Or, heaven forbid, any gods amount of insipid 80's and 90's anthems by an asthmatic sounding chanteuse. What we don't expect is the booze and profanity laden high jinks that Aidan Moffat discovered on his world tour of Scotland.
Once possessed of a certain amount of fame as one half of Glaswegian bar rats Arab Strap (sample lyric; "It was the biggest cock you'd ever seen/but you had no idea where that cock had been") Aidan took it upon himself to leave the safe confines of Nice and Sleazys and the Garage, and tour Scotland finding the real tunes, the folk music that has more in common with what's sung at kicking out time than anything you might find on a Mumford and Sons album.
Aidan's journey takes a turn for the turbulent, with his belief that folk music is a living entity clashing with the formidable Sheila's reverence for the past ... It's rendered even more apt when Sheila dies after the filming has finished.
And thankfully this tour was captured on film, the resulting documentary a compelling insight into an often maligned genre.
Based around a chance meeting with Scottish travelling folk royalty Sheila Stewart, Aidan's journey takes a turn for the turbulent, with his belief that folk music is a living entity clashing with the formidable Sheila's reverence for the past.
The point of contention is the poignant Parting Song, sung at the end of every gathering. It's rendered even more apt when Sheila dies after the filming has finished.
What's left is an occasionally devastating, often funny and always boozy journey into the heart of Scotland, both figuratively and musically, picking up new players along the way and culminating in a triumphant finale at the Glasgow Barralands, the ballroom where many of the mostly aged folk performers were no strangers to in the 60s and 70s.
Following the film we're treated to a few of the songs by the ever affable Aidan, who is true to form with the boozy irreverence ("You'll have to pardon me, I was in the pub while you were watching your wee film...") and filthy lyrics, the subject matter fit for any Arab Strap album.
More like this please and if anyone would like to book him for a full gig, let me be the first to know.
Shane Horan
Where You're Meant To Be was screened before a live performance by Aidan Moffat as part of the Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival at the Black Box on Friday 29 May.
