Saturday night and time for some silliness. And let’s be honest, there isnt a sillier, bouncier, happier style of music than pop punk. Two acts awaited at Glasgow’s infamous Garage venue, with openers Say It Anyway warming up the half-filled hall at 7:30.
Hailing from the same sort of location as tonight’s headliners (and made up of members of two other bands), Say It Anyway are a fairly middle-of-the-road pop punk act, and as such the songs are catchy and easy to get into. They engage well with the audience and, indeed, got a great response. They’re a new band to me, but I’m not sure if they had existing fans in Glasgow or if it was simply due to their performance that they received such a warm welcome.
Their half hour set was enjoyable enough, though I think I’d like to listen to their music more before popping out to see them again. One or two songs stuck out, though let down a little bit by one of the guitars just seeming to be completely anonymous in the mix. Still, let’s see how these guys get on. Maybe they’ll be back out on the road again soon.
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Punk Rock Factory are one of those bands who have no right being as good or as popular as they are. Let’s face it, you don’t start a covers band expecting to play the Sophie stage at Bloodstock to thousands, or tour twice in a year at upsized venues. Well, maybe this lot did. Because it worked. It’s really odd arriving at a venue to see adverts for the band’s next gig in the same city at a venue with roughly four times the capacity already booked. As such, tonight feels like a bit of good luck – getting in to see a big venue band in a small venue while it’s still possible.
By the time they arrive on stage and tell us that “Backstreet’s Back”, the hall is heaving due to the sold-out crowd. From the off, they’re full of energy and Peej begins lamenting the fact that he looks too shiny on the poster for their upcoming album that’s frequently popping up on a screen on the side wall. Their set is as eclectic as you’d imagine, featuring adaptations of musicals, pop tracks, and TV themes. There aren’t any real surprises, but given that they could play anything from their four albums and the crowd would have lapped it up.
What impresses me most is where they’ve added to the shorter tracks. Taking the basic song, say a Disney number, and not just pop-punking it up but twisting the song into a familiar verse/chorus/verse/chorus/bridge/chorus shape, and adding in a guitar solo that wasn’t there before. And the solo fitting perfectly as if it should always have been a part of the song. This isn’t just fun and silly – it’s clever. It’s so easy to just re-record a song, but to really make it your own and get creative with it is the next level.
Add to this the self-deprecating fun, some superb comic timing and an audience who were just there to join in and it was a cracking night’s entertainment. Immature, silly, and just what you need to shake off the remnants of the working week.
Did I mention that their follow-up tour is already on sale?
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Pics by Sean Larkin Photography
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