Saturday the 5th of April saw the long awaited return of Moteh Parrott on the Inverness leg of his Scottish tour.
Kenna was very much front and centre in her role
But first to take the stage was Nairn’s Kenna Ross. Kenna is no stranger to the stage and has recently been seen providing backing keys for Dylan Tierney when he opened for Kyle Falconer at Botanic House last month. Kenna is very much that go-to person when such an occasion arises. However, tonight Kenna was very much front and centre in her role as piano player on an electronic keyboard where she showcased her own compositions accompanied by the accomplished pairing of Blair on drums and Adam on bass guitar.
MORE IMAGES OF KENNA ON THE EVENING HERE
Opener ‘Stravaigin’ set the scene with a brisk meander through Kenna’s range. Kenna did suggest that we may fall asleep, not through boredom I hasten to add, but through the relaxing effect of her tracks, as she started ‘Old Town, Blue Door’. There was a serenity to ‘Heidi’s Lullaby’, which is a, well I think you’ve worked that one out for yourself, and ‘Adrift’ which Kenna described as one where if you closed your eyes it was like being on a ferry. It sailed those seas with the ebb and the flow; there were no choppy breakers here.
this was a little different to your usual singer songwriter slot, but I like different
If you were feeling cut adrift you were soon brought back to shore with the trad, punchy, and certainly very toe tapping ‘Northbound’. The drums and bass guitar added that little extra structure which gave strength to Kenna’s compositions. Also, it was good to see a piano player take front and centre for a change. As an opener this was a little different to your usual singer songwriter slot, but I like different.
Having opened his tour at the rural setting of Stratherrick Hall on Friday night the Moteh Parrott tour came into town and it was drummer Marc who gently eased us into Moteh’s set with ‘Afterglow’ opening proceedings. Beginning with an earthy glow and warmth that would remain throughout the set. ‘Rowan and the Briar’ drives the set on as firstly Kathleen’s cello and then the introduction of Sarah’s vocals sit perfectly with Moteh’s. At this juncture Moteh mentions that this is really the album release tour. Although it came out in September last year a complex broken wrist had brought complications bringing the show on the road.
With Blair on bass the set takes a funkier turn with ‘Syd Barrett’ and ‘Moth to the Flame’ showing that Moteh is certainly no one trick pony. The mood shifts again with the atmospheric, poetic spoken word of ‘The Day the Den Burned Down’ which leads seamlessly into ‘Surface Tension’ which lifts again.
Moteh opens up and leaves himself bare.
This is an immersive performance and one where Moteh opens up and leaves himself bare. He takes the opportunity to play a recording made by his late mum who passed away in 2022 from pancreatic cancer reciting one of her poems from within a stone circle at the family home. It was also one of his favourites. This peaceful moment leads into ‘Make Peace With Yourself’ a song which deals with anxiety, depression, grief, or whatever inner tensions that you have. It is a song which grows from gentle mellowness to one of inner strength which the accompanying cello only heightens. “Still’ then, similar to the album, walks us into ‘Chorus of the Birds’ which once again soars upwards. ‘Undertow’ an older song, but on the album, is equally relevant today as it was when written during the run up to Donald Trump’s first presidency. Lyrically it’s a protest song, but musically it does not have any burning anger. Sometimes you just need to listen; it is in the undertow.
MORE IMAGES OF MOTEH ON THE EVENING HERE
“Seven Generations’ with its opening line ‘The stones are merely sleeping’ brings the album title and with that a warm blanket that envelops the band, and draws the audience into their cosy enclosure. Fair warning is given that we are two songs from the end with ‘Map the Lines’ which closes the album, and tonight ties up all the tracks from it. It’s a love song, gentle and personal. If you know Moteh and his music you will also know that it is rooted in this earth and has a strong environmental flavour and imagery, so it should be no surprise that he ends the evening with ‘Song For The Insects’. Yes, let’s hear it for the insects!
As the last notes faded away, and also the lengthy applause, …you realise that the world needs more Moteh Parrotts and less, in his words, little orange goblins...
