Venue:
Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh
Date: 20/01/2024
Erland Cooper’s music is hard to categorise. A mixture of classical, electronica, spoken word and found sounds. This particular performance was a (slightly delayed) celebration of the Queen’s Halll’s 200th anniversary.
On stage we had: Erland Cooper on piano, analogue synthesisers and tapes; a string quartet; a poet, Ellen Renton (for one piece). For one particular piece there was also some audience participation. I’ll describe this in some detail because it will help to give a flavour of the music.
We were asked to use our phones to go to his website, to a sound clip of gannets (I have, hopefully, included the url here so that you can try this at home.) The hall was filled with the echoing cries of gannets and Cooper conducted us to raise or lower the volume in line with the music; strings, ambient piano, tapes, designed to evoke the landscapes of Orkney, where he grew up. It was really effective, I thought. Fun, yet atmospheric.
For a man with serious points to make eg on climate change and making serious music, Cooper’s stage stage presence, while slightly awkward, is disarmingly funny and self-deprecating. Probably not a bad thing.
I realise that I haven’t really managed to describe the sound – I’ll find a YouTube clip if I can. I can tell you that the performance was rapturously received though.
The audience:
A real mix of ages. Saw both Ian Rankin and Mike Heron amongst them.
It made me think..
Everybody out on on the floor! No, not really, It was music that moved the head and the heart but not the feet. The performance itself felt like an event.
Lando Cakes says
The gannet clip is here: https://www.erlandcooper.com/gannet
Lando Cakes says
If you’re not familiar with his music, this will give you a taste:
pencilsqueezer says
He is rather marvellous. It’s well worth exploring his entire catalogue including his time spent in the company of Hannah Peel and Simon Tong as The Magnetic North especially their album Prospect of Skelmersdale. Delighted you enjoyed the evening Lando.
Lando Cakes says
Thanks, Pencil. In a nice coincidence, I won a copy of the first Magnetic North album (Orkney Symphony? don’t make me get up out of this cosy armchair to check…) in a Word competition. A few years ago, I was pleasantly surprised to find that Hannah Peel was on it. And then a bit later pleasantly surprised to find that Erland Cooper was on it. Truly, it is a gift that keeps on giving.
pencilsqueezer says
Free falling down rabbit holes often leads to miraculous places in my experience. As an example I’m at this moment listening to License To Interpret Dreams by Antonymes. I first found his rather sparse but lovely catalogue of work when listening to an album of reworks of cuts from Marconi Union to whose music I am rather partial. Consequently his music has become a firm favourite and is frequently played here at my bijou council penthouse flat.
Lando Cakes says
Listening to that right now, following your recommendation. Perfect to complement a cold Edinburgh night. Thanks, compadre.
pencilsqueezer says
My pleasure.
duco01 says
Marconi Union?
Oh yes, a fine band indeed.
I’m particularly partial to the “[Distance]” album. I don’t know why the square brackets are included in the album’s title, but it’s a minor point, I suppose.
Moose the Mooche says
I misread that as Macaroni Union. What a fine organisation that would be.
pencilsqueezer says
I thought you would be down with MU duco. They hit me right in my sweet spot for ambient work. Just enough variations to offer up surprises but retaining the subtlety.
retropath2 says
I like the one with additional Wobble.
pencilsqueezer says
That’ll be Anomic. Who doesn’t appreciate a Wobble now and again? I know I do.
retropath2 says
Ha, my Erland story, which isn’t really, but back in about 2010 we had a quiet and studious fella come work at the surgery. He happened to mention he had been brought up in the Orkneys, so, given the surname, I quipped: Erland’s brother, then? Yup, as it turned out, he astonished that, of all people, this old gibber might have not only heard of his bro’ but had some of his music. I second, btw, the @pencilsqueezer commendation of the Cooper/Tong/Peel Magnetic North albums; they are both good. I believe Hannah Peel is Mrs Cooper.
Lando Cakes says
Really? Erland or brother? Either way, I find that strangely pleasing.
duco01 says
Hmmm. I really liked that “Haar” track from the Barbican which Lando posted above (James Yorkston has also composed a song about the Haar – it must be popular in Scotland!).
I don’t have any of the guy’s music.
Which one album by Erland Cooper or the Magnetic North would you recommend to a beginner?
pencilsqueezer says
Wotcha Duco. The Magnetic North only made two albums that I’m aware of the second of which I mentioned above. Both are well worth your time. As for Erland Cooper’s releases you could do worse than to start with his last album from 2023 called Folded Landscapes. Work backwards from there. I’m particularly fond of Hether Blether from 2020 but you really cannot go wrong with any of his albums. All good.
I assume you are already au fait with Hannah Peel’s work.
duco01 says
Thanks, Pencil.
I like the instrumental/orchestral stuff the most.
Am listening to Folded Landscapes on YouTube at the moment, and it sounds excellent.
pencilsqueezer says
Happy to help Duco.
Nick L says
I absolutely loved the first album by Erland And The Carnival having seen them at a festival on Anglesey in 2010. Great live band too. Not heard much since but clearly I need to investigate.
Sitheref2409 says
My wife asked me to describe his style when she found out I was listening to him.
There was an awkward silence.
Kaisfatdad says
Excellent review, Lando. If Erland ever makes it to Stockholm, Duco and I will be up the front clutching our gannets with enthusiasm.
The word “haar ” has been borrowed by the English language. It’s a mist but not any old mist. It’s geographically very specific.
“a cold mist coming from the sea to the east of Scotland or northern England”
Its origin is interesting. THe wiki page is an interesting read.
“Attested since the late 17th century,[1][2] alongside Scots haar (“cold easterly wind; misty wind; cold fog or mist”).[3]
Perhaps ultimately from Middle Dutch hare (“cold wind”) or a related Low German word; compare Dutch harig (“windy; foggy, misty”), Saterland Frisian harig (“misty”).[3][4]
Alternatively, perhaps simply a northern English or Scottish variant of hoar,[2] or a borrowing of Old Norse hárr (“hoary”).[1”
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/haar#:~:text=English-,Etymology,harig%20(%E2%80%9Cmisty%E2%80%9D).
It’s a mist that has inspired a lot of music.
Erland again.
Lauren MacColl
Lee Ranaldo, Jim Jarmusch, Marc Urselli, Balázs Pándi
Moose the Mooche says
“The word “haar ” has been borrowed by the English language.” Mainly by pirates.
pencilsqueezer says
Let’s not forget that pop pirate princess Gina G and her rousing rendition of that old pirate sea shanty (Oo Haar) Just A Little Bit.
hubert rawlinson says
I experienced a haar once, I was at the Summertyne festival outside the Sage Gateshead on the banks of the Tyne sat in bright sunshine. The haar rolled in you could watch it travel inland up the Tyne then when it engulfed you the temperature plunged to a coldness you could feel in your bones.
LightsOut says
Welcome to summer in Edinburgh.
I should add that I too was at the Queens Hall on Saturday and have to agree with Lando’s review – if was a wonderful show. Very moving in that way that piano and a string quartet can be, but also great fun. He seems a good lad, Erland.
Kaisfatdad says
Here’s Erland live in Norwich last year with a string quartet.
I suspect it gives a good idea what his concerts are like.