Declan Welsh and the Decadent West, with support from Emme Woods and Lilura, at Ironworks, Inverness.
Thursday night saw the Ironworks welcome, and Netsounds present, Declan Welsh and the Decadent West with support from Lilura and Emme Woods.
Lilura opened the show, in what was her anniversary of moving from acoustic songstress to the more theatrical witch pop of Lilura. It’s been an interesting year for Lilura with stateside visits and establishing herself in her new guise. Tonight she mixed old and new as her vocal hovered over pounding drums and an electronic beat. This is a far cry from the acoustic days and she has really grown into the Lilura persona. This is really coming together.
Next was Emme Woods with her band and Bubbles, that’s Bubbles the most well behaved stage dog ever, not that I know of others, but then which dog wouldn’t with a front row seat for Emme. There is a gritty, earthy rawness to Emme’s vocal which rejoices in a mix from country overtones to full on rock. That’s from back of the throat, gutsy rock ‘n’ roll. Away from the band setting Emme played a solo number which was stark yet powerful proving the voice is very much an instrument when showcased well.
With Declan Welsh, and his Decadent West, you have the angry young man of the Scottish music scene. It’s spit and fizz to a rock ‘n’ roll beat with some, you could say pretensions, although the educated Declan sees that coming when referencing Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse 5. But this intelligence has a fire burning behind it as Declan champions the underdog as this musical freedom fighter. His sound leans heavily towards Arctic Monkeys and Vaccines but done with his own added bite. A rattling set with by the end has the small, but perfectly happy, crowd jumping.
If there was a downside it was the small crowd. But those who were there has great value for their fiver, yes a fiver. Hopefully if the Ironworks and Netsounds put on more of these shows the word will get round and the crowds will grow. If someone can show me better value for 5 quid on a Thursday night I’ll take up their offer. Photos of the evening can be found here.
You can read our interview with Lilura from last year, below;
