With Scotland in the wet and windy grip of a weather bomb, turnout at Electric Circus wasn't bad for a cold Tuesday night not long before Christmas. Billed simply as "Laura Stevenson (full band)," the Cans apparently now absent from gig listings as they were from the spine of last year's full length, Wheel, Laura and band took the stage at 9 p.m. As they launched into "Triangle" from that record, the benefits of touring with a full band behind her were immediately apparent. It's an up-tempo but lyrically downbeat indie rocker with an intensity that she would struggle to replicate solo. She certainly has a way with opening lines: "I wouldn't mind if you left me here, standing on the other side of a locked door in a big big fire" is a hell of a way to start a song, and a gig.
A pair of tracks from 2011's Sit Resist followed, first "The Healthy One," which was almost jaunty, highlighting Alex Billig's accordion playing, then the stop-start rhythms of "8:08." Next up was the melodic "Runner," which could have waltzed straight off the soundtrack to a bittersweet indie rom-com. Other highlights included "The Wait," with its sing-song vocals and slow build, "Renée," which still sounded achingly beautiful even without the violins on the studio version, and a new song possibly called "Emily."
The Cans took a break, Stevenson joking that every night she emotionally prepares herself for their not coming back. A sublime solo version of "The Move" was followed by a welcome airing for "Beets Untitled" from A Record, Laura's guitar replacing the waltz rhythm of the piano from the studio recording. The latter might just qualify as the most optimistic song in her repertoire, as self-pity ("keep away from me, I am full of terrible things") gradually turns to hope ("but if you love the terrible, then please be near to me"). The band returned to the stage for the closing "Master Of Art," with Stevenson really letting rip vocally. It was a fittingly energetic end to a set that stood in marked contrast to her last visit here.
I saw her play at the same venue, sans Cans, earlier in the year, and while I enjoyed the intimate nature of that set, just Laura and her guitar sharing her songs like secrets, playing with the Cans this time around opened up more of her back catalogue and added some pace and diversity to the set list. Only during a slightly lackluster rendition of "A Shine To It," a personal favorite, did I wish she was playing solo or acoustic.
Stevenson had an endearingly self-deprecating, slightly scatty stage presence, with every other song introduced as "a sad one." That the parade of downbeat songs never blended together was testament to both her songcraft and the Cans' musicianship. They don't tend to do big choruses, but you never feel short changed in terms of melodies or hooks. They play sad songs that sound sad, sad songs that sound happy, and just occasionally, sad songs with a glimmer of hope. And they did all three with aplomb on Tuesday night.