brownbear @ Saint Luke's, Glasgow, 19 Jan
brownbear delights with a string quartet and backing singers for a one-off sold-out show as part of Celtic Connections
CLR Theory open the show at Saint Luke’s with a mesmerising set full of impeccable harmonies and lush instrumentation. The Glasgow-based group seem to be constantly evolving, with new and different participants popping up to join the party. This fits the Rolling Thunder Revue spirit that Celtic Connections often inspires in its acts, with many artists using the festival to do something a little bit different. That is certainly the case for this evening’s headliner, brownbear.
The sold-out show at Saint Luke’s represents the first gig in a while for the elusive Ayrshire songwriter Matthew Hickman aka brownbear. The gig was originally devised as an album show, with the plan to perform his 2023 release Demons in full. But with the musicians required out of action, tonight's show takes a different shape. The arrangement for this one-off Celtic Connections show turns out to be a really lovely and effective one, with Hickman being joined on the night by a string quartet and three skilled backing singers.
Demons was a resounding success, longlisted for the Scottish Album of the Year Award, reaching the top ten in the Scottish album chart and – as Hickman shares with the audience – “was streamed over 250,000 times!” These are seriously decent numbers that rouse a cheer from the crowd which is quickly cut short: “And I made £700 in total from that album. This business is broken.”
Anxieties about music, creativity and life in general crop up in brownbear’s songs, but also in Hickman’s chats to the audience. “If you’ve seen me before, you’ll know I talk a lot” – and he does. But it all lends itself to the charm of the show, which feels like a homecoming set for Hickman, and gets genuinely interactive at times. Hearing from Hickman himself provides a nice throughline between the songs, which are often disparate in their sounds and influences: jangly 60s pop, power piano ballads, sunny 00s indie, foot-stomping folk. There’s lots of variety here, and the string backing brings a newfound gravitas to lots of Hickman’s songs.
There’s an emotional punch in almost all brownbear songs but it's often disguised in poppy, joyful instrumentation. Tonight, there’s no hiding place. The yearning shines through in the deceptively light and bright single All I Want and in the joyful toe-tapper Take Your Time. Unity – the soulful closing track on Demons – comes to life in a whole new way, simmering with a quiet, arresting rage and showcasing Hickman’s vocals at their very best.
Celtic Connections takes place across various venues in Glasgow until 2 Feb