Preview

Un o berfformwyr unigol mwyaf syfrdanol y byd, mae Rory McLeod yn fand-un-dyn llawn enaid, yn fardd, yn storïwr, ac yn chwarae sawl offeryn - mae'n drwbadwr teithiol yn perthyn i'r 21 ganrif sy'n siwr o ennill lle iddo'i hun yn eich calon.

Prepare yourselves for an enchanting evening with one of the world's most astonishing solo performers! Now Orkneys-based, Rory's an ex-circus clown and fire-eater, an inveterate world traveller, and a seasoned troubadour who for two and a half decades has captivated audiences across the globe: a one-man soul band, poet, and storyteller, singing his own unique upbeat dance stories; a modern travelling phenomenon who uses tap-shoes, a cappella, harmonica, guitar, trombone, spoons, finger cymbals, bandorea, djembe, and assorted percussion to weave his irresistible spell.

As well as being a firm favourite at festivals, especially Glastonbury, Rory has collaborated musically with Michelle Shocked, Ani Di Franco, Ali Farke Toure, Flaco Jiminez, and Kathryn Tickell, to name just a few - an index of his supreme versatility. You think you've seen everything? You haven't, until you've seen Rory McLeod in action. Not to be missed!

'... the musical equivalent of a six or seven ball juggler' - Guardian

'... eloquently expressed ideas ... vibrant, dynamic music ... transmits a pure joy of music-making' - St Louis Post Dispatch

'Dynamic ... never still or silent, his shows radiate energy ... one of the folk circuit's greatest live performers' - Venue

Review

The devoted following that this amazing man boasts revealed itself in the unprecedented number of enquiries we received about camping facilities adjacent to the Talbot ... there's something about what he does that naturally lends itself to the outdoor life, beloved of festival stalwarts, but while the Talbot's function room was unable to reproduce accurately the atmosphere of Glastonbury - smoke, miscellaneous cooking smells, dodgy latrines (I dunno, sounds like the Talbot to me. - Ed.), it certainly gave us the privileged chance to see this unique artist at work close up.

First off, Rory's instrumental skills are exemplary: his guitar playing emcompasses choppy rhythm patterns as well as a blues vocabulary, including some dextrous slide work, that would admirably serve any aspiring traveller on that particular highway ... his nifty footwork, on a miked-up footboard, provides a firm foundation that substitutes for a rhythm section, and his prowess on harmonicas is really outstanding - and it was his wailing, unamplified harp that kicked off proceedings at floor level, before hitting the stage for 'Baksheesh Thing' ... from here, Rory launched into an evening's music (a little under three hours) which showed his image-packed songs to be marked by wit, humanity, political awareness, and a high moral tone ... From 'Dreams for Forgiveness' to 'Shirley's her Name' (a touching paean to his Mum), by way of 'Huge Sky' (dedicated to exiles everywhere), 'When My Mum and Daddy Made Me', 'Emperor's New Clothes', 'The Miner's Picket Dance' (harmonica and spoons), the much-requested 'London Kisses', 'Too Old For the Orphanage', and 'Dancing on the Prison Wall' (the long-awaited trombone work-out), Rory's charismatic presence and sheer versatility delighted the fans who were familiar with his oeuvre as much as the uninitiated ... he's a consummate performer with a well-honed inter-song patter that, in the view of some, occasionally outstayed its welcome ... six minutes between numbers was a little too much for a few punters, but in the final analysis, given the nature of the venue and an audience that was perhaps a little more muted than he's accustomed to, Rory did a fine job. He's one of the few acts around that give proper old-fashioned hippies a good name.