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

Saturday, 12 September 2026

The Bootleg Beatles, Barrowlands, Glasgow. Saturday 12th September, 2026.

Our second consecutive tribute show. I'd been curious to see this band after hearing great things. My wife had also recently returned from Liverpool, so she was eager to see them, too.

We arrived after the doors had opened, so the queue was only as far as the end of the building. Outside, a busker was murdering a Beatles song on his acoustic guitar. He wasn't getting many donations, so he switched it up to include songs by John Lennon and Oasis. His voice was still shite.

Security was cursory tonight, even though the metal detector shrieked as I went through. Emptying my front pockets and a quick wand sweep were enough to pass through. Loads of youngsters were in attendance, unaccompanied by a supervising adult. They were drinking beer (heavens!) and taking selfies with each other against the murals or with the stage as a backdrop. All very exciting for them.

We chose a spot in the middle of the hall and moved closer as needed, such as when a vivacious drunk stood nearby or when tall people blocked our view. We ended up behind three youths and a short chap in a dapper suit. I was alarmed when I witnessed a drunk man manoeuvre himself behind an unknown woman, whose hands were full carrying drinks back to her pals, and place his hands on her hips to push her through the crowd at pace, causing her to spill the drinks she was carrying. He laughed. She was mortified and furious, apologising to the people she'd soaked. He staggered away, bouncing through the crowd, eventually finding support from another couple of drunks near the front. I watched him threaten to topple forward, only for one of them to grip his shoulder and straighten him up again. He got a talking-to from another, followed by a kiss on the forehead. Happy drunks. You don't really expect this behaviour from someone in their late fifties/early sixties, especially not before the gig has even started.

Dan Parks

Support act Dan Parks is a local lad. He ticks the cheeky Scottish singer-songwriter box, mostly playing his own material on acoustic guitar. He hadn't expected to land the gig when he bought tickets to the show a year ago. His mum, dad, and gran were near the front, and he pointed them out and name-checked them, along with a long list of pals who were there too. I enjoyed his two covers: Handle With Care by the Traveling Wilburys and Johnny B. Goode by Chuck Berry. Maybe if I'd been more familiar with his own stuff, I'd have enjoyed it more. He revelled in being on stage at the Barrowland. (At the end of the night, as the crowd shuffled to the exits, I spotted him being carried aloft by his pals, Escape to Victory-style).

There was a bit of a disturbance before the main act as latecomers pushed in. Nothing violent, just words being exchanged. I get it. You're small and female and want to find a spot where you can see the band, but when you're being led by a big chap and have kids in tow, maybe choose somewhere further back or arrive earlier. A courting couple pushed in beside us, under the pretext of looking for their friends. They got dagger looks from the girls whose view they now blocked. The pair brassnecked it and stayed. His singing voice was so bad, people were turning to frown at him, but he only had eyes for his girlfriend. I suspect she didn't have anyone to compare him with.

The band arrived on stage at 9 pm, as Green Onions came to an end, dressed in their mop-top-era wigs and costumes. The crowd went wild. The girl behind me went into full Beatlemania mode, screaming her lungs out. I was glad I had my earplugs.

The band's look, sound, accents, mannerisms and script were all spot on. Even the way they finished each song with a bow made you feel as if you were witnessing the (actual) Beatles. They rattled through hit after hit, with the crowd singing along and grooving to the dancier numbers. It was brilliant.

My only issue was with the youngsters. It was as if they were conditioned to raise their phones to any song they recognised (which, at a Beatles tribute night, is everything). A sea of screens filled the air at the start of (nearly) every song. I recognise my hypocrisy: I too like to shoot a couple of songs for my YouTube channel, but at least I record the whole song from face height and don't give up after the first chorus, dipping my head to check the footage and instantly sharing it with my friends. These youngsters missed half the gig. Actually, it was more than that, as they disappeared before the encore, probably to catch the last train (the band overran the advertised timings, finishing around 10.40 pm).

The band's transformation into the older Beatles was uncanny. I appreciated how they played the songs in the appropriate outfits, the early material in mop-top style and the later stuff in their hippy look. It gave the material a sense of time, playing it in the correct era. The girl who had been screaming so loudly at the start either lost her voice, moved elsewhere, or realised that such behaviour was inappropriate for the band's trippy period.

It was fun to spot a fifth Beatle on stage from time to time, in the shape of their tour manager, who accompanied them on tambourine at the back. In the second set, they introduced him properly, with him mostly on keyboards, having changed out of his black garb into something bright and striped.

The Barrowland was a brilliant venue to see this band. Through clever lighting, it could not only recreate the intimacy of The Cavern but also showcase the band's superstar nature in their later period. This is why the Barrowland has such a revered, legendary status.

This was certainly as close to seeing the real Beatles as you'll ever get without using a TARDIS.

A Hard Day's Night

The Ballad of John and Yoko

Setlist (The Beatles covers unless otherwise stated)

1962-1966

I Saw Her Standing There

She Loves You

All My Loving

From Me to You

Roll Over Beethoven (Chuck Berry cover)

I Want to Hold Your Hand

I Wanna Be Your Man

Eight Days a Week

A Hard Day's Night

Can't Buy Me Love

I Feel Fine

Help!

Ticket to Ride

Day Tripper

Twist and Shout (The Top Notes cover)

Yesterday (Acoustic inc.Suspicious Minds, Here, There & Everywhere, Blackbird & I’ve Just Seen A Face excerpts)

1967 - 1970

Come Together

Something

Get Back

Don't Let Me Down

Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da

While My Guitar Gently Weeps

Revolution

Here Comes the Sun

Hey Jude

Encore:

Rock and Roll Music (Chuck Berry cover)

Ticket Price: £35.00 x 2 & Service Fee: £3.50 x 2 & Handling Fee £2.75 = Total £79.75 from Ticketmaster.

Phones deployed.

The mysterious Fifth Beatle

Has George dropped one?

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.