Live Review

Sparrow and the Workshop – King Tut’s, Glasgow

• 24th May 2011

The wind howled and the rain poured, but the hardy souls who had braved the elements were treated to an excellent set from folk rockers Sparrow and the Workshop. Indeed, the show only ended when the band said they had ran out of things to play.

Support came from Le Reno Amps, an indie band from the north of Scotland with a bass heavy rock sound that incorporates a subtle country influence here and there. With two guitarists sharing lead vocals there was variety to the music and it was a solid set, especially as they were playing with a bassist borrowed for the night.

Haight-Ashbury were second on stage, the Glasgow band bringing some beautiful blues tinged folk. The psychedelic sound suggested by their name was clearly in evidence as the three members of the band performed a fine set. Standout track Three Little Birds was an ethereal masterpiece, the delicate vocals of Kirsty Reid drifting across an almost dark stage. But other tracks had a Celtic feel as Jennifer Thompson set a steady drum beat and Scott Reid’s guitar weaved between the twin vocals. This is a band I want to see more of.

Sparrow and the Workshop served up a 12 song set that was equally split between debut album Crystal Falls and the soon to be released Spitting Dagger. Frontwoman Jill O’Sullivan, dressed in a Bucks Fizz t-shirt (worn ironically, I assume), acknowledged the risk of playing so many songs that the audience wouldn’t know. But the band pulled it off quite superbly.

The opener, Pact To Stay Cold, set the scene nicely with O’Sullivan’s soft vocals strong and true. Right away her outstanding vocal talents shone brightly. She was well backed all night long by Nick Packer, alternating between guitar and bass, and Greg Donaldson on the drums. At times the sound pictures created seems so big that you had to remind yourself that there were only three musicians on the stage.

You Don’t Trust Anyone from the new album was an early highlight, a harder track with a real rock feel that featured a heavy drum beat, while Against The Grain saw Donaldson on backing vocals, his deep voice giving a real contrast to the lead vocal. Fan favourite Devil Song was perhaps the best received track of the night, a delicate finger picking guitar intro giving way to a big, almost pop, song that soared.

For the new track Soft Sound of Your Voice the band was joined by Jenny Reid on violin and vocals. The slow sounds of the instrument gave an incredibly atmospheric feel to the track, while the switch to twin female vocals gave a quite different feel, bringing an almost fragile beauty to the music.

The set was short, and an encore only brought a further two songs before the band left the stage for the final time. If the idea was to leave a crowd wanting more then it succeeded big time.

Sparrow and the Workshop are a talented band who have built up a fine reputation as a live band through numerous support slots. Based on this performance, and on what I have heard of the new album, they are more than ready to step up as headliners in their own right.