4 stars
Alabaster DePlume bounces on stage like a hippy Tigger for his intimate Edinburgh International Festival show. The sofa and bean bag arrangement for the audience is as perfect as the patchwork of rugs set up for the artist also known as Angus Fairbairn to hold forth as the other Mancunian maverick to headline Edinburgh.
Drawing from his recent A Blade Because a Blade is Whole album, DePlume’s mix of spiritual jazz saxophone and homespun poetic wisdom is given low-slung texture by wordless vocalist Mikey Kenney, Rozi Plain on bass and drummer extraordinaire Seb Rochford. The sitar on the ground goes teasingly untouched until the end of the set, but when finally used makes for an unforgettable finale.
Inbetween, DePlume’s guru-like euphoria gives way to an acknowledgement of EIF’s current sponsorship issues by somehow managing to praise both the pro Palestine protesters and EIF. The next number incorporates a recording of a Ramallah marketplace that adds to DaPlume’s musical global village.
Finally, DePlume invites Ewa Adamiec to join in the closing number on sitar. Adamiec is EIF’s concert assistant, and the pair met that day. As the rhythm section rumbles with intent, Adamiec and DePlume spar to create a one-off exchange that sees DePlume truly in the moment.
Edinburgh International Festival, The Hub, 8 August 2025
The List, August 2025
ends
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