The patron saint of enthralling folk

Rob St John

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Review

Rob St John at Hollow Heart Parlour

The scene is almost Dickensian in Henry’s Cellar Bar, the molten candles overflowing from wine glasses spread across old wooden tables giving the underground den an amber glow. No blaring music either, just a quietly playing folk soundtrack. Neither is there standing room, the code for the evening is to sit cross-legged and enjoy the acoustic musings. These languid surroundings then, are the perfect accompaniment to the musical delights coming up.

The Edinburgh music scene would appear to be blossoming at the moment, and part of this is the revival of the city’s folk tradition. Continuing the work of musical ancestors Bert Jansch and Davy Graham, the Fife Kills network is the foundation and platform for a host of acts that have already played up and down Scotland as well as London. Rob St John is one such exponent of this group. Originally playing solo, the wistful melancholy of his songs is gracefully carried by his voice and guitar alone. Of late however, he has done a full ‘Dylan’ and recruited a wholesome band to augment the already beautiful sound. The result is no less than astounding. Bass, drums, cello, glockenspiel, autoharp, harmonium, ukulele and the rare sighting of a musical saw form the extensive band, combining to add a priceless vibrancy.

Coupling a vivid vocabulary and a fine knowledge of florid tunings, St John plays a fantastic set, and the audience are enthralled into deathly silence. Even the stumbling towards the front of a drunken man with a tottering pint cannot upset the gentle peace that fills the room. Recently released EP Tipping In is played fully, an almost sold out record which has already gained rave reviews from a host of fanzines. The title track is a magnificently winding piece of song writing, the lyrics poetic in their personification of nature – “A certain delicate refrain, a fine splinter cracking, in a keening embrace for love’s sweet refuge ‘til the weather breaks.” Ending with ‘The Acid Test’, an unhurried tale of times past and places unchanged, Rob, and the St Cool’s as they are tonight dubbed, show Henry’s anything but a hollow heart.

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