Kirsty Law: Young Night Thought

Pianodrome

This show is singer Kirsty Law’s collaboration with other musicians, artist, filmmaker, dancer and seemingly also children. Kirsty’s songs draw on Scottish tradition, many new compositions, accompanied by Kirsty herself on keyboard, Esther Swift on harp, Owen on Drums and Ben Seal on bass and synthesizer.

The show starts with a film by Daniel Warren. This gives some of the context for the project, which includes pictures painted by established visual artist Kirsty Whiten.

The set varies from jazz infused synthesised pop folk numbers to understated whispery gutsy folk songs, delivered in Kirsty’s earthy voice. Dancer Emma Snellgrove emotionally and deftly conveys the songs she joins for. It doesn’t always work having a live dancer from a different tradition join a music set but it is done well here, the dancing is not intrusive, but subtle, existing on the fringes of your sight-line if you wish, seeping into your understanding and enjoyment of that piece.

I love cross disciplinary work but I have to admit I do sometimes find it distracting. My focus flitted from Kirsty and musicians to the music, to the lyrics, to the dancer. And if I had not read it I would not have understood exactly how the concept hung together, including how the children in the film came into it – the clue is in the title ‘Young Night Thought’. In any case, the proficiency of the musicians, the intriguing multi-layered character of Kirsty, her songwriting and the sensitivity which with the show is crafted make it one perfect for the contextual, multi-artformed environs of the Pianodrome. If you like ‘folk music’ that is not folk music, delivered by massively talented artists from several disciplines, with just the tiniest sliver of ‘edge’, this show is for you.

(Katch Holmes)