What can I say about last night’s gig, nay, experience, in King Tuts? Intense, emotional, jaw-droppingly beautiful, powerful… I could go on and on with other such superlatives. I was expecting to enjoy it, but not nearly as much as I did. It made the fact that it was only a Tuesday night with another three working days until the weekend eminently more bearable.
Cherry Wave
Cherry Wave who are a new one on me, played a blinder. And a deafener to be fair. The three guitar, bass and drum attack meant visceral distortion, fuzz and plenty of whammy bar vibrato in a wall of sound MBV/shoegaze type manner. I shall be seeking out their bandcamp page imminently.
Rev Magnetic
Next up, and kind of a new one on me. Luke Sutherland’s latest band, Rev Magnetic. The band as a unit was the new element for me, having been familiar with some of Sutherland’s earlier output. I’m disappointed in myself for not keeping up with what he has been doing having loved Long Fin Killie and devoured his book Jelly Roll when it came out. Bows completely passed me by (a point I will resolve to rectify) and there was a danger that Rev Magnetic may also have if it hadn’t been for tonight’s event. It was a bit of a Rock Action showcase with the Rev Magnetic new long player having just been released on the label which gave us Swervedriver’s latest opus, oh and Glasgow music legend Stuart Braithwaite was in DJ’ing (and enjoying the bands live sets).
Rev Magnetic are now officially one of my favourite new bands. Apologies, I don’t know the song titles yet (another action to rectify now I have my grubby mitts on the new album), but I was hooked and reeled in from the first song. The combination of penetrating sonorous guitars, delicate breaks with almost whispered vocals, intricate playing, striking bass, effective rhythms, drum parts and keyboards/programming was arresting. The whole ensemble came together in a very affecting manner, moving, heart-warming and uplifting to the soul. There were technical issues where we lost Luke’s vocal at one point, but in the grand scheme of things, the sheer jaw-dropping beauty of the music and additional vocals from Audrey Bizouerne were more than enough to carry the song to its conclusion. A stunningly magnificent noise.
Swervedriver
Talking of magnificent noise, standing next to the stage as the band changeover was occurring, the number of pedals present was an indication of the riotous melee of beautiful noise to come. The whole gig wasn’t just a series of songs it was an entire bodily sensation. At various points standing with eyes tightly shut soaking up the experience, feeling the vibrations of the songs through my whole being while standing next to a monitor with the notion my hair was being blasted in waves.
The set was drawn from across their whole back catalogue delighting the partisan crowd with Swervedriver favourites like Never Lose That Feeling, Last Train to Satansville & 99th Dream sitting effortlessly alongside new songs such as Mary Winter, Drone Lover, The Lonely Crowd Fades in the Air and the soaring epic album title track Future Ruins. The new album is a triumph, these tracks being amongst the highlights of the heroic set. Swervedriver’s older songs have a longevity, depth and variety about them., their power hasn’t dissipated over the years, with emotional intensity and many layered searing guitar sounds penetrating the soul. Future Ruins adds an additional profundity and beauty with songs that transcend the norm and soar above the competition, leaving them in their wake.
The downside, if there must be one, was that before we knew it, curfew had arrived, and the set was over far too soon. I could have listened to the band for hours. Thankfully though, there was enough time for them to return for one final conquest blowing us away with a messianic juggernaut-like version of Rave Down to send the lucky Tuts crowd home beaming.