What Does A Rainbow Sound Like?

Small venues are very much the life and soul of music, rooms where the performer and the audience are within a few feet of each other. Manchester has a new arena on the outskirts of town, the massive Co- Op arena. It also has the Kamera Ballroom, a small room above a pub- The Lloyd and Platt- in Chorlton, a room with a stage at one end, a good sound system and space for 100 punters. Robyn Hitchcock was there last Thursday (sold out), Colin Newman from Wire is due at the end of the month and last Wednesday I accompanied Mr. James Clark aka The Vinyl Villain to see Emma Pollock play. 

Emma is a founding member of Glasgow's The Delgados and of Glasgow's Chemikal Underground label, the home many fine bands and records. She has four solo albums to her name since 2007, the most recent- Begging The Night To Take Hold-  out this summer. She was meant to be supported by label mates Broken Chanter but illness had sent Broken Chanter's David MacGregor home to recuperate and hopefully rejoin Emma for five dates in Scotland. Chorlton was the final English date of the tour and the Kamera Ballroom was busy, a devoted audience of indie/ indie- folk fans who Emma seemed delighted to see. She is good company, her between song chat every bit as entertaining as her songs- she tells stories of how and when the songs were written, of playing Manchester with The Delgados, the changes in touring in your 50s (key touring items now include 0% beer, HRT, toiletries and healthcare products), the differences between being in a band and a solo career, keys player Graham Smilie pranging her beloved camper van and more. 

The setlist is drawn from her solo albums, the three musicians kicking up a storm at times and playing quietly when needed. The cello is to the fore, giving the songs a baroque, chamber music feel. Emma plays guitar (and occasional bass) and sings beautifully and to her left there is Graham on keys and bass. The first song tonight, Prize Hunter, starts with the line, 'I didn't know the trouble I was causing/ Didn't know that I could do that', stabs of cello and finger picked guitar, and Emma's cool and clear voice. Future Tree is an early highlight, the line 'too many numbers/ not enough poetry' something of a clarion call. She talks of having had some tough times in the last few years, turmoil and loss, and of finding some clarity recently- both sides of this struggle are reflected in the songs. 

There are songs from all corners of her solo career, Dark Skies, Red Orange Green and I Used To Be A Silhouette, all sounding superb. They decline to leave the stage for an encore, staying on for a few more songs rather than trip over their instruments, hide and then return. They play a superb cover of John Cale's Paris 1919, and then Parks And Recreation from 2015's In Search Of Harperfield. It's a spiky, urgent song, full of energy (and reminiscent of Kristen Hersh's songs), the guitar filling the room before coming to a sudden halt.