VERSAcoustic @ Bongo Club
Some of Scotland's finest, stripped down to their acoustic bones
Remember the scantily-clad goddesses imprinted on 80s beer cans? Their alluring gaze and welcoming smile proved a refreshing relief to ale's gagging bitterness. But when such menial marketing began to lack profitability, the girls were removed quicker than Paris Hilton's g-string and replaced with a slightly less titillating method of brand association: live music sponsorship.
Yet despite stirring a deep-rooted mistrust in the guts of gig-goers, it seems not all corporate infiltration is inherently evil - as tonight's VERSAcoustic set undoubtedly proves. A unique opportunity to see some of Scotland's finest artists stripped down to their acoustic bones, the latest in a long lineage of Tennent's sponsored events brings three acts from different stages in the musical lifecycle to the comforting confines of Edinburgh's Bongo Club.
First up are much lauded folksters St Jude's Infirmary (3/5) who produce a toiling set of elegiac whispers and flighty guitar strokes. Fitting perfectly within the loungey surroundings, the band's placid demeanour seeps into half-cocked ambivalence on a number of insipid ballads. But at their most despondent – particularly in the beautifully crafted Church Of John Coltraine - the Edinburgh five-piece still manage to conspire moments of wondrous poignancy.
Douglas T Stewart (4/5), of BMX Bandits fame, brings a welcome playfulness to the occasion. His childish demeanour and simplistic melodies could melt the hearts of the most po-faced indie kids and as he performs quirky numbers like 4 Minutes 22 and Save Our Smiles it's hard to resist his cheeky-chappy charm. He may resemble a tweedy Mr Boon but Douglas' sappy lullabies have the crowd glowing with contentment.
As headliners My Latest Novel (4/5) take to the stage a hushed reverence fills the venue. Opening with the haunting strings of Pretty In Panic, the Glasgow quintet piece together a tender crescendo of xylophone chimes and four-pronged harmonies. The forceful glower of Lust In Lego proves as scything as Hope Edition does enchanting, and when the lights go out on tonight's introspective dreaminess it's clear this band will stride the peaks of Scotland's musical highlands for years to come.
Who needs scantily-clad women, eh? [Billy Hamilton]