---

---

Scottish talent triumphs as Megan Murray launches her emotional EP on home turf!

---

Returning to Inverclyde after her beginnings in the Inverclyde Music Festival many years ago, Megan Murray’s concert at The Beacon Theatre was a big night for her and her music. There to officially launch her summer EP and supported by a young Scottish opening act, An Evening With Megan Murray was great triumph!

While this was not Murray’s first performance in Greenock or even The Beacon itself, she state often how big this evening was for her. Previously having performed in the theatre’s studio, this was her first time taking her music to the mainstage and with a much larger audience. One of the most enjoyable things aside from the music was how conversational this performance was. It seems any time the words “An Evening With” appear on the bill for a performance, audiences are always in for a more intimate setting where we get to know the artist better, which was the perfect setting for the launch of Murray’s self-titled EP.

Featuring 4 songs, each one is a labour of love and the passion can be felt through the lyrics. Clydebuilt is a love letter to home, to the great River Clyde and the towns that surround it. You can really feel the sentiment in the lyrics, “river that raised us”, a display of her emotional attachment to this part of Scotland and how influential it was in her creative process. Inverclyde has always been a champion of creativity, Murray’s own origins starting in Greenock at the Inverclyde Music Festival, a staple of the town’s culture that soon approaches its 100th year in operation. Tear Stains focuses on a different type of love as she ponders how missing someone and all the emotions that come with that can give us strength. Have The Heartbreak delves into how that feeling of losing someone in a relationship is preferable than to have never been with them. It’s very much a “better to have loved and lost” vibe and definitely tugs on the heartstrings as Murray laments how she’d rather this than “forfeit how you used to look at me”. A reminder that sometimes, even painful experiences can be worth it to have had such good memories in return, to have had the chance to feel at all. I’d Rather Be Alone takes an almost polar-opposite stance however as Murray gets into how being alone can
be better than being with someone else when that person makes you feel like you’re losing parts of yourself. The lyric that best encapsulates this emotion is “trying to change my lyrics to fit your rhymes”, showing how a bad relationship is not worth sacrificing yourself and who you are as a person just to make them happy. As a song about reclaiming her agency and choosing herself, this may be the standout not only of the EP but of all the songs performed throughout the evening.

Murray was not alone onstage as she was supported by her sister Emma Watson and friend Graham Deatcher. This trio are collectively brilliant and superb musicians, together and individually. The rapport between them is evident through jovial nature onstage and helped to create a relaxed environment. Aside from the EP titles, the group performed various covers, unafraid to switch up the tone as they went from songs like This Is The Life by Amy McDonald (stated as a huge source of inspiration to Murray and Watson growing up in Scotland), to their own rendition of Jolene by Dolly Parton. The audience were also treated to some pipe medleys as Watson was a former champion of the instrument in her youth and definitely has maintained that level of talent into adulthood. Deatcher’s guitar skills were also impressive, especially during the particularly fast number throughout the night. It should also be noted that Murray was fortunate enough to have a young Scottish opening act. With great support from the crowd, 14 year-old Mikey Cardona did a superb job, covering hits such as Sunday Morning by Maroon 5, Mardy Bum by the Arctic Monkeys and even tackling Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now by The Smiths. Even when his guitar strings snapped mid-
performance, Cardona just retrieved a new instrument and carried on. If this boy carries on as he is now, he may well be headlining his own concert in the next few years.

Overall, this concert was an absolute delight! The level of Scottish talent in the room was incredibly satisfying and as a fellow resident of Inverclyde, it made my heart happy to see local musicians having such a successful night. Megan Murray’s music is excellent and feels inherently Scottish at heart. A great launch for an even better EP!

Megan Murray and her bandmates were exceptional, offering an entertaining and intimate evening of great music!