Nina Nesbitt

Scotland has a wee proud record for producing story tellers throughout history, can I be so bold as to add another but with a musical twist, a certain native from Balerno, Nina Nesbitt. I’m sure more than a few of you have heard of Nina as she’s been around the music scene for over a decade. Tonight was about “I’m coming home” back to her homeland, a stunning venue, the Old Fruit Market, a stage adorned with autumnal and mountain tones, an audience of true fans on a magical night, in a, I was there moment, that hits you on your way home like waking from a dream.

I’ve been fortunate enough to see Nina perform on multiple occasions but I don’t think I’ve ever seen an artist just so damn proud of her current work and the opportunity to share it with her clearly hard-core fan base and a new audience that is prepared to give her undoubted talent a chance. Ok, we are in Scotland and we are going to give one of our own the big one but this is more than that, so much more, Nina has a story to weave and tell with her music, to share around her life to this point and on the magical musical map that is her new album “Mountain Music” it is an epic journey and we are there from start to finish.

An obvious more folky direction has been undertaken from previous work that had hints of what was to come but not forgotten as the beauty of previously recorded “Last December” is included in the set list, with an added chapter too but it’s the story telling and the new music that dominates. Every song, hewn it seems from a personal life moment is a stepping stone to this point in time and Nina lays bare between tracks the very personal history of each and every one. An audience, obviously already in love with the music is given the opportunity to identify, engage and own the narrative behind so many songs too; live in a small place? “Big things” can happen in a “small town’, meet that special person, not sure at first, “Parachute” exists, have a friend in a bad situation-ship? “Mansions” will sort you out, need to find yourself? go “on the run”! This was a performance and an album release with so many “Pages” and boy did we read them all up and love every word.

Nina is an artist who has narrated her own future too, strong, independent, her own brand-new record label (Apple Tree Records), check, actively searching for and working with new artists, check, giving opportunities for local musicians to support her on tour, check, an ongoing engagement with fans on a very personal level (deep fried mars bar meet up included!) check. Nina may not live in Scotland right now but we know where her heart is! “Caledonia” anyone? yep let’s just drop that into the set and see if anyone has a voice left, a tear in your eye? Of course! a triumph? nothing less! As we reluctantly but gratefully make our way out we are safe in the knowledge that our queen of the Scots is back, long live the queen.

Photo credit: The Lakes Studio @the_lakes-studio