King Tuts’ New Year Revolution has included some fine bands this month and last Wednesday was no exception. I’ll admit prior to the gig I knew little about the bands performing (besides the latter two) so arrived at Tuts little knowing what to expect.
As .scores took to the stage, bursting into an epic siren-esque instrumental intro, it was clear that these guys have talent. Not only can they shred some rip-roaring, riff-tastic rock but their vocal harmonies were also pretty spot on and provided a great balance against their chaotic distortion (I mean chaotic in a good way, of course). From the face-melting solo bass intro of ‘Plans’ to the ambient breakdown and layered harmonies of ‘The Dream Argument’, .scores continued to pleasantly surprise me throughout their set.
When the crowd had cleared, I managed to get a spot closer to the stage for a better listen and I’m glad I did because the second band, Carnivores were definitely the highlight of the night. Now, I know a tasty riff when I hear one and these guys just delivered one after the other to the point where I almost let my “professional music critic” guard down to rock out. A few tracks such as ‘John Actor is Monkfish’ carried a sort of Queens of the Stone Age sound with a pretentious prog rock swagger (again, pretentious in a good way, of course) while the last few tracks seemed a bit more indie. All in all, a cracking set from a band with massive sound. I’m not sure why but trios always seem to do it better.
You only had to look at what Penguins Kill Polar Bears’ Gavin Cormack was wearing to guess their biggest influence. Sporting a Mogwai tshirt, the bassist revealed where the inspiration for the band’s penchant for heavy crunching chords came from, later confirmed by tracks such as ‘Lungs’. This contrasted quite nicely against lead singer Ben Proudlock’s timid yet emotive vocals which were almost like how Bright Eyes’ Conor Oberst would sound like with a soft Scottish accent. They soared through tracks such as ‘Homebound’ and ‘In Everything’ with unparalleled charm, further readying the crowd for the finale of the night.
Last but not least, Flood of Red arrived onstage, their equipment covered in fairy lights. Playing a selection of tracks from their debut album (released free with RockSound magazine last year) including ‘A Place Before The End’ and ‘Home, Run (1997)’ and their forthcoming album, the band were evidently enjoying the atmosphere of the small venue – perhaps a welcome change to the larger venues they’ve been playing of late. The band brought their set and thus the whole night to an explosive end with ‘Little Lovers’ as keyboardist Dale Gallagher took to a second drumkit while frontman Jordan Shiers and guitarist Sean McGroarty employed a floor tom and bass drum, creating a thundering outro alongside new bassist Johnny Snee and guitarist Calum Doris.
One of the best things about the night was seeing the band members come offstage to be greeted not by a flurry of obsessed fans but handshakes, hugs and compliments all round. It’s times like this which show that those who say rock is dead (I’m talking to you, Alexandra Topping from the Guardian) could not be more wrong.