A wee bonus gig review for the indominatable Alcatraz who continue to go from strength to strength. The band have been building a head of steam lately with a noteworthy performance early in the day at this years House Guest Fest followed by what looked like an uproariously good night in London where Liv took advantage of her wireless bass to make her way outside mid-song.
This appearance as part of Sauchiehall Street Music Day was a bonus warm up (maybe the wrong words given Eleanor’s protestations about it being cold onstage…) ahead of their forthcoming headline gig in The Hug and Pint on the 30th,m. Like at House Guest, Liv will be pulling a double shift with Awful Eyes, who were present in the crowd at the Sauchiehall Street show, supporting alongside Close Control who recently released their debut single the superb Proximity.
I’m sure the band must have gained some new fans as a result of the performance with the crowd there made up of those in the know alongside curious passers by and anyone happy about the prospect of a free gig. The set was packed with, from the perspective of Alcatraz aficionados, banger after banger, with Nowhere Man sounding as raw and compelling as ever, building to its furious zenith and forthcoming single Messiah easily becoming an Alcatraz classic already. I was glad to hear them also play their boisterously infectious cover of the Icona Pop ft Charli XCX standard I Love It having first unleashed it upon an unsuspecting crowd at House Guest.
I love bearing witness to the progress and trajectory of bands, and Alcatraz is no exception. I’ll have seen, and heard clearly, the band grow in confidence, and develop their performance, while their sound has expanded exponentially since I first caught them live, when they first hooked me in, really finding their groove with their colossal and rambunctious sound. I’m in it for the long haul, there is no escape from Alcatraz.