Redrooms gigs off and running

Oct 6 2009 by Andrew Welsh, Perthshire Advertiser Tuesday

A NEW season of gigs at Perth Theatre’s Redrooms was launched last night by Glasgow-based troubadour Alasdair Roberts.

The singer-songwriter, who is rated as one of Scottish music’s best-kept secrets, marked the start of the autumn Monday Night Thing series of shows by playing a mix of newly-penned efforts and traditional ballads at the intimate venue.

And a richly diverse showcase is set to follow at Perth High Street over the coming weeks.

In the wake of Roberts’ stark offerings there will be a complete change of tempo on October 19 when former Perrier jazz-vocalist-of-the-year Niki King (right) pays homage to the great Billie Holiday.

The Scot plans to celebrate the early work of the late jazz legend by performing her acclaimed Billie Holiday Songbook.

Featured songs in the show include all Holiday’s self-penned classics, as well as numbers written for her and songs she famously made her own.

Looking further ahead, acoustic songsmith Andy White will mix social concerns with humorous wordplay when he visits Redrooms on November 2.

Supporting White will be Perth’s own Radars, who opened for former Orange Juice leader Edwyn Collins at the theatre back in May.

A contemporary reinvention of the jazz canon is on the cards on November 16 when multi award-winning quartet Empirical call in.

The youthful outfit will be paying tribute to American saxophonist Eric Dolphy, throwing elements of African and Cuban musical forms into the mix.

Rounding off the season on November 30, Americana outfit Findlay Napier & The Bar Room Mountaineers will be joined by the Fair City’s comedy troubadour Roberto Cassani for a potentially riotous double-bill.

Tickets for all the shows, which are open to anyone aged 14 or over, are available by calling 01738 621 031, or from www.horsecross.co.uk