Can I Convince You You Are Pretty?

Now I'm sitting here watching the fox in our garden, but just hours ago, before writing a new song, I was walking up that steep slope known as Scott Street and writing this post in my head. It has never felt better walking uphill! We are all heading for new heights and greater goods. Tonight Camera Obscura proved that they are still the best band in Scotland. They were so beautiful. No one can touch them! They proved there is still beauty in this world, and that that's all you need. You don't need love, you don't need things and people to make you happy when you can be proud of who and what you are. You don't have to look down, avert your gaze. They played "Eighties Fan" but the song that really made my day was "I Love My Jean". ABC has never been filled with so much Pop and so much Love. For the first time Tracyanne didn't look shy - she was shining. I actually met a boy yesterday who had never heard of Camera Obscura. Has was admittedly from Northern Ireland, but hey, he was living in Glasgow! I like to think he was there tonight. And walked out a better person - like the rest of us. I can't imagine anyone walking out of the venue and into the warm spring night without a smile on their face. I've forgotten half of what I was supposed to write, but it doesn't matter because I know it was quite nice.

There were two support acts: Emma Pollock (who was erm... professional) and Ned Collette from Australia. He was far from a ned and at times sounded like a folkier and dronier Alasdair Maclean. Quite good, that is. I also forgot to say I went to see The Hermit Crabs last Friday, in-between the A Smile and a Ribbon gigs. They were playing at a new club at the RAFA, called Drunk Behind the Pulpit and arranged by some people I know. The Crabs were good, but the inferior sound quality made it not-as-good-as the Brel gig. Blood Music and Older and Faraway played too but I missed the latter, and would not have cared if I had missed the former.