This gig was organised by the Save As collective and is another example of The Glad’s adventurous booking policy for new music
First up in this crowded but by no means full night was Om Sa, but time restrictions meant that BM missed this so cannot comment. Second up was Edwin Organ, fronting a three piece electronic outfit with some quite wonky vibes. There are some out-there keyboards and electronica riffs, some rather Edwyn Collins-esque singing but the overall effect is of a band starting out and not making the most of themselves, or their tunes. It was a bit static in performance (sorry guys) but maybe more exposure to audiences will hone some of the onstage moves. ‘Janene’ is a particular highlight, and BM will expect more of the same next time… with menaces…
So this event is in fact an album launch for Rolex and Milk, said album ‘Smell of Audi’ being available for sale at the gig exclusively on… audio cassette, you joker hipsters, yous… They take the stage with Milk dwarfing (is that ok?) Rolex by a ratio of 2 to 1, and start their somewhat baseball cap in cheek schtick. There are beautiful beats courtesy of Rolex, but also by Milk (twin sampling devices, very bijoux), and Milk’s self-deprecating vocals lines are by turns thoughtful (think Le Sac vs Pip) and hilarious (“more X’s than a Kathryn Joseph tweet”, he raps, knowingly). They start with ‘Studs Up’, not a gangsta brag but an account of Milk’s tackling inaccuracies, with an apology for “all the people he has kicked in the shins at football”.
This is ironic shit – slightly hard to know to how to react to it, but it is enjoyable, and groovy – and a good way to while away a Friday evening in the “edgy” (The List) Glad (ouch, is that a paper cut?). The patter is good, the BPM is not too high, and there are tropes of Stanley Odd, if you don’t mind BM saying so, guys, also notice it has the blessing of Miaoux Miaoux, worthy praise from one of Glasgow’s funkiest cats. Between songs Milk berates Rolex for not sticking to the pre-arranged onstage script (“it says here that we interact, so come on”…etc) and at times the show threatens to turn into a Laurel and Hardy outtake.
The beats ramp up occasionally and they really could do with a bit more attack to their approach, to ram home the fact that this lot have some serious potential, maybe they are just playing with us…. and if so, yep this joke does work but could go a bit further, if they really want it… to…
So are you hungry, boys? Because if so, more plaudits are just around the corner, and BM will be with yous on that… and you can smell my… Peugeot, well it’s a pushbike actually but whatever floats it for yous…
Good luck.