Folky blues with a side order of humour.
There is obviously a timeless quality to the trade of a solo singer songwriter but it has be to questioned how long the current trend and fashionable element to them will continue, as the nation continues to clutch them to their bosom. Of course, to bundle them all together is a bit of a misnomer as there is much of a difference between them as chalk and cheese.
The current flavours of the month such as Paulo Nuttini are nothing more than pop writers, with plenty of memorable hooks and singalong sections for the masses to latch onto and join in with their drunken crooning.
There is another brand of solo singer songwriter at the moment, those who may eschew the more blatantly commercial element but try to rely on natural talent.
Scott Matthews clearly falls into the latter category, and his set showcased his varied and talented guitar skills and a booming voice, full of spirit and bass. The first few songs were of a slow pace that had a mournful feeling but any thoughts that Matthews was going to spend an evening dispensing hard luck tales proved to be wide of the mark. The in-between chat and banter proved to be rather humorous, showcasing a neat line in self-deprecating humour and a few observations on Glaswegians. As Matthews quoted himself, sometimes the music gets in the way of his act, and although his comments do add some more light to the evening, at times it prevents him getting up a full head of steam with his set.
Getting back to the music, when Matthews focussed on the instrumental side, the set really picked up, allowing the songs to flow with more pace and rhythm. It's hard for a solo act to balance the musical side with the storytelling side, and although Matthews is clearly skilled in both areas, when he tries to combine the both, the pace drops to allow his vocal talents to surface more.
Which is a pity as the harmonica playing and slide guitar on show were of a high standard, basing the music in a rooty blues style, which never goes out of fashion. In fact, one lengthy instrumental stomp was reminiscent of Led Zeppelin's acoustic boogie-woogie tracks and had the crowd whooping and hollering along.
The commercial songwriters such as James Blunt, James Morrison, James Hewitt or James and the Giant Peach all have the commercial ear and ideas to sell to the masses and become household names, which at the moment, seems out of reach for Scott Matthews. Crucially though, with the talents that Matthews possesses, he should be good enough to create a strong enough fanbase for himself and make a good living playing and recording his songs, and embellishing his stand-up routine.
As a showcase to his many talents and skills, the night was a roaring success but a few more standout moments would not have gone amiss.