Elles Bailey/Demi Marriner/Ida Mae - Cabaret Voltaire, Edinburgh 15th November 2024

This gig at the tiny Cabaret Voltaire in Edinburgh wasn’t even on the original tour schedule apparently, but things got moved around to facilitate a second Scottish gig, with Elles due in Glasgow the next day. That meant a hot, sweaty night, not much room on stage for the performers and a set-constricting curfew at 10PM. With three acts on the bill that could have been tricky but Elles is running this tour like one of those old-school revues from the 1960s or 1970s with all of the artists working together and she made sure she looked after her mates.

That started with Elles coming out to introduce her friend and fellow hat-wearer Demi Marriner as the opening turn of the night. Other headliners might have dumped the third act in the circumstances but Elles gave her pal and band-mate full support along with a plea / warning to the crowd for good behaviour and no talking over the songs, which the already near-capacity audience were happy to comply with – there was never really any doubt though, because the room was full of “real” fans and proper music aficionados, not gobby plastic bar-flies.

Wee Demi is an absolutely charming singer-songwriter with a disarming manner, a lovely voice and a bag-full of finely-crafted songs to share, so she had no problems winning friends in this audience. With only time for a 4-song, 15-minute “speed dating” set, Demi dispensed with most of the chat, other than teasing a squirrel story to go with the song ‘One Way Conversation’ from her album ‘The Things We Didn’t Say’. The follow-up album ‘Things I Said’ is in the works and she featured recent single ‘Repeat Refrain’ and the next one ‘Need to Know’, which is due at the end of November. Both are country / americana in style and showcase Demi’s intelligent word-play and exquisite voice to good effect – this little lady can certainly hold a note. Obviously, she is playing solo and acoustic tonight but she also has a band and her material is very worthy of further attention. We would see her again shortly.

After a very quick turnaround, Elles popped back out again to introduce Ida Mae and give them a ringing personal endorsement. To be clear, this is not Oda Mae from the film ‘Ghost’. Ida Mae is actually a husband-and-wife duo, Chris Turpin and Stephanie Jean Ward, who met at Bath University, formed the band Kill it Kid who had a song of the same name and subsequently moved to Nashville.

Apparently, some Americans have compared them visually to Kurt Cobain and Jennifer Aniston - they are a great-looking couple but I think someone must have been on the moonshine! They moved back to the UK during Covid but had toured extensively in the US, covering 46 states and opening for some genuine legends like Willie Nelson. Over there, their sound was once described as “bluegrass grunge” and that’s not as daft as it sounds. As you would expect, they have great chemistry and harmonise wonderfully on delicate but earnest melodies that stretch their voices to the very edge of their range on some beautiful and atmospheric songs from their catalogue of three albums. They use a steely sounding guitar, acoustic guitar, kick box, tambourine and shaker to accompany the vocals and create an ethereal soundscape. Their music is undoubtedly good but will divide opinion. If you like it, you will probably actually love it, but it won’t be to everyone’s taste. I believe that was the case in Edinburgh where they were very well received and absolutely everyone respected their ability and paid attention throughout.

They didn’t introduce many of the songs by name but they did highlight ‘Detroit or Buffalo’ – an obscure and under-appreciated gem from 1973 by Barbara Keith that struck a chord with their own road trip experiences. I went home and checked out the original featuring Lowell George and Sneaky Pete and it is awesome. They had a few more “road” songs, one apparently inspired by Dr Feelgood, in a set that lasted around 30 minutes. If I interpreted the between-song chat correctly, I believe Stephanie may be expecting the couple’s second child, so they will be off the road for a bit. They were not able to hang around for long after their set as they had their toddler waiting for them at the Holiday Inn. I bet their lullabies are absolutely amazing!

Prior to the doors opening, there was a long queue outside the venue that stretched back up the hill and it actually looked like everyone might be waiting for Happy Hour at the sauna a few doors along. It was as hot as a sauna inside the concert venue too and Elles Bailey provided the happy ending with a wonderful set, albeit with about 3 songs lopped off to meet curfew requirements. It was a tight squeeze getting all the band onstage and tight is the word to describe their performance, with a real team-effort mentality and everyone given the best opportunity to shine, but with each player supporting the communal effort rather than indulging in extended “look-at-me” soloing.

Once-upon-a-time, Elles might have been categorized as “just” a blues singer based on her smoky vocals but, especially on the new record, she’s plopped soul, pop, country and americana into her cauldron to come up with a divine blend of genres and a sunny delight to enjoy live. ‘Beneath the Neon Glow’ is a definite career-highlight to date, so quite rightly, she plays every song from the album, starting with Joe Wilkins sliding ‘Enjoy the Ride’ into the opening slot, followed by the big-hearted pop of ‘Leave a Light On’, the afore-mentioned ‘Ballad of a Broken Dream’ with Demi singing her wee heart out on backing vocals, plus the nostalgic ‘1972’ and absolutely nobody was shouting out for old ones, even though Elles has got some corkers in her locker.

Elles was really genuine, interactive and chatty all night and even allowed the audience to choose one of the songs from a list of four options. There had been an online vote before the show but she went to the clapometer on the night anyway and the winner was John Prine’s ‘Angel from Montgomery’. Graciously, Elles did say that she didn’t mind that we had chosen the only cover version option over three of her originals and I don’t think she was faking it. The result was predictably spell-binding. Elles smoked it and Demi testified on a verse too before Jonny Henderson “took it to church” on the piano. The last time I heard this song live was at Red Rocks, Colorado a couple of years ago when Susan Tedeschi reduced me to tears, so this was another special moment for everyone present, but perhaps especially for me.

They might not be traditional old-school blues, but songs like ‘Silhouette in a Sunset’ and ‘Let it Burn’ have soul-touching qualities and real emotional heft. Elles seems to be all about lifting others up and sharing the spotlight and she always acknowledged other contributors and her co-writers. For ‘Let it Burn’ that was Katey Brooks and it was an absolute gift for Elles to be able to finish writing it with her, even if she did ruefully reflect later that “maybe we should have given it to Adele”! I can see what she means but I’m kind of glad she didn’t all the same.

A full-on Soul explosion breaks out on ‘If This is Love’ and some folks might even have been dancing even if there was only enough room for a hand jive, although somehow Elles found a lane through the crowd, carving a path like Sir Mark Cavendish in a sprint finish to the back of the room while belting out ‘Riding Out the Storm’. For the faked “encores” (there was nowhere to go), Elles opted for the 10th and final track from ‘BTNG’ - the topical weepie ‘Turn Off the News’ which was enjoyed, if that is the right word, in rapt silence. Fortunately, the antidote was to hand with the joyous romp of the Tom Petty-referencing ‘Sunshine City’ from ‘Shining in the Half Light’ and everyone went home very happy indeed.

I left the gig feeling dehydrated, sweaty, exhilarated, entertained and joyful. A post-gig pint and a shower sorted the first two and the good feelings stayed with me for the rest of the weekend, so thanks to Elles and her friends for bringing their show to our town and I hope we will see them again on a stage that is a better fit for their talents.