Haiver’s performance at MacArts showcased their evolving sound, led by Billy Kennedy’s heartfelt songwriting. Alongside rising talent Devin Casson, the night was a celebration of Scotland’s thriving music scene.
Although I sadly missed the first support act of the night, one of Scotland’s leading singer/songwriters, multi-instrumentalists and touring member of Haiver, the very talented Siobhan Wilson, I did manage to catch the second act on the bill, Devin Casson. A homegrown Scottish Borders talent, hailing from Hawick, Casson is starting to become something of a mainstay on the local scene and gathering pace in wider circles. I’ve seen her perform a few times over the past year and can’t quite believe how much she’s grown as a performer in that time. I could name all the female singer/songwriters that she probably sounds like, but I feel that would be prosaic reviewing and would risk diminishing Casson’s own sound. Whilst she may be standing on the shoulders of female giants, the talent of this remarkable 19-year-old shines just as bright.
And so, to Haiver. This is the third time I’ve seen the band since they kind of sneaked out into the public forum early last year. And it’s safe to say that, as the line-up has shifted and morphed a bit, they are really starting to find their feet.
Stepping up to the oche on home turf (ish! being that he is from Selkirk and this is Galashiels, 6 miles up the road) Billy Kennedy seems nervous and a bit unsure of himself as he leads from the front. This, coupled with some self-depreciating stage chat, makes for some decent banter though. As someone who comes to this new band with an already long and successful music career, latterly more used to playing the likes of Princess Street Gardens and main stages at music festivals, to see him seem humbled to be playing this small local venue is really wonderful. Some welcome proof to anyone watching that, even in amongst it all, Billy Kennedy is still genuinely chuffed just to be playing music.
It’ll come as no surprise that this first batch of songs from Kennedy are lyrically mournful and melancholic. As he jokes about their sadness to soften the blow of them, there are a couple that sting so much they’re almost too hard to listen to. However, whilst I can’t speak for anyone else, I can say that hearing the beauty that can come from grief helps to ease the heartache of some of us watching.
It’s not difficult to hear where the sound of the band draws influence from, but the authenticity that Kennedy brings to each song and the way he now leads the band, confirms that this isn’t a carbon copy of what has gone before. This is something new, forged from the fires of the past but with Billy’s own stamp, proving that Haiver are well deserving of their own place in the Scottish music scene.
As a small postscript to this piece, I feel it’s worth pointing out that I was originally going to review the band at King Tuts in Glasgow but put in a request with RESOUND to cover it at Macarts instead. For, much like Billy Kennedy and Devin Casson, I too hail from the Scottish Borders and MacArts is my hometown venue. It’s been amazing to see what a once forgotten building, where I used to do youth theatre, has grown into over the past few years. Chris and the team work so hard with very little to bring performers of note to the area and both Billy and I have spoken together about just how much we would have loved something like this when we were growing up. Whilst it’s hugely important to support all grassroots music venues including the likes of King Tuts, it’s even more so for lesser-known places outside the central belt. It doesn’t seem much when you live in a city but when you live in a town that can feel so far away from the rest of the world, it means everything when a band or poet you like even knows your town exists, let alone visits. Don’t ever underestimate how inspiring that can be. So next time a band you like is doing a wee tour – why not check out some of the other places they’re playing and maybe take a punt. Because hidden gems like Macarts are only a train ride away and because venues like these make small towns feel important and because, if we don’t support them, we run the risk of losing something very special.
Words and pictures; Kat Gollock @littlekatphotos