The John Butler Trio @ O2 Academy, Eglinton Street, Glasgow. Saturday 26 April 2014

I first heard The John Butler Trio in my local about 3 years ago and have enjoyed much of their music since. I have been especially interested in John's guitar technique and his ability to play the instrument has clear resonances of the late, great Jimi Hendrix.

And so it was with much anticipation that, on a balmy, late spring evening, we approached the venue, passed through the ever increasing ranks of security and found ourselves a good vantage point to take in the show. If you have read my previous blogs, you may recall that the venue is a former 'picture hall' which still possesses some of it's former grandeur and has become a regular on the live music circuit in Glasgow. The downstairs section was filling up and a real buzz was evident long before the band appeared at 21:00.

The various bars were doing a grand trade as the audience geared up and fuelled up for a great night ahead.  So before we get to the main course, here is a little entrée:

The John Butler Trio is an Australian roots, blues, funk, rock, folk and jam band led by virtuoso guitarist and vocalist John Butler (born in L. A. County in California). They formed in Fremantle, Australia on 27 December 1998 and have produced six studio albums and released three live albums to date. The trio has been big in Australia for the past decade, however, it seems that at long last the rest of the world is catching up, particularly fuelled on by the live shows and tonight was to be no exception.

From the outset John Butler bamboozled and perplexed us on Revolution from 2010s April Uprising album as he drew out the sound of strings and electric guitar from his acoustic instrument!  The other two band members Byron Luiters (bass, keyboards & vocals) and Grant Gerathy (drums, percussion & vocals) were an integral part of the sound. Byron pumped out a solid grounding over which Grant and John wove their blend of magical, musical tapestry. Grant, who hails from Byron Bay, New South Wales (a magical place where I have had the pleasure of watching the sun rise!) previously played with Byron in Ray Mann Three before they teamed up with JB. Serendipity, surely!

 

 

Looking like an antipodean version of Mathew Houck (Phosphorescent), JB stood as the left hand book end, with Byron Luiters the right, to Grant Gerathy stationed in the back and middle of the stage. JB was surrounded by a plethora of gadgets which enabled him to make his banjo sound like an acoustic guitar, his acoustic guitar sound like his electric guitar and his electric guitar sound like, well, his electric guitar on speed at times! There is a feeling of the master class to some of his playing, I don't mean that in a negative way, but I found myself often trying to work out how he achieved certain sounds, rather than just wallowing in it and groovin'.

 

The audience in front of me certainly were propelled along by the music which in turns was pseudo reggae, hard rock, Celtic and bluesy. It is no surprise to discover that the band's musical influences include: Black Sabbath, Bob Marley, Paul Kelly, The Meters, De LA Soul, Rage Against The Machine, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Jimi Hendrix, Beastie Boys and Jane’s Addiction to note but a few. I was bowled along by it all, however, some of the songs were given extended workouts without adding much to the overall merit of the song in my humble opinion.

On a positive note, I really enjoyed Grant's laid back, country, rail road rhythm drumming on Spring To Come the opener from the current album Flesh And Blood; Byron's thrumming, strumming double bass playing on Better Than from 2007's album Grand National and JB's mock reggae and extended psychedelic guitar blazing on Blame It On Me the longest track from the current album.

However, the highlight really had to be John's solo acoustic section where he (predictably?) played a staggering version of Ocean from 1998's John Butler. The original is a 12 minute 28 second masterpiece and was the first song of his that I heard and so I was doubly pleased to hear it played live, sublime! This piece has tinges of Raga within it, the Indian classical music which literally means "colour, hue" but also "beauty, melody" which describe the tune perfectly. Incidentally, I suspect that playing this tune takes some major powers of concentration and focus and it was the first time that I have seen the style of playing (since Hendrix) where much of the work is done by the 'left' hand on the neck of the guitar, and the body provides the percussion. (John Gomm is a fine exponent of the style as well).

There was one more highlight for me and that was the drum beat intro to Devil Woman, another from the current album, and it really got the audience dancing along to the staccato guitar cords and mantra-esque chanted chorus.

At around 22:30 the band left the stage after the funky Zebra and, following a short interval, they returned to perform a 15 minute, 2 song encore starting the second part of the show with the second track from the latest album and culminating with 2007's Funky Tonight. These three songs stoked the audience into a swirling, grooving, vibrating mass and finally, after some 90 minutes, the band left the stage to rapturous applause. Another throng of happy, satiated music fans shuffled out of the O2 Academy and onto Eglington Street and the warmth of a late spring night in Glasgow.

 

 

Set List

21:00

Revolution

Used To Get High
Cold Wind
I'd Do Anything (Soldier's Lament)
Spring To Come
Only One
Hoe Down
Better Than
Blame It On Me
Pickapart
Ocean (Solo)
Don't Wanna See Your Face
Devil Woman
How You Sleep At Night
Zebra

22:30

Encore

Livin' In The City

Funky Tonight

10:50



 

Sons of Bill @ Stereo, Renfrew Lane, Sunday 9 March 2014

The heavens had opened on the journey to the gig and it was "chuckin' it down" in my parlance, a veritable downpour which for Glasgow in early March was nothing unusual. However, James Wilson, the lead singer for the Sons of Bill either hadn't noticed or was just so pleased to be in Glasgow that he made no mention of it when he said that the band were delighted to be in our fair city!

But before we get to the main act, a quick mention of the ever impressive support act, The Wynntown Marshals. In fact on this occasion the Wynntowns were more than a mere support, they were largely instrumental in getting the Wilson brothers up to Scotland and so a double thanks lads, much appreciated! The guys set off their relatively short set with a great rendition of thier current album opener Driveaway, their nod towards the mighty The Hold Steady. There then followed great versions of Canada, There Was A Time, Low Country Comedown and All That I Want to name a few. These songs and the band's ability to bring them alive have all grown since I first heard them back in early May 2013 in Oran Mor. As I mentioned in a previous blog about the Wynntowns, they are all great musicians who have a superb feel for country rock and I still can't believe that these guys are 'home grown'! However, I would like to make special mention of Iain Sloan's fine guitar work and Ritchie Nobel's keyboard playing which I think is really starting to define their sound. Murdo McLeod's Tide brought the set to an end and it was as fine a piece of country rock as you are likely to hear, starting as it does with slow guitar and keyboard notes, then building into a smooth swooning musical passage before finally crashing into a band workout during which everyone added magnificently to the mix. There are also some great chanting vocals towards the end of the song which was very reminiscent of Turn It Up by The Sons of Bill, but more of that later. It certainly left me wanting more and I hope one day to get to hear the sublime Snowflake performed live as well!

The stage was then set for The Sons of Bill (literally!) and the five lads launched into Lost In The Cosmos. It is perhaps no surprise that these two bands gelled when they met on a European tour and have remained friends as they have the same musical set up and musical ethos: drums, bass, lead guitar, rhythm guitar and keyboards. In the case of the SoB these roles are played by Todd Wellons, Seth Green, Sam Wilson, James Wilson and Abe Wilson respectively. The band (named in tribute to the trios Dad) hail from Charlottesville, Viginia which from a west of Scotland perspective sounds just so right! 

Sam Wilson

Sam, looking like a morphing of Mike Mills and a young Warren Zevon, got things off to a great start by playing some accomplished pedal steel guitar to augment the sound then he stepped up to take over lead guitar duties, a task that I considered he undertook magnificanetly. As the night played out the rest of the band all showed why these guys are held in such esteem. Each band member contributed some fine vocal harmonies, instrumentation and some mighty fine melodies. They are a relatively young band with 3 albums to their credit and are about to release No 4 Love & Logic. They formed in 2006 when the three Wilson boys teamed up and started playing some of James' songs and the rest, as they say is their story! Also, they have some really fine songs in their catalogue with a couple of strong stand outs, both of which were played on the night: Santa Ana Winds and Virginia Calling, both real anthems in the making which bring to mind Springsteen and Tom Petty, yeah, they are that good!. 

Taking on the role of lead vocalist, James looks the part with his rugged good looks and deep voice which give the band an instant and identifiable sound and vision. Also the three brothers are able to create some truely fine harmonies which were very evident during Roll On Jordan and Santa Ana Winds which includes the killer lines:

There ain't no skatin' by, we're all gonna die

No matter what the plastic surgeon told you.

Sam played some great guitar parts and some of his solos were top notch. I was blown away by the solo at the end of Turn It Up which, as I mentioned before, also has a chanting segment and it echoed the Wynntown Marshals Tide to great effect. Sam's playing on Virginia Calling and Siren Song were also a joy to behold. And over on the other side of the stage Abe sat studiously playing some great piano solos on Turn It Up, The Tree and Roll On Jordan. Architecture's loss was to be our gain as Abe had been studying the profession prior to joining his brothers in the band. 

James Wilson & Seth Green

Meanwhile Todd Wellons and Seth Green played sound, clipped, pumping drum and bass and I really enjoyed Todd's playing on Road To Canaan, I thought that the shaker and brush work added greatly to the song. These two also laid down some powerful, pounding, pulsating beats to push Landslide and Bad Dancer along. In addition the pair tied down great slow bass notes and rim shots on the wonderful Joey's Arm. Exhilarating stuff! 

Then the band served up a great finale with Virginia Calling followed by Santa Ana Winds, two songs that really capture the essence of their sound for me. Great vocals, thoughtful & cerebral lyrics, sublime harmonies, wonderful guitar and keyboards and all underscored by a solid, strong, stentorian bottom end. 

Todd Wellons

Santa Ana Winds, the first track from 2012's album Sirens and written by Abe starts with William Faulkner speaking lines from his Nobel Prize acceptance speech: "When the last ding-dong of doom has clanged and faded from the last worthless rock hanging tideless in the last red and dying evening, even then there will still be one more sound: that of man's puny, inexhaustible voice, still talking." Then bam the song starts and the beat pounds out.

After these two anthems, which I can just picture being sung in stadium venues in years to come, we were left wanting more and the guys obliged with a two song encore. James and Abe returned to the stage and were about to start on a preferred choice when a persistent voice from the audience got them to change their minds and play Broken Bottles from 2009's One Town Away album. It was an inspired request as it allowed Abe to lay down a great keyboard solo and James sang the soulful lyrics beautifully:

Hank Williams might have been a love-sick drinker

but bein a love sick-drunk doesn't make you Hank

Abe Wilson

Then to wind things up the band returned and they performed another of Abe's songs, the cracking Last Call At Eschaton which is a great song to end a show on. The slow military-esque drum rolls started off the song as James sang the refrain, "Just remember that the twilight looks a whole lot like the dawn," as the rest of the guys joined in to pound out another wonderful slab of country rock pointing out that you can't look behind you if your back is against the wall! All I can add is that I will look back on this gig as one of those great serendipitous events when two bands reaching a cohesive plateau performed some damned fine music which kept the audience exhilerated, excited, entranced and entertained for a few wonderful hours. Thanks for a cracking night and haste ye back!

Seriously, what's not to like!

SET LIST:

Lost In Cosmos
Siren Song
The Tree
Bad Dancer
Turn It Up
Joey's Arm
Landslide
Brand New Paradigm
Road To Canaan
Roll On Jordan
Never Saw it Coming
Virginia Calling
Santa Ana Winds

ENCORE:
Broken Bottles
Last Call At Eschaton

Deer Tick @ Broadcast, Sauchiehall St, Glasgow. Saturday 18 January 2014

And so we head back to the pub Broadcast on Sauchiehall Street for the first review of the year. I have actually seen five other bands so far but sadly, as this is a hobby, I haven't been able to spare them the due care and attention that they deserve. 

On arrival we availed ourselves of the pub's great burgers and the ground floor bar area was buzzin' as we say, nae, hotchin'! A girl next to us was able to buy a ticket off another attendee which was a sure sign of a sell out and so it was to prove with standing room only and several late comers having to 'enjoy' the show from the stairs which descend to the basement venue.

Having eaten, we managed to get 'up, close and personal' with the support act, a punky, punchy, plucky trio from London by the name of Great Cynics. On stage we had Bob on drums, Giles on lead guitar / vocals and Iona (from Devon) on bass guitar / vocals. Their sound is indie punk / rock and on occasions I could hear the late Poly Styrene from X-Ray Spex in Iona's vocals. The band's influences include The Replacements, The Get Up Kids, The Lemonheads and fellow 'Londoner' Billy Bragg. I was interested to note that both Giles and Iona favoured the low slung rock guitar stance as popularised by many of the 'dinosaur' bands so detested by the original punk movement!

Great Cynics

The guys rattled through their set and played some fine grooves which, judging by those at the front of the ever thickening crowd, was appreciated and went down extremely well. I thought Bob's drumming was particularly engaging and there were one or two songs on which he played some great propelling beats. In a small band like this, each band member has to carry their fair share of the load and to my ears there were no slackers on show. The bass and guitar solos segued well and together, diminutive Iona and lofty Giles laid down some fine foot shaking, hip groovin', head boppin' tunes. Stand out tracks for me were Back To Hackney (great pumping drums and bass) and Queen Of The Anarchists with its simple sing-a-long and slow-flow tempo chorus. 

The basement of Broadcast is small, the stage tight and so the band did well to pound out their interpretation of solid rocking punk keeping us buoyed up for the main act. As a devotee and survivor of the mid to late seventies I thoroughly enjoyed the set.

Head to the band's Facebook page to order a copy of their current CD Like I Belong. Incidentally and in keeping with another of punk's tenants, the longest song of the 13 on the album is only 4:01 long, with only one other making it beyond 3:00.

Check out the band singing Back To Hackney here.....

John McCauley

Deer Tick came on stage at about 21:00 and John Joseph McCauley sat at the piano with his guitar in his lap and he and Robert Crowell began The Rock with some low fi tinkled playing on the keyboards. Then the rest of the band crashed into the song and the show was off and running. 

Robert Crowell

This bunch of five guys, who come from Providence, Rhode Island, spent the next hour or so playing their brand of rock, tinged with the essence of folk, country and blues to great effect and the songs, mainly from the current album Negativity, were laid down thick and fast. The journey was a veritable roller coaster, at times we were regaled with lovely lilting keyboard solos as in Just Friends and The Dream's in The Ditch and at other times we were pulverised with hypnotic, frenetic, pumping guitar salvos as in Main Street, Mirror Walls and Let's All Go To The Bar.

John McCauley, who has a gravelly, gritty voice on record, sounded even more hoarse on the night and he attributed it to sleep deprivation. As Graeme Virtue stated in his Guardian review of the the band's Manchester gig two nights later John's voice sounded "even raspier than usual, a traumatised croak that adds a lived-in, caustic edge to Deer Tick's ramshackle racket", indeed! I would add that it is this quality of voice that first attracted me to the band and I would go so far as to suggest that it is one of the aspects of Deer Tick that sets them apart from many of their contemporaries. I would bracket John's singing along side that of Taylor Goldsmith from my other favourite current band - Dawes!

Another song that I really enjoyed on the night was Mr Sticks and I was zoned out listening to John and Ian O'Neil trading guitar licks whilst Robert added some cool, laid back, mesmerising organ notes. Sublime! 

Ian O'Neil

As I said, the gig was a sell out and I have no doubt that the next time these guys wheel their wagon back into town we will be together again in a larger venue. Unfortunately, on the night I was unable to see much of either Dennis Ryan (drums) or Christopher Ryan (bass) as they were set well back (Dennis) and off to the right (Christopher) of the stage from where I had carved out a slot for myself in the front row. However, I was still able to enjoy their respective contributions and between them they kept the beat rollicking along helping to fill out the sound of guitars and keyboards.

Vanessa Carlton

I was really pleased that the band played two of my favourite Deer Tick songs. The aforementioned Let's All Go To The Bar which is a 'stonking' sing-a-long drinking song in the style of the fabulous Ramones and the slow, sultry duet In Our Time for which the new Mrs McCauley (Vanessa Carlton) appeared on stage. I was put in mind of some of the duets sung by Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris, Vanessa sounding much more like Emmylou than John did Ingram Cecil Connor III! Someone in the audience shouted out that the newly weds should kiss and they duly obliged, an occurrence that was apparently repeated in Manchester! Not a bad way to spend ones honeymoon, eh!

Christopher Ryan

And so, after 12 songs there was a short interlude then John returned to the stage and sang solo a short rendition of The Beatles Octopus's Garden whilst playing drums! He then took up his guitar again and performed Smith Hill from 2010's Born On Flag Day album after which the others came back on stage to run through several more songs before finally leaving us wanting more! And Oh Boy did we want more! 

Dennis Ryan

Many of the Deer Tick songs use superb brass instrumentation, especially those from Negativity and I was concerned as to how they would sound stripped of what after all is an integral part of the recorded sound. I needn't have feared as the lads filled out the sound and much credit should go to Robbie for his wonderful (at times faint and at times thunderous, deft in place and stentorian in others) keyboard playing. So thanks for stopping by Deer Tick and haste ye back, cheers. 

Check out Deer Tick singing In Our Time here.....

Set List (21:00)

The Rock
The Dream's In The Ditch
Just Friends
Oh Boy (Buddy Holly cover)
Let's All Go To The Bar
Mr Sticks
Twenty Miles
In Our Time (with Vanessa Carlton)
Thyme
The Curtain
Miss K.
These Old Shoes

Encore (21:40)

Octopus's Garden (Beatles cover)
Smith Hill
Ashamed
Main Street
Mirror Walls

(22:05)

Wooden Shjips @ SWG3, Glasgow. Thursday 12 December 2013

There are a few gigs which for one reason or another I really look forward to and this was one of them. The reason is pretty immaterial (just never imaginged these dudes pitching up in my back yard!) and so once I found that they were stopping off in Glasgow on their European Tour I jumped at the chance to get tickets. I then found out that they were playing in another new venue to me - SWG3 (Studio, Warehouse, Glasgow). 

The building is located in a former Clydeside warehouse adjacent to the railway arches by the expressway at the end of Eastvale Place on the periphery of Glasgow's West End. Also know as the Studio Warehouse, it houses artists' studios, a gallery, a gig venue and a bar. The venue, whilst one flight up, resembles a concrete post war bunker and is brutalist in looks and hard edged in nature, showcasing as it does less 'main stream' acts and artists. Tonight was the turn of local band Helicon and San Francisco's Wooden Shjips, both cases in point. 

A feature of concert going these days is that the venues tend to be pretty well filled by the time the support comes on and this was to be no exception. Indeed, the 'hall' looked pretty full when Helicon, who had travelled all the way from East Kilbride on the outskirts of Glasgow, came on stage at about 20:00. The band, described as doom-mongering behemoths of Psychedelic Rock, set to work and almost blew us away in terms of volume at least. I was upfront on 'the rail' and the sound was, in Spinal Tap parlance, set to number eleven! I doubt that I have heard a louder band and obviously these things are impossible to compare, but I reckon that they easily beat my former loudest band - Nazareth from back in the early seventies in the old Apollo. Once my ears had adjusted to the assault I was able to get into the groove and really enjoyed the apocalyptic cosmic crescendo of swirling psychedelic soundscapes. 

The band, formed in earl 2009 by brothers John-Paul Hughes (lead guitar, vocals) and Gary Hughes (guitar, vocals), includes Laura O'Brien (keys, synth, violin, vocals), Gary Sharp (guitar), Martin MacVicar (drums) and Mark McLure (bass). They are fans of Brian Jonestown Massacre, as was evident from the guitar sticker and other influences include The Warlocks, Mogwai, The Doors,13th Floor Elevators, The Velvet Underground and NEU! to name a few. This was my introduction to Helicon and so I was unfamiliar with the set list added to which and in keeping with the dark, moodiness of the gig there was little 'chat' between songs. Also the lyrics were indecipherable and so I didn't catch any of the tracks by name, however, one song reminded me of Chelsea Girl by early Simple Minds, it turns out that it is called Seraph and is from the Mind Explosion EP. I also really enjoyed the trance inducing groove of  Suburban Decay.

The interactive explosion of guitar and keyboards was a delight to hear and the whole sound was held up by Martin MacVicar who played some wild and energetic drumming. At one point it looked like John-Paul (I think it was him) was attempting to file the fingers of his right hand down to the knuckle as he frantically strummed the strings to get just the right frenetic sound. I also liked the singing by Laura and Gary although as I said earlier the words were lost in the mix, however, the voices added a fine additional 'instrument' to the concoction. The band have an album called Suburban Decay available to listen to on line or download at http://heliconglasgow.bandcamp.com/album/suburban-decay and following the gig they are set to return to the recording studio to lay down some more track.

Check out the song Seraph here.....

Next up: Wooden Shjips (pronounced Ships). I first came across them around the time that they released their third album Dos back in 2009 and have enjoyed their brand of psychedelic musical workouts ever since. Their sound has been described as drone rock, experimental, minimalist, and "spacey psychedelic rock". They have been compared to Suicide, Guru Guru, Loop, The Velvet Underground and Soft Machine. As a 55 year old, it heartens me to know that my nephew (in his mid twenties) was 'wayyyyyyy jealous' to learn that, not only were the Wooden Shjips on tour, but that his 'aged uncle' was at one if their gigs! Woo woo!

So at around 21:00, as seems to be the custom in Scotland, the band strode onto the stage. Erik "Ripley" Johnson (guitar/vocals and who also plays in a side project: Moon Duo) took up a stage right location (viewed from our side), then moving over to the left of the stage ,Omar Ahsanuddin (drums) was next, Dusty Jermier (bass and looking rather like a latter-day Richard Drefuss) and finally Nash Whalen (organ). The band were assembled and we were ready to 'gie it laldy'!

Erik "Ripley" Johnson

Omar Ahsanuddin

From the outset there was some discordant 'noise' to go along with the psychedelic light show and this was to be a theme throughout the show. There was a rush of 'ambient noise' in the gaps separating the songs and little in the way of interaction between the band and audience, save from the odd "Thank you". However, this only served to enhance the experience for me as it left the emphasis on the 'groove'. I particularly enjoyed In The Roses which started out with a combined bass and drum, metronomic beat, pulsating through us and after some muffled vocals, was taken to a new level by Nash's keyboards. Then Ripley set off on some exceedingly finely picked guitar notes soloed into the latter half of the song. By now it was (for me at least) not possible to stop 'ma groove', the song rolled out over some five minutes and took us all to somewhere other than Glasgow on a dreach, dreary Thursday night. Superb stuff! I have to say that I reckon that it takes an extremely special kinda concentration to hammer out those same drum riffs and bass cords over that length of time. A heart beatin', live givin', body movin', spirit evokin', limb shakin', trance inducin', drug free high! The essence of music over the millennia, rock on Tommy! You got me and I ain't lettin' go!

Dusty Jermier

Another high point was Ruins, another song off their latest (and best in my opinion) album Back To Land. A drum punch and then we were off into familiar mind freeing territory. Ripley Johnson's low, muffled, dry vocals combining seamlessly with the groove being pounded out by the band. I have always been a 'sucker' for the low key, simple, Bert Weddon - esque guitar solo (possibly my all time favourite is the Clash's Mick Jones' solo half way through Police and Thieves on their début album) and Mr Johnson fired them off with aplomb and easy 'devil-may-care' panache!

Looking around me I saw folk 'zoned out' and 'trippin'', enjoying the inner space sensation that the music was unlocking. On stage the band were laying down magnificent rhythms and soundscapes and each was adding their own element to the overall mix. It was really a joy to experience and I was delighted to hear one of my personal favs from the band's repertoire, the sublime Down By The Sea a highlight from Dos. I was experiencing a difficult choice! Do I shut my eyes and 'go with the flow' or keep them open and take in the visual dimension of pix-elation /  swirling colours / fluid formations floating across the band.

Nash Whalen

Then, after a quick recess the band returned to play a one song encore and left the stage again to a resounding ovation which was was well earned and well deserved. These four guys have developed an incomparable sound which has evolved over the years to the stage were in 2013 they have reached a new high in the form of the album Back To Land. I felt that there was a discernible sway and mellowness in the folk in front of me as we quietly queued to descend the stairs to the street level below after the gig, as if we had been spell bound and mesmerised by a deep inner force triggered by the fantastic fluid sounds we had just witnessed, which indeed, and in truth, we had. Just another night out in Glasgow, but, oh, what a night! 

Check out These Shadows here.....

Check out other photos I took at the gig here.....

Back To Land

The Waterboys @ The Barrowland, Glasgow. Tuesday 10 December 2013.

Ah, the famous Barrowland in Glasgow's East End! Whilst I first visited this venerable 'old lady' back in 1977 this was my first gig since I started my blog and I am surprised that it has taken almost a year to come around.

The original building on the site was opened in 1934 in the "Barras" street market area of Glasgow and it is from this that the former ballroom got its name. However, the building was largely destroyed by fire in 1958 (the year of my birth), leading to a complete rebuild and the new ballroom opened on Christmas Eve 1960. Perhaps it was most famous for a time as the place where the murderer 'Bible John' met his victims. However, fortunately, things have moved on.

Although it is modest in size (around 2,100 people) the Barrowlands has become a particular favourite of many noted rock/pop acts and it punches above its weight in attracting top-name performers. It has been voted the best music venue in the UK in a poll of British bands, and in another survey amongst bands, was voted second best venue in the world!

So on this mild December night I toddled along to see The Waterboys on their 25th anniversary tour of  their album Fisherman's Blues. Was it really released in 1988, has it really been 25 years?! 

Having got through the airport style security, a body search and two ticket checks I made it into the famous old hall with its curved ceiling and sprung floor. A sight to gladden many a music fans eyes and ears! Armed with a pint of 'Belhaven Best' (in a plastic container) I made my way to the front of the sparse crowd to catch the support act, one Freddie Stevenson, a thirty three year old from Edinburgh via England. Freddie came on to the stage at about 19:40 along with Joe Chester (a Richard O'Brien look-a-like who played lead guitar with the Waterboys between 2009 - 2011) and they performed a handful of Freddie's songs on acoustic guitars. As is often the case (I am ashamed to say) this was another support act with whom I was not acquainted. However, Freddie has 4 albums and an EP to his name and he played and sang in a clear distinct style. Also, again as is often the case and for reasons of economy, the sound one hears at the gig is very different to the recorded versions. That is not to say that the stripped down acoustic versions were in any way less than their 'full blown' album versions. Indeed, I really enjoyed Freddie's distinct voice which was clear and melodious. The lyrics were easy to hear which was a plus given that his songs are full of imagery and the melody was catchy. I particularly enjoyed I Cried When I Was Born, Sweet Revenge and The City Is King which he magnanimously dedicated to Glasgow. I would also like to mention the tone and quality of Joe's guitar playing which added a great deal to the overall sound.

Catch Freddie Stevenson singing I Cried When I Was Born here....

During the break we were treated to some 'karaoke' style music over the PA, by that I mean the music was played but not the vocal track and I detected Hank Williams, The Rolling Stones and some Ed Allyne Johnson, all fine stuff!

And so to the main event.............

Just after 21:00 Mike Scott lead out the current incarnation of the band in the form of  Steve Wickham (electric fiddle, vocals), Anthony Thistlethwaite (sax, mandolin, harmonica), Trevor Hutchinson (bass) and Ralph Salmins (drums). I knew that the 'Waterboys' were a fluid bunch and that over the years since their inception in 1983 there had been several line up changes. However, I was somewhat surprised to learn that over the intervening years there have been about 65 band members inducing some notable folk. For example: Joe Chester (as mentioned above); Guy Chambers (producer and co-author of Robbie Williams' Angels) played piano from 1985–86; Eddi Reader sang backing vocals in 1984; Ian McNabb (leader of Icicle Works) played keyboards & bass in 2001-02, and Sharon Shannon (Ireland's all-time best-selling traditional musician) played accordion & fiddle in 1989–90 & 2004.

The first song 'out the traps' was Strange Boat, written by Scott & Thistlethwaite (track three off the original Fisherman's Blues album) and this set the show on the road. Over the next eighteen songs we were to hear some wonderful old favourites played live by a bunch of extremely talented musicians. Mike Scott played guitar (both acoustic and electric) and also piano/organ and his singing was strong and so evocative of our, or at least my, youth! He was set between Steve Wickham and Anthony Thistlethwaite both of whom contributed greatly to the thrill of the evening on their respective instruments and their intensity and talent was a joy to behold. Indeed Steve's violin work is such a hallmark of the Waterboys sound from that era. At the back, as is often the case, we had Ralph Salmins and 'Ireland's most handsome man' (according to Scott) Trevor Hutchinson, who kept the beat moving along with an energy that belied their years!

Steve Wickham, Mike Scott and Anthony Thistlethwaite

Stand out songs for me were A Girl Called Johnny (great organ solo by Mr Scott); When Ye Go Away (superb mandolin solo); We Will Not Be Lovers (solid drumming); On My Way To Heaven (Scottish / Irish Gospel!);  The Whole Of The Moon (wonderful saxophone solo) and And A Bang On The Ear - all nine minutes of it!

"It started up in Fife and ended up in tears"

Steve Wickham

At one point Mike Scott, who was born and raised in Edinburgh, introduced a new song (for me anyway) called Tenderfootin' which he explained came out of the sessions which finally produced the original Fisherman's Blues album. He also pointed out that the song is included on the 6 CD box set called Fisherman's Box! A little later on the band played Be My Enemy which included a wonderful extended musical passage as each band member took up the theme and rocked out. It certainly loosened the audience up just before slowing things down a tad with a mellow version of Don't Bang The Drum from the This Is The Sea album during which Trevor Hutchinson and Ralph Salmins went back stage for a breather no doubt.

Then on about the hour mark, the band left us after a grand rendition of Fisherman's Blues and the audience went wild, the volume of adulation and encouragement to return was staggering and so the band returned to play a couple of songs before leaving again. This time the volume was ratcheted up several more notches. Up to eleven in This Is Spinal Tap parlance! Mike Scott seemed genuinely delighted to return for a second encore and he clearly has a love for the Barrowlands having played here on at least eight previous occasions (Anthony trumped him as he reckoned that he has played here somewhere between 30 & 40 times!). Having quietened us down he and Anthony Thistlethwaite commenced How Long Will I Love You? only to stop after a minute or so. Something wasn't quite as it ought to be and Mike Scott apologised saying that we should just pretend that we were all in a recording studio. Indeed, in a sense we were as he went on to explain that the show was being recorded to go out over the festive period on Radio Scotland.

And A Bang On The Ear

The rest of the band along with Freddie Stevenson & Joe Chester then returned to the stage and performed a wonderful nine minute version of the peerless And A Bang On The Ear. Then finally Mike Scott launched into a chant of Barowlands, Barrowlands, Barrowlands etc., etc. and we all joined in in celebration of another wonderful musical occasion in a fabulous venue. As we trooped out at about 22:30 I had a ringing sensation in my head which I realised was the result of a pleasant and much appreciated bang on the ear!

Farewell.....and Good Night.

Listen to the original Fisherman's Blues here.....

Here is a link to a few other photos I took on the night.....

Set List

21:00

Strange Boat
Higherbound
A Girl Called Johnny
When Ye Go Away
Girl From The North Country (Bob Dylan cover)
Tenderfootin'
When Will We Be Married?

The Raggle Taggle Gypsy
We Will Not Be Lovers
Be My Enemy
Don't Bang The Drum
Sweet Thing (Van Morrison cover)
On My Way To Heaven
Fisherman's Blues
22:00

Steve's Germanic Gig
The Whole Of The Moon
22:07

How Long Will I Love You?
Bang On The Ear 

22:30

Alabama 3 @ The O2 Academy, Glasgow. Friday 6th December, 2013

Woke up this morning......and found myself at the O2 Academy on Glasgow's Eglington Street on the city's south side at 19:00 waiting in a light drizzle to gain access to see the Alabama 3. Having arrived early and found a good spot to enjoy the show we were treated to a fine support act in the form of The Holy Ghosts, a band from the other side of the country - Edinburgh!

The Holy Ghosts played a relatively short set but were none the less enjoyable for that. Fronted by a Jagger/Mercury/Morrison-esque lead singer/acoustic guitarist in the shape of Jacky 'Tightlips' Sandison the band performed some great rock music. The other members are Jon 'Midnight' Mackenzie (electric guitar/vocals), Jonny 'JR' Voodoo Linstead (bass guitar/vocals), Rory 'Penny' Penman (drums) and Andy 'Whistling Whullie' Barbour (harmonica /keys/pedal steel guitar). I would say that their sound is reminiscent of the Stones and Chuck Berry/Little Richard rock n' roll in the style of George Thorogood, with a touch of Gram Parsons chucked into the mix- not a bad sound at all! Their Facebook page describes them as playing rock n' roll with a splash of country and a dash of the blues and given that they formed in January 2012, they have gelled exceptionally well and came over as extremely experienced and competent. I will certainly be looking out for their début album (to be released in early 2014) called Ride Them High. In the meantime, I will be listening to their two EP's: Devil On Your Side & Voodoo Shakedown which includes the song Don't Come A Knockin' On My Rock n' Roll Coffin - get outta here! Oh, and they name check Eddie Cochran too!

Check out The Holy Ghosts here.....

Whilst the roadies twiddled and tweaked 'stuff' on stage we were treated to some damn fine reggae and I particularly enjoyed Stand Up For Your Rights. Judging by the gyrating around me, others did too and there appeared to be no age restrictions! 

Then at 21:10 a kilted fellow strutted on to the stage and played the bagpipes before turning around and showing that he was indeed 'going commando' in the parlance of the day. As he headed off stage Alabama 3 arrived and worked their way into our souls with their unique blend of Country / Funk / Soul / Acid House Music all dripping with Presbyterian-ism. The story goes that the name Alabama 3 derives from a 1930's case in America involving two black men who were lynched after being accused of raping a white woman, the men were called the "Alabama 2" in the media. Our very own Alabama 3 formed in 1995 when Jake Black (who comes from the Possil area of Glasgow) met Robert Alun Spragg at an acid house party in Peckham and Jake decided that they "were going to be the first band to put Hank Williams on drum beats and acid cracks". So Larry Love (Rob Spragg) and the Reverend D. Wayne Love (Jake Black) became ministers in the First Presbyterian Church of Elvis the Divine and the band was formed. The band's web site includes several media quotes but the two I like best are The Guardian's "The best live band in the country" and NME's “A monumental waste of time”! I know which camp I stand in and it isn't a three letter abbreviation!

So for the next hour and ten minutes we were pounded and pulverised by pulsating beats and rhythms as the band played out their set. Indeed, about half way through Larry Love removed his top to reveal a T shirt which exalted us to "Drop Beats Not Bombs". Meanwhile, his 'brother' D. Wayne Love incanted his version of utopia, which included advising us not to get involved in Shoplifting 4 Jesus as he has been dead for two thousand years and that we should be vary of what folk on the streets feed our kids, i.e. sugar, liquorice and so on! All the while the rest of the band laid out some seriously funky grooves and some heavy Prodigy-esque tekno beats. We, the audience were mesmerised and danced along in fine style. This was to be a modern day 'religious' experience, the Reverend spoke his words of wisdom and the congregation stood, arms aloft and said "yeah" as and when the were moved to.

Meanwhile, Aurora Dawn was keeping things popping along nicely as she sang the counter parts to the 'Loving Brothers'! Her 'ying' to their 'yang' was a feature of the show for me. On the one hand we had D. Wayne speaking his parts and Larry singing along, whilst Aurora lifted the octaves and sang some mighty fine vocals. All the while she put in an exercise shift that would knacker many an athlete!

Further back, Owen If (Ian Frederick Rossiter) was great on drums, keeping a 'rock' steady beat whilst undertaking some nifty snare and bass drum work. All the while to his right, Wizard performed on a laptop and mixer desk (?) wearing a white Spanish Inquisition style mask! Indeed, I began to think of The Village People as each Alabama 3 member had their very own persona and stylised imagery thing going on ranging from Aurora's Grace Jones / Maizie Williams, through Larry's punk front man to Rock Freebase's (Mark Sams) ageing hippy country guitar star. Oh, and let's not forget D. Wayne's laid back, nonchalant 'man in black', possibly the most static dude in the house. How he stopped himself from breaking out 'a few moves' with all that rhythm flying around is a mystery to me!

The other band members all created a magnificent concoction of musical merriment and The Spirit of Love (Orlando Harrison) on keyboards was a joy to watch as he rocked his keyboard and organ in time to the music. At one point, having hefted the organ about from left to right and back again it ceased to perform which resulted in some frantic 'roadie action' to get it resuscitated. They managed just in the nick of time as, no sooner was it back up to speed, The Spirit started out on a fine piano solo. It's all about timing, or so they say! A quick name check for the other members of the Alabama 3: Steve Finnerty guitar; Harpo Strangelove (Nick Reynolds) harmonica, percussion, vocals and Segs (John Jennings) who would normally have been on bass guitar but was on tour with Ruts DC at the time. 

 

The stand out songs for me included a couple of slower numbers namely a wonderful version of John Prine's Speed Of The Sound Of Loneliness and Hello...I'm Johnny Cash. However, I also really enjoyed the grooved up, trance inducing U Don't Danse To Tekno Anymore, Ain't Goin' To Goa, Hypo Full Of Love and Too Sick To Pray. And all of this was played out in front of a backdrop montage which resembled a latter-day stained glass window. Which was very befitting of the First Presbyterian Church of Elvis the Divine depicting as it did some everyday tableaux including the holy trinity of 'sex and drugs and rock n' roll'!

The band took a short break at about 22:20, the 'congregation' went into melt down and finally the two were briefly reunited as the band played a few final songs as an encore. This was rapturously received and built nicely from the solo singing of Larry Love to a full blown finale as the band members came back on stage in instalments to beef up and augment the sound and fury for the final couple of numbers. By now the audience/congregation were a grooving and a moving, a shimmying and a swaying and generally getting off on the unique sound that is an Alabama 3 gig. Thanks for a great show and I look forward to your next visit to our 'dear green place'!

Check out "Hello...I'm Johnny Cash" here.....

Vampire Weekend @ The Hydro, Glasgow. Friday 15 November, 2013

The Hydro, Glasgow

Next up on my musical journey through 2013 was a great 'double bill' at the recently opened Hydro in Glasgow's Finnieston area. I am not sure if this is a 'feature' of this venue but my first visit was to see the Proclaimers and their support was Roddy Hart & the Lonesome Fire and Glasvegas. Now supporting Vampire Weekend we have Noah and the Whale, who have four albums to their name already, so not a shabby support, eh!

One of the problems with this idea of having a 'named' support act is that many folk still only want to see the headlining band (despite current ticket prices!) and so as we took our seats at about 19:25 the place was only about 30% full. However, it was still a pretty good crowd as the venue holds 13,000 when 'packed to the rafters' so there were maybe about 2,000 folk there to enjoy NATW. One of the songs played over the in-house sound system prior to the band taking to the stage was Richard Strauss' Also Sprach Zarathustra / 2001 Space Odyssey opening theme which seemed very fitting for this futuristic venue!

Noah and the Whale

The current incarnation of this English band from Twickenham, London consists of Charlie Fink (vocals/guitar), Tom Hobden (violin/keyboards), Matt Owens (bass guitar), Fred Abbott (guitar/keyboards), and Michael Petulla (drums). Having formed in 2006 the band have evolved along the way and the loss of several former members including their erstwhile backing singer, one Laura Marling in 2008, hasn't effected them. On the night, and perhaps due to the space taken up by Vampire Weekend's equipment on stage, NATW seemed rather dwarfed, corralled together as they were in the middle! However, that didn't affect their performance which was solid and assured even if they did seem somewhat in awe of the fact that they were supporting "the best New York band of the day" as Charlie said at one point just before launching into a great version of Lou Reed's Satellite Of Love.

One thing I found rather odd was seeing people taking to their seats with hot dogs and pizza boxes. I know that this is a common sight in other countries around the world but here in Glasgow a pint of lager was all we used to need to sustain us through a gig! Modern venue, modern habits! Meanwhile up on stage Noah and the Whale were working their way through some of their back catalogue which included some fine versions of Waiting For My Time To Come, L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N, 2 Atoms In A Molecule, Rocks And Daggers, Love Of An Orchestra and 5 Years Time. During this set Charlie's singing was strong and resonant whilst he swapped between acoustic and electric guitars and Fred Abbott variously played keyboards and electric guitar to great effect. In addition, Tom's violin playing was a real asset and I particularly liked his work on Love Of An Orchestra and 5 Years Time and all the while Matt and Michael provide a great solid foundation on drum and bass. The sound from where we were sitting was very good considering the size of the hall, however, due to the number of vacant seats I did feel slightly out of it, like a passer by looking in a window at a party going on inside! However, that didn't spoil my enjoyment of Noah and the Whale's performance which ended on a high note with some wonderful guitar and violin interplay on 5 Years Time which built to a memorable crescendo that put me in mind of the way Dawes work up some of their songs. Their 45 minute set was well received and the band set us up nicely for Vampire Weekend. Cheers lads.

Check out Noah and the Whale singing L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N here.....

During the break we had some interesting songs on the sound system including A Horse With No Name by America from way back in 1972. 41 years is no time at all in the world of music, or so it seems!

Chris Baio

By 20:45 the hall was as full as it was going to be. We were told on our way in that the show was not a sell out which surprised and disappointed me as these two bands are up there with some of the best I have seen this year. No accounting for taste! However, by the time Vampire Weekend appeared at 20:50 I would guess that there were some 7-8,000 of us champing at the bit to see one of New York's current best bands. And so with a flourish and a major instant set change (ornately capped half doric columns, a baroque 'mirror' and 'Grecian urns' dropped from the heavens) Vampire Weekend ploughed into Diane Young the fourth song from their third album and a rollickin' number to kick start the set. 

These four young lads started out with this band in 2006 and they are Ezra Koenig (lead singer / guitar), Rostam Batmanglij (guitar / keyboards / backing vocals), Chris Thomas (drums / percussion) and Chris Baio (bass / backing vocals). Their sound has been variously described as indie rock / Soweto rock / baroque pop and afrobeat, but however you define it, it is a thrilling sound and a pretty unique fusion of American rock and African rhythms. The guitar sounds are particularly set towards the guitar playing style of many bands I heard growing up in Dar-es-salaam in East Africa (which wonderfully gets a name check in Step!) 

Talking of lyrics, Vampire Weekend's tend to be on the obscure side as the first verse of Step indicates:

Every time I see you in the world, you always step to my girl

Back back way back I used to front like Angkor Wat

Mechanicsburg Anchorage and Dar es Salaam

While home in New York was champagne and disco

Tapes from L.A. slash San Francisco

But actually Oakland and not Alameda

Your girl was in Berkeley with her Communist reader

Mine was entombed within boombox and walkman

I was a hoarder but girl that was back then.

There was an unexpected 'hick-up' as the band set off into Step, their sixth song of the night, when after about a minute Ezra stopped the band and explained that there had been a "false start" he then proceeded to correct the problem. During the short hiatus a small but enthusiastic group of fans in front of the stage started singing a line from the Glasvegas song Go Square Go (which seeing as they were on stage the last time I was in the Hydro seemed oddly appropriate!) the line went:

"Here we, here we, here we f**ing go (repeat!)" and the band realised that they were back in Glasgow again! 

Ezra Koenig

Ezra Koenig sang the lyrics with a great powerful delivery throughout although the words were sometimes difficult to make out but that didn't detract from the show as the voice is often another instrument in the mix! I particularly enjoyed his singing on Obvious Bicycle just before the encore. Rostam Batmanglij (who seemed to have donned a Saltire t shirt below his over shirt) played some wonderful keyboard especially on the Hammond organ on Unbelievers, there was some fine tinkling of the ivories on Horchata, superb soaring notes on Step and some outstanding organ on Boston (Ladies of Cambridge). Chris Thomas also added some pulsating, pounding drumming on the likes of Horchata and Diane Young and Chris Baio kept a tight reign on the bass lines with some notable work on the introduction to and throughout Campus. Oh, and neat dancing Chris, neat! 

These guys have formed a cohesive, tight unit over their seven years together and clearly enjoy playing their uncommon blend of modern music. It was certainly a joy to watch and listen to. I say "watch" because the band had put a good deal of consideration into their stage set and light show. There was always a fascinating visual part to their songs, each one underpinned in some different way by the use of these extra elements. Indeed during Giving Up The Gun the light show took on psychedelic proportions and the overall effect was stunning. One minor quibble however, from where I was sitting (the first tier up off the floor in front of the 'posh boxes'!) the lights often shone straight into our eyes over the heads of the throbbing masses standing on the venue floor. 

So after a thrilling, throbbing, thunderous, thoroughly enjoyable fifty five minutes the band left the stage. The usual stomping, clapping, whoopin' an a hollerin' stretched out for several minutes before the lads returned to play their encore, which incidentally, has been the same three songs for most of the current tour! 

Chris Thomas

During Hannah Hunt Rostam switched from keyboards to guitar and then he swapped back again for One (Blake's Got A New Face) during which he played some playful ditties reminiscent of the old hit Popcorn made popular in 1972 by Hot Butter! At this point Ezra thanked us for coming out to see them, he also said that he has always liked his visits to our city. The band have particularly fond memories of playing in Nice n' Sleazy way back before they had released their eponymous album in 2008! Happy memories indeed. 

Rostam Batmanglij 

Then Vampire Weekend launched into the final song of the night, the fabulous, roller coaster that is Walcott with its tantalising, tinkling piano notes and pumping, pounding drum beats. This has long been a favourite of mine and so it was a pleasure to hear it played live and it acted as a wonderful finale to a great gig. The audience went 'tonto', sang along, singing and dancing themselves into a greasy spot! 

As the lights went up and we started to shuffle out of the Hydro with great music resonating around our brains we were assailed by the in-house sound system one last time. This time encouraging us to "start spreading the news" as New York New York played us out. A very appropriate choice indeed!

Cheers lads (that goes for Noah and the Whale too), a wonderful night out and haste ye back.

Check out Vampire Weekend singing Ya Hey here.....

Check out more photos from the gig here.....

SET LIST:

Diane Young

White Sky

Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa

Unbelievers

Holiday 

False start!

Step

Horchata

Everlasting Arms 

Cousins

California English

A-Punk

Boston (Ladies of Cambridge)

Ya Hey

Campus

Oxford Comma

Giving Up The Gun

Obvious Bicycle

Encore 22:00

Hannah Hunt

One (Blake's Got A New Face)

Walcott