I was not as struck by “Later…When the T.V turns to static” as I had been by Glasvegas’ earlier work and after a few minor technical problems at the start of the gig I was not expecting the show- stopping performance that I witnessed.
I was utterly enthralled as the incredible lights and sound flooded the intimate, sweaty venue at Rock City. The small space did nothing to hinder the seemingly endless electricity of James Allen’s haunting vocals which incorporated a mixture of Guy Garvey (Elbow) like smoothness, power and a rough Scottish accent to produce a mind-blowing concoction of passion and emotion. This coupled with the energy of the rest of the band made for a spectacular show.
Rab Allen, dropping picks left, right and centre as his instrument desperately tried to keep up with his talent, Paul Donoghue, on a lush bass, completely losing himself in the performance as he provided the never-ending deep throbbing heartbeat that underlies all of Glasvegas’ work, and cool kid, Jönna Lofgren on drums, refusing to take off her sunglasses despite the rising heat and the pool of sweat forming on stage.
One very memorable moment came when Jönna took to the keyboard and, along with James Allen, produced a terrifyingly heart breaking rendition of the 2013 single “I’d rather be dead than be with you, causing me to rush to the merchandise stands to purchase a copy on 7 inch vinyl.
With a complex mixture of emotion, talent and, quite simply, some hard-core rock and roll, the Scottish band left the audience entirely overwhelmed and still standing at the front of the stage for a good while after they had done their encore. This is a band not to be missed and on tour until the end of September so grab a ticket if you still can.
by Kathy Shepard
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