Throwing Muses / Tanya Donelly @ Òran Mór, Glasgow, 17 September

Live Review by Chris Buckle | 22 Sep 2014

On the eve of the independence referendum, the denizens of Òran Mór take a break from contemplating their future to enjoy reflecting on the past.

“This is clearly a retrospective,” promises a cheerful Tanya Donelly just after a dark and dangerous rendition of Belly’s Low Red Moon, her set beginning in the present (the mellow country-folk of Mass Ave) before moving backwards through her ‘97 solo debut and even a cut from her Throwing Muses swansong The Real Ramona (a transformed Honeychain that makes the most of moonlighting Magnetic Fields cellist Sam Davol’s mellifluous playing). Ending on a high with a spry Slow Dog, the crowd reaction suggests many would have been happy for her to play all night – which, it turns out, she very nearly does.

Throwing Muses kick off their headline set in streamlined three-piece mode, helmed as ever by the formidable Kristin Hersh. Last year’s Purgatory/Paradise LP initially takes the spotlight, and tracks like Sunray Venus and Sleepwalking offer fine displays of her throatily emotive vocals and guitar playing prowess. It’s not without hitches (“all the fuck ups for you!” she laughs when her guitar tuning slips) but the band bundle forward with invigorating energy, and Hersh is a captivating stage presence.

Nonetheless, when step-sister Donelly returns and initiates a run of early tracks, the uplift is palpable. Devil’s Roof sounds particularly robust, while the grungy pop hooks of Say Goodbye in the encore finally bring Donelly’s shift to a close. With the rest of the encore offering a concise post-Donelly highlights reel (from a propulsive Shark to a high-contrast Pearl), Hersch ensures the future of Throwing Muses remains bright after all these years. [Chris Buckle]

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