The closing event in this year’s New Year’s Revolution had a lot to live up to after the extravaganza earlier in the month featuring the glory of Sister Madds (many of whom were present for this gig) and the mighty Tina Sandwich whose powerhouse vocalist Tilly was also in attendance for this closing night.
The job of opening proceedings was handed to Homework who went about this task with aplomb. The sparse early crowd soon bolstered as people started filtering in from downstairs as their set caught the imaginations of the early comers. The bands blend of west coast harmonies (take your pick from whichever west coast you chose – Glasgow or USA) paired with their energetic dual guitar assault is a joy to the eardrums coming across like a grungy Teenage Fanclub mixed with elements of Kiwi Jr and Sebadoh. The shared vocals bring another vibe to the mix, at times giving a laid back Pastels groove and a vocal channeling Beat Happening’s Calvin Johnson.
The second band of the evening had an entirely different vibe going on, but no less entertaining for that. A “new to me” band, The Cowards must surely take their name from the flamboyant playwright who Time magazine once described as “a combination of cheek and chic, pose and poise”, which could equally be used to describe the band. Their style of jangly indie pop with thoughtful lyrics immediately brings to mind the leftfield pop by the likes of It’s Immaterial, Divine Comedy and Furniture. Their sound has roots in the quintessentially Scottish jangle guitar vibrancy, there was one song that i swear could have been the opening of a long lost Friends Again classic, while vocally the warm brogue channels that of the honeyed sound of Grahame Skinner.
Velvet are a band I’ve seen once before in Nice n Sleazy on the same bill as tonight’s headliners Junk Pups, and the aforementioned headliners of the earlier NY Revolution gig, Tina Sandwich. The band have been fairly quiet of late in the live front so it was a rare opportunity to catch the multi-faceted band in the flesh. Like the fabric with which they share their name, their live sound is a smooth and deeply luxurious beast. The talents on show are abundant, swapping instruments during their set and sharing vocal duties giving their set a complex multi textural experience.
I’m not sure if there is anything I can say about the magnificent Junk Pups that I haven’t said before, except to say that tonight they were possibly tighter than I’ve ever seen them. Their sound was both sharply focussed and immaculately polished, without taking away any of the edge of your seat excitement or supercharged energy of their impossible to pigeonhole bluesy countrified post-punk sound.
If there is a more focussed, tightly wound ball of energy than drummer extraordinaire Sophie, I don’t know what it is… the look of intense concentration on her face and sheer exuberance as she pounds the skins is something to behold. Then you’ve got the joyous and zestful dynamism of that front line, Jack, Ishi and Dylan coming together to create the unique experience that is Junk Pups. The band went for the jugular from the off, hitting us with the opening barrage of debut single Front Yard Flamingo, the aural assault of Hoi Polloi and the superb Jesus Wept.
Everything came together perfectly for this headline set, I couldn’t imagine a better close to the New Years Revolution, the crowd were as pumped and boisterous as the band were exuberant and rambunctious, having as much fun on stage as we were out front.
Forthcoming single Trophy Wife went down a storm, just wait til you see the video…and of course Miss Behave was a blast. This gig was all about the band bringing the party, and what’s a party without a party piece? Dolly herself would have been dancing the night away when she heard the bands glorious take on her global smash 9 to 5, which had the place bouncing as Jack invited us all to join in their party piece.
Two gigs in for 2024 and the bar is set high already.