It had been too long since I’d been at a gig in the Glad Cafe, especially considering that it and The Rum Shack are my local venues. It was especially great to walk into the venue knowing what I was going to witness, such is the beguiling and intriguing nature of the music of Son of the Right Hand. Clearly the feeling was mutual given the hubbub and upbeat buzz around the cosy and welcoming venue right from doors open. I had a good feeling that it was going to be a gig to remember.
Before the band got to officially launch their EP, we had two support bands to entertain us, with eclectic styles to mix things up a bit. First up was Unspeakable Mondays, a hard rock four piece, I say eclectic, but at the centre of the bands sound is an element of folk, a genre which flows through the core of each band, an observation backed up by singer Bekah who indicated one of the bands songs was originally written as a folk song about Mary Queen of Scots.
Yama Rama followed the rock band and treated us to some sublime semi-acoustic folk rock, the trio made up of acoustic and electric guitars and keyboards, with some beautiful harmonies on display. Both bands labelled as “need more investigation…”
As I stood watching Son of the Right Hand set up their array of instruments and effects pedals, I had a realisation. in my review of their EP, I’d compared the intrigue and fascination I had towards the bands music to that of Deer Leader, whose stunning album launch show also took place in the self same venue, was this a sign of things to come?
If I thought the EP was impressive on recorded medium, as I had hoped, seeing these songs played live really brought an edge and depth to the songs that, while absolutely impressive on the EP, took them to another level. This was a band whose sound completely enveloped you taking you along with the band on their journey into soundscapes that wowed and intrigued in equal measures. The beautiful intricacies of the bands sound transferring perfectly to the live arena, the complexities of the arrangements delighting and confusing in equal measures, how the hell did they manage to create such incredibly textures sounds?
I was delighted the band had chosen to play the songs in the order they appear on the EP and hadn’t interspersed them with other songs from their catalogue. The songs just make so much sense played in order, and that journey I mentioned was one packed with a smorgasbord of emotions, from non drug fuelled euphoric highs through moments of melancholia to bursts of unexplainable emotion that totally came from out of the blue… I wiped away real tears during Refuweegie (The House Isn’t Full) when Benjamin whipped out his bagpipes and the recordings of that proud day for Glaswegians in Kenmure Street filled the air, not tears of sadness but just an overwhelming sensory overdrive.
I’m going to see the masters of full on shoegaze guitar wall of noise merchants, My Bloody Valentine, in a couple of weeks time, and I have to say they’ll be hard pushed to pack as much electrically charged atmospheric energy into their songs as Son of the Right Hand did. Every member of the band played a blinder, the complex arrangements were clearly rehearsed to within an inch of their lives, band members watching each other like hawks to ensure tempo and key changes were perfect, instruments melded together in perfect harmony, creating a full on joyous assault on the senses. This was more than just an assault on the eardrums, you could feel the music through every part of your being, touching yiur very soul, add to that the sight of the band putting so much vigour and fervour into the performance, the passion for what they do was palpable, and not just through their playing, but also in the impassioned between song ad libs from Éireann.
If you’ve not already done so, I suggest you go and listen to the Pscenic Root EP as soon as you can, but more than that, I strongly urge you to actively follow this band on socials, and as soon as you see any live dates announced get yourself a ticket and witness this remarkable band in the setting where they clearly flourish.
Son of the Right Hand (@sonoftherighthandband) • Instagram photos and videos