Queen Symphonic with the RSNO, Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow. Sun 16th February, 2020

Having experienced "The Music of Bond" last year, We thought we'd give this concert a go. It featured the RSNO with a five-piece rock band and four singers from the West End production of 'We Will Rock You'.

Splitting Freddie's vocals over four singers was a good idea. None of them got his teeth or his moves but they each brought a different element to the vocals and together produced album quality harmonies. They were not attempting to reproduce a Mercury performance, just creating a feel-good show and they succeeded. 

When the orchestra took the stage, it looked like the lead violinist was Brian May only smaller, even in her high heels. It took me a bit of time to get used to the amalgamation of rock band and orchestra, with the rock drummer sticking out and the guitars sounding muted. Brian May has a distinctive sound which these guys didn't quite match. They gave it a good attempt though.

By the second half, with the singers warming up the crowd, getting them on their feet, the show took on more of a concert feel with people singing along and doing the iconic Queen claps and arm salutes. The audience appeared predominantly bald and wrinkly but there were a deceptively large number of young ones too. 

Not every song was a success. At one point I thought I was listening to Mary Poppins sings Queen as one of the girl singers enunciated each lyric most eloquently. The long-haired bloke singer does a good rock vocal though, giving plenty of oomph to Tie Your Mother Down.

Bohemian Rhapsody was a class performance from everyone and finished the main show, leaving We Will Rock You and We Are the Champions for the encore. Overall, it was a good way to spend two and a half hours on a windy Sunday evening (thanks to Storm Dennis).  

 

    

Ásgeir, Classic Grand, Glasgow. Sunday 9th February, 2020

The omens were not good: a wife reticent to leave the dog alone at the cabin while Storm Ciara battered the UK with 80 mph winds; a car tyre that deflated twice on the way to Glasgow; the multi-storey car park whose pedestrian exit was closed due to refurbishment; getting puddle splash in my socks on the way to the venue. Everything was saying Don't go.

Yet, I was determined. The dog would be fine - the big bad wolf only blew down the wooden house in a fairy tale. I had an electric pump so reinflating the tyre was not going to be a problem. The car park had other (slightly more inconvenient) exits. My socks would dry.

Firstly, before the gig, we dined at the Amber Regent. As always, a glorious Chinese feast. A good start.

The venue was new to me but we arrived well after doors open so we got straight in after the ticket checker painted a dot onto the back of our hand. Then, up, up and up all those stairs. The room had a low stage at the front, a balcony on two sides and a long bar on the other side. We didn't have long to wait for the support act, two local lads with guitars, one acoustic, one electric, who played some pleasant songs. A decent support act.

Having realised the invasion of the tall people had begun, I looked around for a better view, spotted a gap in the balcony and decamped. The room wasn't so large that being at the back was going to be an issue. It also got us away from the beam of the orange spotlight that had blinded me during the support. Our new position was right behind the sound engineer. We could see the setlist on his laptop. Sixteen tracks followed by two more for the encore. 

Some men wearing hats appeared through the doors beside us and wandered through the crowd. This, we discovered shortly afterwards, was the band. They wandered onto the stage, did some final checks of their equipment and headed backstage again. Then, at 9 pm, they started the show.

Asgeir sat at his keyboard for the entire show, giving a shy, static performance, rarely chatting between songs. His four bandmates also did not move around, possibly due to limitations of the small stage. Despite, the low-key performance, the audience was transfixed, appreciative of the aural landscape being created. There were no annoying conversations between friends, few troubled the bar staff despite the bar being open and there were only a few camera phones being held up from time to time. Everyone was there for the music. 

He only sang one song in his native Icelandic yet everything about his sound embodies the spirit of his culture. It's unlike anything I've heard before and quite beautiful. 

Despite the omens to the contrary, it was a gig to savour. 

Sublime.

The Chicago Blues Brothers, "A Night at the Movies", Kings Theatre, Glasgow. Friday 10th Jan, 2020.

I love The Blues Brothers film, the soundtrack and the live shows as performed by Dan Ackroyd and John Belushi. 

I booked the tickets for this show on a whim. I didn't check if it was my Friday off or how I'd get to the venue on time or how knackered I might be if I had been working. It was The Blues Brothers. It would be a fun night out.

I turned out I was working, I didn't have time to eat beforehand and I was shattered and sore from a hard day. I was so tired, during the first half, I closed my eyes briefly and nodded off. I didn't have the energy to stay awake. That shouldn't happen during this kind of show. 

So my review does not accurately reflect how much the rest of the audience enjoyed the night. They were dressed up, pulling dance moves and singing to their hearts' content. There was a wide age range present, with three generations of one family for example in the row in front of us. To be fair, the toddler did fall asleep too, on top of his gold chain wearing grandfather, but at least he lasted beyond his normal bedtime.  

I wouldn't call this show a proper Blues Brothers show. It was like they were wearing the clothes but had lost the attitude. For example, I've never seen Elwood grinning like he was Marti Pellow. I was irritated by the way the guitarist bounced about in the background, giving much more energy to his performance than the rest of the band. And I was put off by the way one of the girl singers looked scarily like a Buffy vampire with her massive forehead and teeth. I know it's wrong to judge someone by their looks but her face looked like a Botox nightmare.

It felt like this was an evolution away from a regular Blues Brothers tribute show. They still played the big numbers, Sweet Home Chicago and Everybody (Loves Somebody), but the movie theme pushed us into things like 'Footloose', 'I've had the Time of My Life' and even 'Shallow' from A Star is Born, Elwood duetting with the vampire. The intention I'm sure was to give the repeat audience something different but I wanted the proper Blues Brothers and these guys weren't. Jake didn't even attempt a cartwheel. 

My final complaint was that the entire cast was white, which seemed unrepresentative giving the music was originally the blues. A little diversity could have meant Elwood wouldn't have had to pretend to Cab Calloway during Minnie the Moocher.

I finally got my dinner at 11 pm. It was too late for four whole fried chickens and a Coke so I settled for a chef's platter from my local Indian restaurant. It was the best thing about the night. 

GUN, The Big 3-0 Tour - 3 Iconic bands play 3 classic albums, Barrowlands, Glasgow. Saturday, 21st December 2019.

Night two of my trip down memory lane or, in this case, the Gallowgate on my way to the Barrowland Ballroom. 

Tonight, the parking nearby is far worse, mainly because I'm arriving later than last night, having had a tiring, pre-Christmas-rush day at work. I eventually find a space behind a van which is sitting overlapping two parking slots, leaving my car's rear tyres sitting on a double-yellow. I wait to see if the van is going to move anytime soon (its engine is still running) but the pair in the front are listening to music and scrolling through their phones. I head to the venue under a cloud of trepidation in case I get a ticket. The night already has not exactly gone to plan with my wife unable to attend, having been struck down with a lurgy.

Inside, security is light. I'm not even frisked. At the foot of the stairs, my ticket stub is torn off and I'm in. I get a text from a mate saying they are over at the side near the bar. The dancefloor is packed. I should have expected this given there are fans of three bands in the audience. I find a path through the crowd and join my pals. At this point, I've already missed the first act, FM, and Dan Reed Network is setting up. 

The upside to being near the bar is the height boost from the step allowing a better view over all the heads between you and the stage. The downside is the flow of people passing in front of you on their way to and from the bar. 

I'm wasn't at all interested in Dan Reed. I bought the 'Slam' album at the time, listened to it twice and moved on. He's an expressive, energetic performer with lots of frontman moves and a fun sense of humour. It's just a shame his music leaves me cold. Lots of people enjoyed his hour-long set.

GUN is my favourite band and their debut 'Taking on the World' is a special album for me. The guitar riffs, the song lyrics and the driving drum beats are all ingrained in my heart so whenever I see them live it's like I'm in my twenties again. Only tonight, I'm a bit sore and weary and am happy to lean on a pillar rather than bounce about in the crowd. Being ever so tetchy, I get irritated by the punter beside me whenever he bumps into me. I resist shoving him back because he's with four blokes and they are all taller and wider than me. I've got nowhere to go, though, because of the pillar. Eventually, he moves away to get more beer and my tension eases. 

GUN deliver the goods again. It's a great concert.

Afterwards, the final good thing about standing near the bar was in getting to use the fire escape for a quick exit. From the band taking their final bow to me getting home was less than thirty minutes. And I didn't get a parking ticket. A good night.

Setlist
Coming Home
Better Days
The Feeling Within
She Knows
Something to Believe In
Can't Get Any Lower
Word Up! (Cameo cover)
Taking on the World
I Will Be Waiting
Don't Say It's Over
Favourite Pleasures
Money (Everybody Loves Her)
Inside Out
Encore:
Shame on You
(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!) (Beastie Boys cover)

They might have also played Steal your Fire in the encore or I might have dreamt it.

Goodbye Mr Mackenzie, Good Deeds and Dirty Rags 30th Celebration, Barrowlands, Glasgow. Fri 20th December 2019

The first of two consecutive nights for me at the Barrowlands, Scotland's best music venue: a sold-out gig of reformed 90's band Goodbye Mr Mackenzie.

Getting parked easily, close to the venue, I sit in my car then wait till showtime to head down to catch the support act, Seil Lien. There's not much of a queue but while I wait, a youth from the bar next door leaves the group of fellow smokers to enquire who was playing. Another gig-goer tells him 'Goodbye Mr Mackenzie' and the youth asks her to repeat the name. She does so and he still draws a blank. 'You're too young, sonny' she says, as he heads back to his mates none the wiser. 

The metal detectors are flashing as fast as Christmas lights and everyone is getting patted down, searched thoroughly for sharp objects. When asked if I am carrying any, I resist saying "Just my wit" and I head upstairs. After a quick visit to the gents (which retains an endearing charm, walled on three sides by one urinal trough), I find the dancefloor mostly devoid of punters and get to select where I want to stand for the gig, just off centre, slightly forward of the middle. 

At 8 pm, Seil Lien comes on and after one song, I'm wishing for a skip track button. Her voice is okay but her songs are doing nothing for me. She finishes with a cover of 'I'm in Love with a German Film Star' by the Passions and makes it sound even more mournful than the original. I'm glad it's her last.

Just before the Mackenzies take the stage at 9 pm, the tall punters appear from the fringes and my carefully chosen short-person-in-front-of-me position now has one in front of her. There are others around me so I'm boxed in. I hope when the band appears they all move forward. 

Big John, the band's original guitarist, using crutches because of his MS, is helped on stage first and gives a defiant salute with them before settling onto his support stool. The rest of the band come on and open with 'Open Your Arms", which one lanky fellow beside me takes as an instruction for the rest of the gig. He's drunk and is enjoying the gig on a whole different level to me, exhibiting his passion with great flourishes. I fear for my spectacles and have to raise my arm often in protection. (Make up your own personal insult towards him here.)

It spoilt an otherwise okay gig. Siel Lien may have stepped into Shirley Mason's shoes but she hasn't filled them. The lighting show seemed improvised with an excessive love of strobe lighting and the sound mix was muddy, with the band sometimes gesturing for their instrument to be louder. Martin's vocals weren't strong but his performance was still mesmerising. He's a great frontman. Obviously, I still love the songs and am glad I went but it wasn't special. 

Setlist

Open Your Arms

Wake It Up

His Master's Voice

Goodwill City

Candlestick Park

Dust

You Generous Thing

Good Deeds Are Like Dirty Rags

Normal Boy

Green Turn Red

Here Comes Deacon Brodie

Face to Face

Goodbye Mr Mackenzie

The Rattler

Encore:

The Way I Walk (Jack Scott cover) (Big John on lead vocals)

Blacker Than Black

Now We Are Married   

   

Jim Jefferies, 'The Night Talker' tour, SSE Hydro, Glasgow. Thursday, 12th December, 2019

For this tour, Jim booked big venues; unfortunately, his star doesn't shine quite as brightly over here as it does in the States so he didn't sell out, filling around 4,500 of the 8000 tickets available. This meant the upper level of the Hydro was curtained off and the atmosphere was a little flat.

He brought two support acts with him this time: an Aussie, whose name I can't remember, and Forrest Shaw, the American comedian, that Jim brought with him last time when he played the Armadillo. Both supports had good material, appropriate for Jim fans, but neither won over the space. As warmups, they achieved lukewarm at best.

Jim was funny but I felt he was going through the motions tonight, actual bowel motions in one story. He looked tired, heavy and regularly sucked on his vape, like it would give him the kick to continue. The routines felt like routines, rather than spontaneous tales. You have to admire his craft, though, when apparent tangents dovetail back into the main story to great comic effect.

He still has the club chops to destroy hecklers, putting one man who shouted 'Scot-Land' in his place with a detailed and lengthy explanation about why that phrase will haunt him for the rest of his life. 

The show unfortunately finished with a story that he told last time about his brother threatening to piss on the carpet if Jim didn't get him a coke. Having heard it before, it left me feeling slightly cheated.

In summary: not his best tour but still funny.

Admiral Fallow, St Luke's, Glasgow. Thursday, 5th December. 2019

There's always less energy in the room when a band plays new songs that have yet to be released. Admiral Fallow unveiled a number of new tunes last night but that was okay because the whole point of the gig was to raise enough money to record their new album. 

Support came in the form of Angie McMahon, an Aussie singer/songwriter who sings moderately sad songs (her description) while strumming an electric acoustic guitar. She has a quirky personality, appears a little shy but has a lovely, self-deprecating sense of humour and a sweet smile. Her speaking voice is like honey whereas her singing voice is deep and throaty, reminiscent of Chrissie Hynde and Florence Welch (of 'And The Machine'). Her songs were okay but didn't really warm up the crowd.

Prior to their performance, Admiral Fallow appeared on stage to tune their own equipment. It was that kind of gig. They hadn't toured in three years and admitted to being a bit rusty, especially showcasing new material. That didn't stop it being a fun gig. Louis Abbot is a great singer with a distinctive voice and the band are all accomplished musicians, changing instruments as the song required. I'm not sure if the new stuff is as good as the old ones but that could be down to unfamiliarity. 

    

I made the mistake of standing too close to the front. It became quite crowded and there wasn't a lot of wiggle room to get a better view when the tall people pushed their way forward. My photos weren't great partly because of my proximity to the stage and because of the smoke/lighting combination being used (either that of my new phone camera sucks).

One amusing highlight came at the start of the encore. As the band gathered to sing 'Four Bulbs', only accompanied by Louis on instrumental guitar, the music from the next door bar bled through loudly. They got on with it anyway and it was still a moving version.  

Overall, I'm glad I went. Gigs after work can sometimes be a drag but Admiral Fallow were good. I'm looking forward to their new album whenever it is ready.

     

Setlist

Sleepwalking

Electric Eyes

Subbuteo

Paper Trench

3 Weeks

Happened in The Fall

The Possibility

Tree Bursts

Dead Against Smoking

Squealing Pigs

Guest Of The Government

The Grand National, 1993

Evangeline

Salt

Tuesday Grey

Encore:

Four Bulbs

Old Balloons