Glasvegas are without doubt the most hyped band of the year, boasting rave live reviews and a much-lauded album panting off the production line. Their working-class, heartfelt indie rock has touched a nerve with many people, and they are probably the most famous thing to come out of Glasgow in a long while. Tonight's gig was sold out months ago, way before they had released their debut album. It might be hard to ever catch them in such a small venue again.
A shame, then, that Glasvegas are so remarkably unremarkable live. They enter stage right to face a fizzing crowd that smells like something that may have pitched up at an early Libertines gig, though the comparison should stop there. Lead singer James Allan wears sunglasses and and a Glasvegas t-shirt, which you could argue make him look like a bit of a twat. The floodlights flash, the feedback reverberates, and the 40 minute drone begins.
Some people like to write negative reviews, courting controversy and wallowing in pessimism, but this wasn't the case tonight. We wanted to love them. They are not a bad band, and they played their perfectly decent Scottish rock to an accomplished standard. The catchy 'Daddy's Gone', 'Geraldine' and 'Go Square Go' all sounded strong, the latter despite the addition of one thousand Londoners singing along to 'here we f***ing go' in a Glaswegian accent, sounding a little comical seeing as they were probably born in High Barnet.
It got to the point where going to the bar became a handy respite and spotting punters in Glasvegas t-shirts a condescending sport. Like we said, they weren't bad, but don't go raising your hopes - boredom might envelop you, and you'll want to really f***ing go.
Image from SteveB!'s photostream via the Creative Commons Licence
