Cardinal Black @ Room 2, Glasgow 6th May 2023

Posted on May 8, 2023 by coralmccallum

On Saturday evening, Boy Child and I boarded the 525 to Glasgow in search of the evening’s musical entertainment…and the venue!

We were searching for Room 2 in the city centre’s Nelson Mandela Place, and it definitely qualifies as one of those places that if you didn’t know it was there, you may never find it! We found it!

A few minutes after 7pm the doors finally opened to allow us entry to this basement venue. Boy Child snagged a rail spot pretty much centre front, in front of a small, crowded stage while I went in search of the merch stand.

There was only one support act for the evening. Pontypridd’s Tom Jenkins. After an initially nervous feeling start, the singer/songwriter delivered a solid opening set. With his heart clearly in the Welsh valleys, Toms sang of his family’s coal mining heritage, the struggle to find a landline phone while sheep shearing in New Zealand and his “rivalry” with Tom Jones. I honestly can’t fault any of it, but my mind kept wandering back to Mr Lordi’s comment at the Sabaton gig last month that his job was to “warm the crowd up”. Did Tom Jenkins warm things up? Hmm… for me, the jury’s still out on that one. Check him out online and judge for yourselves.

Cardinal Black last played Glasgow in September 2022- an awesome show it was too! This evening’s show was in a much bigger room (capacity circa 400), and it was sold out, a testament to these boys’ growing popularity.

As I’ve mentioned previously in this blog, I fell just a little bit in love with Cardinal Black when they supported Myles Kennedy back in December 2021. That love has grown.

Shortly after 8.15pm, the atmospheric intro tape played, and Cardinal Black emerged from the darkness onto the small stage. Vocalist Tom Hollister immediately looked like a giant, thanks to the low ceiling. LOL

Cardinal Black opened their ninety-minute set with Terra Firma from their debut album January Came Close. Beautiful mellow start to the evening.

Terra Firma (show opener)- Cardinal Black @ Room 2 Glasgow 06/05/23 – YouTube

Right from those initial notes, guitarist Chris Buck had the Glasgow crowd in the palm of his hand. Chris has so much talent at his fingertips. I could watch him noodle away all night….

With only one album to draw from, all my favourites made the setlist. (Albeit not necessarily in the same order as the setlist I was lucky enough to snag at the end of the night…Brighton 24/04/23?) it’s almost impossible to single out a favourite.

What was also great to see is the way that these guys are maturing on stage as they relax into these larger venues for their headline shows. There’s a special chemistry there and their personalities are each beginning to shine through. There’s not an ego in sight.

If I were to attempt to single out some highlight songs, Ain’t My Time would perhaps be the first. Played early in the set, the Glasgow crowd didn’t hesitate to join in with the chorus. Watching Chris escape into the sonic landscape in his mind during the solo (and the various other solos of the night) was a sight to behold. Stunning!

Ain’t My Time – Cardinal Black @ Room2 Glasgow 06/05/23 – YouTube

Tom Hollister’s banter is another welcome addition to the set. There’s always time in the set for a chat, a laugh and a joke.

There was a rare “oops” moment from Chris at the start of Warm Love and a fit of the giggles. Just proving he’s human and the fans loved him all the more for it. Warm Love was destined to be “blighted” as the bar staff also joined in with a “beer bottle clatter” solo. Gotta love it! Warm Love also gave guest keyboard player Michael his chance to shine. WOW! Brilliant stuff!

Warm Love & Where Do You Go – Cardinal Black @ Room2 Glasgow 06/05/23 – YouTube

Where Do You Go followed straight on to round out the main body of the set.

An early curfew was looming large on the horizon, so the boys quickly returned to the stage for a three-song encore. They opened it with a cover of Annie Lennox’s Little Bird.

Little Bird (cover) – Cardinal Black @ Room2 Glasgow 06/05/23 – YouTube

Possibly my favourite two songs of the night followed. I love I’m Ready. Love how it builds. It’s truly an awesome good fun song that the band clearly enjoy playing too. There’s a smattering of gospel crowd participation before they really crank it up. Love love love it!

I’m Ready – Cardinal Black @ Room2 Glasgow 06/05/23 – YouTube

The stunningly beautiful Tied Up In Blue brought the evening to a close. It even reduced Tom to his knees.

What can I say? This may have been another one of those shows that in years to come, as these guys headline much larger rooms, folk will say “Remember when they played Room 2 back in 2023?”

Loved it! Hurry back, boys!

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Sabaton @ the OVO Hydro Glasgow on 18th April 2023

Posted on April 21, 2023 by coralmccallum

On a sunny Tuesday evening, chauffeured by Boy Child, I headed up the M8 to Glasgow.

This gig had been a long time coming. I think we’ve had the tickets for nigh on two years.

Having fought our way through the rush hour traffic and parked at the science centre, we finished our journey to the OVO Hydro on foot, joining the lengthy queue in the spring sunshine.

So, who were we there to see?

Sabaton!

(There was a lot of camouflage clothing and sunglasses in that queue)

Once inside, we divided and conquered. Boy Child went into the arena to secure a spot while I stood in the slowest moving merch stall queue in history. When I finally got into the arena, I couldn’t find him and had to resort to phoning him to find out where he was.

The rail gods weren’t shining on us. C’est la vie. Boy Child had found a spot about 3 rows off the rail.

In total there were three bands on the bill, and I truly didn’t know what to expect from two of them….

In front of us the huge stage was set up like a WWI trench, with several rows of sandbags lining the front of the stage in between several squat pillars. There was barbed wire strung between them.

First out on stage were Lordi, the 2006 Eurovision Song Contest winners from Finland. I honestly didn’t have high expectations of these guys. In their horror-rock, troll/alien costumes, Lordi would be perfectly at home in any music bar to be found in Star Wars! Mr Lordi himself is an imposing front man and skilled enough to know not to take himself and the band too seriously. Lordi delivered a solid forty-minute set. Mr Lordi said they were the “warm up” act so their job was to ensure we were “warm” enough for Sabaton’s arrival. This pantomime element of “are you warm yet?” ran through the set but, you know what, it worked beautifully. The large Glasgow crowd was lapping this up! Lordi ended their set with their Eurovision winner Hard Rock Hallelujah. Thoroughly entertaining and suitably warming.

Lordi Hard Rock Hallelujah – YouTube

(credit to the owner Jai Dee via You Tube)

At 8pm the lights dimmed, and the second support act took to the stage. It was time to experience Baby Metal!

I don’t get all the Fox God mythology bit behind Baby Metal. They are described as kawaii metal, which translates into “cute” metal and it’s the perfect description!

The masked Kami Band are incredibly heavy and clearly talented musicians; the three girls- Sumetal, Moametal and the newly introduced Momometal – are incredibly sweet and well…. cute. They delivered a spectacular, high energy forty- minute set that you would struggle to find fault with. There were 10 000 Scottish metal fans loving it!

I’m just not sure kawaii metal is for me, but I’ll admit I really enjoyed Baby Metal’s seven song set. Just not convinced I could make it through a headline show….

BABYMETAL Monochrome live @ Glasgow Ovo Hydro 2023.04.18. – YouTube

(credit to the owner Tamas Vig via You Tube)

At 9:15pm the lights dimmed, the intro tape played, a voice informing the crowd “It was a matter of life and death. A road either to safety or ruin”. Shots rang out and Sabaton exploded onto the stage to open their eighteen-song set with Ghost Division. Instantly the entire crowd came alive. Bismarck followed with flames shooting high into the air along the front of the stage in pulsing jets. We were warm now!

Sabaton also showed their playful side as guitarists Chris and Tommy stuck their spare picks to Joakim’s head.

Badged as “The Tour To End All Tours” Sabaton threw everything they had in their arsenal into the set.

For the uninitiated, Sabaton’s music focuses on largely historical military events and major battles from through the ages. Six songs in, Glasgow were treated to their own Scottish epic battle song, Blood of Bannockburn. The passionate Scottish fans went mental for this one! The mosh pit opened up barely three rows off the rail so there were a few rowdy moments where Boy Child and I were standing. I managed to “pinball” my way to the left to a calmer area if the room. Boy Child failed to follow me out as the crowd closed the gap, so he had no choice but to stand his ground. No harm done but I’ll confess to having been a little rattled so have a sketchy memory of the Sarajevo, the song that followed, as I took a few minutes to gather my wits about me. I don’t do mosh pits!

Sabaton – Blood of Bannockburn – YouTube

(credit to the owner Full Metal Haggis via You Tube)

Sabaton had numerous “props” or characters to support some of their songs. We had the scientist/professor with his chalkboard, we had soldiers with flame throwers, but I think my personal favourite was The Red Baron, complete with red plane/piano on stage.

Sabaton the red baron live at Ovo Hydro Glasgow 17/4/2023 – YouTube

(credit to the owner Susanlan01 via You Tube)

Bassist Par Sundstrom was granted a moment or two to talk to the fans ahead of the final song on the main set. As he asked the fans to light up the room with the flashlights on their phones, he was overwhelmed by a deafening Glasgow chant of “here we, here we, here we f**king go.” I suspect the moment will live with him for a long while.

Sabaton certainly didn’t scrimp on the special effects throughout the set. There were flames aplenty, fireworks, explosions, and “fake” gas. Probably my favourite effect though was the snow that fell during Christmas Truce before we were then showered in festive red and green confetti. Great way to round out the main set.

Sabaton – Christmas Truce (Live) (Glasgow, OVO Hydro, 18/04/2023) – YouTube

(credit to the owner Live Gig Videos via You Tube)

After a quick breather, Sabaton returned to the stage for a three-song encore opening it with Primo Victoria. The band engaged the crowd in a sing off at the start of Swedish Pagans, splitting the crowd in an effort to determine which side was chanting louder. I’m sure stage right won! Awesome song. To Hell And Back brought the night to a thunderous climax with more confetti raining down.

Sabaton – To Hell And Back (Live) (Glasgow, OVO Hydro, 18/04/2023) – YouTube

(credit to the owner Live Gig Videos via You Tube)

Battle weary, some 10 000 happy fans marched home.

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Blackberry Smoke @ the O2 Academy, Glasgow 27th March 2023

Posted on March 30, 2023 by coralmccallum

On Monday night I boarded the 525 to Glasgow accompanied by Mr A. The weather Gods were shining on us. The sun was shining!

Our destination for the evening was the city’s O2 Academy. The walk down there was almost pleasant.

Who were we off to see?

Atlanta’s finest, Blackberry Smoke. This show had been a long time coming, having been postponed from 2022.

The rail Gods were also smiling on us, and we got a nice wee spot just left of centre. Happy days!

There was only one support act for the evening – the Read Southall Band who hail from Oklahoma. These guys, fronted by Read Southall, were a new name to me and may have the honour of being the first band from Oklahoma that I’ve seen. They delivered a solid nine-song set over forty-five minutes and definitely fit into the same niche as the headliners – too country to be rock; too rock to be country.

High Speed Feed – Read Southall Band @ O2 Academy Glasgow 27/03/23 – YouTube

Check them out for yourselves and make your own mind up.

It had been four long years plus a few months since Blackberry Smoke had played Glasgow, but Glasgow certainly hadn’t forgotten about them. The show was a sell-out! There was a buzz in the air.

At 8:55 the lights dimmed, and the crowd went wild as the intro tape played. The familiar intro to Six Ways to Sunday rang out, the lights went up and Blackberry Smoke were there in full flow. The fans were ecstatic and in full voice right from the get go. Brilliant start! (Ok I may be slightly biased as Six Ways to Sunday is one of my favourites)

Six Ways To Sunday (set opener ) – Blackberry Smoke @ O2 Academy Glasgow 27/03/23 – YouTube

One thing is for sure, Blackberry Smoke didn’t shortchange their fans. They played a full two hour set that ran to some twenty-one songs. The set was a great mix of songs from their entire back catalogue.

There were too many highlight moments to call them all out here.

Let It Burn form 2016’s Like An Arrow album was definitely up there as one of the key fan favourites.

Let It Burn – Blackberry Smoke @ O2 Academy Glasgow 27/03/23 – YouTube

Sleeping Dogs with its extended mid-song meander through Tom Petty’s Don’t Come Around Here No More was a song to lose yourself in. Stunning stuff.

Sleeping Dogs – Blackberry Smoke @ O2 Academy Glasgow 27/03/23 – YouTube

At the start of No Way Back To Eden,  from the Holding All The Roses album, frontman  Charlie Starr  introduced the band members to the crowd, starting from as he put “the handsome side”. What an outpouring of love and support for Brit Turner, who is battling illness. We love you, Brit!

No Way Back To Eden is a gorgeous song and it was great to see it in the set.

No Way Back To Eden – Blackberry Smoke @ O2 Academy Glasgow 27/03/23 – YouTube

My personal favourite of the night was the beautiful Sunrise In Texas. Love it!

Blackberry Smoke rounded out the main body of their set with Old Scarecrow before returning to the stage for a two song encore featuring two more of my favourites- Shakin’ Hands With The Holy Ghost and Ain’t Much Left Of Me.

Awesome show! Good for the soul.

Don’t leave it so long next time, boys. We love you all!

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Avatar @ SWG3, Glasgow on 20th February 2023

Posted on February 23, 2023 by coralmccallum

On Monday evening Boy Child and I set off up the M8, braving the rush hour traffic to get to our destination of choice before the doors opened. Having parked in the science centre car park, we set off on foot across the bridge and turned left on the far side. (Right takes you to the Hydro) SWG3 was our final destination for the evening.

And the band of choice for the night? Avatar!

When we arrived at SWG3 there was a rather mixed looking queue. Half of those queuing didn’t look like Avatar fans…. Boy Child went to investigate and decided that the front half of the split line looked like the Avatar queue. We innocently moved up… no one stopped us….and oops we discovered a few minutes later that we’d jumped half the queue. Our faux pas only came to light when the security guys started to split the fans into their two respective lines for entry. Sorry, folks.

The rail Gods were still being kind and we secured a spot just off the rail. Happy days!

There were two support acts for the evening.

First out on stage were Mastiff from Hull. I’m going to adopt my Thumper principle here. These guys weren’t for me and its half an hour of my life I’ll never get back.

Moving on…

Next out were Veil of Maya, a metalcore band from Chicago. I’m torn a little here. In their defence, they did a good job during their 45-minute set. Their front man was energetic and got the crowd moving but, sorry, guys, in the interests of fairness, I’m adopting my Thumper principle again here. Perhaps if I hadn’t suffered through the opening act, I may have enjoyed this one more…we’ll never know.

At 9:10pm the lights went out, the intro tape played, the “cages” were illuminated to reveal the various members of Avatar waiting, resplendent in red and black.  They opened their two hour set with the title track from the new album Dance Devil Dance. Spectacular opening number complete with pyro. Cutting a striking figure, front man Johannes Eckerstrom strutted the stage with his cane, reigning supreme.

Set stalwart The Eagle Has Landed followed then Avatar played the second of five songs from the newly released album, Valley of Disease.

For me, I find Avatar deliver the perfect combination of theatre, circus, horror and f**king hard and heavy tunes. This was the third…maybe the fourth…time I’ve seen them, and they never disappoint.

Johannes is one of my favourite front men. He is super skilful at working the stage and the crowd. Part clown aka Stephen King style, part ringmaster, part mime artist, he delivers an incredible performance.

Each member of Avatar gets to showcase their own personality/character as the night progresses and they each bring something unique to the stage.

One highlight moment mid-set was Puppet Show from 2014’s Hail The Apocalypse album. Mid-song, Johannes slipped from the stage only to “magically” re-appear near the back of the room performing some balloon art (Poodle anyone?) followed by a brilliant trombone solo before making a mad dash back to the stage to close out the song. No strings on him! Brilliant fun moment.

Guitarists Jonas “Kungen” Jarlsby and Tim Ohrstrom got their spotlight moment during the guitar duel that preceded Black Waltz, the title track from Avatar’s 2012 album.

A large gift box was brought on stage after the duel and set down in front of drummer John Alfredsson. The lid was lifted and four balloons floated up, followed by Johannes’ head before he climbed out of the box to perform the suitably dark and creepy Black Waltz.

Avatar slowed things down for a few moments after Black Waltz as Johannes showcased his piano playing through the delicate Tower. Beautiful.

The quiet moment didn’t last long as Tower was promptly followed by the hard and heavy Colossus. Drummer John Alfredson was set up with a kit at the front of the stage for this one. Christ that song’s heavy!

No Avatar show would be complete without Kungen getting to enjoy his regal moment. Suitably robed and crowned, the Kungen reigned supreme during A Statue of the King which rounded out the main body of the set.

With the Scottish fans baying for more, Avatar returned to the stage for a three song encore that opened with The Dirt I’m Buried In from Dance Devil Dance. My personal favourite followed – Smells Like A Freak Show. I love this one! It’s Johannes at his creepy theatrical best as he introduces it with a healthy helping of cheese.

The mighty Hail The Apocalypse brought the night to a thunderous climax.

Awesome show!

Hail Avatar…til next time.

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Kris Barras Band @ The Cathouse, Glasgow on 18th February 2023

Posted on February 22, 2023 by coralmccallum

For the second time this week Boy Child and I boarded the train to Glasgow only this time it was the 5:45pm train and Mr A had joined us.

Our destination of choice for the evening was The Cathouse and the band of choice was rhe Kris Barras Band.

The rail Gods continued to smile on us, and Boy Child got us a nice wee spot while we visited the merch stall. Happy days!

There was a 10pm curfew so that only left time for one support act. The opening band were Dea Matrona from Belfast. A three-piece band, Dea Matrona effectively have two front women – Mollie McGinn and Orlaith Forsythe – who traded the lead on vocals and also switched between guitar and bass, depending on where they were in the set.

After a slightly nervous start, Dea Matrona found their feet with the Glasgow fans by mid-set. Unusually for an opening act, they threw in an acoustic interlude of two songs. I have to confess that I loved their cover of Simon and Garfunkel’s Homeward Bound. I hadn’t heard that song in years!

Dea Matrona delivered a solid set with their own brand of rock n roll energy. They are returning to Glasgow for a headline show later in year. Go check them out.

At 8:30 the houselights dimmed, smoke billowed across the stage as the lights pulsed. The Kris Barras Band were in the room playing their pounding intro without the man himself until he stepped out on stage with a cry of “Glasgow, how the f**k are you?” Glasgow was feeling fine as Kris joined in with the hard and heavy intro before, accompanied harmoniously by JJ Manning and new bass player Kelpie McKenzie, sliding skilfully into Hail Mary. Love this song.

Hail Mary – Kris Barras Band @ The Cathouse Glasgow 18/02/23 – YouTube

Hail Mary was followed by Dead Horses and These Voices. Right from the get go, it was clear that the Kris Barras Band on stage were a harder, heavier Kris Barras Band than played Glasgow 11 months ago and the fans were loving it.

As he introduced Heart On Your Sleeve, Kris himself commented as much and the reworked harder version of a set stalwart worked beautifully.

Heart On Your Sleeve – Kris Barras Band @ The Cathouse Glasgow 18/02/23 – YouTube

New bassist Kelpie, playing a bizarre looking fanned fret six-string bass, had brought a different energy to the on stage dynamic that was meeting with the approval of all as he bounded about the stage.

The ninety-minute set was a well-balanced mix from all four albums including a poignant step back to the very start. Kris paid tribute to his late father as he introduced the first song he ever wrote Watching Over Me. I’m sure his dad is watching over him with great pride. Loved the extended version of this one. Those solos……

 Watching Over Me – Kris Barras Band @ The Cathouse Glasgow 18/02/23 – YouTube

Then it was time for a bit of fun on stage with an awesome energetic cover of Led Zeppelin’s Rock and Roll.

Who Needs Enemies came next before Kris tested the crowd’s participatory singing skills ahead of a blistering My Parade to round out the main set. Parading through the sell out crowd as he conducted the fans’ singing, Kris looked to be having as much fun as we were. Brilliant way to end the set.

The band stepped off stage but were back pretty quickly having realised that there really wasn’t anywhere to go to wait for the obligatory few minutes before the encore. The joys of intimate venues, boys.

With the customary Glasgow chant of “Here we. Here We. Here we f**king go” ringing out the band ended the night with Ignite (Light It Up). A rousing way to end an awesome show!

Ignite Light It Up – Kris Barras Band @ The Cathouse Glasgow 18/02/23 – YouTube

Til next time, boys. Loved it!

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Gojira @ O2 Academy Glasgow 15th February 2023

Posted on February 19, 2023 by coralmccallum

On Wednesday evening, Boy Child and I boarded the 525 to Glasgow. Gotta love a train ride with juvenile delinquents rampaging and thinking its funny to chuck balls of wet toilet paper at folk…

Once off the train, we headed for the O2 Academy, our destination for the evening.

So, who were we off to see this time?

France’s finest metal band – Gojira!

The rail Gods were shining on us and Boy Child managed to snag me a nice wee rail spot safely to the left while I visited the merch stall. (Gojira- £40 for a t-shirt is a tad pricey….just saying)

First band on stage were Employed To Serve. Hailing from Woking, these guys are fronted by Justine Jones. While Justine’s vocal style is not really to my taste, Employed To Serve did an awesome job of getting the rapidly filling room moving. It’s not too often that the opening support act gets the mosh pit open and crowd surfers coming over by their second song. In their allotted 30 mins Employed To Serve had everyone fired up…not that this Glasgow crowd needed much encouraging. Job well done, guys!

Dull Ache Behind My Eyes – Employed To Serve @ O2 Academy Glasgow 15/02/23 – YouTube

Next on stage were a band I was excited to finally see live- Alien Weaponry. Hailing from Waipu, New Zealand, these youngsters brought something unique to the stage with their “Maori metal”. All three members of the band have Maori heritage and all bar one song on their set was performed in the Maori language.

From the opening haka at the start of Raupatu, these boys had the crowd in the palm of their hands.

Raupatu – Alien Weaponry @ O2 Academy Glasgow 15/02/23 – YouTube

Alien Weaponry stoked the energy levels in the room to even greater heights, encouraging the fans to mosh and splitting the crowd for a wall of death. From the stage they took great delight in the steady flow of surfers who were streaming over. (Security had to draft in some additional staff).

Seven songs weren’t enough. Hurry back, boys. Glasgow’s overdue a headline show!

Hatupatu – Alien Weaponry @ O2 Academy Glasgow 15/02/23 – YouTube

Around this point in the evening Boy Child disappeared off into the crowd ready to mosh through Gojira’s set. He’d been pacing himself.

It was 9.30 before the mighty Gojira stepped out on stage amidst blinding lights and swirling mist to open their ninety minute set with Born For One Thing from their current album Fortitude.

Born For One Thing – Gojira @ O2 Academy Glasgow 15/02/23 – YouTube

This was my first experience of seeing a Gojira headline show and it had been more than six years since I saw them a couple of times supporting Alter Bridge.

Right from the off, Gojira were at full speed. There was no let up in the face melting pace! True, Flying Whales gave the crowd surfers (and security) a few minutes of breathing space.

Flying Whales – Gojira @ O2 Academy Glasgow 15/02/23 – YouTube

No Gojira set would be complete without it and other firm favourites including The Cell, Silvera and L’enfant Sauvage followed.

There are no weak links in the Gojira machine. Front man Joe Duplantier is a man of few words so there’s not much conversation with the crowd.

From the rear of the stage, his brother Mario Duplantier was doing his best to “talk” to the fans at one point thanks to two handwritten signs saying “Louder!!!” and  “Here we F**king go!”. That familiar Glasgow chant interspersed the set.

By now security staff in the pit numbered more than a dozen and were working furiously to catch the constant stream of surfers, including the Pit Troll.

Towards the end of the main body of the set, Joe asked Glasgow if they had brought their singing voices. Daft question! He coached the fans through the requirements of The Chant, not they needed much coaching. The fans almost raised the roof off the O2 Academy as the silver foil confetti rained down. (Note to self- foil confetti turns the venue into a skating rink!) The Chant is one of my favourite tracks from Fortitude and live, it certainly didn’t disappoint.

(credits to the owner emmockladdie via you tube)

The Gift of Guilt rounded off the main set.

Curfew was looming so Gojira didn’t waste much time before stepping back out for a two-song encore of a song Joe said they rarely played, The Way of the Flesh followed by Amazonia. Awesomeness.

Hot, tired, sweaty and covered in silver strips, the Glasgow fans headed wearily out into the night.

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Black Stone Cherry @ OVO Hydro Glasgow 30th January 2023

Posted on February 3, 2023 by coralmccallum

For the third time in five days I set off for Glasgow. 2023 Gig Season had got off to an exhausting start! Chauffeured by Boy Child and accompanied by Mr A we set off up the M8, braving the rush hour traffic again as we headed back to the science centre car park.

This time though as we walked across the bridge over the River Clyde we turned right at the end and headed towards the OVO Hydro arena.

Doors were at 6pm and when we arrived at 5:45pm there was a surprisingly short queue.

So, who were we queuing up to see?

Black Stone Cherry!

Ok, technically this is a co-headline tour with The Darkness and Black Stone Cherry but in reality, it was those boys from Kentucky that we were there to see.

Despite Boy Child’s best efforts, we didn’t snag a rail spot but one row off was good enough for me.

There was one support act for the evening, Canadian trio Danko Jones. We hadn’t stumbled across him since he opened for Volbeat back in Sept 2019. With the venue steadily filling up, Danko Jones exploded out on stage with his inimitable attitude. There’s an air of aggression to Danko Jones style but it works. There’s also an air of playfulness at the start of Lovercall. The half hour set disappeared all too quickly, but it was job done. Danko Jones had those present revved up for the evening ahead.

I’m going to confess something at this point. Apart from the obvious two songs, I’ve never listened to The Darkness. Those two obvious songs aren’t among my usual listening but when I watched the Taylor Hawkins tribute show from Wembley, it was two members of The Darkness that caught my eye- Justin Hawkins and drummer Rufus Taylor.

Love them or loathe them, there’s no denying that The Darkness put on a spectacular show. There were fireworks, sparklers, flames and then there was that ball of hi-energy himself, Mr Justin Hawkins.

Dressed in a furry jacket, Justin won the Scottish fans over by opening the set with Welcome Tae Glasgae.

Welcome Tae Glasgae – The Darkness OVO Hydro Glasgow 30/01/23 – YouTube

A couple of songs later, the fur jacket was discarded and stripped to the waist, Justin Hawkins was working that stage. That guy barely stands still!

Solid Gold – The Darkness @ OVO Hydro Glasgow 30/01/23 – YouTube

Oh…and Rufus Taylor then discarded his shirt too…. I may have been distracted for a few minutes…. was there still a rock show going on?  LOL

Mid-set, Justin disappeared off stage for another costume change, re-emerging in a multi-coloured lycra jumpsuit….. words fail me…..

As The Darkness prepared to play their penultimate song, Justin Hawkins asked everyone to put their phones down and their cameras away and to just enjoy a few minutes with the band. The penultimate song was I Believe In A Thing Called Love… and all the phones were out of sight.

The Darkness closed their fourteen-song set with Love On The Rocks With No Ice.

Much to my surprise, I actually enjoyed their performance and could easily be persuaded to see them play live again…never thought I’d be saying that.

As the road crews flocked on stage to turn things around, a huge white curtain was brought down to hide the change over from prying eyes.

Shortly before 9.45pm the lights went down. Shadows were moving behind the curtain… shadows that looked kind of familiar….

As the curtain fell to the opening bars of Me And Mary Jane, once in sight of the ecstatic Scottish fans, the boys from Kentucky were in full flow.

There’s no messing about with these guys. From those first notes, the energy levels had been set and set high.

Since the arrive of Steve Jewell on bass, Black Stone Cherry have a subtly different vibe on stage. The newest member of the group has now been well and truly welcomed to the family and is quickly establishing his personality on stage.  There are moments when he just oozes mischief.

Me And Mary Jane was swiftly followed by Burnin’ from the Family Tree album. An awesome opening pair to kick off their fourteen-song set.

Burnin’ – Black Stone Cherry @ OVO Hydro Glasgow 30/01/23 – YouTube

I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve seen Black Stone Cherry live over the years. They never disappoint!

Tonight’s set was a carefully balanced mix of old and new, with something to suit everyone.

Three of my favourites made their appearance in the first half of the set. Taking it back to Folklore & Superstition, Black Stone Cherry treated us to Soulcreek, followed by the stunning Blind Man then In My Blood from  Between The Devil & The Deep Blue Sea.

One thing that really stands out here is the energy on stage. Its hard to match Ben Wells for energy- he is the human version of the Duracell bunny – but Steve Jewell is giving him a run for his money – a run all the way round the stage. Even Chris Robertson is getting in on the act more than usual.

Presiding over proceedings from behind his drumkit is the one and only John Fred Young. There were a few gremlins in the mix with his set up this evening but he never missed a beat all night.

There was one brand new song on the setlist, and that was the latest single Out Of Pocket. If this track is a sign of things to come off the next album, roll on the release date!

Out of Pocket – Black Stone Cherry @ OVO Hydro Glasgow 30/01/23 – YouTube

Chris Robertson had asked the Scottish fans earlier in the evening if they had brought their singing voices. Of course they had! Cheaper To Drink Alone followed on from Out Of Pocket and Glasgow sang their hearts out along with Chris. The extended live version of this song really is party time and its great to see the boys having as much fun as the fans. The party atmosphere continued as John Fred had his moment in the spotlight. He treated us to a spectacular Animal-esque drum solo. Awesome stuff!

As he introduced the next song, Chris thanked the fans for their support with it on their previous visit to Glasgow, explaining that performing this had helped him to come to terms with the passing of his father. The song….Things My Father Said. There is so much emotion in the lyrics to this song. It’s beautiful and sung straight from the heart. With tears in many fans’ eyes, Glasgow sang clear and loud for Chris and for the late Papa Steve. Tonight’s version was a little harder and heavier than last year’s more mellow rendition and personally speaking that helped me to keep the emotions somewhat in check.

White Trash Millionaire lifted the emotional levels back to stratospheric heights that were maintained by the mighty Blame It On The Boom Boom. The main set was rounded out with the Black Stone Cherry classic, Lonely Train.

There was only time for one song in the encore. Peace Is Free has been retired for this show and we ended the night with Black Stone Cherry’s cover of ELO’s Don’t Bring Me Down.

Nothing could bring us down! Awesome night again in the company of those boys from Kentucky.

Til next time…..

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Anchor Lane @ G2 Glasgow 28th January 2023

Posted on January 29, 2023 by coralmccallum

For the first time this year, Boy Child and I boarded  the train to Glasgow on Saturday …no, not the 5:25 but the 4:08.

Why so early?

Because we had VIP tickets for the album launch show we were heading towards and needed to be there for 5:30.

So, who were we off to see?

The one and only Anchor Lane.

On Friday, the Glasgow based up and coming band released their second album Call This A Reality and the headline show  in Glasgow’s G2 was the launch party/gig. The VIP ticket option afforded the lucky few an acoustic set before the main show, hence the early start.

By 5:30 we found ourselves in a modest queue that was duly escorted inside and upstairs to the Attic for Anchor Lane’s acoustic slot. This was a stripped back sonic delight.

Anchor Lane opened their seven-song acoustic set with Stutter, the first single from Call This A Reality. Hearing the boys play live in the raw was incredible. Personally, I feel there is nowhere to hid with an acoustic set. These three young musicians grabbed the opportunity and ran with it. The talent of all three of them shone through as did their personalities as they gave the assembled fans an insight into how some of the songs came about. I was delighted that one of my favourite tracks Nitroglycerin made the set.

The boys brought the acoustic proceedings to a close with their current single I Don’t Have Another Soul To Pour.

Wonderful stuff.

And even better,  we didn’t have to go back outside into the cold when it was done. Instead, we were escorted back downstairs to G2 and granted early entry to the main venue. Happy days!

There were two support acts on the bill for the evening.

First on stage were Blue Nicotine, another Glasgow band and alias of front man Aidan Kelly. They delivered a solid half hour set, reminding me at times of Biffy Clyro. To be honest, there were a few sound issues throughout and it was a struggle to hear the vocals on some songs. Definitely a band to watch out for in future.

Next on stage were North Atlas… well, eventually they were out on stage. One technical issue after another wreaked havoc with their planned set. So, in the interests of fairness here, I’m applying my Thumper Principle until I’ve given them a fair chance. What they eventually delivered was great…short and sweet. Until next time.

(As I was writing this up earlier, I spoke nicely to Alexa and asked her to play North Atlas. Loved what I heard… now to hear it live one day.)

Praying that the gremlins were finally out of the works, I waited with bated breath for Anchor Lane to step out onto the small stage.

At 9pm in a swathe of blue pulsating lights, Anchor Lane took to the stage to open their headline show with Stutter, from the new album Call This A Reality. (Have I mentioned it already?). The electric version of Stutter was a million miles away from the acoustic version we had enjoyed some three hours earlier. Awesome start.

Front man Conor Gaffney asked “Are you ready?” as they started Stutter. The capacity Glasgow crowd most certainly were! Anchor Lane set out at a blistering pace. One last lingering gremlin wiped out their bass tracks but this was swiftly and professionally rectified as they moved into their second number, Ministry, another superb track from the new record, before rounding off the opening trio with the title track from the new album Call This A Reality.

Stutter – Anchor Lane @ G2 Glasgow 28/01/23 – YouTube

Anchor Lane were playing a blinding set…literally! Those lights were brutal!

This was the third time I’d seen Anchor Lane play live but only the first chance I’d had to see them headline. What really shines through with this band as much as their musical talent is their personalities and that something as a music fan that I love to see.

Front man Conor Gaffney is brilliant and had everyone in the room in the palm of bis hand from that opening cry of “Are you ready?”. A rare talent indeed. As for his energy…he could give the Duracell bunny a run for its money!

Guitarist Lawrence O’Brien seemed to have grown in confidence on stage since I last saw Anchor Lane when they supported Skindred back in 2021. Thanks to a pillar in the middle of the stage , my view of him was partially obscured but as he stepped forward to the edge of the stage you could clearly see and hear that he was in his favourite sonic playground.

And let’s not forget drummer Graeme Newbury, Anchor Lane’s engine room, sitting smiling out over proceedings from behind his drum kit. Super talented and again it was a delight to see the drummer engaging in the on stage banter along with the rest of the band. So often the drummer in a band seems a little bit cut off from the fans at the back of the stage.

Anchor Lane’s set was a balanced mix of old and new with a handful of fan favourites from their debut album Casino making an appearance on the set.

Honey – Anchor Lane @ G2 Glasgow 28/01/23 – YouTube

Highlights of this hi-energy show for me were Nitroglycerin, The Mischievous Song and the final song of the night, I Don’t Have Another Soul To Pour.

The Mischievous Song – Anchor Lane @ G2 Glasgow 28/01/23 – YouTube

Awesome gig! These boys deserve to go far as they pour their heart and soul into their shows.

Til next time, guys.

Go check them out. You can thank me later.

Anchor Lane | Facebook

Anchor Lane – Call This a Reality? (slinky.to)

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Dirty Honey @ SWG3 Glasgow on 26th January 2023

Posted on January 29, 2023 by coralmccallum

Oh! First gig of the year and this girl was excited!

Chauffeured by Mr A and accompanied by Miss Rose Wine, I headed towards Glasgow on Thursday evening. Having parked at the science centre, we set off on foot towards the venue for the evening – SWG3. En route we increased our number by two as we bumped into Mr and Mrs McI. Great to see them both.

So, who were we all braving a chilly January night to see?

The incredible Dirty Honey!

When we arrived, there was a small-ish queue…  but it didn’t look like quite the right queue. Let’s just say that the attire of some of those queuing didn’t fit in with the Dirty Honey vibe. A quick enquiry by Mr McI and we discovered that there were two queues muddled together. The other one was for Bongo’s Bingo….go Google that one for yourself because I don’t even want to ask LOL

There are three rooms in SWG3 and for the first time, I found myself upstairs in the Warehouse. Great sized venue. Holds about 500. Nice and intimate…if a tad chilly at the start of the night. It was a short rail, so we missed out on a rail spot – damn- but settled ourselves one row off rail. Happy days!

There was only one support act – Danko (the band) from Denny near Falkirk. Initially, I wasn’t sure about these guys. The dress code on stage was an eclectic mix. At first I felt that these guys were akin to a wedding band but we’ll chalk that up to nerves. I was concerned that the bass player was going to take the spotlight out at one point with his guitar. He may resemble a young Pete Townshend but no need act like him with such a low ceiling overhead. All that said, Danko (the band) played a solid opening set.

The venue had filled up quickly, everyone eagerly awaiting the arrival on stage of Dirty Honey.

The boys from LA took to the stage at 8:30 to a rapturous welcome from the capacity crowd. Dirty Honey opened their fifteen-song set with the awesome Gypsy from their self-titled debut album. From the instant he stepped on stage, front man Mark LaBelle had the Scottish fans in the palm of his hand. Gypsy was followed by Break You and Heartbreaker from their debut EP.

There is SO much talent in this band. Ok I may be biased here. I love these guys!

Last time Miss Rose Wine and I had seen these guys back in June we had been at bass player Justin Smollian’s side of the stage. Tonight, we were in front of guitarist John “Fucking” Notto. Boy, can he play! One of the joys of a small venue is that you can fully appreciate the skill and talent of the band up close. I could watch John Notto play all night.

I feel I should also thank him for accepting and wearing the Mark LaBelle-wannabe in front of me’s hat… and keeping it on stage for the remainder of the set. Note- if you insist on wearing a hat to a show, keep it on your head and don’t erratically wave it in front of everyone else’s face obliterating their view of the stage.

There were so many highlight moments in Dirty Honey’s set that I’d be here all night singing their praises.

 Mark LaBelle has an incredible voice. His vocal talents really shone through in their cover of Aerosmith’s Last Child. Stunning performance.

Probably my favourite Dirty Honey song made its appearance mid-set- Down The Road. The lyrics, the vocals…oh the whole thing touches the soul. Love it.

For the first time I got to hear these boys play Let’s Go Crazy. I’m not a huge Prince fan but Dirty Honey delivered a spellbinding version of this classic track. This was promptly followed by another of my favourites, California Dreamin’.

Dirty Honey know how to work the stage and the room. Each of them spent time playing or singing to all sides of the room, ensuring that everyone felt a part of the show.

All good things have to come to an end and Dirty Honey rounded out the main body of their set with When I’m Gone.

They weren’t gone just quite yet….

A few minutes later they returned to the stage for a “wee half” (a small whisky to those non-Scots reading this) and one final song, another of my favourites, Rolling 7’s. Awesome stuff!

It’s been brilliant to see Dirty Honey play twice in such an intimate room. These guys deserve to be headlining arenas so I suspect, and in a way hope, that the days of the smaller Dirty Honey are numbered.

Til next time, guys.

As we headed back to the car, I couldn’t help but wonder if the Dirty Honey boys had ventured downstairs in SWG3 to join in with Bongo’s Bingo…

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2022 – the musical memories

Posted on December 31, 2022 by coralmccallum

It’s reached that time of year when I reflect back on the gigs I’ve squeezed in during the year. For the first time in a few years, it’s all felt quite “normal” – and I use that word with caution as I wholly appreciate that things can still change.

The musical year started back in February on a rather stormy night with The Rock Orchestra at Glasgow’s O2 Academy and it ended on an icy cold night in December with Volbeat at the OVO Hydro.

In between there was a diverse range of bands this year Halestorm (3 times), Skindred, Eric Gales, Dirty Honey, Architects, Biffy Clyro, Christone Kingfish Ingram (no photos from that one), Mammoth, Shinedown, Ghost, Within Temptation, Brian Fallon,Tremonti, Cardinal Black, Florence Black (twice), The Pretty Reckless, Those Damn Crows and of course Alter Bridge (twice). There were others in between and many great support acts too – and some not so great support acts…I’ll name no names.

The photos below are the edited highlights of a great year’s gigs.

It all kicks off again in January and so far 2023 is looking pretty good music-wise.

Thanks for supporting this music blog. It’s much appreciated.

I’d also like to thank my “gig buddies” – you know who you are.

Have a fabulous New Year when it arrives and may 2023 be kind to us all

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