All You Need is [Music is] Love

Tucked away in a quiet corner of this quiet town an event, nay, a treasure to all those who were there, was staged by Music is Love. While the rest of St Andrews flocked to see the Situation (I still don’t know who or what that is), fifty or so people said “No, let’s do something else. Let’s do something like…like…pool together this town’s most talented and creative musicians so that they can perform beautifully low-key music, ideally in someone’s bedroom, in order to restore our faith in humanity. Oh, and let’s do it by candlelight.” And that’s exactly what they did.

This event had no name; that’s how cool it was. People arrived with cushions, alcohol and bated breath. The musicians had been jamming all day. You could feel it in the air. Andrew Pearson and the Riflebirds kicked off the night, or rather they gently ushered it in with a soft crooning voice, haunting lyrics and a fascinating aural collage of guitar, clarinet, and computer-engineered wizardry. Playing songs off his own Common Records Label, Pearson, along with Tilly Rossetti and Calum West, had the packed room swooning upon each lovely accented word. 

Their sound is so chilled that it can apparently short-circuit electrical equipment. But a broken microphone wasn’t enough to deter the next act, Hamish Hawk (his real name – I checked), backed by Alex Duthie, who kept calm and carried on, acoustically serenading the audience with humour, charm, and a lightness of touch that proved addictive. If you’ve ever felt that there just aren’t enough songs taking satirical swipes at the drinking habits of Spanish professors, as I often have, then Hawk’s and Duthie’s ‘Oh, Bernard’ will go down oh so well.    

Last, but one could hardly say least, came The Moon, the Son and the Daughters composed of Anna and Gabriel Merryfield, Hannah Simmons, a violin and a ukulele. They delivered enchanting folk at its best. Their intricate harmonies and joyous songs had us swaying, dancing, laughing and on the verge of crying. If music is love then I want to have an affair.

Merryfield, who also organised the event (it was her bedroom) and is Publicity Director for Music is Love, said, “The value of events like this one is that it establishes an inclusive environment for musicians and audiences alike within a creative and intimate atmosphere.” In this vein, the artists were selling their CDs, bound in hand-made packaging, and you’d be a fool if you missed seeing them live again. So, here’s the Facebook page, just to keep you up to date – who says The Stand doesn’t treat you well?

And, if you’re kicking yourself that you missed it (as you should be) then here’s where you can get hip and catch up: Andrew Pearson and the Riflebirds, Hamish Hawk, The Moon, The Son and the Daughters

Also, make sure you catch Music Is Love’s open mic nights which are on monthly, either as a performer or a humble fan; you won’t regret it. You’ll feel ten times cooler having done so, trust me.  

Images: Jake Threadgould