Canada's East Pointers open with a typical slice of celtic folk. The vocal phrasing is a little simplistic and there are too many 'diddle-aye diddle-um' style lyrics for my liking but it is pretty rousing. The second track sees a change of instruments to piano and guitar and is in the vein of Bruce Hornsby or a smoother Bruce Springsteen. The crowd are pretty into it, joining in with all the 'woah oh' singalong parts. The third track is very interesting, as it sees the combination of violin and piano, and is like a mixture of John Legend style soul and the folk of tonight's headliners. A traditional folk hoedown is never too far away though. One track features a tin whistle and sounds like a more organic Avicii. 'Anniversary' has an emo troubador feel like Dave Hause or the more stripped back moments of The Get Up Kids, and the crowd participation is magical. They finish with a jaunty, uptempo celtic reel which is another crowd pleaser. Terrific.
Elephant Sessions' set starts with a funky bass line and beat, before the fiddle and mandolin start their duelling. The drums seem a bit too loud, drowning out the other instruments but that could be because I'm stood right next to the drumkit. The sound improves a little for an excellent 'What Makes You'. One track starts with a bass riff which isn't dissimilar to Eminem's 'Lose Yourself' before the fiddle takes over and the bass takes it into Chic disco funk territory. 'We Out Here Now' sees them continue in a disco folk style and is excellent. It's all very accessible and danceable and most of all fun. The bassist Calum provides a solid Nile Rodgers style presence whilst Euan on fiddle and Alasdair on mandolin are fantastic, and it is their interaction which provides the basis of both their sound and appeal. The mournful 'Riverview, Pt.1' adds an extra dimension but normal partyfolk service is resumed when they get to 'Pt.2'. Encore 'Bloom' follows a similar pattern to 'What Makes You' but is much funkier. The final track has a different vibe, being almost techno folk but the crowd parties on in exactly the same manner regardless of the harder edge.
Elephant Sessions ****
The East Pointers ****
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