It's been a good year for concerts so far. Went to Edinburgh's "Across the North Sea" to see two Finnish groups: the superlative Värttinä, and Järvelän Pikku Pelimanit (JPP) who I found disappointing in comparison. Support bands were the Norwegian Utla (a combination of self-indulgent jazz with some genuinely eerie and virtuoso Sax, Violin, and especially percussion and Jew's Harp) and the Scottish Fiddler Catriona Macdonald.
We've also been to the Tap Dogs (my girlfriend's mum was ill and I stood in) and... um... the Sugababes. Actually, I quite like the Sugababes' recent numbers, but though they can actually sing, the performance was stilted and dull. And we were sitting on the cheapest possible seats, which was where the hordes of squealing pre-teens were assembled.
And next week we'll be going to Peter Gabriel's Growing Up tour in Manchester. He's my girlfriend's favourite artist since forever and I've got quite into the latest album too. Even better, the support will be the Blind Boys of Alabama, who sang the original blues song used by Moby in Run On.
