From star trip to Lemsip high

COLIN MacINTYRE ***

Cabaret Voltaire, Edinburgh, Thursday, May 10


TONIGHT'S performers needed no reminding that the music business and stable careers are often on distant terms. Opening the bill was Ainslie Henderson, a Scottish contestant on Fame Academy who reached the penultimate week before being booted off. Despite having a No 5 hit in 2003, his record company also severed ties and, since then, he has laboured away from the glare of the major labels. As a result, Henderson's music has also changed from when he was in his Fame Academy pomp. For the better, generally.

Shimmering, multi-textured love songs are more his bag these days with a keyboard/violinist, two guitarists, a bassist and drummer making up his band. His songs switch easily from tender to tough and he does it all rather sweetly, even if, at times, his performance is a little overwrought. 'Back To Sleep' was the stand-out track. A slow burn lullaby, it could soothe Alex Ferguson in hairdryer mode. A brush with the fame machine doesn't have to end in artistic death.

Colin MacIntyre, formerly known as the Mull Historical Society, is another musician to have experienced both the peaks and metaphorical punches the music industry doles out. After three albums of literate and sometimes experimental pop rock, he is developing his much-delayed fourth, Water, with his third record company. Perhaps they had a say in his new fizzy haircut which makes him look uncannily like Andy Murray, just as intense but with a guitar rather than a tennis racket.

MacIntyre's old material was very warmly greeted. He opened with the confident groove of his quirky anthem to oddness, 'Peculiar'. 'How Bout I Love You More' demonstrated his ability to create a rising, euphoric swell within a song and then top it with the sort of catchy chorus that makes it hard not to grin, while 'Watching Xanadu' started with an audience singalong and then burst into a muscular, energetic rush. Two banks of keyboards and playing with some voice distortion enabled MacIntyre to dabble with electronic squirls and squiggles like some sort of sonic pixie dust.

But there was a much darker tone to many of the new songs. 'Famous For Being Famous' took a meaty swipe at the ego monsters who need their self-esteem stroked very two minutes. The angry, shouted chorus of "Hello! OK!" showed where MacIntyre thought some of the blame lay.

Another modern concern came under the microscope with 'Stalker'. An attacking, staccato number, it has a guitar riff that builds momentum until - I know this sounds bizarre - it was reminiscent of Iron Maiden and the nasty speed metal of their early Eighties heyday.

This evening was a reminder that whatever spinballs the music industry might throw MacIntyre he is one of Scotland's more distinctive musicians. New song 'I Can, I Will' contains the line "We will trip on Lemsip". Fame Academy wouldn't approve, but the audience roared.