now signed to major labels -  Emeli Sande, Hurts, Mumford, Metronomy, Broken Records,The Low Anthem, King Creoste... My favourite photographers are Mario Testino, Eve Arnold, David Bailey.  http://pkimage.co.uk/

Creative Scotland slammed by leading Scottish artists

A hundred leading artists have launched an attack on the management of arts body Creative Scotland. In an open letter, they condemn decision making, disregard for Scottish culture and say the organisation is in an "ongoing crisis". Among those signing the letter are John Byrne, Alasdair Gray, James Kelman, AL Kennedy, Liz Lochhead and Ian Rankin. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-19880871

Edinburgh International Book festival 2012

Russell Kane

NooSara-Wiwa

Elaine Proctor

Karl Miller

Tom Benn

Will Brooker

Elif Şafak

The Big names at the festival this year were – Michael Palin (new novel The Truth), Seamus Heaney, Roy Hattersley, Alex Salmon, Ian McEwan, Ruth Rendall, Irvine Welsh, Ian Banks, Nile Rodgers (writer/producer), Russell Kane (comedian) and many more.

Debate, Poetry, Novels, Autobiography, Stage, theatre, sport, film, more..

What is so refreshing in our shallow world of celebrity at this thought provoking event, is the fact that the EBF is a melting pot of ideas, creativity and energy and is all about substance, character and stories. In a culture dominated by tweeting sound bites and facebook ‘likes’ – an opportunity for writers and readers to participate in the passionate and serious discussion that good writing still generates.

One of the main events this year was the Writers Conference organised by the British Council. John Calder and Jim Haynes discussed their memories of the first Writers Conference held in 1962 in the McEwan Hall Edinburgh and writers worldwide attended.

The festivals popular Debates were on Europe, democracy, Scottish Independence and growth. Should writing be political? – perhaps unavoidable?  Is change always a good thing?  Change is neither for better or worse it is simply about the inevitability of change itself.

I walked past great minds such as - Seamus Heaney, Irvine Welsh, Tony Benn, Ian McEwan, Lazlo Krasznahorkai and more, Fireworks end each night over the castle ramparts to mark the finale of the Edinburgh Tattoo.