Barb Jungr - Queens Hall 2012

One of the joys of the Edinburgh Festival is that you can take a chance on an artist you’ve never seen before and end up wondering why it took you so long to discover them. That’s exactly what happened when I went along to see Barb Jungr at the Queens Hall during the 2012 Festival.

The thing that first caught my attention wasn’t one of her own songs but her interpretation of Bob Dylan’s Blind Willie McTell. I’d stumbled across it online while deciding whether to buy a ticket and within a few minutes I was convinced. There are plenty of singers who can perform great songs, but it takes a special talent to completely inhabit them and make you hear them in a different way. Barb has built a remarkable career doing exactly that, whether tackling the work of Dylan, Leonard Cohen or many others.

As luck would have it, I managed to get hold of a single seat right in the front row of what was almost a sold-out show. Sometimes being on your own has its advantages. Before the concert even started I found myself rubbing shoulders with Henry Rollins, who had just finished his own performance at the venue, and later got chatting with comedian David Mills. Festival nights have a habit of throwing together the most unexpected combinations of people.

Once Barb took to the stage, though, everyone else’s presence faded into the background. The Queens Hall was captivated from the first note. Her voice carried the songs effortlessly, while the stories and emotion behind them felt completely genuine. By the end of the evening I knew I’d witnessed something special. In the years since, I’ve seen plenty of excellent live performances, but this remains one of those nights that sticks in the memory.

After the show I had the chance to meet Barb and tell her how much I’d enjoyed it. Thankfully she was kind enough to let me share these videos, which means you can enjoy the performance as well. If you’ve never experienced Barb Jungr before, this is a very good place to start.

After the show I wanted to tell Barb that I had videoed her and ask her if she wanted me to send her a copy. As I waited for her to appear in the bar area I saw the comedian David Mills who I had seen hosting The Malcolm Hardee Award Show the previous year so I went up and introduced myself to him.

I explained that my alter ego Nob Stewart was the nutter who jumped on stage univited at the end of the show to dance as Frank Sanazi sung a song. I didn’t get my member out though (as was a Malcolm Hardee tradition) as Puppetry of the Penis had been on and they are a tough act to follow in that department but I did pull my trousers down to reveal slightly amusing Boxer Shorts.

Anyway, he told me that he was a friend of Barb’s as he had interviewed her on his radio show in London so when they got chatting he introduced me to the lovely lady who is Barb. I told Barb that alongside Emmylou Harris and Sinead O’Connor that it was the best female vocal performance I have ever been witnessed to. I thought she was amazing and I had goose-pimples several times during the show.

The Queensferry daughters were also mightily impressed as I am sure was everyone who witnessed her fantastic performance. I was delighted I had made the decision to go and it was nice to make contact with Barb afterwards as well, as she kindly allowed me to post the videos online.