Culture Clash!

Emptying Stage

Originally uploaded by miketransreal

Two completely different events!
On Thursday Madeleine and I went through to the Marriott Hotel in Glasgow to attend the Scottish Independent Retail Awards 2011, a category of which Transreal Fiction was a nomineee in! (Best Bookshop/Stationer).
We got there in time to mingle a bit with all the other nominees and guests and have some pink champagne, and then it was time for the Event..
It was compered by Alison Walker, a local tv/sports presenter, who introduced the ‘eclectic’ (their term) entertainment, which turned out to be a team of cheerleaders!
Then the first awards, as we all sat at our tables and clapped politely as nominees and winners were announced.
Then we got fed! Quite a nice meal but I was getting a bit nervous as my category approached!
However, I needn’t have worried as a bookshop from Biggar won the category. After that it was a matter of waiting until the end, although the cheerleaders came on again at some point and performed a twilight-ish vampire routine. There were about 300 guests there for 13 awards so most of the 30 tables didn’t have anything to celebrate especially as the table next to ours managed to snag four of the awards! Chance, I know, but it seemed a bit unlikely…

And the following evening, as a complete change, we went to see Michelle Shocked at a small local venue caled The Caves.
The support were a duo called The Sweater Set and they were good fun! Two girls singing and playing, variously, a mandolin, an accordian, a guitar, tamborine, little finger cymbals and kazoos! They also came on a couple of times (totalling maybe half the set) during Michelle’s performance to add backing vocals and more instruments to the mix.
Michelle herself was in great form! I’ve seen her more times than I can remember – 8? 9? – but this was one of her best performances, imo. I preferred it by far to her Queen’s Hall show we saw last year… She played guitar and sang and told stories, with accompaniment from Peter O’Toole of the Hothouse Flowers (who I’ve seen play with her before, and another pianist/guitarist called Lach (thanks to Carlton’s comment for his correct name). Between the five of them they put on a great show, improvised a lot and generally had a good time!
One section was entirely new material, based around the five large paintings at the rear of the stage of inspirational women, ranging from Ann Frank to Ella Fitzgerald.
Lots of banter, call and response, general fun, mixed in with some more serious comments and anecdotes.
Quite different from the suits and frocks of the previous night!

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Previous Michelle Shocked entries.

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