Due to work commitments I arrive at Broadcast too late for Lylo (sorry guys) but with just enough time to see Blood Indians take the stage.
The lilting dual vocals of the girls that sing in the band are certainly complimentary to the waves of clean and silvery tones they display during the majority of the set.
We’re treated to a choice selection of these siren songs before the band plays some newer numbers that ring with different stylistic elements, various sides to their songwriting showing.
A tight band that will get sharper, I expect to see more of them around.
I’ve never had the pleasure of seeing Poor Things live.
I have been a keen listener to these guys ever since hearing of them a few months back (their self-titled album is great, go check it out), and since drawing a few recommendations from friends over their live credentials, I’m hoping this is all conducive to a good set.
The lads don’t disappoint either, tearing through their numbers at a steady pace: their songs wry with wit, sometimes vague and sometimes maligned, always catching over their head nodding, blitzed out three-man punk rock.
I could pick a few bands out that Poor Things remind me of, but I’ll go with a slightly slowed down Dag Nasty, and I think they definitely come from that great school of just past the millennium American punk (and later pop-punk), but it’s not exactly too similar here.
Poor Things are spearheading the way along with other great Glasgow bands (Deathcats, Pinact, etc) that are producing this great synthesis of many different influences, but all retaining a healthy dose of Scottish identity.
Here, the band does their bit for the charge.
Poor Things are definitely a band that exceeds themselves above their records when they play, it’s nothing really to do with the quality of their releases, it’s just that the material sounds much fuller live, really giving a lot of presence to already good songs.
Everything comes off better, with the drums and bass being standouts in particular, and also the vocals of the front two in the band sounding a lot more defined from each other than on record, and with good effect.
It’s a real pleasure to watch, and also it makes for a good change to see a band that possesses some pretty great humour; the jokes go on and the stage banter is good, nowhere near as easy and natural as it looks, I can assure you.
Aside from cracks about freshers week, highlights of the set include the infectious single ‘Yes’, with the band firing on all cylinders in keeping with the rest of the songs.
They also play ‘Masters of Art’, a tune with chiming guitars and a foot tapping rhythm sections, a swirling ending with high end bass licks and distortion, and also a good deal of sentiment in the lyrics, something that really fits alongside their light-hearted side.
It’s not often a band can do all these different things, it’s rare, and a joy really.
Again I’m left at Broadcast with the headliner finishing too soon for my liking; give yourself a night off and go listen to their records, then go out and see them play, from this performance it’s a dead cert.
Words: Matthew Thomas
Photos: Bill Gray
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