James Grant to play Perth Theatre

Jan 12 2010 by Andrew Welsh, Perthshire Advertiser Tuesday

SCOTS songsmith James Grant is set to play a rare show in Perth.

The former Love And Money frontman has confirmed an intimate gig at Perth Theatre on March 8 as part of a series of Scottish dates.

After starting with cult act Friends Again in the early Eighties, Grant cracked the big time in 1986 when his second band’s single Candybar Express hit the charts in both the UK and America.

Although their debut album All You Need Is Love And Money failed to chart, the Glasgow six-piece secured a high profile support slot with U2 at Murrayfield in Edinburgh.

Their 1988 follow-up album Strange Kind Of Love was overseen by Steely Dan producer Gary Katz and featured the memorable Halleluiah Man.

Deploying a refined funk sound, the band earned critical acclaim, with their singles Strange Kind Of Love and Jocelyn Square achieving a modicum of commercial success and earning them high profile TV slots, including an appearance on the BBC’s Wogan chat show.

Love And Money’s third album Dogs In The Traffic, which is widely considered to be among the greatest of all Scottish pop and rock albums, reflected Grant's growing maturity as a writer through stripped-down arrangements that strongly emphasised his lyrics and melodies.

Following the band’s final album Littledeath in 1993, Grant went solo the following year.

His first post-LAM album Sawdust In My Veins arrived in 1998 and has since been followed by four further efforts, My Thrawn Glory, I Shot The Albatross, Holy Love and Strange Flowers, which came out last year.

Grant also scored the film The Near Room and has performed with and written songs for Capercaillie frontwoman Karen Matheson.

He’s promising to play material from every stage of his career at his Perth gig, which will be a solo acoustic affair.

Tickets for the show, at 8pm on March 8, are available by contacting Horsecross on 01738 621031.