At the end of this week at La Chunky in Glasgow’s West End, the scene is set for what is to be one of the gig events of December when three band’s come together to play an exclusive gig to the lucky 40 punters who manage to secure a ticket. The three bands are, the oft-featured in these pages, Water Machine and Brenda, alongside Dancer, who recently released their latest 5 track EP, As Well.
Dancer is made up of members of bands such as Nightshift, Order of the Toad and Robert Sotelo: Gemma Fleet (Vocals), Chris Taylor (Guitar/Keytar). Andrew Doig (Bass) and Gavin Murdoch Drums) who, when they come together, make one glorious racket.
Being a music fan of a certain age, the band have me reminiscing and yearning for the glory days when Scottish indie bands ruled the world. The sound of Dancer encapsulates a plethora of illustrious influences, the angular jagged sounds of early 80s Postcard era post-punk, and the jangle pop that grew out of this scene before flourishing further afield, from Sarah Records to The Smiths, and they have elements of Afrobeat shining through to boot. From the spiky warning about Radio DJs in Pulp Thriller, to the swooning jangle pop of Love, and the double meaning references and delicious bass rhythms in the opener, Cordon Bleu, this EP is a perfect sampler of the music of Dancer.
The indie music scene in Glasgow (and beyond) is in rude health and fine fettle with bands like Dancer, Water Machine and Brenda, alongside Junk Pups, Tina Sandwich and a host of other names making waves in the indie music scene. You may be too late due to the limited tickets, but if you can, get along to La Chunky on Friday and bathe in the incandescent glow of some of the best music Glasgow has to offer.