A short review of a great night – five diverse acts for a bit over a tenner, all hand-picked by YCTR mainman and online radio maverick Mark McGhee to celebrate five years of shenanigans…
First up was Gordy Duncan, erstwhile Girobabies member but now mainly doing his own thing on acoustic – his resonant voice and guitar playing warmed the audience up with four songs, old and new.
The highly eccentric scene “veteran” synth duo Unholy Frankenstein then gave us a thick slab of gothic techno. Opener ‘Train to Japan’ was a highlight, the oscillating trance provided by “the Creator” paired with the off-kilter musings of “the Being” began to get the crowd moving, and by the closer ‘Vape and a Clubcard'(?) they were on quite a roll…
After a short break it was BM faves, Glasgow’s “Bananarama from Hell” (sorry girls…) Brenda, whose triple harmony attack and analogue synths proved a bit of a challenge sound-wise tonight, but they came through well with at least one new song, adding to an already very catchy set – and, while the music is playful and a bit wonky, a lot of the lyrical material is dark to say the least – “I’m a whore in your eyes”…
Probably the most interesting act of the night (mainly because he was new to this reviewer) was Dundalk’s Jinx Lennon, a one-man guitar and sampler act who has been plying his trade, mainly in Ireland, for several decades now. Comparisons are a bit hard here but think maybe Utah Saints vs Christy Moore (!). Some jagged, political and heartfelt protest songs assisted at times by contrary but well-placed techno samples – yes it does work!
Closing act (and Glasgow institution) Hugh Reed and the Velvet Underpants brought the house down as usual with massive guitar riffs backing Hugh’s cavorting, costume changes and daft patter regarding nicked cars, being picked up by the polis and the rest. An endearing combination of showmanship and plain tomfoolery, the “Act” is a great addition to any night and brought this to a close on a high.
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