Ross Wilson
St James Episcopal Church, Leith 9/7/25
Ross Wilson (guitar and vocals), Christine Devaney (dancer)
Communal music-making has long been part of the festival scene across Edinburgh in August. So accomplished Scottish singer-songwriter Ross Wilson took a break from the four-night residency his project Blue Rose Code is enjoying in Leith this week to pick up his guitar and curate a ‘family friendly’ hour of music, movement and exuberance at St James.
For a moment the physical gulf between artist and audience, separated by an inviting (and for some, forbidding) dance floor looked as if it might be bridged only with reluctance. But Wilson and his dance partner for this afternoon free event, the supple Christine Devaney, soon had attendees young, old, and uncertainly in-between happily on their feet. Also, Wilson is a natural all-age raconteur.
Musically, the hour-long set was a combination of original songs, including the sensuous ‘Red Kites’, and several covers. Though by ‘cover’, in this case, we mean a tune that has been subtly reimagined in Wilson’s distinctive way. Such was the case with George Harrison’s enduringly beautiful ‘Something’ (from the Abbey Road album in 1969), and a version of Bob Dylan’s touching breakup tune, ‘Mama, You Been on My Mind’, first recorded in June 1964 for his Another Side record.
The diversity of influences and inflections also took in Taylor Swift’s ‘Tolerate It’ (from her 2020 recording Evermore), Wilson’s little daughter Georgia’s favourite. She delightfully jigged with joy alongside her father on stage. Then there were the inevitable crowd-pleasers ‘Cecilia’ and ‘I Wan’na Be Like You’ (from The Jungle Book).
Other floor-filling numbers included Sydney’s Carter’s ‘One More Step’ (part of his Riding a Tune collection). This was originally written for children negotiating a move from one school to another, but is also full of metaphors about journeying through life with a sense of spiritual adventure.
That very much captures the essence of Ross Wilson, as does his popular Blue Rose Code song ‘Grateful’, which was released as a single and EP in 2016, ahead of the And Lo! The Bird Is On the Wing album. His music is often described as Scottish-attuned ‘alt folk’. But that is only one of several ways of saying that it is satisfyingly difficult to pigeon-hole.
Suffice it to add that Wilson can wrestle melancholy out of a major key as easily as he can tease exultation out of a minor one if needs be. He therefore snuck ‘Glory, Glory Glory to the Hibees’ into what otherwise sounded like a tender, anguished ballad. Easter Road, take note!
Football highs and lows aside, this afternoon was all about elation. There were prizes for ‘musical statues’ and miming a brass or woodwind instrument. And not just for the kids. Meanwhile, Christine Devaney (choreographer, teacher, and artistic director of Glasgow-based performance company Curious Seed) weaved in and out of bodies on the dancefloor as the music flowed, helping everyone feel more than content in their own skin. It was heart-warming to behold, enjoyable to listen to, and even more fun to join in with.
