Scottish labels and promoters unite for The Pleasance Sessions

The pleasure of watching a great performance can be greatly enhanced by the surroundings. Venues don’t need to be pretty – some of the best are little more than sweat-soaked basements – but there’s an element of fun added when you’re entering some grand hall for a gig. Some of the finest concert venues in the capital are owned by the University of Edinburgh, but unless you’re a student there’s not always a chance to visit for a show unless you’re around for the Fringe festival in August. So the news that the Scots Baronial splendour of the Pleasance Theatre will be throwing open its doors this month for the first Pleasance Sessions is worth celebrating.

The Sessions, which take place from 10-26 October, feature live music, comedy and spoken word performances in the Pleasance Theatre and the adjoining Pleasance and Cabaret bars. Sessions to scribble on your calendar include those curated by the knowledgeable folks at Gerry Loves Records, Song, by Toad, Limbo and – on Saturday, 12 October – this very magazine. Throwing caution to the wind, we've curated a night of not one, not two, but four of the sharpest rising acts in Scotland to play its songwriting showcase. If you want conclusive proof that the nation’s music scene is in rude health then you best get yer sel along. Headlining will be Rick Redbeard, esteemed frontman of The Phantom Band, currently carving a path in his solo guise. He’ll be joined on the night by Honeyblood, LAW and Siobhan Wilson. The music doesn’t stop there of course, and other Sessions certain to entertain feature such Skinny favourites as Adam Stafford, Plastic Animals, John Knox Sex Club and Conquering Animal Sound.

Rae Baker, head of events at the Edinburgh University Students Association, which runs the Pleasance Theatre, hopes to see the Sessions become an annual fixture in the Edinburgh gig calendar. “We were very keen to encourage more unique live shows in Edinburgh, and we had an idea of the type of shows we wanted to stage given the unique atmosphere the Theatre creates. Combined with the wealth of talent that Scotland is producing, that led us quite naturally to these artists, labels, magazines and promoters. There is a strong sense of collaboration and innovation within the festival and that led us to these particular curators. It's lovely to see that has translated into the creation of the Pleasance Sessions.”

"There is a strong sense of collaboration and innovation within the festival and that led us to these particular curators" – Rae Baker

Leading the charge on 12 October at The Skinny’s showcase will be a man who needs little introduction to regular readers of these pages. Aberdonian songwriter Rick Anthony first drew national attention while prowling the stage with Glasgow cosmic rockers The Phantom Band, but this past year focus has switched to his solo career. No Selfish Heart, released in January on Chemikal Underground, is a collection of melancholic – but at times darkly humorous – vignettes. The album received strong reviews. But Anthony, who records under the piratical nom de guerre Rick Redbeard, admits that he gets more satisfaction from writing or recording than reading the musings of music hacks. “I’d obviously rather have good reviews than bad ones, but it’s only part of the process when you release the record – after a month it’s over and you can stop Googling yourself like a total loser."

As raw as his songs can sound, Anthony stresses that they are not strictly autobiographical. “I tend to think far more in terms of characters and stories. The album is almost entirely fictional – there is not a huge amount of me on it. Rick Redbeard is more like a fictional character that I use as a means to express ideas or feelings about the broader human condition rather than purely a stage name. By embracing the fictitious and not trying to keep things personal I have a much wider scope of inspiration and stories to draw on. And I don’t tend to like songs that are literally about the minutiae of someone’s life or their problems – I find it a bit icky and self-obsessed to a point just short of mental illness."

Anthony is currently involved with the recording of a new Phantom Band album but admits he’s already thinking about another solo record. “I’m always writing new songs, so aye, you could say I’m at work on it. Not sure when I’ll get round to recording it mind you.”

The distinctive voice of Lauren Holt, aka LAW, is just one of the reasons that this solo artist has been steadily gathering acclaim and momentum – despite a distinct lack of her music being publicly available. An intense performer, her shows have a habit of leaving a mark on all those lucky enough to see them. One typical response, posted online under a photograph of a recent Edinburgh gig, summed up the prevailing mood among her growing number of fans; “We need more recordings!”

To be fair, you can already find the excellent track Hustle on YouTube. But if you want to hear more you’ll need to see her live. “We’ve recorded a lot of material so far and we plan to do more,” Holt explains. “We don’t just want to give it all away, so the plan is to release it eventually in an interesting way.”

A former student in Liverpool, an experience memorable for seeing the Silver Jews at the Zanzibar, Holt is now based in Edinburgh and has been working on tracks with hip-hop trio – and good pals – Young Fathers. “We met the same way you’d meet anybody. Then I heard their music and wormed my way in. I saw their live show and hadn’t seen anything like it before; seeing them play makes you feel ripped off for paying to see other bands stare into their guitars for an hour."

Holt is determined not to follow anyone's path but her own. “I plan on doing the right gigs at the right times and in the right places. People don’t want to see the same performance time and again, so I’d rather make each one a worthwhile show rather than going through the motions, being predictable.” 

If you were to chart the progress of every band that formed in Glasgow in 2012, few could match the rise of Honeyblood. The primal sound created by drummer Shona McVicar and guitarist/vocalist Stina Marie Claire Tweeddale seemingly arrived fully formed and quickly attracted fans and critical praise. A two-track cassette, Thrift Shop, put out by CATH records led to festival appearances across the UK, including T in the Park and The Great Escape, and support slots with the likes of Crocodiles and Giant Drag. Freshly signed to Brighton indie giants Fat Cat – a label with a serious reputation for spotting the best Scottish bands – the duo recently released their debut single Bud and hope to complete work on an album by Christmas. “It seems like everything is coming at once,” admits Stina.

So what’s their secret? “I have no idea and that’s the truth! Patience. We have had the pleasure of working with such great people. Giant Drag was fun. They’re a band I’ve loved forever. It’s also exciting to play with bands whom we have become friends with and then see them go on to be great, like PINS and TRAAMS. We love PARLOUR from London. I can’t wait till they release something.”

Hard work and long-term planning has paid off for Honeyblood. Stina started the band – in spirit at least – in her bedroom aged 14. Fast forward a decade and now they’re making a big noise both on and off stage, making them an obvious booking. “I’m actually so happy we get to play with Siobhan Wilson again at The Pleasance. She’s my favourite current songwriter by a long shot. Her voice is mesmerising. Every time I see her I think I must sound like a strangled cat in comparison.”

That recommendation leads us neatly to our final act. From the spacious Haussmann boulevards of Paris to the windswept wilds of Glasgow’s Sauchiehall Street, you’ll find numerous fans of Siobhan Wilson and her elegant, expressive music. Between her upbringing in Elgin and eventual relocation to Scotland’s largest city, Wilson, a classically-trained cellist, spent five years living in Paris from the age of 18. In that time, she secured a deal with the fan-funded label My Major Company, recorded an album in Woodstock and saw her music advertised in the New York Subway. It wasn’t always a smooth ride for the singer-songwriter, but one that’s given her experiences aplenty and a new appreciation of her home country.

“I would describe Glasgow and its music scene as raw, honest, melancholic, tough and colourful. That’s why I love living here and I find it so inspiring to write music in this grey city. I wasn’t born here but I feel like – for now – I really belong. I loved France and spent a lot of time singing and listening to Gainsbourg, Brel, Tellier and Biolay. If I were to compare the reaction and reception of the audience in the two countries I would say they are similar to each other because they have both been polite, eager, supportive and enthusiastic listeners. My music has probably changed a lot now too though since I moved back to Scotland a couple of years ago.”

An EP, Glorified Demons, announced her return to the Scottish scene and led to her recording sessions for the BBC’s Vic Galloway, amongst others. Siobhan is tight-lipped about plans for an album, for now at least. “I am bursting with news about my new material but I’m afraid I shall hold my peace for now until the time is right to tell you.” The singer does however always try out new compositions on stage, so her performance at the Pleasance Sessions is not to be missed. “The Pleasance Theatre is an absolute treasure of a venue. I’m very much looking forward to playing there again.”