King Creosote proved that the most impactful music often emerges from the most stripped-back arrangements in the grand, ornate surroundings of Edinburgh’s Usher Hall.
In trying circumstances, the Scottish alt-folk hero cast a spell over the capacity crowd, filling the cavernous venue with a performance set to showcase his 2023 album I DES that ended in an intensely personal experience.
First up was Australian Singer-Poet, Emily Barker, who, armed with only her guitar, filled the large room with ethereal music. She shared some wonderful songs from her recent album Fragile as Humans. Wild to Be Sharing This Moment and Feathered Thing were standouts from the album. But the highlight was when Barker read her poem Where the Black Swans Swim to an enrapt audience. She was greeted by a huge cheer from the crowd.
All through Emily’s excellent set, there was a buzz that sounded like a loose jack. It was unfortunately a preview of a problem that would become clear later.
Drone in B# from King Creosote’s 2023 album, I DES, played through the break. As the house lights dimmed, and the stage was bathed in a soft, blue glow, the eponymous Des took to the stage kicking off It’s Sin That’s Got Its Hold Upon Us.
As the rest of the band joined him on stage, the song filled out the room with a mix of ambient synths and folk-infused sounds fiddle, guitar and accordion.
Creosote, aka Kenny Anderson, took his place at the centre of the stage, armed with his weathered acoustic guitar and distinctively emotive voice. From the opening bars, the audience was hushed, hanging on his every word and subtle inflexion.
What Creosote may have lacked in overt showmanship, he more than made up for in sheer magnetic presence. His eyes closed, lost in the melody, he seemed to channel a lifetime of joy, sorrow, and hard-won wisdom through each lyric. The film projected at the back of the stage only added to the experience.
The set list drew heavily from Creosote’s I DES, an album that finds the musicians involved reflecting on mortality, legacy, and the human experience with a level of poetic eloquence. Blue Marbled Elm Trees was excellent and orchestral, but the crackle heard earlier was back.
The stage manager came onto the stage to have a word, but the band persevered with the darker Burial Bleak. The Synth players stood down in an attempt to address the crackle, but the remaining band produced a pared-back version, and the vocals from the five singers were beautiful and tender.
It became clear that the PA wasn’t going to be repaired. Kenny jumped off the stage with accordionist Mairearad Green and Hannah Fisher on Fiddle and busked Bats in the Attic around the floor of the Hall. Another four tunes followed, a stripped-down, folky Susie Mullen was a real highlight.
The band was mortified, but the crowd cheered them to the rafters. They closed with the apt Not One Bit Ashamed and with more apologies and a promise to reschedule in December, left the stage to a huge ovation.
What struck me most about Creosote’s performance was his genuine concern for his audience and the affection they felt for him. In an era starved for authenticity, King Creosote’s Usher Hall performance brought the musicians and audience closer than ever. Roll on part two!
Words: Graeme White @head_in_the_bass_bin
Pictures: Allan Petrie @albabrae