The Queen’s Hall in Edinburgh is a lovely venue and hosts loads of brilliant music events across a wide range of genres. It’s not the most comfortable or viewer-friendly, as its former life as a chapel means the benches are quite upright and hard, and the pillars make a direct view a bit tricky. But we keep going back as it’s worth putting up with that to hear the glorious classical, jazz, flamenco, folk and roots that I’ve been lucky enough to hear recently.
There is a dilemma, however: the seats upstairs are individual (not benches) and padded. Oh joy! But there are still some partial views, and it was, at this concert at least, terribly hot and airless. I’ve seen people faint due to heat in concert halls across the land and did fear it might happen again, especially given that Eddi Reader was ‘celebrating over 40 years as a live performer’, and the audience had quite probably been following her for most of that time.
So, to begin at the beginning, Eddi wasn’t due to come on stage until 8.20 pm, with doors opening at 6.30pm for a 7.30pm start. The support act was Japanese-Scots singer/songwriter Miwa Nagato-Apthorp, all the way from Hawick. If ever you needed a reminder not to write off the support act without giving them the courtesy of sitting down (or standing up in other venues) and listening to them, just remember your favourite artist almost certainly started ‘warming up’ for the main attraction and support acts can be fabulous.
I saw The Water Boys and Take That when they were virtually unknown: how much would you pay to hear comparable bands in their prime? So, back to Miwa. It’s too cliched to say she has the voice of an angel, but Eddi herself voiced a desire to be reincarnated as her. Just saying! Miwa is funny, engaging, and evidently already has a following.
Her songs are written from the heart, and while her lyrics are simple enough, in the great tradition of folk songwriting, the underlying stories are often more complex. Her Japanese Mum collaborated with her on a song with a Japanese chorus and taught her a Japanese lullaby, with which she finished her set, poignantly dedicating it to the people of Palestine. This girl has a great voice and a huge social conscience. Grab the chance to hear her as soon as you can.
Eddi and her band came on stage to huge applause – this was a hall full of seasoned Fairground Attraction and Eddi Reader fans. Their set had lots of old favourites, including lots of the Scottish ballads that she has almost adopted as her own. The band all got their opportunities to showboat, and due acknowledgement was given to those who had written or collaborated on songs. Reader’s voice is amazing – she not only hits the high notes effortlessly, but she revels in them. The low notes she confessed were more difficult, as she’d “not taken her HRT”.
So, back to Miwa. It’s too cliched to say she has the voice of an angel, but Eddi herself voiced a desire to be reincarnated as her.
Yes, she’s funny and self-deprecating too. Between songs, she soon got into the swing of telling funny stories about when she was younger, all within the context of the songs she was singing. For audience members like me who had lost touch with Reader after Fairground Attraction’s hit ‘Perfect’, this element really worked.
It was a really entertaining evening – especially when she decided not to stick to the set list, sometimes ‘just because’ and other times because she felt like singing something different. We all know bands have a set list, but what fun when they play naughty and deviate!
Molly Mae McCusker hopped on stage to sing ‘Dragonflies’ just before the end. She is very young – maybe just 16? – and has that awkward adolescent stance that doesn’t come over on her TikTok videos, but she gave it laldy nonetheless, and Eddi pitched in with harmonies, which was indeed just ‘perfect’.
Reader’s voice is amazing – she not only hits the high notes effortlessly, but she revels in them. The low notes she confessed were more difficult, as she’d “not taken her HRT”.
Featured Image: Eddi Reader – Queens Hall Poster
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