Starting off their headline tour at the iconic Sneaky Pete’s, Jutebox has ensured that their ‘New Age’ tour started off a success.
Hailing from Dundee and recently relocating to Glasgow, the band have quickly made a name for themselves on the Scottish music scene. After releasing their debut EP ‘Soul Maintenance’ in August last year and having a run of successful live shows across Scotland, Jutebox have hit the road for their debut headliner tour.
Starting the night off we had North Orbital, an Edinburgh based band who immediately got the crowd energetic and interactive. Throughout their entire set I was impressed at how strong, smooth and controlled the vocals were. We were lucky enough to listen to a new song called ‘Almost Friends’ that is set to be released on May 23rd. An incredibly catchy tune with fun rhythms and an impressive falsetto, I can only imagine that this song will end up becoming a fan favourite when it’s released.
With crowd interaction from the band keeping the audience engaged and reactive, especially when it came to the topic of seasonal egg shakers, It is easy to see why Jutebox picked North Orbital to be their first opener as their infectious energy, story telling lyrics and fun solid rhythms ensured that the night was off to great success.
You can catch North Orbital at the Hug and Pint on May 22nd for their release party of ‘Almost Friends’ which releases on May 23rd.
Up next on the stage we had Echo Hotel Collective who have quickly made a name for themselves on the local music scene with their unique eclectic funk fusion sound. Debuting back in April 2023 the band have performed at various venues across the capital such as The Wee Red Bar, Rhythm and Revolution at Summerhall and The Meadows Festival.
Already buzzing from North Orbital, Echo Hotel Collective ensured that the party kept going with their energetic rhythms, funky bass lines, epic sax solos and two drum kits, yes you read that right they managed to fit two kits on to the Sneaky Pete’s stage, the entire set felt like I was at Carnival, and by the reactions of the audience they clearly felt the same way.
With the crowd jumping and dancing it was time for Jutebox to take to the stage for the first night of their headline tour. With new additions to the lineup and their first time performing together, the band were in sync with each other from the get go as they effortlessly supported and weaved through each other throughout the set.
In my opinion, you know a band is ready to be a headliner when they have excellent crowd work. That’s exactly what Jutebox had, performing their song ‘Lover’ they made sure to get the audience involved with a bit of call and response which the audience were more than eager to participate in. Next up we had ‘Ecstasy’ from the band’s EP ‘Soul Maintenance’ with quick driving drums and beautiful harmonies between the sax and trumpet which kept the energy high. Treating us to a cover of ‘Pencil Full of Lead’ by Paolo Nutini which fit their sound perfectly was definitely a crowd favourite that really let the band show off and clearly showed how much fun the band were having.
Performing one of their most popular songs ‘24/7’, their catchy lyrics and melodies made it another great opportunity for audience participation but the stars of this song were the keys and trumpet solo that had the shoulders shimmying and the heads bobbing.
Staying true to their funk and ska sound, we got to listen to a little teaser of a new tune that the band have been working on titled ‘Forever you’ – this song really plays into the funk/ska sound that the band have recently begun leaning into more and shows the direction that the band may take in their future singles, this then was mixed in with ‘What’s happening to you’ a track from their EP ‘Soul Maintenance’.
Rounding the night off perfectly, we finished on ‘Enjoy Yourself’ – a song that makes you reminiscent of good memories, good times and good people with all of the band getting involved with the lyrics and to quote the band I was definitely “enjoying myself”.
As the band lean more into their funk/ska sound, Jutebox are a band that you want to keep an eye on as I have no doubt they will become a staple of the Scottish music scene. As they set their sights on the festival circuit and more live performances, this is definitely only the beginning for these Scottish funksters.