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Fergus McCreadie Trio at Kings Place

Fergus McCreadie at Kings Place. Photo credit: John McGloin.

The Fergus McCreadie Trio appeared as part of the Scotland Unwrapped series at Kings Place, London, adding a second show after the first quickly sold out. The series is in its 16th edition and runs throughout 2024.

The band returned to the stage after no more than a 30 minute break between shows. McCreadie suggested there was no planned setlist, but that they would use material from previous recordings and their forthcoming album.

They opened with three numbers that flowed into each other, including a traditional melody, ‘The Old Woman’s Dance’, and ‘Hillfoot Glen’ from McCreadie’s 2017 album Turas. It began gently, contemplatively, but gradually transformed into something much more dramatic and redolent of a Scottish landscape, even seeming to portray the arrival of a storm. A repeated left hand motif on piano, echoed by the double bass and allowing an improvisation with the right hand, was a particularly nice touch.

This was an evening of shifting moods, with flourishes of drama and episodes of much more reflective and contemplative music. We heard quiet and subtle themes that hinted at their origins in traditional folk music, but with a jazz-oriented treatment. More than once, I found myself recalling the work of E.S.T.

Bass and drums were allotted the occasional short solo, but that’s not to underestimate their impact. The use of a bow on the double bass was reminiscent of a bagpipe drone, while Henderson’s drumming provided exciting texture and tone.

The set was finished by ‘Forest Floor’, from McCreadie’s 2022 Mercury Awards shortlisted album of the same name, to bring a short but fulfilling late evening set to an end.

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