Celtic Connections , Gig

The State Broadcasters

Not wanting to do Bella and the Bear a disservice, our first comment on leaving The Hug and Pint on Great Western Road tonight was agreement: "That was much better than last night". We were mainly referring to the support acts, but the headline was better too.

We'd first heard of The State Broadcasters because they're on the same record label as several other artists that we've come to know and love, but it's fair to say we didn't know much about the band themselves. Tonight's gig was slightly taken on trust, but we were far from disappointed.

Slow service in a cafe up the road (they had to make a burger from scratch, including mincing the beef) meant that we arrived partway through Alan Tennie's opening set, but it didn't take long to realise that he was a gem of a performer. Where the previous night's support acts were obviously pushing themselves hard to hold the stage, Alan's wistful, melodic songwriting was a delight.

Next up was Nadine Khouri: one woman with a guitar, but what variety! Soul, blues, folk with hints of rock, Nadine's playing was wonderful, coaxing percussive and varied musical sounds from her Gibson ES. She was a joy to listen to as she pushed herself, if a little rough around the edges. And her voice was spectacular.

Given the excellent support, The State Broadcasters has a tough job but they pulled it off well with a joyful performance. Clarsach (Celtic harp), trombone, harmonium and double bass joined the usual guitar, keyboards and drums with lead vocal duties shared amongst four members of the five piece band. Adored by the sold-out audience (including family members) the band's tender songs won everyone over.

We came away with a couple of CDs, and three acts that we hope to see perform again.