Glasvegas surf into Ayr Town Hall

Nov 7 2008 By Michael Pringle

Glasvegas

A CAPACITY 600 crowd at Ayr Town Hall was hit by a wall of noise as the band on the crest of a wave surfed in. Glasvegas took to the stage with the backdrop of the town hall organ cast in shadows by the flashing stage lights Singer James Allan, resembling the late great Joe Strummer in his trademark black leather jacket and dark shades, strode onto stage looking every bit the superstar. The crowd responded with a huge roar as a light drizzle of beer filled the already humid air, a sure sign of adulation from devoted fans. Without as much as a word, the guitar of brother Rab cut through the din as the band launched into “Flowers & Football Tops”.

The band hardly paused for breath as they moved effortlessly through the gears like veterans of the stage. The crowd was in good voice with most of them matching James’ vocals word for word. There was no doubt about the liveliest track of the night; “Go Square Go” almost raised the roof, unfortunately the song is unlikely to be released as a single despite its obvious popularity due to the lyrics containing the f-word. As the last chords resonated around the building James declared: “That was beautiful.”

The gig was part of the Tennent’s Mutual; a new concept in live music where fans get the chance to vote for artists and the venues they want to see them play. The full house had been treated earlier in the evening to sets by Laura Marling and then Malcolm Middleton who raised a few chuckles from the crowd when he asked: “Is this a Falkirk crowd, what happened to Hangar 13?” Both acts were warmly received but there was no doubt there was only one band on the minds of most.

Glasvegas saved the best for last as “Daddy’s Gone” got the crowd singing along for the last time on the night. There was to be no encore, the band left the stage as waves of feedback washed over the crowd, nothing unusual in this as they’re not known for playing encores. If you want to know what all the fuss is about then their second album is due for release at the beginning of December.