REVIEW: Young Fathers bring politics to the stage in Stirling

On Saturday night, the Edinburgh trio presented a specially curated day festival in Stirling's City Park. Featuring Self Esteem, Noname, Callum Easter and Petite Noir, the city was set for an exciting evening of live music under the imposing sight of Stirling Castle. 

What I found surprising was the lack of promotion around the event. Young Fathers are undoubtedly one of Scotland's finest musical exports, gaining endless critical acclaim, celebrity fans, and touring the world. In the months leading up to the show there were few posters or adverts around, which goes some way to explaining the low turnout seen on Saturday night. 

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Young Fathers have won an array of awards, including the Mercury Prize

Despite the small crowd, all of the artists performing manage to keep spirits high. We begin with Noname, the US rapper and poet. The activist nails her colours to the mast early on in the set, declaring herself a socialist and informing the audience that she doesn't much like billionaires. A supportive crowd applauds. Songs like namesake go down especially well with the Scottish crowd. Performing the track acapella, she speaks of a celebrity culture which helps to uphold injustice. "Go, Rihanna, go," she says. "Watch the fighter jet fly high. War machine gets glamorised, we play the game to pass the time." Although the crowd is small, Noname has plenty of energy - she's an enchanting presence, working the audience to get people moving, poking a little fun at the Scots' lack of rhythm. 

Next up we have Self Esteem, also known as Rebecca Lucy Taylor. This is one of only two live shows she's doing this year, after just finishing a West End theatre run as Sally Bowles in Cabaret. As she's introduced to the stage, a voiceover explains the Good Law Project's fight against the UK Government over the PPE scandal. It's an important issue but a bizarre opener which doesn't relate to the messaging of her own music, and prompts a few confused looks from attendees. 

Rebecca Lucy Taylor, also known as Self Esteem

Known for her honest and empowering lyrics, the choreography backs up Self Esteem's core themes. She and her backing singers laugh and smile together, then hold one another between more emotive tracks.

New song Big Man crosses the line from feminist anthem into parody at points. She reminds the audience of her lyrical prowess moments later though as the crowd sings along passionately to I Do This All the Time. "Be very careful out there," she speak-sings in her northern English accent. "Stop trying to have so many friends. Don't be intimidated by all the babies they have, don't be embarrassed that all you've had is fun."

Clockwise from left: Young Fathers, Noname and Self Esteem (Image: NQ)

There's only a 20-minute break between the end of Self Esteem's set and the start of Young Fathers. It's busier now, but certainly nowhere near capacity. There's a rush to the front as fans hear the heavy bass of Queen is Dead starting up. It's simple staging, with a minimal worn fabric backdrop. All the focus is on this fantastic music. As a live group, backed by an incredible supporting cast of musicians and a powerful female vocalist, their music comes to life. It's layered, noisy and electric. If they're disappointed by the poor turnout, you can't tell. They perform like it's a sold-out show at the Barrowlands, jumping around the stage and quickly getting the crowd behind them.

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With the sun shining through clouds and hills surrounding us, the atmosphere is impeccable. Families dance along together, and small children wearing headphones bounce happily on their parents' shoulders. It's hard to escape the idea that this is a band that deserves to be seen and heard widely, and this is a special show that demands a far larger audience.

Towards the end of the gig, Young Fathers bring their politics to the stage. The band are no strangers to political messaging, having long been vocal supporters of the Palestinian cause. They recently signed up to a cultural boycott of Israel and donated the profits from a major US show to Medical Aid for Palestinians. There are volunteers from the charity dancing along with us in the crowd, accepting donations in small buckets. Palestinian flags wave around in the breeze as singer Graham 'G' Hastings turns his attention to the issue, leading a chant of "Free Palestine". He then moves on to the impending General Election. "Let's all make sure next week we get those f****** Tories out," he says to cheers. "F*** the Tories, free Palestine."

Finishing with the upbeat track Toy, the audience clamours for more. But with the drumset already kicked over, an encore looks unlikely. It's still so bright outside at 10.45pm, and nobody is quite ready to go home. Eventually fans accept the fun is over and start making their way back into the city. Stirling has been an exceptional host city for this show, and there's a joyous mood among the gig-goers heading home. Congratulations to Young Fathers on curating such a brilliant day festival - I only hope that next time, they get the promotion they truly deserve.