Missy Lorelei turns in her first review from Celtic Connections.
After twenty-plus years fronting fuzz-chanson indie act Stereolab, Laetitia Sadier finally made the transition of going solo in 2010 with her debut album ‘The Trip’.
It was always going to be intriguing- sans Tim Gane’s Moogy squelches and the band’s characteristic retro-glitch production, would it work?
On tonight’s evidence, absolutely: Sadier is mesmerising- as charming as her songs are nakedly honest.
Armed with just an acoustic guitar, her robust, elliptical tunes are underpinned by Sadier’s scattergun (and very French!) sense of mischief- she deadpans, chuckles, imitates a wah-wah pedal and even screams at one point, thus ensuring it is never an intrusive or uncomfortable listening experience.
‘Statues Can Bend’ for example, is as intimate as whispered confessions under the bed sheets, but her voice, growing more rich and resonant, is always reassuring.
Two new as yet unnamed songs are premiered, the first being about maths, as she explains “mathematicians are never depressed…always open to possibilities”;the latter about fire.
We are even treated to 94’s ‘Mars Audiac Quintet’’s ‘International Colouring Contest’, the paean to outsider artist Lucia Pamela- to the obvious delight of the many Stereolab admirers in attendance.
This is music for the heart as well as head- a touch of warmth on this most brutal of wintry Glasgow nights.
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