What better way to spend a cold Sunday evening than with a joyful variety show of songs celebrating British icons. Roaming Roots Revue featured a stellar cast of artists all singing their favourite songs both ‘cult and classic’, joined by the orchestra from the nearby Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.
Curator and house band leader Roddy Hart and the Lonesome Fire opened the evening with ‘Sledgehammer’ by Peter Gabriel, with the brilliant orchestra used to full effect. Having never been to the Revue before I was a little surprised to see the orchestra at a ‘roots’ show but they really added a sense of weight and drama to the evening which was impressive.
There was a varied cast of performers participating in the evening, all of whom sang a song or two each in rotation. Withered Hand and Kathyrn Williams offered a sweet take on ‘Sing Out’ by Cat Stevens and a beautiful version of ‘Waterloo Sunset’. The all-female harmony trio Little Acres bravely took on Kate Bush’s ‘Cloudbusting’ and smashed it, before returning in the second half with a crowd pleasing version of Queen’s ‘Somebody to Love’. Jill Jackson brought humour and heart to the stage, with a gorgeous performance of original song ‘Mockingbird’ and a terrific version of Annie Lennox’s ‘Little Bird’.
Admittedly I mainly came along just to see the return of Yola to Scotland and she did not disappoint. Having previously played the Revue back in 2016, she was giving a hero’s welcome on her return, arriving on stage looking absolutely resplendent in red (hair and dress!). She sang ‘Back to Life’ by Soul II Soul, which worked perfectly for her voice and reflected the tone and style of her recent EP My Way. She then brought the house down with an epic version of ‘Diamonds are Forever’, showing that she would be a perfect choice for any future Bond theme song.
Of the male performers on the night Villagers stood out with his performance of ‘Live and Let Die’, and Ed Harcourt had fun channeling Elton John on ‘Tiny Dancer’. Hamish Hawk radiated personality, and his choices of The Smiths and David Bowie suited his powerful vocals perfectly. Local lad Phil Campbell rocked out with a blistering ‘Baba O’Riley’, while also bringing out the lead orchestra violinist Ines Alvez to have a proper Celtic Connections hoedown at the front of the stage.
The evening finished with everyone together singing ‘Penny Lane’ and sending us all home with a smile on our faces. The dizzying array of artists and variety of songs offered something for everyone, although perhaps this is also a flaw in the design as the amount of different performers does leave you wishing you could have heard more from each artist.
Now a staple on the Celtic Connections calendar and with near endless possibilities for themes, this outstanding evening will no doubt continue to roam for a long time to come. I look forward to returning next year and seeing who will be performing for Volume 2!
Photos by Kendall Wilson Photography, with kind permission.
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