Amplifi – The Queens Hall, Edinburgh

Amplifi is a series of gigs showcasing the best in modern Scottish music, held every few months in the quirky bar space venue of The Queens Hall, Edinburgh. Performed mid-week I was somewhat surprised to find such a large diverse and enthusiastic audience, ready to heartily support the three acts on display tonight.

Presented by Arusha Qureshi in association with Halina Rifai and supported by Creative Scotland and The City of Edinburgh Council, and We Are Here Scotland this is a really nice initiative to support the fringe musicians and minorities looking for a stage and platform to showcase development.

First up on the mini stage is Elaine Cheng, Edinburgh based composer/sound artist who takes us through an electronic soundscape featuring her own voice, rising and falling, at times harmonising with the backing pieces, at other times discordant and fractional. There are elements of water, trees, bird song and natural sounds, and tiny bells, all of which are evocative and play on the senses.

Cheng, artist in residence for Art27scotland, plays on her own vulnerability on the stage and ultimately ask us to question what is ‘music’? It is a big question.

The second act features a trio of strings, two sitars and a Spanish guitar, led by Aref Ghorbani, an Iranian Refugee who arrived in Scotland in 2018. As he explains, it is such a freedom to simply be allowed to play, sing and express yourself in Scotland. In Iran it is a crime to carry a musical instrument or perform in public without a licence from the government.

The joy of liberation is clear in his flamboyant sitar playing and expressive singing. The opening track, Friday Market, has the crowd swaying and clapping, hypnotised by the cyclic rhythms and infectious dance beats, which contour up the colourful bazaar.

There is something else in the music though which is surprisingly familiar and reminiscent of a Celtic tradition and the language at times also seems remarkably similar to Gaelic. It’s no surprise therefore to learn that he is lined up to play at Celtic Connections next year and has some Celtic collaborations in the pipeline. Watch this space. This is a man on an upward trajectory.

After a short break and finishing off the programme is fine style, someone who needs little introduction and is very much already at the very top of her game. One of the undoubted stars of Cello playing in Scotland, the Glasgow-based Floridian, Simone Seales, provided an effortless virtuoso performance, completely improvised, and with the aid of a brilliantly controlled foot loop, created a full string section in the tiny space. Filling every bit of the bar space with notes, Seales plucks, strokes and wrestles with her instrument to create her own personal Guernica in a tirade against the current state of the world, and unambiguously state that genocide is never acceptable. Brilliant!              

An entertaining evening by all accounts and a reminder that music can be a very powerful force in a world that can so often seem out of control.

Reviewer: Greg Holstead

Reviewed: 22^nd November 2023

North West End UK Rating: