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GLASVEGAS
Pumpehuset CPH
05 March 2009
A long time ago sold-out Thursday evening at Pumpehuset. Reason: the most acclaimed and promoted Scottish band in 2008 would be back in Copenhagen for the second time. The expectation is huge. They were headlining the NME Music Awards Tour 2009 in the UK a month ago and releasing a special Christmas-themed mini-album last December.
Some minutes after ten, the stage is invaded by a blue fogginess. Four silhouettes take their positions and James Allan comes to the spotlight in the front mic to quickly waving hello. The first lines of “Geraldine” flow over Pumpehuset and a solid ovation welcomes it. The best song, the most awaited, trying to catch the audience from the very beginning is first delivered. Just some seconds after, everything turns into a whispering annoyed atmosphere because of problems with the sound. Unfortunately, most of the audience does not take it as part of a spiced indie concert with a very young band. Perhaps, because of that Scandinavian rigidity to anything that is not delivered, as it must be, is considered as a fatal error.
With “Lonesome Swan” things get a bit better. James Allan tries to get some connection getting his audience to clap and chorus: “Glas-ve-gas” together. Some more songs from the only album they have released are coming but there is still a “lack of something” all around. The concert goes even a bit more down when they perform three acoustic versions including one of “S.A.D. Light” on this set.
After a very short concert, close to an hour, it is time to say goodbye with “Daddy’s Gone”. Taking the audience out of that ceremonial whirlpool they fell into during the last 30 minutes of a totally obscure show. At least, people are leaving the venue with a not so bitter taste after “Daddy’s Gone” was chorused and almost danced. “Geraldine” and “Daddy’s Gone”, first and last song respectively were the doors in and out of the quasi-catatonic hour of a worship-deception tunnel.
We cannot say the best band after their neighbours of Jesus and Mary Chain but maybe the closest proposal in style with interesting future. Still a young band with not so many songs for a proper show and keeping up a borrowed “dark” teenager attitude, useless when there is not enough original material to support it. Nevertheless, the Scots maybe got what they wanted and brought the audience into this low-key concert. So, all those negative reviews after the show are only feeding up their ego and status. At this point, I would think twice before buying tickets for a show but I would definitely buy a new record of them. |
