Rival Sons @ Barrowlands Glasgow 16th October 2023

Posted on October 19, 2023 by coralmccallum

Slightly earlier than usual (Yes, it was the 16:42 train again) Boy Child and I headed off to Glasgow on Monday night.

The weather Gods were in a better humour so our walk out to the iconic Barrowlands was nice and dry – whew!

So, who were we off to see?

Long Beach’s finest sons, Rival Sons.

It had been four long years since we had last seen Rival Sons, so we were more than ready for this gig.

We joined a surprisingly short queue outside the venue around 6pm and were soon joined for the evening by Mr and Mrs McI. Happy days!

The rail Gods were smiling on us too as Boy Child secured a spot right in front of Scott Holiday for us.

There was only one support act for the evening and that was LA Edwards, also hailing from California. If that name’s ringing a bell, its because they supported The White Buffalo back in July. LA Edwards took to the stage at 7:45 and delivered a solid nine-song set. Since I last saw them in July, they seem to have added a little more oomph to their mellow Americana vibe. They certainly did a sound job of warming up the capacity crowd. Keyboard player Lenny is clearly gathering his own fan club. What’s not to love about his high kicking, animated approach to playing?  The most poignant moment of the set saw the three brothers come together to sing an acapella opening verse to Day I Die, a song dedicated to their mother.

All in all, easy listening and these boys did a good job.

Shortly after 9:00, the houselights dimmed.

A lone 12 string guitar sat perched on its stand in a swathe of green light before Rival Sons walked out on stage to a rapturous welcome from the passionate Scottish fans. They opened their two-hour set with Mirrors from their recent Darkfighter album. Oh, Jay was sounding sweet! And he was smiling!

Mirrors (show opener) – Rival Sons @ Barrowlands Glasgow 16/10/23 – YouTube

Sweet Life from the band’s second album of 2023, Lightbringer, followed. This is an awesome song.

Then it was back a few years as Pressure And Time completed the opening trio of songs. Just WOW!

Something that was clear from the start was that Rival Sons were having so much fun on stage. Each of them looked happy to be back out in front of their Scottish fans, especially the barefooted Jay Buchanan. I love it when the band are relaxed and having as much fun as the crowd. We feed off each other’s energy levels. Guitarist Scott Holiday cut a dashing figure in his wide brimmed hat and shades, complete with his signature moustache. This was the fourth time I had seen these guys live but there was a different energy to them this time. As Jay eluded to later on in the evening, they’ve all become comfortable in their own skin on stage and that fact was shining as bright as the spotlights. Lovely to see Jay playing so much guitar too this time round.

With effectively two new records to be promoted on this Darkfighter tour there were several new songs balanced out amongst the fan favourites in the set. No mean feat with such a high calibre of songs to choose from.

Rapture from Darkfighter was the first single to be released from that album if memory serves me right. Live it sounded incredible.

Rapture – Rival Sons @ Barrowlands Glasgow 16/10/23 – YouTube

To keep the balance, the infectious Bird In The Hand from Lightbringer followed. Love this one!

I detected a slight huskiness to Jay’s voice as he spoke to the crowd between songs so in my heart, I knew we weren’t likely to hear the beautiful Jordan…maybe next time (HINT)

However, Glasgow was treated to a song that may grow to become just as special in time- Mosaic from Lightbringer. So many emotions wrapped up in this one. Absolutely adored it.

Rival Sons – Mosaic – The Barrowlands – Glasgow – 16/10/23 – YouTube

(credit to the owner Robbie Rooney via You Tube)

Mid-set, after Open Your Eyes, it was drummer Mike Miley’s turn to steal the spotlight. He also stole the crowd’s heart with his opening drumbeat that encouraged the familiar Glasgow chant of Here We, Here We, Here We F**king Go. Well played, sir! Miley delivered a blistering drum solo over the next few minutes.

Oh, how to follow that! Well, you follow it with Torture, a real fan favourite moment and definitely one of the highlights of the night!

The stunning Horse’s Breath from Darkfighter enchanted us next.

Horse’s Breath – Rival Sons @ Barrowlands Glasgow 16/10/23 – YouTube

Oh, this show was flying by way too fast!

The Scottish fans were in fine voice and not even the plethora of new songs was throwing them off. This capacity crowd were singing their hearts out to each and every song. (There were going to be a few hoarse fans come Tuesday morning – me included!)

The incredible Face of Light deep in the set was followed by a truly spellbinding solo from Scott Holiday. The Fuzz Lord reigns supreme!

Face of Light & guitar solo – Rival Sons @ Barrowlands Glasgow 16/10/23 – YouTube

Probably my favourite song of the night, for a myriad of reasons, came next- Shooting Stars. Absolutely love this one and so did everyone else in the room judging by the volume of the Glasgow Rock Choir.

All good things have to come to an end sadly. After eargasmic renditions of Nobody Wants To Die and Do Your Worst, there was just time before curfew for one last song. The mighty Electric Man had the honour of bringing the evening to a climax.

What a show!

Till next time, boys.

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Black Stone Cherry @ St Luke’s Glasgow on 6th October 2023

Posted on October 9, 2023 by coralmccallum

Earlier than usual, 16:42 to be precise, Boy Child and I set off by train to Glasgow in search of a much-anticipated evening of musical entertainment.

The music Gods had been smiling on me when I’d managed to get my hands on tickets for this show. I’m putting that success down to one of life’s miracles!

The weather Gods on the other hand were most definitely not smiling on us. It was peeing down!

So, who were we off to see?

The awesome Black Stone Cherry in the intimate setting of St Luke’s (capacity 700).

As I’d expected there was already a queue when we arrived at the venue, a converted church behind the city’s legendary Barrowlands.  Even although we’d arrived an hour before doors, I was worried about whether we’d snag a decent spot for the night.

Soaked to the skin, we finally got inside out of the elements shortly after 7pm (why are doors always late in opening when it’s raining?)

While I went to the merch stall, Boy Child secured our spot for the night, just one row off rail. Happy days!

It had been seven years since Black Stone Cherry had played such a small venue in Glasgow. That 2016 show in The Cathouse was one of the best I’ve ever been to.

At 8:30, the lights went down and the boys from Kentucky took to the stage to open their nineteen-song set with the title track from their new album Screamin’ At The Sky. The fans were screaming too. What an opener! Next up, was the firm fan favourite Blind Man. The thundering drum intro from John Fred Young set the bar high for the night.

Glasgow loves these boys and were singing their hearts out right from the get go.

The pace kept up through White Trash Millionaire before the boys mellowed things out for a few minutes with their Bob Marley/Reggae twist on Me And Mary Jane. So cool.

Something that struck me early on in the set was just how much fun those guys were having on stage. Yes, it’s a much smaller stage than I’ve seen them on for a while and that may have clipped guitarist Ben Wells’ energetic performance slightly, but they were having so much fun out there and the fans were feeding hungrily from it. There was also an element of “last night of the tour” party vibe going on.

Over the years, Burnin’ has slowly grown to be one of my live favourites so I was glad it made the cut for the night.

Burnin’ – Black Stone Cherry @ St Luke’s Glasgow 06/10/23 – YouTube

The song that followed it was the first song that Boy Child heard played live at the first gig I ever took him to back in 2009…Rain Wizard (apt considering the weather outside). This was the song that kick started my love affair (and Boy Child’s) with this band. Awesomeness!

Rain Wizard – Black Stone Cherry @ St Luke’s Glasgow 06/10/23 – YouTube

How to follow that? By slowing things right down. Keeping it simple, with Ben Wells on guitar and Chris Robertson’s heartfelt vocals, we were treated to a fairly rare outing for The Rambler. That song has one of my favourite lyrics in it – “I played a pretty Southern girl right out of her dress”. It’s a beautifully heartbreaking song…love it!

Chris was teasing the fans about what song from way back at the start was about to follow. Someone shouted, “Lonely Train” and found themselves the butt of Ben Wells’ teasing response “We’ve a first timer in tonight!”. The song was in fact the awesome Hell And High Water.

This show was flying in way too fast!

Two songs later, in the midst of Cheaper To Drink Alone, Mr John Fred Young got his spotlight moment as he delivered a breathtaking, blood stirring drum solo. He truly is an incredible drummer!

One of my all-time favourites In My Blood followed.

Keeping the energy levels high, Black Stone Cherry played the last one from the new album to make the setlist, Out Of Pocket, next before playing another rarity from their now substantial back catalogue, Maybe Someday, from their debut album. Great to hear it live.

I’ve long since lost count of how many times I’ve seen Black Stone Cherry play live and they never disappoint. At one-point, mid-set, Chris Robertson pointed out that Glasgow, or “the other Glasgow” as they refer to it, is one of their favourite places to play and that they usually start a tour there. (They all live near Glasgow, Kentucky for those who didn’t know). Tonight was the first time in sixteen years that they’d ended a tour there. I suspect it might not be the last time… time will tell.

These boys are such a close-knit bunch but it’s really hard to single out anyone in particular. Collectively, they are a well-oiled machine with so much talent oozing out of each of them. The newest member of the Black Stone Cherry “family” is bass player Steve Jewell but he’s no longer the new boy. He’s found his niche, developed his stage persona and established his place at the table. His arrival a couple of years ago has re-ignited the fire in these guys and the fans love him.

The main body of the set was rounded out with the ever-popular Lonely Train. (The “first timer” would have been happy too LOL) Up on stage, Chris commented about feeling the effects of the tour in his voice. By now, all seven hundred fans were becoming a little hoarse too, but they gave it their all.

Curfew was looming large on the horizon, but there was just time for a two-song encore.

Both Ben and Chris returned to the stage to open the encore with the gorgeous ballad, Stay, from Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea. Maybe it was the lyrics, the message within them or just the general emotion of the night but I sobbed my heart out through this one. Such a heartfelt song.

There was only one song left and Chris promised to blow his voice out if we all helped him sing the mighty Peace Is Free. There really is no other way to finish off a Black Stone Cherry show and what a show it had been!

Definitely one that will go down in the history books…and like The Cathouse show from 2016, I’ve the t-shirt to prove I was there!

Hurry back, boys. We miss you already.

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The White Buffalo @ O2 Academy Glasgow 18th July 2023

Posted on July 20, 2023 by coralmccallum

The summer sun was shining as Boy Child, and I boarded the train to Glasgow on Tuesday evening. We were heading back to the O2 Academy. We were heading into the city to see The White Buffalo for the third time.

I was mildly surprised when we arrived at the venue about 6:20pm that the queue wasn’t longer. There were only 5 folks ahead of us in the O2 Priority queue and the main queue didn’t look to be too busy either. It is the “Glasgow Fair” and there was a football match on at one of the city’s stadiums so perhaps those had an impact here.

Doors opened shortly before 7pm and while I made the obligatory pit stop at the merch stall, Boy Child secured a nice wee rail spot for the evening. It was the second last night of the “Year of the Dark Horse” tour and there were slim pickings at the merch stall.

There was only one support act for the evening. Same as last year, The White Buffalo had brought LA Edwards with him. Hailing from Julian CA, this band fronted by Luke Andrew (LA) Edwards delivered a solid 9 song set. They’re quite a mellow bunch with the exception perhaps of their keyboard player but perhaps their Americana/Tom Petty vibe wasn’t for everyone in the room. For me, and it may have been the frame of mind I was in, they seemed a little bland this time round.

As Mr Lordi had said at the Sabaton show back in April, the opening act’s job is to warm the crowd up. I wasn’t warm….

LA Edwards ended their set with the three brothers in the band coming together to sing Day I Die, a song written for their mother.

The room was steadily filling up throughout the opening act’s set but by the time the lights dimmed again at 9:15pm, it was far from packed which was a shame.

The White Buffalo stepped out onto the dim stage to a huge cheer and promptly took up position behind the keyboard at the back of the stage to open the 90-minute set with two tracks from the current album Year of the Dark Horse, Not Today and Winter Act 2.

Not Today & Winter Act 2 (show opening) – The White Buffalo @ O2 Academy Glasgow 18/07/23 – YouTube

The White Buffalo aka Jake Smith, flanked by guitarist/bassist/keyboard player Christopher Hoffee, who clearly still channels his inner punk with his “choppy” style and drummer Matt Lynott always delivers a no-frills performance. What you see is what you get and its awesome!

Two more songs from the current album made the set – Kingdom for a Fool and C’mon Come Up Come Out.

There’s no denying that the more popular songs with the Scottish fans are those that featured in the TV series Sons of Anarchy.

The first of those to make an appearance mid set was O Darlin’ What Have I Done, and I’ll confess it was a highlight moment for me. I also loved John Jameson that followed it.

Not surprisingly the song that got the biggest reaction all night was Come Join The Murder. It truly is an epic song.

Come Join The Murder – The White Buffalo @ O2 Academy Glasgow 18/07/23 – YouTube

Another spectacular song, also from that TV show is The Whistler. Hauntingly beautiful.

The Whistler – The White Buffalo @ O2 Academy Glasgow 18/07/23 – YouTube

The main set was rounded out with The Pilot.

Amid cries of “one more tune” (what happened to the usual Glasgow chant? Never heard it all night…) Jake Smith returned to the stage for a solo performance of Wish It Was True before welcoming the others back to end the night with How The West Was Won. An awesome song to end an awesome show.

With earworm O Darlin’ What Have I Done on repeat in many ears, the Scottish fans trooped wearily into the night…til next time.

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The HU @ O2 Academy Glasgow 22nd June 2023

Posted on June 25, 2023 by coralmccallum

On a hot sunny Thursday evening Boy Child and I boarded the train to Glasgow. We were heading into the city, to the O2 Academy to be precise, to see those mighty Mongols, The HU.

I was hoping it was going to be third time lucky as I have missed them twice so far (2020 and 2022)

Having bathed in glorious sunshine in the queue for 30 minutes or more (thank you, Weather Gods), the doors opened and, while I made the obligatory trip to the merch stall, Boy Child secured a nice wee rail spot for the night. Happy days…

There was one support act on the bill – Tau and the Drones of Praise, a Pagan folk band…. and that’s as far as that thought goes. Thumper Principle duly applied….

Moving swiftly on….

At 9 o’clock amid cheers and chants of “HU HU HU HU”, the band’s drummer was first out on stage to hang they standard on its pole centre stage as his bandmate’s followed. The HU opened their ninety-minute set with Hohochu Zairan. Badged as the Rumble of Thunder Tour, things were certainly off to a thunderous start.

Suddenly, we were transported to the plains of Mongolia as the traditional Mongolian sounds and throat singing filled the air.

Hohochu Zairan – The HU (set opener) @ O2 Academy Glasgow 22/06/23 – YouTube

For the uninitiated among you, The HU are a Mongolian folk metal band from Ulaanbaatar, who call their musical style “Hunnu rock”. The HU are inspired by the Hunnu, an ancient Mongol empire and the band’s member still honour this by dressing in traditional warrior style and by playing traditional Mongolian instruments.

There are four core members of the band but for live shows they are accompanied by four touring musicians which makes for a busy stage.

It’s the band’s core members who are at the front of the stage. Front man, Jaya, is the only one in Western dress but has a traditional belt and boots on by way of a nod to his heritage.

The Gereg and Shoog Shoog, both from the band’s debut album The Gereg followed.

The crowd were loving it…even if none of us understood a word of it! All of the songs were sung in the band’s native language and incorporate traditional Mongolian throat singing. It truly was incredible to hear such a unique blend of sounds.

I was fascinated with Gala, who was on stage in front of me. He was playing a morin khur (a horsehead fiddle) with a bow finished off with what I assume was horsehair. A stunningly beautiful if somewhat bizarre looking instrument.

At the far side of the stage, Enkush was playing a second morin khur only his was red to Gala’s blue.

To Gala’s right stood Temka, who was playing a tovshuur (a three stringed lute) Again another beautiful looking traditional instrument.

Frontman Jaya also played two instruments during the set – a tsuur (a flute style instrument) and a tumur hhuur (that a Jew’s harp to you and me).

The four touring musicians behind them towards the back of the stage were playing more familiar Western instruments (bass, guitar, percussion and drums) I loved though that The HU kept the traditional instruments to the forefront of the performance.

It’s quite a challenge to sing along to a set that isn’t in English, but the Scottish crowd rose to the challenge, singing along passionately where they could and chanting “HU HU HU HU” in between. You can’t keep a Scots crowd quiet!

The set itself was a balance of songs from The HU’s two albums plus Essessin Vasehina, a song that was featured in the video game Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order

Eseerin Vasahina – The HU @ O2 Academy Glasgow 22/06/23 – YouTube

Set highlights for me were Yuve Yuve Yu and Wolf Totem, both from The Gereg

Yuve Yuve Yu – The HU @ O2 Academy Glasgow 22/06/23 – YouTube

This Is Mongol from their second album Rumble of Thunder rounded out the main set.

It was hotter than hell in the room by now but there was time for a quick encore before the fans melted.

The HU ended the night with a rousing cover of Metallica’s Through The Never

Through The Never (Metallica cover) – The HU @ O2 Academy Glasgow 22/06/23 – YouTube

Before finally leaving the stage, the drummer ceremoniously lifted the standard from its pole and carried it off into the night and onto the next stage.

As we trooped out into the warm summer evening, relishing in the taste of fresh air, echoes of “Yuve Yuve Yu” filled my mind.

Those “echoes” lived there for two further days!

An incredible night of music. Can’t wait to see them next time the Mongolian horsemen ride into town.

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Alter Bridge @ O2 Academy Edinburgh 6th June 2023

Posted on June 10, 2023 by coralmccallum

An early start for this musical adventure – I boarded the 09:42 train to Glasgow before catching a second train to Slateford in Edinburgh unchaperoned.

Yes- I was finally off on another solo adventure to Alter Bridge.

Ahead of their Download 2023 appearance, Alter Bridge were set to play Edinburgh’s O2 Academy (formerly The Corn Exchange). With a capacity of circa 2800 this was scheduled to be a rare “intimate” UK Alter Bridge show.

I had once again treated myself to the VIP upgrade for the show, hence the early start.

The VIP experience allows you to experience part of the band’s soundcheck before a Q&A with the band and a photo opportunity. Thanks to post-covid restrictions these “soundcheck hangs” are still socially distanced. I’ll live in hope of a return to the old style “meet & greet” for the next tour cycle. I love getting this behind-the-scenes glimpse into the workings of the show. There’s a different vibe to everything. This is the band’s “office,” and they are working rather than playing. Today there were gremlins in the works, and they were working hard.

Skipping forward a few hours, VIP also gets you early entry so at 6:45pm, security gave us the nod to enter the venue. Despite slow security checks, (what was it about Kleenex that they were so fascinated with?) I found myself in the ideal spot surrounded by “AB family” – centre front, right in front of Myles. Happy days!

There was only one support act for the evening – the mighty Mammoth WVH!

At 8pm, the lights dimmed, the crowd roared and in a shimmering haze of blue lights, Mammoth WVH opened their 45-minute set with Mammoth.

Mammoth (set opener) – Mammoth WVH @ O2 Academy Edinburgh 06/06/23 – YouTube

There were a few sound issues at the start of the set with Wolf’s vocals being drowned out by the drums, but these were swiftly resolved.

This was the third time I’d had the pleasure of seeing these guys play live and they just keep getting better and better. Flanked by livewire bassist Ronnie Ficarro and guitarists Jon Jourdan and Frank Sidoris, with drummer Garrett Whitlock behind, Wolfgang Van Halen simply and humbly shines. That boy just oozes talent!

In total we were treated to nine songs, including two from their forthcoming album Mammoth 2 which drops in August. Highlights for me were the gorgeous Distance and from the new record Another Celebration At The End Of The World.

Distance – Mammoth WVH @ O2 Academy Edinburgh 06/06/23 – YouTube

Mammoth WVH rounded things off with Don’t Back Down.

Awesome support slot…now how about a UK headline tour, Wolf?

At 9:10 pm the lights dimmed and amid chants of “Alter Bridge Alter Bridge Alter Bridge” the band’s intro played. A huge cheer went up from the crowd as the guys took to the stage to open their 16-song set with the powerful Silver Tongue, from their current album Pawns & Kings.

Oh, they were sounding so sweet!

Silver Tongue (set opener) – Alter Bridge @ O2 Academy Edinburgh 06/06/23 – YouTube

And, yes, for those who have been following the band online recently, Myles had those yellow shoes on! Guess he’s still paying the forfeit for losing that bet. (Would love to know the full story there.)

Silver Tongue was promptly followed by Addicted To Pain from Fortress and Ghost Of Days Gone By from AB III.

Already the atmosphere was electric. Things were hotting up- literally! It was roasting in the venue! On stage the band were all fired up, feeding off the crowd’s energy. This was shaping up to be something special.

I’ll admit to being more than a little biased here. I love Alter Bridge and I’d have been happy to listen to them play nursery rhymes all night! Each of them is incredibly talented. There’s a chemistry there that draws the best from each of them and on this occasion that chemistry was spot on perfect.

Next up was Holiday, the second song from Pawns & Kings to make the cut. The fans were lapping it up. And, for those who were concerned for Myles following a recent respiratory infection, you can relax. He was sounding awesome!

Holiday – Alter Bridge @ O2 Academy Edinburgh 06/06/23 – YouTube

In a change to printed set list, Alter Bridge added in Broken Wings next. Love this song. So much emotion in it. Breathtaking.

Myles addressed the fans after Broken Wings, explaining that they were about to play a song from AB III that they had kind of rediscovered recently. My heart soared! Finally, after ten years of waiting, I got to hear the beautiful Coeur D’Alene. It was worth the wait. Love love love this song!

Coeur D’Alene – Alter Bridge @ O2 Academy Edinburgh 06/06/23 – YouTube

Mark Tremonti took over the vocal chores for the next one- Burn It Down. Another song that never grows old.

With seven albums under their belts, Alter Bridge can’t play everything, but it wouldn’t be an Alter Bridge show without an acoustic interlude in the set.

Following Cry Of Achilles, Myles stepped out on stage alone with his Taylor acoustic and delighted the fans with beautiful and emotional Watch Over You. (Yes- I cried at this one)

A crew member brought out two stools and it was Mark’s turn to shine acoustically as together Myles and Mark delighted us with In Loving Memory. (Cue more tears.)

With Scott and Brian back on stage, Alter Bridge rounded out the “emotional” section of the set with the stunning Blackbird. (More tears.) That one keeps getting better and better. Awesomeness!

Time was passing far too fast here!

There was time for a third song from Pawns & Kings amid the usual set stalwarts and again the fans got the chance to hear Mark sing as they treated us to an epic rendition of Stay.

The main body of the set was brought to a close with the mighty Metalingus. Myles had that glint in her eyes, but the Scottish fans knew the drill. Without Myles having to prompt them, they crouched down low ready for the Metalingus Mosh. He held us down there a long time! Great fun way to close out the main set.

I could fan girl here about what incredible musicians the four members of the band are, what a talented vocalist Myles is etc, but I won’t. What was fabulous to see was the four members of the band having as much fun as the crowd were. The atmosphere and the connection with the fans in this more intimate setting was fantastic.

Curfew was looming meaning there was only time for one song in the encore. Open Your Eyes won the coin toss and had the honour of being the final song of the night.

Open Your Eyes – Alter Bridge @ O2 Academy Edinburgh 06/06/23 – YouTube

With a song in their hearts, the hot and sweaty fans headed off into the night…. til next time!

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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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