Last Sunday the latest successful event marking the 40th Anniversary of the UCS Work-in delighted a sell-out audience at the Old Fruitmarket. Staged at the culmination of Celtic Connections it led on from the Gala Concert last October in the Mitchell Theatre, and again featured a number of musicians who played then - and indeed 40 years ago - in support of the Work-in.
Highlights were the ever-youthful Jimmie Macgregor replaying Pack up your tools and go a number he wrote for the UCS album in ’71, and a David and Goliath story, with a Springburn twist! Ubiquitous harmonica player, Fraser Speirs was on fire both accompanying Love and Money’s James Grant, and his solo slot with a Sonny Terry blues number, and Emma Pollock, ex-Delgados and born in the year of the Work-in, hit the right note with a version of Woody Guthrie’s ‘Union Maid’. Arthur Johnstone and the Stars Band formed the bedrock of the night’s entertainment.
Many more cracking performances are highlighted in reviews on the STV website here. Pete Heywood, the author of this review also has some photos of the concert on Flickr here, and another good review was by Ken Smith in the Herald here.
One particular performance to note for the future was David Hayman’s dramatisation of a Bob Starrett story from the yards. This, and the story published in the programme, suggest a broader range of talent that will surely lead to further exposure.
The next coup for the organisers of these events is the visit of Ann Guedes, founder of the film co-operative Cinema Action - the only film crew the Stewards allowed into the yards during the Work-in. She comes to Glasgow to take part in panels discussing the two films to come out of that access - UCS 1, and Class Struggle - Story from the Clyde. They will be shown over three nights at the Mitchell Theatre between the 21-23 March. Tickets from www.glasgowconcerthalls.com.
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