Rab Noakes Milngavie Folk club

Long Dark Night (Demos and Rarities 1971 - 2011)

Where Dead Voices Gather

Do That Again

Wrong Joke Again (Red Pump Special)

Brand New Heartache (The Everly Brothers)

I'm Walkin Here (new album 2014)

Your Clear White Light (Lindisfarne).

The Sketcher on the Last Train

Out of Your Sight

More than I can say

The welcoming club was packed out with people standing at the sides - the club is often filled with addicted folkies like myself(!) and with relaxed friendly chat. The last time I saw Rab here the crowd was half this size perhaps as it was the month before Christmas. I usually pick gigs of artists I particularly enjoy.

In 2013 Noakes released a 40^th anniversary edition of his Red Pump Special album. He told us that the album was first recorded in Nashville with a cracking squad and somebody in the room had worked with Hank Williams.

Noakes sang 4 excellent cover songs choices  – Brand New Heartache (The Everly Brothers?), Your Clear White Light (Alan Hall of Lindisfarne), Guessing Kitchen Porter (Michael Marra) and O The Wind and the Rain (Percy's Song) - Rab likes juxtapositions in songs and this one was a murder ballad sung to a sweet guitar waltz. 

Rab sings songs of different eras with small histories and moods and stories and like fine wine gets better over time... I dont' wish to pick out favourites as every song has something special.  He said the mark of a good song was if it can age with you.

One song was about being able to recognise a window of opportunity when it opens...., and I wondered about his lost times when he left Stealers Wheel with Gerry Rafferty and his slot on the BBCs Old Grey Whistle test.  He told the stories behind his songs and musical journeys and his songs range from harder hitting questions to subtler optimisms.

Rab called his style 21st century skiffle - in the style of Guthrie or Leadbelly before the folk revival and also a wee bit Buddy Holly.  Noakes crosses the generations, as he looks and sounds both of now and of those fifties folk songs. .

I can understand that artists like to perform their newer material while I know also that fans would wish to hear some of his older favourites such as Branch or Clear day - perhaps the audience might sing the backing vocals!

http://rabnoakes.bandcamp.com/releases

II

Don't' Act Like your Heart Isn't' hard

Travelling Light

Jackson Greyhound

Guessing Kitchen Porter (Michael Marra)

It happened All the Same

O The Wind and the Rain (Percy's Song)

Time Slipping Away

Don't say Money Doesn't' Matter

Rab Noakes PHOTOS - http://pkimage.co.uk/rabnoakes

Rob Noakes -  with  Where Dead Voices Gather' - still relevant and even better than his younger days.... 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/rabnoakes

Women Writers

Katharine Quarmby

Recently historical fiction has been selling well with the success of such series as George RR Martin's Game of Thrones which combines fantasy and history for vivid effect and also Hilary Mantel's Bring up the Bodies.   

Many of the writers of historical fiction happen to be women and they have found that in order to achieve sales to men they have to publish under gender non specific names such as - SJ Parris, Al Berridge, MJ Carter, MC Scott. 

As stated in the Sunday Times magazine (P.Nicol Dec 2013) when writer Miranda Scott published her Rome espionage series as Miranda her readership was 80% female/ 20% male, yet when she published as MC Scott her readers shifted to 50/ 50 male/female.  

Philippa Gregory author of the White Queen holds 7 of the top 20 titles and Cornwell is the only male author in the top 15 of best selling historical fiction. . 

It should be noted also (!)  that not ALL women writers of historical fiction are writing romance tales and that some write of bloody war adventures and intrigue. 

Women will read male writers and watch male movies and it helps women to understand the male psyche. A male writer wrote recently that if men want to understand women then they should read the books on women's book shelves and watch the tv and films that women enjoy!  

Cathy Renzenbrink, reviewer The Bookseller, ' While more women read books, there is more attention in book-review pages to books written by men.  Hilary Mantel's Bring up the Bodies, the second in her Thomas Cromwell series, was a best seller in 2013.  She holds the top and third place in the best sellers list and she says,' It is the nature of the World that men and women take men more seriously.'

 

(Some of my photos of women writers at Edinburgh Book festival)

Elif Şafak

Noo Sara-Wiwa

Brits 2014

Good to see several of those artists I have posted on my blog about over the years nominated at The Brits - legend Nile Rodgers (Le Chic), new artists Lorde, Haim, James Blake and with Emeli Sande presenting the Mastercard album award.

Nile talked in Edinburgh of disco being out of favour and good to see his talent recognised again. Rodgers wrote songs with David Bowie, Madonna, Diana Ross and more. Rodgers performed at the awards ceremony finale along with hip-hop artist Pharrell Williams.  They sang Good Times! And Happy! And Shiny Happy People!

King of style David Bowie won best male, strangely 30 years after his last Brit and with model Kate Moss reading his acceptance speech and even asking that Scotland not to go independent!  The British global success award went to Simon Cowell’s boyband One Direction while Sam Smith won the Critic’s choice award. 

Good to see rock and roll back in favour with the successes of young band Artic Monkeys. I was surprised to enjoy much of the show as there have been times it has all felt stuffy, predictable and with mostly over the top performances.  Yet sometimes I’m not entirely convinced….

Of the younger artists I really like the subtle timbre of Lorde’s voice and the 17-year-old singer-songwriter from New Zealand, won the best international female solo artist.

Celtic Connnections festival 2014

Nicola Benedetti and Phil Cunningham

#ccfest  Each cold January Celtic Connections brightens our dark evenings with warm, enriching ceilidh music, beautiful 

Gaelic song and exhilarating world music. It's a celebration of the folk song and traditions, dynamic collaborations 

of renowned Scottish musicianship alongside famous world artists - and more than that an introduction to new artists. 

Celtic is all about the live interaction with the audience and very much about the live bands. 

I have attended Celtic for many years now and the buzz at this festival is particularly infectious. The hub of Celtic is at the Glasgow Concert Hall which provides a fitting setting for the main concerts. Other venues range from the intimate Oran Mor to the atmospheric Old Fruitmarket in the Merchant city part of town - excellent for ceilidhs.

This year at Celtic 2014, its 21st year, I heard some wonderful musicians here for the first time  -  Lau, RM Hubbert, Mogwai, Imelda May, Nicola B, Del Amitri and from Greece Alkinoos Ioannidis. I also enjoyed artists I'd heard before - Dougie MacLean, Julie Fowlis, erry Douglas, Karine Polwart, Kris Drever, Capercaillie. I enjoyed several top concerts this year at Celtic and it certainly gets me through January!                          

Celtic sells out several big venues on the same night. When Celtic started back twenty one years ago in 1995 people wondered would they draw a crowd out at this quiet time of year in January to see folk concerts? It really is incredible how the festival has grown year on year to become the biggest folk festival gathering worldwide.

Julie Fowlis

Joy Kills Sorrow

Kris Drever

There was crossovers between folk and classical music at the festival with among others - Phil Cunningham and Aly Bain have been working with classical violinist Nicola Benedetti for her new Scottish themed album.  Also award-winning folk band Lau composed with the classical and experimental Elysian Quartet - 'The Bell That Never Rang'  for the New Music Biennial Glasgow 2014.

Julie Fowlis & Nicola Benedetti

Duncan Chisholm

The Big Dish

At Celtic's main event, the Transatlantic Sessions - and who are one of my all time favoruite bands - there are crossovers between Scottish traditional music and American country and bluegrass - it is a powerful combination!  When music making goes in new directions with challenging collaborations, that is often when the best music can develop.  

Capercaillie celebrated their 30 years together at the festival with a concert to mark the release of their album 'At the Heart of It All'.  The band are one of Scotland's most successful contemporary folk bands and are led by festival artistic director Donald Shaw and the beautiful voice of Karen Matheson.

Capercaillie 

Dougie MacLean Burns International concert Hydro

It is good to see and hear the confidence, creativity, pride and range in Scottish music these days.  It is a huge boost for Glasgow to host this international event each year.

I  particularly enjoyed -  Alkinoos Ioannidis, RM Hubbert, Del Amitri, Lau, and Julie Fowlis.  

There are often several wonderful concerts on the same night. One good thing is there is much encouragement given 

over the festival to new musicians – with the Late Sessions, Open mic and also Showcase Scotland.   

Lau at Glasgow City Halls

Aidan O'Rourke with Lau

Darrell Scott & Tim O'Brien

Jerry Douglas & Aly Bain Transatlantic Sessions

Shaw does a great job of pulling the festival together to offer diversity, breadth and quality. It’s clear he enjoys varied and interesting collaborations.  
The festival encourages playing live, ethnic traditions, vocal harmonies, unaccompanied singing, story telling songs and words with a message, real instruments and diverse collaborations. I look forward to next year's Celtic Connections festival!

Imelda May

Del Amitri

The Hydro

All Photographs are copyright Pauline Keightley and are made with permission of the artists, the festival, and the venues involved. Photos at Celtic Connections since 2008.

Rab Noakes -  with  Where Dead Voices Gather' - still relevant and even better than his younger days.... 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/rabnoakes