Edinburgh: Sneaky Petes
Glasgow: The Old Hairdressers
September 6th & 7th, 2023
So the Edinburgh Fringe ground to an inevitable halt, & to everyone here at Mumble Towers, the world ‘culture’ sent a haunting-shiver thro the very roots of our souls. But time waits for no man, nor woman, & nor is it waiting for ‘Iraina Mancini’s burgeoning musical, rock opera vibe talent. For the past couple of nights she swoop’d thro the Central Belt on the back of her slick, dragonesque band, with Raymond Speedie writing the review over in Edinburgh, & myself heading down to the Old Hairdressers in Glasgow last night. Honestly, some of her 55 minute’s worth of bangin’ material were, well, better than bangin’, eh, uberbangin! I’ve pick’d out my three favorites, but now over to Raymond for the review…
In the small, intimate & fabulously famous musical hub that is Edinburg’s Sneaky Petes, we had the pure pleasure of being introduced to Iraina Mancini, hjeading north to delight us with performance of her debut album, Undo The Blue. Iraina Mancini is a singer, songwriter, DJ and model from London, and with her father being close friends to the late David Bowie I can only imagine the magnitude of the musical influences that Iraina was surrounded by as a youngster.
From her humble beginnings in the electro pop group called Mancini, Iraina has strived to achieve and obtain her own direction in the music world. Like a sculpture with their chisel and hammer, Iraina has chipped away at the rough edges of the music business and created a masterpiece with the album Undo The Blue which was produced by the legendary Jagz Kooner. Quality over quantity is the driven spirit in music, and Iraina’s Undo The Blue delivers on all fronts. Nothing less than perfection will do, and that is evident in the diversity of her songwriting and singing. Like a spring flower, Iraina is awaiting her time to Blossom, and I think that time is now.
With a chic psychedelia dress-code, Iraina took to the stage amid an applause of great eagerness and warmth from her fans. The atmosphere was electric. Feeling like one was propelled back to the days of The Velvet Underground and Andy Warhol, the excitement began to grow. Within a heartbeat the venue was ignited, and like a spark on a stick of dynamite the place exploded into a dancing fireball. The 1960s and early 1970s are a clear influence in Irainas music and Undo The Blue, with its songs like, Cannonball, My Umbrella, What You Doin, Need Your Love, and not forgetting the psychedelic Undo The Blue, are not a blast from the past but a new fresh introduction to Psychedelic music.
Iraina is a captivating and intriguing singer whose stage presence is intoxicating. Do what you love and do it well was the message. You know, if Jimi Hendrix and Nico (The Velvet Underground) were present in the audience I am sure Iraina would end up at an after party with them, as clearly she belongs in the same category of these musical legends. Should Iraina Mancini choose to continue down this road it wont be long until she is on the highway to greatness. Music is a huge part of human entertainment but also a privilege and honour to be part of, and tonight, for me, was one of those heady moments. Energetic, vibrant, exciting, inspiring and uplifting, this is in my top 5 of gigs this year list. Its upwards and onwards for Iraina and her amazing band. Big love and all the best.
Raymond Speedie
Mumble Music 