The concrete floors of Dundee’s newest music venue couldn’t contain the buzz as hometown hero Katie Lynch prepared to christen CANVAS with her mesmerising Theo Bleak project.
After two successful EPs, a single with The Twilight Sad and providing support for bands such as Suede, Joesef and The Snuts, the band was ready to launch the city’s latest music venue.
Bodies pressed against the low stage, with a crowd looking forward to hearing from one of their own. Her debut LP “Pain” was longlisted for the Scottish Album of the Year award in 2024. She delivered alternative folk with philosophical bite, where swirling shoegaze guitars and smooth ethereal vocals hide sometimes dark lyrics.
CANVAS proved a challenging venue. An ex-industrial building with concrete floors and a low ceiling, it had a great vibe, with a busy bar opposite the stage. Even when the room was quieter, it was hard to hear the lyrics from solo support Rosie H Sullivan. When the room filled, it was a challenge to hear Theo Bleak’s amplified, five-piece band over the bar-side conversations that drowned out the delicate melodies.
Support Rosie H Sullivan took to the small, low stage first to share a short set of beautiful folky story songs. Highlights included Fragments, a song about her time on Lewis, which provided a showcase for her husky vocals, and Timeless with its traditional feel amplified by Rosie’s accomplished guitar playing.
The front-row faithful hung on every note of the short set of well crafted and enthralling songs.
Lynch took the stage flanked by her longtime collaborators Mark Johnston and Megan McNally, who were joined by a punchy bass player and drummer. She looked comfortable, her presence both fragile and commanding, as she stood up to share her music.
The opening number, A Sickness, set the scene. Beautiful soaring vocals over a drum-tight band. Her music draws inspiration from the landscapes of Perthshire and Angus, and you could hear that Celtic heritage in the cascading melodies and Katie’s soaring vocals. The guitar work was excellent and the band was well practiced and precise.
They played two tracks from the recently released Bad Luck is Two Yellow Flowers. Said Like a Poet was a poppy treat with a hooky chorus and the tender, trippy Peaches. Both are excellent and delighted the crowd.
What separates Theo Bleak is the weight behind the beautiful tracks. These aren’t coffee shop confessions, they’re deep, personal tunes. When she sang about pain, you believed every word because it felt like she’d lived through plenty of it.
The crowd around the band was utterly transfixed, but the noise from the bar seemed to get even louder. Katie asked the room to quieten down to play a ballad, unfortunately to little effect. The entrancing, You’re Hurting Me from 2024 EP Heaven.wav deserved a better setting.
On the summer solstice the show’s highlight came during a truly beautiful rendition of Summer Song played to reflect that day. The band left the stage, leaving Lynch and her guitar. Her voice floated above the instrument, the interplay highlighting her musicality. Every note was placed with precision yet delivered with raw emotional honesty. The mixture of technical mastery and vulnerable storytelling created a special moment.
As the final notes dissolved and the audience reluctantly returned to earth and left into the warm Dundee night, one thing was crystal clear – Lynch and her collaborators are crafting something genuinely special. For a venue’s opening night, CANVAS couldn’t have asked for a better baptism of fire.
Words; Graeme White
Pic: Geoff Shaw (Taken at King Tut’s, December 2024)