Rock N Roll Damnation

Day 1 22 August 2011

New Found Glory - The Garage, Glasgow

Rock n Roll Damnation, surely a good life goal for anyone. It is also some thing that can be found for a week in August in Glasgow with bands playing a series of gigs every night in various venues across the city.

This year I have signed myself up to report on all the action over the course of the week and tonight we start with pop punksters New Found Glory. No sleep 'til next Monday!

Most of the gigs are three band bills showcasing some newer talent as well as providing a quality headliner and tonight is no exception. An early start time ensured I missed the first band, 'Save Your Breath', but I did catch Fight Like Apes.

They are an Irish four piece with two keyboard players and no guitars and they created one hell of a racket !. The music was not to my taste and judging by the reaction of the crowd I was not alone.

Bonus points though for the keyboard player who, when not playing, went to the front of the stage and stared intently at the crowd, quite unnerving.

There was only one band everyone was here to see though and with chants of NFG ringing out, the band hit the stage with a bang. The set tonight was mostly a greatest hits run through with a new track 'Radio Surgery' from the forthcoming new album being showcased mid set.

The band never stood still throughout the show ( you should try getting pictures of this lot! ) and the energy on stage was echoed by the crowd who bounced and crowd surfed throughout the show.

The band threw in a couple of cover versions during the set, 'Kiss Me' by 'Sixpence None The Richer' and a very apt ' Blitzkrieg Bop' by the Ramones both of which went down well, especially the latter.

Finishing the set with ' My Friends Over You', New Found Glory played a blinder. The band stated at one point that some people think pop punk is dead, but this show proved it is alive and kicking and as this show is one of the few totally sold out over the course of the week, it looks like New Found Glory will be around for a while yet. A perfect way to start the week.

Day 2 - 23 August 2011

Taking Back Sunday - 02 ABC, Glasgow

Day 2 and tonight we have New York's finest, Taking Back Sunday. Being my daughter's favourite band, I saw the guys a few years ago whilst on chaperone duties and was impressed with the show.

There have been a few personnel changes since then with a couple of previous band members rejoining the fold, most significant being guitarist and second vocalist, John Nolan, so I was interested to see this line up in action.

First up though we had a couple of supports. First up were The New Regime who proved to be excellent. Fronted by Iian Rubin, a multi instrumentalist who has previously drummed for Lostprophets and Nine Inch Nails, they came across as a bit of a mix of both. Definitely one to watch.

The other band were Xcerts who are a young Scottish band that are starting to gather momentum. They appear to worship at the alter of Muse, especially frontman Murray Macleod, but at this stage they lack the finesse. They went down well in the hall though so maybe I am just being picky.

The night though belonged to Taking Back Sunday. Opening with a hard and heavy version of 'El Paso' from their latest album, the band were on top form. The interaction between vocalist Adam Lazzara and the afore mentioned Nolan showed that all is well in the TBS camp and that they are having a ball.

Most of the set was culled from the band's early albums, which featured Nolan and the other returnee, bassist Shaun Cooper, and their latest self titled album. All the hits were there, 'Make Damn Sure', 'Liar' and ' Your So Last Summer' which all had the crowd bouncing and singing along.

The focal point of the band is Adam Lazzara who holds court and preaches to the faithful on a range of topics. At one point he stated to the people at the back of the hall that he was 'coming for them'. True to his word, a few songs later he was off the stage, battled his way through the middle of the crowd and ended up singing three songs standing on the bar at the back of the ABC !

Finishing off with the double of 'Cute Without the E' and encore 'There's No I In Team' complete with Adam taking another flying leap into the crowd, the band rounded off a triumphant set.

I recommend you try and catch this current line up live whilst you can, who knows how long it will last, and yes, my daughter loved it.

Day 3 - 24 August 2011

The Blackout - 02 ABC, Glasgow

I was looking forward to this gig. I had caught The Blackout earlier this year supporting My Chemical Romance and they very nearly stole the show that night, so I was keen to see them on their own turf so to speak.

If Duracell are ever looking to replace the non stop bunny in the ads, then these guys would be the perfect replacement. If you could have harnessed the onstage energy tonight you could have powered Glasgow for a week.

The whole band put in maximum effort, especially the two front men Sean Smith and Gavin Butler who both gave a top performance and the between song banter is pure stand-up comic stuff. They don't take themselves too seriously this lot, their intro song at the start of the set was the title song of ' One Foot In The Grave' ( I don't believe it ! )

Musically the band can't be faulted. They are a tight live unit and playing old favourites mixed with tracks from Their new album ' Hope' the crowd lapped up every note.

If you haven't caught The Blackout live yet, then I urge that you do as they are one of the finest young bands around and the show is guaranteed to put a smile on any face.

Quick mention for the support on the night, local Glasgow band Flood of Red. Their sound is similar to Taking Back Sunday with a few added keyboards, but delivery wise they are still in development.

They did play a few rockier numbers, which I thought suited them better, they also use the keyboard player as a second drummer during these numbers which adds to the sound. Could be one to watch.


Day 4 - 25 August 2011

Flogging Molly - The Garage, Glasgow

Whenever Flogging Molly hit your town you are assured of a few things -

1. Old punks will crawl out the woodwork. I haven't seen so many mohicans in one place for quite some time ( male and female! )
2. There will be mass drunken singalongs.
3. There will be mass drunken dancing.
4. Copious amounts of Guinness will be consumed
5. You will have a bloody good time !

Tonight definitely ticked all the boxes.

Dave King is the party host and you are all invited to his place for a hooley of the first degree. The band were on fine form and although they stated they were a bit fragile after the previous nights aftershow party in Dublin, it didn't show.

With songs the calibre of 'Drunken Lullabies', 'Salty Dog' and set closer 'What's Left Of The Flag', you can't fail to get caught up in the show and ultimately end up dancing like a man possessed.

They played newer numbers as well from their most recent album ' Speed Of Darkness' which went down well, but it was the older, faster numbers that were best received.

With the band dispensing cans of Guinness from the stage to, as they put it, 'pass around and share the love' the show's success was never in doubt. By the end the crowd was a sweaty mass and were grinning like maniacs, that is the Flogging Molly effect for you. The craick was mighty !.

Day 5 - 26 August 2011

The Bronx/ Mariachi El Bronx - The Garage, Glasgow

I love live music! The anticipation of going to see your favourite band, buying the tickets, the build up to the actual date and ultimately the show itself. Then there are gigs like tonight's where you go not knowing too much about the band, no preconceived expectations and you find you are left blown away by the performance.

All I knew about The Bronx prior to this were the fact that they are billed as a hardcore punk outfit from New York and that they have a bit of a bizarre side project called Mariachi El Bronx which is the band members playing Mexican mariachi music, tonight we were to be treated to the band in both guises.

First up we had the mariachi set which was amazing. The band are joined on stage by two other musician for the set which included trumpet, violin and a range of acoustic guitars. I have never seen a front man smile as much as Matt Caughthran, he beamed throughout the set and all the band played with such passion that you couldn't help but enjoy yourself.

The band have just released their second album as Mariachi El Bronx and I would urge anyone to give it a go and to witness the spectacle live if you get the chance.

After an hour of DJ Muppet (?) on the decks of death, The Bronx took to the stage for the second set. I was expecting some fairly tuneless noise for an hour and had a contingency plan worked out with my wife that we would only stay for 2 or 3 numbers but by the time we reached that point neither of us wanted to go!

Sure the music was loud and in marked contrast to earlier the vocals were a bit gruff and shouty, but the smiles were still firmly in place and thankfully the musical skills demonstrated in the first set were still evident here.

The singer Matt was again the focal point and spent most of his time in the throng at the front of the stage, singing a couple of numbers whilst participating in a circle pit and not missing a beat, impressive stuff. The set only lasted an hour but the guys managed to pack in a highly charged performance which left no one disappointed.

This gig was the surprise of the week and I would happily check out The Bronx again given the opportunity. I would urge you to do the same, especially if like tonight you get both the Mexican and the NYC versions.

Days 6 & 7 - 27/28 August 2011

Skies Fell - King Tut's Wah Wah Hut, Glasgow

Lightguides - King Tut's Wah Wah Hut, Glasgow


Firstly, my apologies to Skies Fell. I had to miss this gig as I was struck by a bug ( I will save you the gory details!), but hopefully I will catch up with them at some point.

I did, however recover enough to make King Tut's the following night for young Scottish band Lightguides plus a couple of supports.

First up we had We're Only Afraid Of NYC, a three piece who played music of the shoe gazy variety akin to Radiohead. Pleasant enough, but nothing new.

Next up were Pareto who were a much more interesting prospect. They played a louder, more raucous brand of rock, which got the crowd moving. They brought to mind Taking Back Sunday and 30 Seconds To Mars, the only criticism is that the vocalist was off key on a few numbers, but I have heard worse.

With the area in front of the stage now packed, which sounds impressive but as anyone who has been to King Tuts will attest is easy to do as it is about the size of your average living room, Lightguides took to the stage. The band are about to release their first album and have toured quite extensively, which showed in their performance.

The bands main influence, Biffy Clyro, can be clearly heard with complex tempo changes and clever chord structures throughout. They proved to be a tight live unit and judging by the reaction and the occasional sing along, they have a growing following. Of the Scottish bands I have caught this week, Lightguides were easily the most impressive.

Lightguides also brought my Rock n Roll Damnation week to an end. It proved to be a great event with some fantastic gigs along the way and too many highlights to mention. Special thanks goes to Lynn at DF Concerts for her time and help in arranging my week.

Did I achieve Rock n Roll Damnation? At one point very nearly, but not quite, so I will just have to try harder next year. See you there!

Review and photos by David Wilson