Isobel Campbell at Polaris Hall June 2, 2026
The quiet complexity of memory.
Scottish singer songwriter and cellist Isobel Campbell made her return to Portland and played a quietly elegant show at Polaris Hall.
Pink Mountaintops’ Stephen McBean opened with a solo set of guitar rock that employed both drum and backing tracks with a smattering of psych effects adding layers of nuance to his lush riffs. (Guitar enthusiasts from the crowd later commented about these layered effects and how McBean’s use of two amps added to soundscape.) Later, Isobel Campbell made her first appearance of the evening and joined McBean on a duet of his song “Tourist in Your Town”.
As Mc Bean’s set ended some in the sparsely populated audience took photographs of Isobel Campbell’s set lists resting near the foot of the stage in anticipation of the mix of songs from her career she might play. Campbell returned to the stage after this brief intermission with her band comprised of Teresa Cowles (bass), Jason Berk (vocals, guitar, keys), John Anderson (guitar), and Charlie Faragher (drums, vocals) and Evie Sands (vocals, guitar). Campbell rose to prominence as a member of Belle and Sebastian and performed a few of her songs from those times. For instance, “Is It Wicked Not to Care?”, a fable of love’s pressures from the 1998 Belle and Sebastian album The Boy With the Arab Strap proved an early crowd favorite.
Go real, real slow
Throughout the evening Campbell’s breathy vocal sensibilities gave her audience glimpses into the various eras in her career. For example, “Come Undone”, a song from her 2010 album Hawk was written the late great Screaming Trees frontman Mark Lanegan. The haunting waltz reminded those gathered of their unique collaboration whilst honoring Lanegan’s legacy as a musician. (Campbell spoke fondly of their work together while introducing other songs from their catalog as other band members sang Lanegan’s vocal parts.) Moreover, “Landslide”, another Belle and Sebastian tune played towards the end of the show, featured Campbell’s bandmate and long-time singer songwriter Evie Sands. Similarly, Campbell’s subtlety as a singer compliments her gift as a songwriter. For example, the mantra like repetition in “Dopamine” weaves lyrical simplicity: “I’m the tortoise / you’re the hare /I will drag you by the hair” with guitar drones, a string section and an ever present attention to the tenderness of her voice.
Isobell Campbell’s delivered a shy, understated performance with a keen understanding of storytelling. Her voice’s soothing qualities and musical arrangements allowed whisked her audience away to a safer time, a safer place. Disappointingly, the crowd was thin and some left early as if the twenty-two song set did not comport to their Tuesday evening schedules. However, those who remained bore witness to a gracious and an artful performance. Campbell and her band filled the room with softly spoken prose, homages to those no longer with us and a chance to truly listen and reflect on the complexity of our memories.
