On a mild Monday evening, unaccompanied, I boarded the 5:26 (close enough) train to Glasgow. I wasn’t going to be alone for long once I reached Glasgow as I had arranged to meet up with some AB Family members before the show.

It had been a while since I had walked from the station up to Sauchiehall St. It was also the first time that I had walked past the site of the former O2 ABC since part of the building had been demolished. Seeing it standing there a tattered ruin with some of internal O2 ABC signs on display tore at my heart. I loved that venue and it is sorely missed. So many great nights in there.

My first stop of the night was “Spoons” across from the venue for a pre-gig AB Family reunion. It was lovely to see everyone. It had been far too long….

So where were we all headed to?

The Garage to see the mighty Florence Black.

Due largely to too much blethering, I was slightly later than I had intended in heading across the street but still managed to find myself one row off the rail for the evening, with Mr D and Miss W for company. Happy days!

With an early curfew in place no one was wasting any time.

At 7:30, the only support act for the evening, The Virginmarys, took to the stage. This duo has been periphery of my gig scene for a long while, but I had never had the opportunity to catch them live before now. The duo from Macclesfield managed to squeeze eight songs into their allotted thirty minutes. The Virginmarys, who are Ally Dickaty on guitar and vocals and Danny Dolan on drums, opened with You’re a Killer much to the delight of their fans who lined the rail. Part way through their set, they played a song called When the Lights Go Down. The irony wasn’t lost on me. The lighting plus a few annoyingly placed head and a staring security guard made taking any photos nigh on impossible. C’est la vie. The band ended their set with Bang Bang Bang- another apt title as th4eri drummer “bangs” the shit out of those drums! An entertaining set but I don’t feel that I’d rush to see these guys again.

Moving on…

Just after 8:30 the lights dimmed, and the intro music played announcing the headliners as the “best band ever…period…Florence Black!” Amid the rapturous roars of the Glasgow crowd, the three Welshmen took to the stage to open their set with Rocking Ring, followed by Start Again and Bird on A Chain. A blistering start to their eighteen-song set. Latest single Coloured In followed and is clearly already well-loved by their loyal fans. Great track!

I think this was the fourth time that I’d seen these guys from Merthyr Tydfil and they never disappoint.

For the uninitiated among you, Florence Black are Perry Davies on drums and backing vocals, Jordan “Fozzy” Evans on bass and backing vocals and the awesome Tristan Thomas on guitar and lead vocals. This trio are a well-oiled machine that’s gathering momentum as their music goes from strength to strength.

One of my highlight moments of the night came mid-set when Florence Black played Warning Sign from their last album Bed of Nails. I think this is my second favourite of their songs. Awesome performance.

There was another momentous moment mid-set that possibly stole the show. It was Fozzy’s 31^st birthday! Cue a rowdy rendition of Happy Birthday as a cake with pink candles was brought on stage. Happy Birthday again, young man. Where was our slice of cake?

Then it was straight back to business.

There wasn’t a weak moment in Florence Black’s seventy-five-minute set, but the latter half certainly saw them pulling out all the stops. Look Up, a recent single, Bed of Nails, the title track from their last album and the mighty Zulu were promptly followed by the band’s tribute to the late great, much-missed Ozzy Osbourne – a stellar rendition of Black Sabbath’s Paranoid.

The main body of the set was brought to a climax by the band’s ever popular cover of Budgie’s Breadfan. Sorry, guys, personally that one isn’t for me.

After a brief moment or two off stage (probably just long enough to devour a slice of birthday cake) the trio returned to the stage for one last song- the incredible Sun & Moon. I love this song and even although it meant that the end of the show was nigh, it was my highlight song of the night.

What a show!

Hurry back, guys. I’ve now seen you headline Stereo, Classic Grand and The Garage so by next time I hope you have graduated to SWG3 or the O2 Academy or even the legendary Barrowlands.

Til next time….