“It’s a fucking disgrace.” That was lead singer Barry Hyde’s incredulous reaction to the Futureheads having never played Aberdeen before. Don’t be too hard on yourself, Barry, most Aberdonians would understand. It’s just one of those things, right?
However, judging by the amount of “oh-oh-ohs” being chanted in unison by the end of the night, not to mention the mass pogoing going on, it’s clear the band would be welcome back any time. Although to be honest, the infamous stickiness of Moshulu’s carpet may well have lent itself to much of the pogo-ing, as the fight to lift your feet from the floor became more and more of a struggle as the night wore on…
As you’d expect, well-known hits such as ‘Hounds of Love’ and ‘Decent Days and Nights’ were more than well-received, with a few excitable young men getting a clip round the ear for crowd-surfing by the bemused security staff. Impressively however, newer material such as recent hits ‘Radio Heart’ and ‘The Beginning of the Twist’ perhaps got the biggest reception from a good-natured crowd.
The band, with Barry Hyde sporting a stylishly bequiffed short back and sides and Doc Martins and guitarist Ross Millard quickly abandoning his trademark specs early on, played a number of tracks from new album ‘This Is Not The World’.
The sound suggests not only a rawer, punkier edge but also a more mature and accomplished level of songwriting. All in all, it bodes well for the band this year.