Multi-platinum rock band, Feeder returned to the legendary Barrowlands on the 23rd of March. The Glasgow date marks the band’s only stop in Scotland as part of the ‘Lost in the Wilderness’ UK and EU tour. The band are no stranger to the Barrowlands stage having played the venue, most recently, in 2022 and 2019. Regardless, it was great to see a solid queue forming outside the venue hours before doors.
Supporting them is Manchester rising stars Pastel. Dubbed “Latter day shoegaze with a bit of swagger to it” by BBC 6’s Steve Lamacq, the band’s energetic rock n’ roll style sets the perfect opener for Feeder. Debutants to the Barrowland stage Pastel played a great set, bringing intense energy and getting the crowd warmed up. A personal favourite was ‘Dancing on A Pin’ which definitely gathered the biggest cheer. It’s a track that features epic guitar and heavy drums, however the vocals are the main feature, excellent tone and lyrics, in every way its reminiscent of early Kasabian. It was great to see the band for the first time, and won’t be the last.
This being my first time seeing Feeder, I wasn’t sure to expect but the amount of people wearing their merch hinted that I was in for a treat. Also, showing their is still a strong group of fans for the band in Glasgow. The band were greeted to eruptious applause and cheers. They opened with the electric ‘ELF‘, a track from the new album. Which provided a huge opening,
“Here we are, still climbing back up that hill“
As they burst into classics ‘Kyoto’ – which was my personal favourite of the night – and ‘Feeling a moment‘, the crowd had that classic intense Barrowland feel. There was a positive response to ‘Lost in the Wilderness‘ so from the new album. Already the crowd were singing it, highlighting the fans are engaged as ever in the timeless talents of Feeder. A special mention has to be made to Grant who is a sensational frontman. The band as a unit were incredible, bouncing off each other to create a great show.
‘Just the way I’m feeling‘ provided another electric singalong. Followed by a new one off the album, unreleased and unheard at the time, a standout feature was the euphoric guitar topped with pitch-perfect lead vocals. The energy continued through ‘Playing with Fire‘ introduced with a “Are you ready for some fire?” from Grant, I already knew it was going to be loud. Featuring heavy distorted guitar the track was unapologetically in your face, but was the track that took me by surprise the most, utterly brilliant. ‘Come Back Around‘ kept the spirits high, and was barely time to breathe between hits as they concluded the show with ‘Tangerine’, ‘High’ and ‘Buck Rodgers’ and an encore of ‘Just a Day’. The crowd playing their role in the evening perfectly, with the band clearly having the time of their lives on the stage.
Quite simply, that’s how you play a show at the Barrowlands. An instant classic of a gig, thoroughly enjoyed by all in attendance. Waving in your face unapologetic rock ‘n’ roll to acoustic classics, to catchy riffs and melodies, the gig really did have it all. Feeder are a band from the top shelf and will forever be able to pack out a Scottish gig.
