Gut Reactions (post-gig memories and other trips): GUN

Showing posts with label GUN. Show all posts

Saturday, 13 December 2025

GUN, Barrowland Ballroom, Glasgow. Saturday 13th December, 2025

My annual December pilgrimage to the Barrowland to see GUN. We arrived before the doors were due to open, so we waited in the car rather than getting soaked in the queue. We spent the time listening to the support act's album. The experience didn't bode well. They had the sound aggression of The Virginmarys, not my favourite band.

The security official outside the venue was in good spirits, getting us to form two lines, one for each door, warning us not to stand on the road as it was 'live and getting knocked down would spoil our evening'.

Inside, I couldn't believe the idiocy of my frisk. I was asked to empty my pockets before they began, so I pulled out my wallet, house keys, car key fob, earplug case and a couple of tissues. The tissues were confiscated as I may have secreted something within them. "What, like snot?" I reply. He confiscates another from my jacket pocket, then starts rubbing the jacket, thinking there might be something in the lining. There isn't. The pocket there contained an old cinema ticket stub. He opens my earplug case to check the contents, not believing me. I make him screw it closed again, knowing the thread is tricky. He rubs down the rest of me, then waves me on. He doesn't check my right trouser pocket, which has another tissue and a couple of wrapped Werther's Originals; the rear pockets, which hold dog poo bags; under my cap; or inside my shoes. I'm seething by the time my ticket is scanned, and I get to join my pals at the top of the stairs. I understand why they need to do it. I'm just pissed off that it is so slapdash, an exercise in being seen to check, not a proper frisk. Pointless.

There's a warning at the hall door about strobe and haze effects. The crowd is thin, despite the large number who got in before us, many filling the bar areas at the sides. We stand in the centre and chat while we await the first band.

A family stands close by. The son is tall, heavily built and sways compulsively. The shaved-headed father does too, but his is less pronounced. I hope they don't move in front of us when the crowd fills up.

Tijuana Bibles are from Coatbridge. At the start of their set, they sound less shouty than their album suggested. The lead singer has a James McAvoy vibe about him, if James didn't make anything of his life. Vocally, he sits somewhere between John Lydon and Morrissey. He admits he's had a wee drink before the show, so he remembers to thank GUN early for having them. He wishes they could play for longer, but I'm glad they don't. My interest had flatlined by the end of their set, as they brought out the shouty songs. The band have room for improvement. The drummer on backing vocals added a positive dimension to their sound.

After they were done, the gaps in the crowd began to fill up. A group slipped past us, and I recognised the tall person at the back. Kenny Crawford, a pal from back at Primary School. We exchange small talk, shouting over the PA. He apologises for being 6'2", making the excuse that his wife needs to be closer to the front as she is shorter. To be fair, he ensures his group don't block our view, moving across in front of the family beside us.

Then more tall people arrive. It's always the same. By the time the PA plays "Delilah," the crowd is singing along loudly, and my wife can't see the stage. A few songs in, she switches to the other side of me, beside the swaying son, unaware of the smell emanating from his clothes. I see her holding a tissue to her nose (tissues which hadn't been confiscated!).

GUN were immense, starting strong with a setlist packed with bangers. The haze effect offers several benefits. The lighting is diffused, the beams not blinding, creating striking effects, such as silhouettes and intense colouration. They have a small screen at the rear with a projector beaming onto it from the ceiling, instead of the wall screen they hired for last year's gig. This reduces the scale, but makes it feel more intimate.

Dante struggles with his earpiece, and Roo is atypically rusty in his solos, but the others gel well. Andy is particularly strong in backing vocals and has a commanding stage presence. Joolz plays well, but isn't the best guitarist in Scotland, as Paul describes him during the band introductions. Dante would agree with me that Joolz isn't even the best guitarist in the band.

I enjoyed the gig. The room was so hot that even my scalp was sweating. I was too far back to take videos. Plenty in front were doing a fine job of that, anyway. I had to time my photos to avoid the sway of the youth's head. We all reckoned he was autistic. Harmless, but annoying.

Paul Anthony, DJ at Planet Rock, welcomed GUN back to the stage for the encore. Not sure why he'd travelled north to be here. A favour? A fan?

Paul Anthony

GUN didn't play "Fight for Your Right," which disappointed Bob. We did get an extra song, The Only One, which they didn't play in Aberdeen. The band photo, taken while the PA played David Lee Roth's "Just Like Paradise," was a mishmash because Paul had already left the stage and needed to be brought back.

Gallus!

Setlist
Money (Everybody Loves Her)
Coming Home
Welcome to the Real World
All Fired Up
Vicious Heart
Lucky Guy
Seems Like I'm Losing You
Word Up! (Cameo cover)
Taking on the World
Falling
Stand in Line
Seraphina
Don't Say It's Over
Take Me Back Home
Inside Out
Steal Your Fire

Encore:
The Only One
Better Days
Shame On You

Ticket Price:£35.75 x 4 +£1 Transaction Fee from Gigantic

Tijuana Bibles

Shame On You

Spotted this lamp post sign on the way to the car.
Seemed apt.

Sunday, 11 May 2025

GUN "Hombres Acoustic Tour", Matinee Show. Harbour Arts Centre, Irvine. 2pm Sunday 11th May 2025

On a warm but overcast afternoon, I made my way down to Irvine to see my favourite band perform an acoustic set at the Harbour Arts Centre. There was loads of free parking nearby, and I was one of the first to get in. I chose to sit in the second row (I'm not sure why—shyness, perhaps). The view was still great, as it is an intimate venue with seating on three sides.

Image cribbed from the Freckfest FB page

The support act was Pistol Daisys, performing as a trio with backing tracks enhancing the music. They sounded okay, with good harmonies between the two girls, who both played guitar and took turns on lead vocals. One song was inspired by seeing someone finding pleasure in a public park, while another was about getting dumped by phone while performing at a French music festival.

The first surprise when GUN appeared was that Paul wasn't on drums, instead drafting in a young lad called Rory (spelling?). To make up for that disappointment, though, we also got both Andy and Ruaraidh to complete the five-piece band (the pair were absent on some of the other dates).

With it being a matinee performance, the atmosphere was relaxed. When punters wandered off to the bar or toilets, Dante would poke fun at them. The banter between the two GUN brothers was classic. At one point, they became distracted from their affectionate bickering by the conversation of the other two (about Dante's bass guitar not being as good as Andy's), much to Dante's mock annoyance. Joolz would often ramble on before songs, telling us how lovely they were, much to Dante's exasperation. At another time, I thought we were going to get a JD Vance/ Zelensky situation when Jools insisted that Dante thank the audience for coming. He refused, saying he'd speak to us all individually in private after the show, not from the stage. I loved that they were excited about playing twice on the same day because it meant they got their tea there.

The sound in the Harbour Arts Centre was excellent (except when Dante accidentally turned off his mic and thought it was broken). It was an enjoyable gig. I didn't take too many pictures and only one video, preferring to experience the gig in the moment.

I would happily have done it all again (if I'd had a ticket for the evening show). I didn't wait to speak to the band at the merch stall afterwards (they hadn't appeared yet as I left, and there was quite a crowd); instead, I headed to Vanilla Joes for an ice cream before heading home (two scoops, one of real Italian pistachio and one of white chocolate cookie dough, if you must know). Yummy, but it melted quicker than I could lick. That'll be the jeans going in the wash.

Ticket Price: £27.50 Face value plus £2.75 fees = £30.25 from Gigantic (the barcode wouldn't scan but

Steal Your Fire

Thank you to the gentleman
who let me take a picture of the setlist

Saturday, 14 December 2024

GUN 'Hombres" Tour, Barrowlands, Glasgow. Saturday 14th December, 2024.

If I'd been prepared to travel, I'd have had quite a choice of rock gigs to attend tonight: Those Damn Crows in Cardiff, These Wicked Rivers in Derby, and King King at the QMU in Glasgow. There was really only one choice, though. It had to be GUN at the Barrowland, the band's spiritual home.

I managed to snag a position close to the stage. My view was excellent, and for once, there was no crush. I only had one shaven-headed gentleman between me and the barrier. Shortly afterwards, a young woman on her own stood beside me. She was brunette, with long, straight hair, her features similar to Aubrey Plaza. Quite a beauty. She had a persistent smile like she knew a secret that made her the happiest girl in the world. She bopped along to the rock music playing over the PA like she couldn't help it. It was in her soul. We never spoke, but we did share a dance (if you count us moving at the same time, both of us facing the same direction, not looking at one another except out of the corner of my eye). To my amazement, every time I glanced at her, she was still smiling. I usually possess a talent for stifling girls' smiles as soon as they see me, but hers persisted, even when she looked directly at me as I passed her across a cup of water from the security person. By then, she was even hotter than at the start.

Anyway, Collateral opened the show and played an excellent set. I'd never seen or heard them before, but I'd describe them as 80s-style melodic rock. The singer was tall with long, shoulder-length hair and liked acting out his lyrics, putting his whole body into the performance. The bassist wore a kilt and, later on, little else, playing topless. They performed like they deserved to be on that stage, which is always a good sign. One to keep an eye out for another time.

Technical problems delayed the start of Kira Mac's set, curtailing it. Kira's powerful voice was louder than even the guitars. However, they didn't play my favourite song of theirs, Scorned, and it was not on the setlist, which was disappointing. Maybe they will play it next year when they return to Glasgow.

GUN were immense. Getting our vocal cords warmed up with The Sensational Alex Harvey band's version of Delilah as an intro, they kicked off with Lucky Guy from the new album, its thumping bass rhythm and 70s vibe whipping up the crowd. The band's stage sound is stronger now, with Roo, Andy and Jools providing backing vocals. I felt a couple of songs were unusual choices, namely Vicious Heart and Pride, but the rest of the set was so good.

During the encore, the legend that is Donald C MacLeod (of the clan MacLeod) came on wearing a Santa hat to present the band with an award for Best Scottish Album of 2024.

I did make a bit of a fool of myself at the end. I got so excited that I started jumping during the last song, Shame on You. I haven't done proper jumping for years (because I'm old and fat with slightly dodgy ankles). Maybe I'd been mesmerised by the smiling girl's swaying moves or emboldened by the bouncy crowd around me. I managed to retain the sense to hold down my phone, which was poking out of my shirt chest pocket, but I neglected to consider my jacket, which I'd tucked around the buckle of my belt. After a couple of jumps, my jacket slipped onto the floor as I bounced in the air. Upon landing, I bent down to recover it but failed to address my centre of gravity, my lack of balance sending me head-first into the shaven-headed gentleman's thighs. I signalled my apologies as I corrected myself and didn't leave the floor again. My sweaty face hid my blushes.

After the gig, I hung around. All the bands mingled and hugged on stage as David Lee Roth's Just Like Paradise played over the PA. Collateral's lead singer spotted the smiling girl and pointed to her, smiling himself. I reckon she was his girlfriend, though I never did find out.

I wasn't lucky enough to bag a setlist, but I did manage to take a photograph of one from someone who did. Note it doesn't list the extra acoustic song, The Only One (from the Swagger album), that Dante and Jools played at the start of the encore.

Such a fabulous music gig to end 2024.