King Tut’s, Glasgow
May 19th, 2023
Glasgow’s King Tuts special space went dark and the room grew twice its size, enthralled by the prospect of the Mickey 9s. It’s that interesting back room that every time reveals its deep breath as an important venue. It was to a grateful support band Sovirez that the music began in the mid evening.
Sovirez are a quite well known group who play something akin to pop music but I found that their angles of style included a great many facets of a variety of music. But there was no doubt as to their dance ability, very enjoyable with vocals reaching many octaves. Kind of a rock layout and certainly loud enough to rock a crowd but yes with a light pop aspect they managed to drive the room well before the Mickey’s.
I took a high seat at the back that unveiled an amazing view of all of the stage room and bar (where merchandise was sold) and as I said the room went dark and the crowd abided, it was the first time I had seen a mosh pit in years giving their reputation of being explosive and unpredictable another big jolt of this favoured and award winning live show that stands far above anything else at the moment.
They are steeped in musical folk lore and their singer is called mysteriously ‘St. Cool’ a real name kept under wraps since they formed all those years ago. They are Glasgow’s own as a four piece who deserve any and all praise lavished upon them.
Their very presence filled every inch of the room with thumping beats, voracious bass, the singer just kills it and further praise goes with rumours of being a shaman, well just look at what happens to the crowd for every second of the performance.
Their debut album called wit fully ‘The Party Manifesto’ in 2015 already screamed with an ability to pick politics apart by alluding to straight lyrics about bringing down these things that ‘…make me feel like I live in a cubicle…’ they play to an audience who lap up the lyrics that play in an abundance and make us feel really good about things suggested by the act.
They work on a formula, one of the most successful for ages and rival live music with any of the greats of the last 50 years. Lavishly confronting heavy topics with a perfect fun evident in every detail from stance, instrument to the masked performer who brings what I can only call magic, make up and wicked delivery.
Their audiences vary, which is another aspect to show the virility of their ever growing reception. The joy billows out as much as the lyrics and ideas confound being anything like miserable, the venue only hosts about 300 but the sea itself was in the room with a crowd making waves as though in thousands.
Such a distinctive style brought about from a great many other and put into a sound so relevant and shaped into such a distinctive way as to be unmistakably their own. They reach right into the pockets of the gods with a will to express life’s more heavy turns, especially in these days and offer its absurdity through the joy of making music and they look like freedom itself exploding on stage.
Capable of earning your adoration, with wide smiles on their faces, the kind of fun and joy in the hands of something that works e every time.
Daniel Donnelly
Mumble Music 