The recent opening of the new small venue-come-cool hipster hang out The Hug And Pint has been exciting to say the least, as it’s bringing through fresh new artists.
Tonight is no different, as this cosy affair on this particular Monday evening brings three very talented and interesting performers.
The mood is laid back, with the audience choosing to sit down on the floor for the duration performances – much like they’re sitting around a campfire and listening to stories.
First up front the fire is Laurence Made Me Cry who masterfully carves out stories through her intricate guitar playing and heartfelt lyricism.
A lone storyteller, her back-stories to her songs are fun and informative making it an all over warmer and more rounded experience.
She touches on the fact that she will soon be moving from Glasgow to Inverness, showing a hint of vulnerability that she is able to again translate beautifully into song.
There is a mixture of more delicate songs and an incorporation of synth beats from a laptop, adding another element entirely.
Next is another solo singer songwriter in the form of Blanco White, his vocals are smoothly coarse but he has mellow charm to go along with it.
He’s reminiscent of Damien Rice, but he plays with Spanish guitar and has roots more in the traditional.
During his set, he talks of how he was playing in the stairway earlier and he thinks the acoustics there are lovely, therefore he invites us all out for a song; there is a small crowd, but we all manage to position ourselves comfortably to hear him.
He treats us to an Argentinian song, and while I’m not sure what he’s singing about, I’m sure it’s beautiful.
Headliners Oh So Quiet, also hail from Argentina; this is a fact that might be overlooked on watching them perform, as they stray away from the traditional Latin American sound, perhaps reaching closer to sound achieved by a band from North America instead.
They are a perfect blend of folk, indie and 80s pop, however the funk elements that are incorporated could be a influence of their roots.
The sound overall is a dreamy melancholic one, but this is teamed with up-tempo rhythms that might make you miss the subject matter.
Halfway during the set, they decide to cover Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Everywhere’, much to the small crowds delight; frontwoman Malena Zavala dances around the stage when she is sans guitar and it’s certainly infectious.
At the end of their set, the audience are hungry for more, and the band seem humbled by this announcing that when people have asked for that at previous shows, they haven’t had anything prepared.
Tonight they do, and the encore consists of another Argentinian song, but it’s clear to see that they have a particular style of music nailed down to a tee.
Not only are they talented and enchanting, but they are able to be so in two different languages, a feat not achieved sometimes even in one.
Words: Alisa Wylie
Rave Child 