Not 1 but 2 fab reviews from folks who were there. We have Celtic Music Radio and Americana UK reviews now online:
AMERICANA UK
Although it’s been available on streaming platforms for a while, tonight was the official launch of John Alexander’s new album, ‘Face The Wind’, a disc which finds this Scottish artist knee deep in the big muddy and wallowing in terrain which Neil Young famously described as “the ditch.”
Alexander is a gruff voiced individual as well as being a talented guitarist and songwriter. The evidence is to be heard on ‘Face The Wind’ (which AUK reviewed here) and he has been celebrated for his sold out run of shows at the Edinburgh Fringe which he called “Dustbowl Blues with a Glasgow Kick” and it was the dustbowl element which prevailed in the opening segment of his show tonight.
Playing acoustic guitar and accompanied on vocals by Iona MacDonald (of Doghouse Roses fame) Alexander played several dusty songs opening with ‘Bullets In The Rain’ and then ‘Living To Stay Alive’, two songs which also open the album. Immediately we were in that dark hinterland which has captured so many excellent singer songwriters as echoes of Townes Van Zandt and John Prine were to be heard. The pair’s harmonies were chilling while Alexander’s picking was quite sublime. ‘Fault And Blame’ (named after a Glasgow pub Alexander used to play in) and ‘Long Way From Gone’ continued in a similar vein before Alexander strapped on an electric guitar to end this segment with a thrilling rendition of ‘Blood In The Water’, a portent of what was to come.
Joining Alexander for the full band section of the show was the other half of Doghouse Roses, Paul Tasker, on guitar along with blues veteran Rod Kennard on bass while the extensive drum kit was propelled by Martin Ross as MacDonald continued to add her voice to the melee. Theirs was a crunchy and sludgy take on the essential elements of bands like Crazy Horse along with a touch of guitar duelling which on one occasion (‘Don’t Start A War’) recalled the heady days of Television. On ‘Breathe’, Alexander was quite deadly in an apocalyptic fashion while also tossing out flurries of stinging guitar while ‘Last Man Standing’ shimmered with a glacial glare, Tasker on bottleneck guitar amping up the song’s otherworldly sensation.
‘White Noise’ found the band at their most Crazy Horse like with Alexander and Tasker duelling on guitars but they also found room to ape The Stones’ at their raunchiest on a furious makeover of ‘This Side Of The Glass’ while their final song (no encores, Alexander proclaimed, as it was just too bothersome) was a grand boogie driven delivery of Dylan’s ‘It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry’, the audience singing along. Overall, a great night, unlikely to be repeated soon but if Alexander ever hits the big-time (his songs are popular with U.S. TV shows) at least this reviewer can say “I was there.”
CELTIC MUSIC RADIO
JOHN ALEXANDER is in glorious form on his latest album, ‘Face The Wind’ – and in this live setting he delivers its tracks in a potent and compelling manner, his downbeat vocals and atmospheric guitar work, nurtured by a downright brilliant one-night stand of band.
The album is an 11-track gem that’s lyrically rich and hearteningly melodic and features songs written after wet and windy walks to the pub – Bullets In the Rain – or from a random word generator challenge, which is the source of Breathe.
He opens in warming, acoustic fashion with Doghouse Roses’ Iona MacDonald duetting like a dream: the two flawlessly tackle his downbeat, topical tales with an infectious charm. It’s the perfect start.
The full band section of the show is a major league hit –the music is never less than stirring with John showing his poise and drive on lead guitar with mini breaks to savour. Paul Tasker (Doghouse Roses) is no mean guitarist, either, and he’s given freedom to fire off in fine direction on a couple of occasions.
Iona MacDonald and John Alexander
This Side of the Glass is the jauntiest track we get with the raucous rhythm of The Faces evident while Long Way From Gone gets a heartier treatment than the gorgeous one on the record. But tonight’s version makes an equal impact with John and Iona’s mellow vocals underpinned by the band’s mature determination to keep things interesting.
White Noise is pushed out precise and fiery while Fault and Blame – the name of a pub where John and Paul once jammed – rolls and dips in a casually, gentle bluesy way.
It’s been an absolute joy to be in John’s musical company – unfussy but quality performances like this lift the spirits unimaginably.
Words and images : MIKE RITCHIE
