Live Review

The Boy Who Trapped The Sun – King Tut’s, Glasgow

• 16th Apr 2011

It was a very Scottish night at Glasgow’s King Tut’s as a sell out crowd saw three acoustic acts put on an entertaining night of music in a show rearranged from last December.

The Silent Forest, normally a six piece folk band were reduced to four members for their stripped down set. Their male lead singer was well backed, with two female harmonies creating a nice sound. And their guitarist took lead vocals on one track; his expressive voice well suited to a humorous love song. Their single, Falter, a slower track, was especially well received.

Little Fire, aka 25 year old singer-songwriter Jamie McGeechan from Ayr, stood centre stage with his acoustic guitar. This was his first King Tut’s show and it seemed he had brought a rather rowdy fan club along for the occasion. McGeechan has an edge to his voice that perfectly suits his acoustic rock songs. Fire Me Up featured furious guitar work and emotionally charged lyrics.

There’s something refreshing about the purity and strength of Colin MacLeod’s voice. The Boy Who Trapped The Sun hails from the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides and he has the soft edge of the islands but also an emotional delivery that pulls the listener into his songs.

Opening with Golden, from the 2010 debut album Fireplace, MacLeod had the audience hooked from the off. The large crowd listened in close to perfect silence, hanging on his words. Dreaming Like A Fool, a song describing a dysfunctional relationship, was delivered in a powerful voice over soft guitar, the lyrics telling the story of love gone wrong.

MacLeod was accompanied by long term collaborator Stacey Sievewright on cello and backing vocals, and on I See You the combination of a haunting instrumental counterpoint and a soft vocal harmony added a great deal to an excellent track.

The atmosphere was relaxed throughout the hour long set. MacLeod sat with his guitar, joking with the audience and telling stories between songs. He has a confident and entertaining stage presence that adds to the experience without taking away from his music.

As well as favourites from his album, MacLeod also played a couple of new songs. Chasing Shadows had a faster pace and some excellent finger picking on the guitar while Last Call For The Boat had more of a pop tone over a strident guitar.

Fireplace was a crowd pleaser, delivered with a melancholy air. MacLeod’s vocals were soft, yet cut through the guitar and cello backing to produce an emotional feel before the tempo rose and the two instruments combined to provide a beautiful climax.

For the final track, Home, the guitar set the pace before the vocal came in to tell the tale of a country boy adapting to city life. And there was some excellent guitar work to bring the set to a close. The encore featured two more songs, the crowd talking over the vocals before the night ended with a stirring rendition of The Fox.

The Boy Who Trapped The Sun often plays with a full band, but in the acoustic setting his voice becomes the centre of attention. This set showed exactly what he can do, showcasing both his singing and songwriting, and the large crowd loved every minute of it.