This is as interesting as a freezing Glasgow Tuesday night in January can be, and some unexpected revelations as well… not least the encounter with a bona fide reality TV superstar before things kicked off.
No revelations from the support band however – the Cheeky Russians, who had brought a considerable number of WAGS and parents, other Lanarkshire massif members etc with them, probably sold more tickets than the headliner, but were still dire, utterly pedestrian. At the risk of offending the band and their mums, this lot were aspirant Oasis copyists but not even as good as that. Fair play to you, guys, getting a band together is not easy, but not worth it if you sound like the singer is constipated, the guitarist is just learning the chords and the drummer is still watching Rock School or even School of Rock, to learn his licks – truly terrible, though awfully young… and no Coatbridge jokes Betty, not worth it.
And so to BB…
Looking at the ticket Betty realised that they were numbers one and two, does that make her BB’s greatest fan in Scotchland? Having seen BB in the Fruitmarket, then Cottiers Theatre, it is a bit of a comedown surely for one of the best artists of his generation forced to do stuff like this.
(OMG, I think I have been outed as Babybird’s biggest fan in Glasgow, nobody bought a ticket before me.)
I’m going to have to keep this short due to Betty’s packed schedule but some observations below:
– the Johnny Depp connection, not mentioned tonight, he is BB’s biggest fan and did play guitar and vocals on the ‘Stag Party’ track on the latest album (though not played tonight…)
– BB mentioned it was his farewell tour… going to open a cafe in the village he lives, loss to pop music if that happens
– he did play ‘Together’, which Betty informed him from the floor was the best song he’d ever written, think he took it as a compliment but didn’t have the call to go back into the tourbus; pity, he does look a bit like David Cameron with blonde hair, most unfortunate…
– he outed himself as Scotch by birth, a native of East Kilbride no less, another notch on the “EK is the music epicentre of music” bedpost…
– as ever the songs were misanthropic, epic, and twisted – still got the killer touch after all these years, and the voice, fantastic.
– ‘You’re Gorgeous’, ye olde no 3 hit from 1995 or so, was filled with fluffed lines, see Greeks, below…
– he homed in on a Greek couple canoodling in the front row, apologising for the state of their country but advising them to get a room or something, but altered lyrics to ‘Gorgeous’ for them – top guy etc.
– band and sound were very tight throughout, well selected to back Mr Bird…
It’s been not a very detailed review but if Mr Bird does retire from the music industry, Betty for one will be very sorry indeed to see him go…