Venue: Glasgow, King Tuts, 21st December 2003.
Author – Camilla Pia (from The Scotsman newspaper.)
On Sunday night James Yorkston showed just how entertaining an endearing singer / songwriter can be, without sliding into the bland “two-a-penny” dirge territory that both Chris Martin and Fran Healy churn out on a regular basis. Each of Yorkston’s tracks was greeted with hushed reverence by the crowd, who hung on to his every utterance as if it were his last. He’s an unassuming, funny and frankly huggable character, touting emotional and unashamedly pretty folk music that buckles at the knees occasionally but is held firm by the strength of the melody.
Nick Drake-esque finger-picking, acoustic guitar-based songs were complemented by snatches of accordion and harmonica, and the warm sound eminating from the stage was only enhanced by the intimate setting of a devoted fan-filled King Tut’s. It all made for a mesmerising and strong performance from someone who comes across as quite a fragile sort of fellow. 4/5