Living Room Gig in Marchmont, Edinburgh

I had read a lot about this style of gig and had always thought it was great idea. Playing in front of a small gathering of people who really care about what you’re doing is probably more rewarding for the artist than playing in a crowded bar with 200 talkative drunks (we’ve all been there). And for the listener, it’s an opportunity to meet the artist and engage in proper conversation.

Last night I was playing in Ali Thomson’s living room in his flat in Marchmont. It’s actually quite daunting playing with no stage, only an arm stretch from your audience. Without that slight separation there’s little opportunity to take on a performing persona that might help hide how you’re actually feeling. But the intimacy also allows you to perform in a way you never could on stage. I could practically whisper and know that it would be heard and I found myself singing in quite a different style to my usual live performance, closer in fact, to the way I sing when writing and  recording.

I also decided to bring all the original hand stitched artwork that my wife had made for the album, work that up until now had only been seen by a few of my friends. It was as much a pleasure to see her work appreciated tangibly as it was to share the fabric of the writing process behind the songs.

So thanks to everyone who came and for Ali, Dave and Ben for hosting the evening. May it be the first of many.