some very special guests 

Amy Hill

In early September when the world was faced with horrific images of a lifeless young boy washed up on the shores of Turkey, Stuart Murdoch wanted to do something. That very evening he phoned up Beul Mathers, head of Save the Children, and asked what he and the rest of his band could do to help. It was from this phone call that plans for a Save the Children benefit gig came together. The Clyde Auditorium in Glasgow was filled with guests of all ages to see an incredible line-up of Scottish bands including Young Fathers, Mogwai, Franz Ferdinand and Jim & Charlie from Simple Minds. Given that each band played and every staff member worked for free, every penny of the ticket price went straight to the Save the Children refugee appeal.

The night kicked off with a set from Young Fathers. Theirs isn’t the kind of music I’d ordinarily listen to, and at first I didn’t really understand the message they were trying to get across (see “I’m going to shit in your palace”). But as their set progressed, the vocalists could be heard with more clarity and you could hear the anger in their lyrics (“more power’s not the cure/your position’s not secure”). When they eventually addressed the crowd, it was to say that “every member of Young Fathers is a migrant”, before finishing their set with a short but intensely emotional a capella performance which showed the sheer power in the voices of each of the three singers.

Next up were the much-anticipated Mogwai, who I’d yet to see in concert. This band were perhaps best suited to the auditorium venue, which did not feel quite so natural for the other bands. Rather than making us want to get up and dance, Mogwai’s set allowed you to slip into a dream-like state as their music washed over you. They have mastered the progression of each song, with the sound building up almost to a point where it became completely discordant before resolving back to Barry Burns’ trance-like piano riffs. Where Young Fathers shouted their message at you, Mogwai can slip it into your consciousness and manipulate your emotions without you even noticing.

After a short interval, Franz Ferdinand walked onto the stage as if they’d been there all evening. This set was nothing short of flawless, and Alex Kapranos can be described as nothing less than a master of the microphone. I’d forgotten just how great their songs are, and Walk Away was a particular highlight. I was almost a little disappointed when they predictably played Take Me Out, but it did get the crowd on their feet and that snippet of their live performance left me craving to see them fully.

And then it was time for what we’d all been waiting for – Belle and Sebastian walked onto the stage. Their first song was perhaps the highlight for me. I’d already seen Belle and Sebastian perform Nobody’s Empire when on tour, and though the visuals had been great last time, that night they brought it to a new level. Behind the band was an incredible black and white slideshow of photographs of people: people with their parents; people with their children; people in love; people fighting in wars; people fleeing conflict; refugees exposed to horrific realities. With the line “If we live by books and we live by hope/does that make us targets for gunfire?” I felt myself overwhelmed with emotion. In this song Belle and Sebastian managed to communicate through music and visuals what perhaps cannot be said in speech. Jim and Charlie from Simple Minds joined the Belles for their final two songs, and while the transition was indeed seamless and they put on a great show, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little disappointed to see Jim Kerr’s ego suddenly dominate the stage (I’d have been happier to see the Belles carry on with their stellar set of old classics). The mere achievement of getting members of Simple Minds to come and play, however, is something to be applauded.

And so ended a hugely successful evening. Although the Clyde Auditorium was not the most natural venue for some of the bands, Stuart Murdoch managed to get a large chunk of the crowd dancing in front of the stage, and the elderly couple in front of me were up dancing for more than a couple of tunes. It was perhaps Young Fathers who summed up the point of the night just before their final song. “Clap your hands if you’re a human!” The whole audience applauded. “Keep clapping if you welcome migrants!” Nobody stopped clapping. “Stand up if Glasgow welcomes migrants!” And the whole auditorium was on their feet.