Red String
Live (The Shakes)
Glasgow weather can be unforgiving at times and, as much as it is expected, the driving wind and the rain doesn’t seem to get any easier to take. Therefore, it must be commended that so many people managed to get on their dancing shoes and head to Capitol to check out another bunch of up-and-comers.
First on were The Shakes and if you think that name indicates a good time harking backwards, then you wouldn’t be disappointed. Combining the nature of The Fratellis with a speedier vocal delivery more akin to Popup, The Shakes are definitely one of many Glasgow bands mining a similar sound. There were notable differences and the cowbell on show at the start of the evening was more than welcome. Now derided by Will Ferrell, it would be a shame if the cowbell was written off again and The Shakes definitely deserves a thumb up for its inclusion. That, and the bluesy swagger and punch of the tracks, indicated enough to check them out again in the future. Frontman Alan Jones had a commanding delivery and his scarf was the centre of attention for some!
The band all seemed to be enjoying themselves, particularly the lead guitarist whose constant moving, mugging to the crowd, and eventual clambering over the drum kit was fun at first but as the night wore on, got less interesting. Perhaps a dreich Sunday night isn’t the night to be witnessing others having rock ‘n’ roll fun when you’re shaking a flood out of your shoes.
Next up were Red String who managed to up the rock n roll a bit, moving away from the localised feel of The Shakes and steering towards a more Americanised sound, in both music and vocals. Watching a band for the first time can be difficult, especially when they are very different from the previous act but Red String were quite captivating.
In a howling gale, it’s hard to dispel the thoughts of rain (bring on the snow) but mid-set, lead singer Ryan dusted down his acoustic and treated the crowd to a Christmas track the band had written. Thankfully adding the smarm and cheese of so many of these festive songs, it worked firstly as a song and then as a Christmas track so it can’t be faulted for that aspect. More cowbell banging may have really improved it though!
And after that brief interlude, the rest of Red String returned to the stage to conclude their set with a few more punky-tasting thrashes and generally catching the ear quite a bit and marking their card to be checked out later.
Sadly the night was wearing on, and with the rotten weather starting to affect the trains in and out of town, The Mag missed out on headliners The Hoydens, who were rated by the promoters, so guys, if you’re reading this, we’ll check you out later on. So for us, the night was about the mix of the local and the worldly and the combination of music that can drag you out on a night when all you should be doing is flicking through the channels on the television.
Guest article from Andy R.
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