What a year – Jer Reid and Ali Begbie retiring two bands in as many months…
First off, Normal Service, different openers to the previous night at the nearby Rumshack – a combo previously unknown to BM but actually containing a couple of the usual suspects, including a Lungleg connection. The band have sporadically been together for a few years, and have recorded some music (available via Bandcamp) – tonight they do a set of around nine tracks, based on a drums/guitar/another guitar/bass with some occasional keys and a couple of instrument changes midway through.
The music is angular, quite post-punk leaning with spindly interplay between the guitars, male/female vocals alternately and sometimes together, with a couple of shouty choruses. Tracks such as ‘Lumpy’ to these ears recall such act as The Au Pairs, Raincoats and Gang of Four, although with a distinctively Scottish bent. There are also some interesting pauses, time-changes and general malarkey, which the drummer (Ms Henderson, BM presumes) struggled with mainly due to the searing heat and laughing fits! This was a lot of fun – who knows if this incarnation or combo will play again but they were requested by Dawson and did the business with aplomb, and with menaces!
So this was Dawson’s last gig – named after a notorious teacher (RIP Mr Murray), formed by schoolfriends Jer (guitar/vox) and Ali (bass/vox) in the late 80s and active until 1994, they went through at least three drummers in this period (one of whom was present tonight but did not play!) and tonight they played with the former Stretchhead, former Sumshapes (this band also “retired” earlier in the year) and former Dawson colleague Ritchie Dempsey (1990-92) on the skins.
Dawson released a total of three albums and numerous other things (and recorded two Peel sessions) and terrorised the UK and further abroad playing with such colleagues as Long Fin Killie, Dog Faced Hermans and The Ex and supporting bands as notorious as Fugazi along the way. The standard Dawson sound also extended to flirtations with dub, afrobeat and folk. After a lengthy period of inactivity (although very busy with projects musical and otherwise) the core duo decided to call time on Dawson for one last fling, and this two-night southside exploit was it.
For the next hour or so we were subjected to a total barrage of ceaseless noise. It is hard to describe Dawson in full flight, a bit like being pummelled by a deranged but very pugilistic and lythe lunatic, jabbing at your ribs while issuing an endless stream of unhinged Glaswegian invective. BM is actually tempted to leave it at that, except to say that this was one of the tightest bands witnessed for quite some time, they certainly quit while they were ahead, and that a lot of the music really has stood the test of time. The scything guitars, stabbing throbbing basslines, and idiot savant vocals and lyrics (which may in some cases be of their time but the subjects and concerns – corporate greed, eco-distasters and impending doom, Noel Edmonds, ok maybe they didn’t play that! – have certainly not gone away, and in some cases have got far worse (Noel Edmonds…).
The other extraordinary thing about this gig was the audience – large contingents of people from around the UK, fans but also people who put on their gigs (often with less than commercially successful results) and had to come for one last hurrah. As the guys behind the counter at Mono agreed last week (when BM happened to mention an intention to attend this) Dawson may not have had commercial success but they were very influential and love in the underground scene, in Glasgow and far beyond – and in the pre-internet age that counted for a lot.
It was just great to witness them bow out on a high – a glorious but well-drilled concussion of noise and righteous anger.
