Following on from last year’s New Blood showcase at Glasgow’s Hard Rock Café, Shock City’s second showcase of Glasgow’s talent proves there’s no shortage of great bands in the local area. With three different takes on what constitutes rock, the variation is welcome. Although there’s a sense of friends and family attending to , there’s also plenty of people there either as bona fide fans of one or more bands or they’re ers of the local scene and are eager to make a new discovery.
Taking the stage first, Black King Cobra set a high standard by the end of their first song. Having witnessed their set at Wildfire this year, they’ve only gotten better and the audience are in firm agreement, earning well-deserved roars of approval for the duration of their set. Bringing the funk and groove in buckets, they’re an incredibly tight band with forays into disco and even a reggae-sounding number.
Meanwhile “Wrack and Ruin” delves into a more bluesy and country vibe which is immediately followed by a song reminiscent of Red Hot Chili Peppers’ glory days. The four-piece are incredulous at their hearty reception; it’s a stark reminder of their set as Wildfire’s opening band. For a band to have so few gigs under their belt, you’d be forgiven for thinking they’d been on the scene for a number of years. Instead, it just highlights how much talent the four-piece have. Closing the set with the heavier “Ball and Chain”, it still contains oodles of groove and funk and makes a nice segue into Neon Hurricane’s set whilst setting a high bar for the remaining bands tonight.
Neon Hurricane are the only unfamiliar band to myself tonight; they opt for a grittier sound, almost like Van Halen on steroids. Certainly one of the highlights of their set comes in the form of “Sweet Lady”, almost in the vein of the aforementioned band’s “Panama”. There’s a grittier sound on offer here with grunge and swagger added in for good measure.
Without so much as taking a pause for breath (just the occasional swig of water), they make the most of their time, hammering through songs, contributed by all the of the band and set to feature on their album. Much like their predecessors, they’re capable musicians albeit a touch rougher around the edges. With a bit of polish and some more gigs to their repertoire, this time next year they could be a force to be reckoned with.
Looking the part of something delivered by a DeLorean from the mid-80s to the present day, Last Alibi bring a sleaze rock sound with a NWOBHM edge to round out the night. Opening for Stone Broken a couple of months back brought them to my attention; they’re a solid band and even better this time around.
Much of it, as you’d expect, is up-tempo, beer-swilling headbanging fun. However, one of the highlights comes in the form of “The Prophet and the Thief”, albeit a slower song. What really gets the crowd going are the brilliant covers of “House of the Rising Sun” and “Cum on Feel the Noise”. New song “Vice City” gets an outing and overall the band are a great conclusion to the night. Undeterred by the dwindling crowd, they power through their set as if to a full house.
With most people staying for the duration, it shows the dedication there is to the local scene as fans give the bands a chance to win them over, not there as if feeling obliged to stay, instead eager to find a new local gem. Having been to both of these events hosted by Shock City, it proves there’s no shortage of great bands in Glasgow – such as next week when Mason Hill play the Garage with Anchor Lane. Now, if Shock City can find another three great local bands, I’ll be at the third incarnation.
Last Alibi: facebook
Neon Hurricane: facebook | twitter
Black King Cobra: facebook | twitter | instagram | youtube | bandcamp
