Folk rock band The Youth and Young put a lot of energy and emotion in to their performance.
Supporting NIEVES at The Hug and Pint for their debut album launch they are all about big voices and harmonies.
Tightly packed on the stage singing songs of relationships, passion and feelings their intensity was infectious; The Youth and Young produce ballads of gentle folk rock with no hiding of their Scottish origins in the vocals, however their songs are not typically Scottish and have a more eclectic feel.
NIEVES have been hard at it producing their excellent debut album, Exist and Expire, for the past few months and by their own words a bigger and more elaborate sound has developed.
Having their origins in folk rock they are now a full-blown alt rock band in the best traditions of Scottish rock, up there with Frightened Rabbit, Admiral fallow and Fatherson.
It’s clear the guys have been working hard to develop their sound with Brendan Dafters taking up synthesiser as well as vocals and acoustic guitar, Martin Murray dancing manically playing the electric guitar, Herre de Leur on the keys and Ross Forsyth driving it all along with his dynamic drumming.
What is a top-level album was reproduced live with aplomb with a faultless performance full of highlights – the excellent title track ‘Exist and Expire’, ’Don’t Let Us Be Next’, ’Strangers Are Just People You Don’t Hate Yet’ in fact every song, including the encore ‘Winter’ a beefed up, lavish and more sophisticated version of the 2014 release.
Dafters takes great pleasure in allowing the sing along vocals of the audience to take over in this encore.
NIEVES deliver, and their more expansive, bigger sound, powerful vocals and captivating choruses take them to another level; this year will surely see them move in to the Scottish music elite.
Words/Photos: Derek McCutcheon
Rave Child 