The Countess of Fife
Lammermuir Corridor, Edinburgh Worldwide Convention Centre
twenty sixth August 2022
Throughout an Edinburgh Worldwide Pageant Fringe ’22, littered by a binman strike, The Countess of Fife introduced an overdue dose of freshness to Lammermuir Theatre within the Edinburgh Worldwide Convention Centre. LTW’s Harry Mulligan stories again on the present, and takes a have a look at debut album Star Of The Sea.
The Countess of Fife carried out songs from Star Of The Sea, the inaugural album from the band. It’s a nod in direction of Leith in Edinburgh and the steering of seafarers who recuperated there.
The album itself was the golden lining of Covid-19, written and recorded in the course of the pandemic on the legendary Citadel Sound Studios.
Outdoors within the queue, chatter had circulated in regards to the inevitable infestation of rodents submerged below mountains of refuse in the course of the binman strike. This left the gang in an virtually pensive, excitable, state previous to entry for this bought out present. It was, nonetheless properly well worth the wait, and that turned clear as we entered the sonically magnificent venue, with virtually studio-like deadened sound.
Everybody was anticipating a play-through of Star Of The Sea, fronted by Fay Fife from Edinburgh punk-pioneers, The Rezillos. Native musician Allan Mcdowall supplied heat, twangy guitar on every of the tracks. Kirsten Adamson, daughter of Large Nation’s Stuart Adamson supplied backing vocals, extra guitars and keys. Al Gare performed impeccable stand-up double bass, and metronomic Willie Molleson nailed it on drums. All members sang backing vocals in addition to beginner Al Gare.
Regardless of a profession unselfishly dedicated to her foremost artistic outlet, The Rezillos, it turned clear because the songs progressed that Fife has an genuine, heartfelt love for American nation music. That affinity appeared shared by the remainder of the band, whether or not actual or imagined. Even Adamson appeared to have extra Nashville than Dunfermline about her, to not point out a musicality inherited, one assumes, from her father. The length of the set was an hour, permitting Fife herself the time to calm down into it, and allowing the viewers to virtually meander together with her, as she lovingly launched her artistic offspring to them separately… I really feel I’ve developed a sure-fire relationship together with her in the course of the course of the pandemic.
The next are my reflections on these endearing compositions which will likely be launched on the band’s debut album Star Of The Sea on the 14th of October.
Wandering Star units the temper with an a capella introduction speaking a desired vocal energy from Fife as if she is singing to her personal imagined youthful self. The backing vocals have been placing and astute, and the musicianship session muso high quality.
Empty Headed, an ode to the chaos of unthinking youth; Mcdowall’s twangy guitar riff brings this tune to the gang, and the backing vocal from Adamson offers it a bouncy really feel: ‘She’s misplaced with out rhythm, with no little one, with out cash….’ The theme of loneliness and isolation emerge on this composition; it recurs all through.
In Trapped, once more, the theme of loneliness and disappointment predominate, harkened in by minor chords and supported by a smooth male backing vocal. There’s a wealthy sense of melancholy all through, that Patsy Cline would have been proud to referred to as her personal. Curiously, it was quickly famous that Kirsten Adamson has a vocal vary significantly greater than Fay Fife’s, offering a top-end edge to this tune.
In Sixteen, Fife assumes a sarcastic however self-effacing youthful self: ‘I’m sixteen, I’m not fairly or good’. If one closes one’s eyes throughout this tune, it’s completely straightforward to visualise that one is within the Grand Outdated Opry…
Goodbye Motorcycle Man leaves the listener speculating in regards to the experiences behind the lyric, bouncing between foreboding and hopefulness. That is Fay Fife at her finest ‘…in an outdated leather-based jacket …make a rock n roll racket’…
Let This Evening be Over is a stupendous ballad that showcases Fife singing in a manner that many people by no means get to actually hear with The Rezillos. What a disgrace..
Because the identify People are a Dangerous Breeds suggests, this tune evokes imagery in regards to the worst components of humanity and is the closest we’ll come to Fay rapping in the course of the center eight…. The beautiful guitar from Mcdowall and unimaginable accompaniments from Adamson, definitely left this reviewer wanting extra.
Second Fiddle: This barn dance was happy-go-lucky, and what was wanted. It had everybody up on their ft, knocking elbows.
Don’t Gown Me Up: This introduced the efficiency to an undesired finish. The appreciative viewers have been left on a excessive, not solely to the present, but additionally to a surreal Edinburgh Pageant Fringe 2022.
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All phrases by Harry Mulligan, discover his archive right here
