Celtic Connections,
Mackintosh church, Glasgow
January 29th, 2024
The Charles Rennie Mackintosh church is every year a proud venue for the Celtic Connections. Beings its 30th year it has rolled out with the success it has brought since its beginning all those years ago. So the very stylish building was host for the evening to two bright and accomplished performances. First was Allison De Groot & Tatiana Hargreaves from the US who had travelled here to combine for the first time.
With De Groot on banjo and Hargreaves on fiddle they soon picked up that pace of style in the Celtic and bluegrass sound. The partnership was a powerful one in the raised ceilinged room and typical Macintosh architectural flourishes. Fast and passionately they raced through songs self composed and found fresh ways to outtake for the ancient style.
Then we were in the hands of headliner musician Sam Amidon who performed solo. He is proficient on guitar, fiddle and banjo, choosing each for his songs. He has a voice strong, soft and very impressive. He has upcoming gigs working with many artists and producers.
He sang with a big flourish of his own, reaching into the large room with techniques enjoyed by all and made a fluster of longing there for both something old and something new, singing also about his own thinking through storytelling unafraid to speak of a truth. And it’s with truth the evening resounded, all made possible by, the talents of musicians who make light of energetic work.
Coming also from the US the Blue grass element was very alive through the whole evening. It’s of an energy very distinctive, very enthralling and foot tappingly engaging. We can know what is said without words and vocals but combining them together makes for a whole different thing.
He had an innovating part in the movements of modern music, a kind that is to bring fresh ideas into the purposes of bringing it to stage. And for the evenings three performers life is good with festivals and gigs happening all over the place. And of course both are hardened travellers giving themselves plenty to write about. The writing blew us away in a way that was more than achieving set goals, instead carrying for them to rise, in fascinating ways, seeing how the different characters responded in very different ways.
It felt great that one man could draw in the room with a topicality towards style and an outspoken hint certainly graced things. It was easy listening mixed with howling blues for this solitary figure who as I say was as loud and big as an orchestra. Grinding bravado was behind his beautifully soulful, solitary stance breaching and reaching heaven, for with his presence he had a thing going on.
I suppose it could have been a novel thing to play like this, alone, for a large Connections gig but he very soon, and Allison and Tatiana, found a very great quality going far beyond that stoicism, sharing the music that is gold, silver and definitely iron. Loved the frantic moments, the sealed passion between then, and the proud gut wrenching glory that pours through so many hands to find itself in a room playing drastically good music, we left pleasantly alert.
Daniel Donnelly
Mumble Music 