Amy Papiransky, Hana Jane, Alannah Moar – The Poetry Club – Friday 18th October
Friday the 18th of October was the night Since Yesterday: The Untold Story of Scotland’s Girl Bands hit UK cinemas. With live events and Q&As in Glasgow allowing some of the overlooked artists to step back into the spotlight. It was a big weekend for female bands and artists in Scotland.
The documentary shows how tough it was for these acts at the time being rewritten out of Scotland’s musical history. All of the acts highlighted in the film deserve their encore but, as always with music, things keep moving.
The Poetry Club welcomed three female artists, and while solo artists have enjoyed better acclaim than Scottish ‘girl bands’, it’s still been a struggle. The three performers tonight should find it easier to reach people than the trailblazers captured on film, but that’s not to say it’s easy.


Alannah Moar: Resilience in the Face of Adversity
There are enough things going against these performers without luck turning against them. Not only did opening act Alannah Moar have to contend with her backing tracks not working, Dame Fortune dealt her another tough hand towards the back of the set.
After introducing a singalong moment that could have got the crowd onside, a gaggle of headline act fans came in, stood stage-left and chatted so loudly it swamped the sound from the opener. Such are the joys of being an opening act! [ Editor’s note to fans: show some respect – don’t do this.]
Not that Alannah let these setbacks derail her, even if it was probably nerves that fuelled her gleeful chat between songs. ‘Reciprocate’ had a good feel to it, ‘About The Boy’ flowed sweetly and there’s more than enough pop charm to check out a set with Alannah in full flow.
Follow Alannah Moar and listen here


Hana Jane: Balancing Pop Appeal with Depth
While songs like ‘Me & You’ had a carefree and joyous style, on slower songs like ‘Free’, Hana Jane seemed in greater control. Then again, that’s a personal preference and the set was paced well, with the cheerier, upbeat moments bookending the set, with a more serious approach in the middle.
She’s an artist who has had a bit of backing from BBC Scotland, and it’s easy to see why. When the music swings, there’s a touch of sass, a call to arms to throw your hands in the air and go with the flow. However, Hana also goes deep on matters like overcoming personal challenges and domestic violence. That sort of diversity, with something to say on big topics, is always welcome and again, there’s surely more to come from this artist.
Follow Hana Jane and listen here


Amy Papiransky: Celebrating a Milestone
And if you ask an emerging artist about ‘more to come’, the aim is inevitably a new or debut album. Having a physical long-player release in your hands is the realisation of a dream, and that’s the key reason for this gig. Amy Papiransky launched her new album Friday’s Daughter with a party, a celebration of those who backed her, and the start of a new chapter.
It’s a lot to take in for any artist, and while there were undoubted nerves from the singer, Amy strikes you as a person who can talk her way into, out of and then back into trouble at any point. She might lose a drummer due to a potential marriage proposal, but she’ll pick up plenty of fans who see themselves in her. Having a number of songs in your set about useless exes is always a winner. A great song will always be a great song, but it feels as though the artist, and the relationship between them and those off stage is vital.
With seven people on stage at times, Amy was always likely to be the most polished of acts, and it was her night, why shouldn’t she be? And yet, the strength of her vocals and the honesty of her tales suggest she’d connect with fans in a far more intimate setting.
‘Comfort In Grey’ is the perfect example of this, a lilting number that shuffles sweetly, touching on whether fight or flight is the best response. ‘Pencil Me In’ is poppy and while ‘Fine Print’ didn’t feature KT Tunstall as it did on record, Amy’s ‘real-life’ colleague Hannah ensured no one would be disappointed.
And even when it’s your night, when people bellow ‘one more tune’ at you, you need to give something back. ‘Sing’ by Travis will always go down well in Glasgow, while offering the singer a chance to take a step back and bask in the excitement of the night.
Follow Amy Papiransky and listen here
Collectively, we can always do more to encourage female performers to step up in the arts in Scotland, but there’s always people worth checking out. We can blame the media for not shining a light where it deserves to be, but sometimes music lovers need to get their hands dirty and dig for themselves. With a debut album, there’s a lot of Amy Papiransky to check out but all three acts have something that’s likely to connect with the right listener. It might just be you.