Mary Gauthier/Jaimee Harris/Michele Gazich – Edinburgh Pleasance Theatre 9th November 2019
I must start by saying I love Mary Gauthier. Her songs have the lyrics front and centre like Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen. There is more pathos in a Mary Gauthier lyric than any other artist I can think of. Listen to Last of the Hobo Kings, The Rocket, Goddam HIV or Christmas in paradise. If you are not moved then you can never be my friend.
On the other hand I’ve never been impressed with Edinburgh. This was our fourth visit; two of the first three visits were to see the Rolling Stones at Murrayfield. I loved the gigs but the city left me cold. For this visit we booked a hotel in the Old Town close to the venue, The Pleasance Theatre. We travelled by rail. The two hour journey was a pleasure, pure relaxation. We walked to the Hotel from Waverley station. My mood lightened as I took in the atmosphere of the area. I noticed some promising looking pubs and took in some great views of the Castle.
After dumping the bags at the hotel we checked out the venue location which was just a five minute walk away. Over a coffee we planned the day ahead. First stop was at Unknown Pleasures on Cannongate. This is a great record shop, it has a fantastic selection of new and used vinyl with a healthy sprinkling of collectibles at reasonable prices. The shop also has some fantastic tee shirts on sale. I nearly bought myself a Ramones and a Motorhead tee shirt but after last week’s Bury blog I figured that discretion is the better part of valour. I don’t want my own photo starring in my blog!! Four albums and a single slaked my spending thirst. I left the shop with a broad smile and a spring in my step. We then walked back past the station and into the New Town. As we neared Princes Street my heart sank. I realised why I have never liked Edinburgh. Too crowded, too pretentious, in love with itself, full of……………………you get the point! Within five minutes my mood had soured, even looking at the cities stunning architecture wasn’t lifting my spirits. We retraced our steps and headed back to the Old Town. A quick pit stop beckoned at the Booking Office, the Weatherspoon’s pub by Waverley station. This must be the busiest Wetherspoon’s on earth. It is packed to the gills all times of day. A pint of Skye Black (excellent) hit the spot. No seats in the pub (as usual) so we sat outside in the glorious November sunshine.
After a mood enhancing pint we took a walk through the Old Town. I loved the atmosphere of the place and the fantastic buildings. We headed for a bar we had passed earlier. The World’s end. In the owners words;
welcome to the World’s End
The Worlds End’s exterior walls form part of the Flodden Wall, a 16th century fort that protected Edinburghs historic old town. There was once a time that the people of Edinburgh thought the world outside this wall was no longer theirs so hence our name.
This pub can trace its roots back to the 16th century. In more recent times it gave its name to a murder case as it was the last place that the two girls were seen leaving. This was in 1977. Their murderer was not convicted until 2014 and died earlier this year. A controversial case that is worth reading about if you like true crime stories.
On a happier note, the pub is really friendly and serves great beer. We sat at the bar and enjoyed listening to a wide range of accents from all over the world. The thick walls mean no phone signal which promotes the art of conversation.
We then walked across the road to a pub on the opposite corner whose name escapes me. A nice place serving good beer but it lacked the age and history of the World’s end.
Next stop was back to Cannongate and a pub called the Tollbooth Tavern. Another hostelry that can trace it’s heritage back to the sixteenth century. This excellent pub is reputedly haunted. Over to the owners:
I love old pubs that drip with history. The patrons were a friendly crowd and the beer was good, what more could you want? The food is supposedly good but we had already decided to return to the World’s End for lunch. There is a small dining room off the main bar in the World’s end. The food was good, hearty pub fayre which was just the ticket after half a dozen pints sank in the name of research!
After a power nap, it was off to tonight’s gig. First up was Jaimee Harris. I must admit I’d never heard her before so didn’t know what to expect. I must confess that I normally give support acts a miss and spend my time in the bar psyching myself up for the main event. I’m glad I didn’t in this case as Jaimee Harris is an excellent performer. Her songs have excellent lyrics which is a big thing for me. Jaimee is a folk singer though her style is probably what journalists describe as Americana. For her penultimate song she was joined on stage by violinist Michele Gazich who really adds something. For the final song Mary Gauthier herself joined Jaimee and Michele which rounded off a great set on a high note. I must have been impressed as I bought Jaimee’s debut album after the show.
There was no break it was straight into Mary Gauthier’s show. She started with Your Sister cried and then went into my personal favourite The Last of the Hobo Kings. The songs came thick and fast; I Drink, Drag Queens and Limousines, Cigarette Machine, Between Daylight and the Dark………….I won’t recite the full set but I was delighted that Mary played two of my favourite songs from the Trouble and Love album – When a woman goes cold and Oh Soul. One thing that was a real surprise is that there was no between song stories, usually a feature of Mary Gauthier shows. In fact she didn’t really speak to the audience at length until playing a trio of songs from 2018’s Rifles and Rosary Beads album. Song writing with Soldiers is a US charity that takes Military veterans who are suffering from PTSD and/or horrific injuries sustained in war to a resort with their partners. They are paired off with professional songwriters who listen to their stories and write songs that help them share how they are feeling. Mary Gauthier has been a dedicated supporter of this charity for some years. She eventually released the Rifles and Rosary beads album which consists of songs written with veterans and their partners who receive credit for their stories. It is an incredibly emotional album which forces you to reflect on the horror of war. The people she has written with are veterans of Afghanistan, and the various gulf wars. Their injuries both physical and mental are harrowing. Check out the stats on the number of US servicemen/women who have taken their own lives over the past few years to appreciate the effect wars have away from the battlefields.
The final veterans song she plays tonight is It’s her love which has tears running down my face after Mary has described the backstory to the song. A poignant part of the show given that the following day is Remembrance Sunday
The set ends predictably with Mercy Now and there is no encore. A bummer because in recent years Mary has been playing Woody Guthrie’s ‘This land is your land’ A great show with Mary Gauthier in great form and in great spirits. A particular call out goes to Italian Violinist Michele Gazich. A regular sideman at Mary Gauthier shows, he was absolutely brilliant tonight. I will check out his albums!! If you’ve never listened to her music then check it out. If you like great lyrics and great tunes then you won’t be disappointed. By the way Gauthier is pronounced Go Shay.
After the show we walked down the hill back towards the hotel stopping off for late night libation in Holyrood 09. This warm and cosy bar specialises in Craft beers which are not my favourite but I found a good stout amongst their wide selection. We enjoyed talking to a fellow gig goer who lives in Edinburgh.
After four or five pints it was time to call it quits. We really enjoyed Edinburgh this time and have promised to return. There is a pub on the outskirts called The Sheep’s Heid which I must visit. Over 500 years old and is also a former haunt of Mary Queen of Scots. It also has a reputation for good food which ticks all the boxes for me. I also want to visit Leith and it’s many bars so a return is a must. A final shout out for the Pleasance theatre, a great small venue with superb acoustics. The heating could use a little attention though!!
The following morning we ate breakfast in Em’s Kitchen across the road from our hotel. Fresh food, good coffee and a friendly waitress. Check it out!
