Wandering in to Stereo at half 7, I find that the show was an early start and catch the second half of The Rockalls’ set.
A band with a lot of attitude, who clearly enjoy playing their rowdy garage-rock together, The Rockalls set is very good, albeit the sound is maybe a bit too loud to make out everything the five-piece do.
With a smartly done Kraftwerk cover, they pull off their set with a swagger and rawness that ensures that they are a solid opener.
Up next are grunge two-piece Pinact and with a huge, clear cut sound, you’d be forgiven for thinking you were listening to a Pixies or Nirvana song at times, but although much of their music is clearly derived for these canonical acts, Pinact maintain a sound and image that is definitely theirs.
The band play through a well practiced well thought out set with ease, showing why they are one of Glasgow’s most promising acts at the moment.
Next up are Secret Motorbikes, who possess a great stage presence as they batter through half an hour of melodic, fuzzy rock.
The band have a great sound, which sounds original, while still fitting in with the lo-fi punk scene, which is rife in Glasgow at the moment.
Stereo is now nearly full for tonight’s headliners, Deathcats, playing usual set opener ‘Solid’, the audience are definitely in the mood for tonight’s set, before new track ‘Liquid Gold’, which shows that even though the three-piece are splitting up, they haven’t stopped making music till the very end.
New Zealand bound singer James McGarragle is a natural born frontman and his reverberated vocals fill out the packed venue with ease, along with his stage patter, which includes anecdotes on both his gran and parking wardens.
Songs such as ‘Surfing In My Head’ and an instrumental cover of Black Sabbath’s ‘Paranoid’ keep the crowd jumping around until it finally becomes time for the set to finish, then the chaos begins with stage diving, crowd surfing and audience members jumping on stage.
Although not their final gig (the band have a small assortment of shows left), Deathcats last headline effort is a great night and a wonderful way to end it.
Along with their record label Fuzzkill Records (who deserve a special mention for running the show), Deathcats have helped to create a scene in Glasgow and it’ll be sad to see them go.
Words: Neil Hayton
Photos: Sophie Morrison
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