It's truly amazing where music can take you. It can take you to heaven; it can take you to hell. Or it can take you to Irvine. That's precisely the predicament I found myself in last night, when seeing the delightful Eva Eastwood and the Major Keys at Irvine's Harbour Arts Centre.
The evening began with an assured set from Scott Nicol. Scott was once a member of Scots act Ten Miles Tall, and his experience and charisma onstage was apparent from the opening track, "Where Would I Be Without You?" Showing his chord progressions are a match for his character, Scott got the crowd going right away. "Love Town" was a finger-muted trip down love's winding road. No stranger to his audience, Scott ploughed on, with an upbeat set brimming with confidence. "Walkin' through the Sound of Gunfire" was Scott at his serious best. His insistence on crowd participation only fanned the flames of an already impressive performance. This continued when he invited a girl named Gillian Foster to sing on "Beautiful Words" and "Let Your Life Be Red". Gillian's feathery voice proved the perfect foil to Scott's mannish vocals. For a seemingly spur-of-the-moment performance, it was hugely impressive. Scott announced his departure with "Avalanche of Grace". Almost spiritual in its reflective cheeriness, Scott ended his set with the same energy he began with. A solid and charismatic performance from the local lad.
Charisma was a recurring theme and Eva Eastwood and her Major Keys would soon hit the stage. The fun began on "He's Gonna Be My Boy", a rollicking rock 'n' roll tune that acted as a signal of intent from the band. The cask-conditioned brilliance of "Hot Chicks and Cool Cats" was followed up by "Johnny My Dear", which was dominated by Eva's smoky vocals and Jasper's impeccable guitar. The rockabilly stomp of "Buddy, I Got You" led into the bluesy "Any Way the Wind Blows". Again, the band demonstrated their great understanding and ability.
The neo-country twang of "I'll be Gone" highlighted the band's apparent departure from their rockabilly sound in recent years, but Eva proved more than capable of adapting to different musical styles. However, Eva and the band reaffirmed their rockabilly credentials with a rousing rendition of Etta James's "Good Rockin' Daddy". At this point Eva became one of the crowd, whilst her band cranked out a frantic rockabilly instrumental. The first set came ended with a wonderful cover of Sonny Burgess's "Ain't Got A Thing". A mark had clearly been left on the crowd.
The second set allowed the band to venture further into country territory, beginning with the beautiful "Highway Tonight". Eva's popularity in her native Sweden is not to be understated, and this is underlined by the fact that she has written songs for Linda Gail Lewis. "Seventh Heaven on Fifth Floor", for one. "Don't Make 'Em Like That No More" offered more in the smooth country vein. We were offered a preview of Eva's upcoming album, "Ego with Servants", in the form of "Boredom". While it perhaps took longer to build than the rockabilly numbers, it was rounded and pronounced, and will surely only further Eva's success. More of that old unrepentant rockabilly that we had become so accustomed to would lead us to the encore. "Go Young Man" - an ode to a notorious Jerry Lee Lewis imitator in Sweden - proved a fitting finale for the band, who greatly deserved their cigarette break.
The band did not disappoint as they returned for a few more blistering rock 'n' roll songs. Eva's involvement was bordering on crazed fan as she coerced the audience onto their feet. The band departed to rapturous applause; a reception they truly merited. This band has been on the go for many years, and to think that this show was their first ever in Scotland leaves us incredulous.