This show had been postponed at least once and most recently had been due to be a Christmas show in late 2021. Mainman and songwriter Joe Kane has been around the Glasgow music scene for a while now either playing in other people’s bands or heading up his own, of which The Poppermost is the latest incarnation.
Before the Poppermost took the stage we were treated to a DJ set by Holly Calder, which definitely verged on the more obscure 60s cuts, some of them very good indeed – a great taster for the main event.
The sound, look and equipment is unashamedly retro, harking back to the 1960s when Beatles, Motown and Merseybeat ruled the charts, with every year being a further musical milestone in sound, style and innovation. We may be almost 60 years on from these times but they are there to be celebrated and learnt about – The Poppermost manage to do this without trying to be a full-blown tribute act, aping the sound and look of someone else. Their originals are a bit like lost Beatles songs while the covers range from The Beatles themselves through Swinging Blue Jeans, various Motown artists, The Zombies, Beach Boys and many more.
Tonight we were treated to two sets, one a selection from the Poppermost album ‘Hits To Spare’. This comprised around 12 or 13 numbers from the album, along with a cover of the Swinging Blue Jeans’ number ‘You’re No Good’. Joe played guitar and vocals, aided and abetted by ‘Big Dick’ Richard on bass and vocals, plus Des on drums and Seb on additional percussion. With an encore of The Zombies’ ‘She’s not there’ and the standard ‘Slow Down’, it was over by 9pm, except it wasn’t.
After a break and a further DJ set by Holly Calder, they then came back with a straight-up covers set which turned into something of a party dance-along for many in the audience (include BM). A keyboard player was also added, which did great things to ‘Green Onions’ and other tracks. By this time the band were on fire – a bargain two (three) sets for the price of one.