The Lazys are an Australian band who write their own music but draw heavy inspiration from Bon Scott's AC/DC. I'd never heard of them prior to Bob putting out the shout, but a quick listen to their material won me over. Audio seemed an apt venue for them: a sweaty dive bar with black walls and hardly any space.
Four of us went along. The other three headed in early for a pre-gig drink and dinner. I chose to take the car and meet them later. The M8 was backed up as far as the Clyde Tunnel junction, so I took that slip road and made for the Clydeside Expressway. With "Spiderman - Brand New Day" shooting in the city centre, congestion was bad and finding a parking space nearby north of the river was nigh impossible. I ended up parked on a dingy side street on the south side.
I joined them in the pub later than anticipated, so didn't stay long. We made for the venue, arriving not long after the doors opened. We bought drinks and some merch and waited patiently for the support act as the room slowly filled up.
Junkyard Drive are Danish and, in terms of look, covered many Scandinavian bases: a tall, long-blond-haired lead singer; a hairy, tattooed bassist who could be mistaken for a Viking; two guitarists who rocked both ends of the punk spectrum; and a drummer who sat at the back with his baseball cap reversed. This was their first performance in Glasgow.
I enjoyed them, even though I didn't know any of the songs. I couldn't make out many of the lyrics, as the sound mix tonight didn't favour the singer. What stood out to me was the incredible energy the band brought to the stage, overflowing at one point when both guitarists jumped into the crowd.
Junkyard Drive did themselves proud and won a big tick from me. Hopefully, they'll catch a few more support slots to grow their audience here.
The Lazys' intro music was Down Under by Men at Work, setting the off-beat tone for the night ahead. Their set brought spirited humour, boundless enthusiasm, and pure rock 'n' roll energy to an appreciative crowd.
The singer had the look of a short Tim Minchin about him. He enjoyed a laugh, too, but the music was more Whole Lotta Rosie than (Waltzing) Matilda.
I found the bassist scary. He acted like a total psycho: one minute smiling, the next extending his tongue down his chin, then he'd go off his head, screaming at the back of the room to 'Let's f#cking go', slapping his chest and yanking at his hairline. When he later jumped into the crowd, everyone backed off as he ripped open his t-shirt at the neckline, then burst up and down the room playing his bass. Nutter!
Much friendlier was the hairy guitarist, who smiled a lot and, at one point, played his guitar on top of the bar, holding the dangling light bulbs as if he were a pilot fish. Wild guy, but not a psycho.
The set finished with T.N.T., an AC/DC cover. The singer invited the fans to join them on stage, especially if they knew the lyrics. That detail didn't deter one over-excited, bearded chap called Fraser from immediately bounding onto the stage. He may not have known the words, but he made up for it with bounces, like he had springs in his ankles. He was in fan heaven. I recorded the event for posterity (see below).
It was a good night. A nice warm-up for another Australian band in a couple of weeks.
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| When you don't have a backdrop, improvise. |
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| The Lazys - not Tim Michin |
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| Psycho? |
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| Psycho? |
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| Psycho! |
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| Rock N |
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| Roll |
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| Mischief |
