Strumadum
What’s better than rocking out, I hear you ask? Rocking out for a good cause, that’s what. Just as The Clash did, when they played Rock Against Racism in the late 70’s, or a couple of years ago when REM and Bright Eyes played the Rock For Change tour throughout America, music events and charity have gone hand in hand like two nervous adolescents. Glasgow’s 13th Note was the venue for another of these historic events, albeit on a slightly lesser scale, as students of Paisley University hosted an event to raise money for the Schiehallion Ward at Yorkhill Hospital. And what could have been a sloppily constructed musical love-in by a bunch of stoned teenagers turned out to be a well organised, interesting and most of all, enjoyable night.After a last minute drop out, proceedings were kicked off by a solo set by Alex Sakulin of Black Tie Affair. Handling himself well with little time to prepare, he got feet tapping using only his keyboard and voice. Without the backing of his bandmates, his sound was a little thin, but he was able to hold the room’s attention, thanks to his song ‘Big Love’, which warns drunken lads of sleeping with “the fat girl in the corner”. Wise words, Al.
Up next was The Mrs, three ladies armed with only an acoustic guitar and a world of heartbreak. Enchanting the crowd with husky tales of misplaced love and boys who messed them over, they brought a gentle hush over the room. Lead singer Michelle Low's silken voice added power to her deeply confessional lyrics, whilst guitarist Audrey Tait lent her deeper, more fragile tones to some of their slower songs. Third member Jennifer Muir joined in for some great three part harmonies, adding another dimension to the each track.
After the raffle, where two lucky sods walked away with a home phone from Bang And Olufsen and a Yamaha guitar, it was time for tonight’s headliners, Pilot Episode. Anyone hoping for a nice face melting guitar solo was left disappointed, as the band decided to play a more stripped down acoustic set. Lead by charismatic songwriter and frontman Craig Ward, the foursome rocked nevertheless. Without the wails of the guitar, the bluesy roots of the songs came to the fore, displaying Ward’s songwriting talents. Apart from the slight setback of an out of tune bass, the band found their feet and by the time they played southern fried ballad ‘Here She Comes’, they had the crowd of friends and fans nodding their heads in unison. Wards’ banter in between numbers kept the crowd entertained, and by the end of the night the punters walked away satisfied in the knowledge that they had heard some good tunes and helped out a good cause.
> Alistair McGurn
