What a night. Four great international bands, though with an early start necessitating a rapid change of clothes after work and the use of the nearby McD’s before it turned into its nightly alter ego as a warzone (Glasgow residents will understand).
First on the bill were self-styled “samurai metal” act Ryujin, all the way from Japan. They’re a band who have caught my eye, but sadly not my ear, in our inbox. The downside of getting so much promotional email is that a lot of it might perk up your interest, but time doesn’t allow for checking it all out. Suffice to say that after this frustratingly brief live set I’ll be playing catch-up to find out what I’ve missed.
Ryujin’s style is very much mainstream heavy metal/thrash with a Japanese theme, and just enough of a traditional influence on their music to let you know where they come from. Much of this is done using the standard metal instruments, though I think there was a little from backing tape as well (which is fair). Little Japanese-sounding riffs sneak their way in between the pounding rhythms, and each of the songs they played was – to resort to an overused term – a belter.
Despite the early hour, they had a very good crowd in the venue and the reaction across them all seemed as positive as mine. They promised they’d be back and I sincerely hope they are. Their self-titled album is due for release in January 2024, by the way. Dōmo arigatō, and come back soon!
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I was chatting to Ya Cheng, one of our photographers who happened to be at the gig, after listening to Swedes Eleine for a bit. I first of described them as “Delaine without the D” then realised that this was a) not quite right musically and b) sounded a bit ruder than intended. They’re more like someone drop-tuning Ameranthe and removing the electro/dance bits that they chuck in. Whatever, it was a good sound and a good performance from the only band on the bill I hadn’t heard of before.
The audience had grown by the time they came on stage and were getting a little more boisterous. Lead lady Madeleine Liljestam knows how to work a crowd, and secondary singer / growler Rikard Ekberg does almost as good a job despite his more stationary position to the right of stage. With limited stage space there’s not a huge amount of movement, but the band make the most of what they have with some shifting around between songs.
Overall a sturdy performance and another one which has made me want to check a band out when I got home.
Finland get a look in next with madcap metallers Ensiferum. I’m going to get flack for this, I did off Ya, but they’re another of those bands I’ve heard of for years but never checked out. After tonights performance, this will be rectified! While some of the songs were just “good metal songs” that I could just let wash over me, there were a couple of really good lively numbers that kicked off a small pit or two.
The audience was at its peak size for Eniferum’s set, with Ivory’s being about as busy as I’ve ever seen it. The five members looked to be having as much fun as those on the dancefloor, and they’re definitely a band who take life less seriously. I know this is sounding a bit repetitive, but… yeah, I’m going to look up some Ensiferum over the next few weeks and make up for lost time.
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Tonight’s headliners, Pain, consist of a father and son pair, making a nice circle round to Voodoo Radio on Friday night which is made up of a father and daughter. Main man Peter Tägtgren was backed on drums by his son (and seemingly permanent bandmate) Sebastian, alongside two other musicians that I won’t try to name as Wikipedia is probably wrong again. Peter is an interesting character who we last talked to a few years ago (twice!), and he’s as much involved in producing other people’s work as he is recording his own. His musical output, particularly through Pain, is equally as interesting as the man himself.
Mixing industrial and electronic overtones with a anti-establishment lyrical content, Pain is both dark and lighthearted. This was emphasised by the simple stage show tonight, the heavy tones of the music offset by amusing cartoons being displayed on a screen behind Tägtgren Jr. I need to see if I can find them on YouTube.
As someone who’s heard a few Pain songs and reviewed an album or two, I was there for the experience and the songs I recognised. I got a superbly entertaining set that ran for a full ninety minutes. The crowd had thinned a little by the time the show was partway through, which is a shame. I’m assuming that a fair number of these will have been due to the crap public transport in Glasgow with last buses and trains running far too early. A shame as they missed a superb performance from a band that’s about as unique as one can be in today’s crowded scene.
Highlights ranged from synth-heavy opener “Let Me Out” to “Revolution”, penned by Sebastian; the wonderful “Coming Home” to the silly “Call Me” (featuring Sabaton’s Joakim on backing vocals courtesy of that video screen); a cover of The Stones’ “Gimme Shelter” to climactic track “Shut Your Mouth”. Daddy Tägtgren made the most of the dinky venue by going for a couple of wanders onto the merch area, and down into the crowd itself. I mean, why not?
I don’t think you’d get a better value for money ticket than tonight’s show. Four acts, each one individual, each one putting on a hell of a show, and a headliner actually performing for an hour and a half – something that seems to be the exception rather than the rule these days.
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