It had been almost nine months to the day since first seeing Hamish Hawk perform Life in a Scotch Sitting Room, Vol. 0 at the Edinburgh International Book Festival. Myself and the OH enjoyed so much that we’d wish we could have gone back the following night to see it all over again. So when this short tour of the shows was announced, we knew we had to go again. And what better setting than the auditorium upstairs at Oran Mor with all that wonderful Alasdair Gray artwork around it.
It wasn’t the warmest of spring days Glasgow has had. Although the sun was out at times, there was a moderate breeze that had a bit of a bite to it.
Sue had come up for the show, as she had missed out on getting a ticket last year and was eager to see it. All three of us headed to the West End mid afternoon and perused both the book and music Oxfam stores along Byres Road. We then headed to the Botanic Gardens and to Kebble House to look at the orchid fair that was happening. There were some very beautiful orchids on display. I got chatting to one of the society members and she told me she had over 600 that she was growing currently – incredible dedication!
It’s lovely seeing all the exotic plants there. The ferns and banksias do give me a little tinge of homesickness. Just a little tinge. I noticed some Rhododendrons in bloom and took a photo which I uploaded to Instagram and mentioned that it made me think of Hamish’s song ‘New Rhododendrons.’ It’s one of the tear-jerkers, you know?
A refuel at the Greggs back down Byres Road, some people-watching and then it was time to start queueing for the show. Although it was seated, it was non-allocated seating, so the early birds would get the best seats. Many regulars were there and so as the norm, the time goes quickly while having conversations. Although the very cool conditions were a test. When we left home the sun was out and the breeze was light so it felt quite warm. Then we were in shops, a greenhouse and generally being protected. I was only in a t-shirt and light jumper so after a few minutes in the queue I was freezing! Temperature-wise, the queue was a long wait!
Once seated in the auditorium and after I had taken in all the wonderful Alasdair Gray art, I finally took in the position of the microphone on the stage and realised that Hamish would be almost directly in front of me. I had no complaints about this view!
Promptly at 8pm, Andrew and Stefan arrived on stage, very closely followed by Hamish. What followed after that was 75 minutes of laughter (and some tears) with the most magical blend of Ivor’s songs and stories, with Hamish’s own tales interwoven. It was once again just a magical experience.
I kept my phone in my bag but Em took a few snaps and some footage of Hamish performing Little Black Buzzer. Most of the photos and all the video is hers.
We queued for the merch stall. Unusually for this day and age, Hamish was manning it himself and he was graciously taking time to chat to everyone. The queue was slow as a consequence but he is a very accommodating young man and loves to give people time. From being at the front of the seating it meant we were near the back of the queue for the merch stall. But Hamish is worth the wait! Just as we were nearing the table, Hamish got the hurry up from the staff telling him there was just 10 minutes left. There were still at least 15 people behind us. As a result, time with him was short. Em borrowed me the money to buy a special print, with the artwork done by Hamish himself. I asked him if he would personalise it. He checked the spelling of my name – and STILL remembered it correctly. It blows me away every time! There was just time for a quick snap and we were away.
Every time I am at one of his gigs I come away feeling so uplifted. I don’t believe it is hyperbole to go so far as to say that Hamish Hawk is a young Scottish ‘National Treasure.’ He is a human elixir and I adore him. Who knows when from this point when I’ll be seeing him again. I don’t think there are any other things planned for the moment. I believe he has been recording over the winter and spring, so I am hoping there will be some news to come very soon.
Until then, there is an already impressive catalogue of music to enjoy. I eagerly await the next instalment of the Hamish Hawk musical journey.
