Festival Music

Karine Polwart’s Scottish Songbook

Leith Theatre

Shannon Louden

four stars

AS we sat outside Leith Theatre early Thursday evening, watching flocks of diverse people going to see Karine Poltwart’s Scottish Song Book, I have to admit I wasn’t thrilled by the prospect of an evening of Scottish music as it’s not my favoured genre. But as I entered the venue the atmosphere was uplifting, exciting chatter filled the theatre as people began to flood in. Immediately my attention was drawn to the lighting. Red gels flooded the floor which stimulated people’s emotions, the colour vibrant and energetic setting the tone of the show before it started. The blue lights reflecting more emotional songs such as The Whole of the Moon and more dramatically aggressive songs represented by dark tones of purple and electric orange.

Polwart’s funny anecdotes kept the audience’s attention even if some of the stories meant less to a seventeen year old. But Polwart’s personality came across as infectious and charismatic, her laugh was contagious, and you couldn’t help but smile. Her set list was chosen carefully, every song meaning something different to her. The diverse choice of music reached a variety of different audiences playing on emotions going from nostalgia to tributes. As the second half started, the audience really came alive and I looked down from the balcony on a sea of heads bobbing along in sync to the music. It was heartwarming, especially as her last song was a tribute to the venue, Sunshine on Leith. As the show came to an end inside Leith Theatre, the sunshine of Karine’s personality shone.

Shannon Loudon is a pupil at Leith Academy and this review was submitted as part of The Herald Young Critics Project with Edinburgh International Festival, as were those below.

Festival Music

Karine Polwart’s Scottish Songbook

Leith Theatre

Chloe Catherine Mitchell

Karine Polwart, a folk singer/songwriter from Banknock, Stirlingshire, truly captured the essence of Scottish culture and tradition through her music on Thursday evening at the Leith Theatre. An end-on stage composed with enthusiastic fans flowed throughout the room to produce an outstanding atmosphere.

Regardless of my own music taste I wasn’t hesitant at all to try something new, which resulted in me being pleasantly surprised. There were multiple factors that night which contributed to create this outstanding gig. For instance, the lighting. The strobe of lights bouncing off the wall and ceiling made the concert as a whole more exhilarating. The line of exotic instruments played a massive part within the show. The drums, tambourine, guitars, xylophone... The list is endless! The chime and harmony merged together to create a prodigious tune while Karine’s soothing voice played over.

My most memorable and favourite part of the performance was when Karine played tribute to a fellow Scottish singer who sadly took his own life. Although the concert was massively uplifting, she came upon this sad topic which touched the hearts of many. As well as this, the song Don’t want to know by John Martyn showed the of versatility between each song. I and many others appreciated her engagement with the audience, Karine’s wittiness and terrific spirit showed her of as a person perfectly. At the end, Karine played the famous song Sunshine on Leith The harmonious gig which brought the whole community together was the perfect ending to the night.

Festival Music

Karine Polwart’s Scottish Songbook

Leith Theatre

Ewan Burns

Somewhere in my heart there is a light that shines on the shore.  

Rather than 100 sweaty bodies within a compact space, with beer oozing from the floor, Poltwart’s show hit its audience with a wave of nostalgia, an audience of my parents era. I drifted away in to Karine’s medicinal voice in the wide acoustics of Leith Theatre and truly listened to the music rather than fighting in a mosh to keep myself on the ground. Not that I expected a lot of jumping for a group of middle aged men and woman with boots cards. From Polwart flapping and jumping around in the blue entrancing lights, hilariously in the style of Clare Grogan to heartwarming tributes to Aretha Franklin and Scott Hutchison, it was a joyful celebration. There was a mass archive of story’s to tell behind each song and with each one came a blast of youth. The connection with the band and the audience was electric. By the end everyone’s hands and some Zimmer frames were in the air.

If younger it wasn’t structured for you but I was just lucky to have my dad’s Blue Nile records and had gone to the Rip It Up exhibition. I could see the reminiscing eyes of the adults who were once at bliss in the Barrow Land Ballroom listening to pop they remember so well whilst growing up in Scotland. Maybe they'll have something similar for when I'm 55 and I can call my babysitter in for the night.