Since two members of Lemon Drink started out as an acoustic duo in 2017, the now four-piece band have come a long, long way, and I (along with one of the best crowds I’ve had the pleasure of being a part of in a while) was lucky enough to catch them at 1990 last Saturday. They played alongside pop-punk rockers Grow-Up and the powerpop three-piece Come Outside.
I arrived at the venue slightly early, while it was still slowly but steadily filling up and what it looked like then, versus about an hour later would make an excellent before/ after post; it was difficult to picture the dark room bouncing with energy, but time, as always, did tell.
Come Outside kicked off the evening with an emotionally charged powerpop set. The guitarist and vocalist shared that she started playing guitar when she was 13, “a real veteran of the scene” she joked. Their setlist did such a good job of pulling mixed emotions from the audience, from laughing with the band, to doing a light boogie to some tracks, to slowly swaying to the slower ones.
Lemon Drink live, I was informed prior to them getting on stage by a member of the audience well-versed with Glasgow bands, was going to be the experience of a lifetime. He was right. They brought relentless energy to the room; the vocals, their banter between songs, the way they bounced off each other were such a pleasure to witness – you can tell this wasn’t anywhere near their first rodeo, and the fans are aware. It felt as though in the split second I photographed lead singer Sophie Bartholomew through the flashing 1990 lights that I have a love/ hate relationship with and turned around to grab my now-lukewarm Tennents, the room had filled to the brim. And with good reason, because these legends are the brains and talent behind can’t-miss tracks like Patsy Kensit, Demon Child and several others that, since first hearing them, have made it to my list of staples. If you haven’t streamed yet, run, don’t walk. The female-fronted vocals with Lemon Drink are unapologetic and powerful, but don’t in the slightest take away from the other members of the band – the (metaphorical) spotlight is on everyone on stage. (Unlike the actual spotlight, which if you ask me, neglected the drummer, but that’s a different conversation).
It’s charmingly obvious how much they love performing their music, and the effort that goes into making it shines through, with the members of the band grinning ear-to-ear throughout. Their tracks are a pleasure to listen to on streaming platforms, but Lemon Drink are one of those bands that seeing live will make your week. They’re down-to-earth and laid back in the best way while still delivering a performance with poise and elegance, treating the audience like we were all one big friend group.
Grow Up, whose EP launch party this gig essentially was, sailed through their set exactly how you’d picture the creators of an EP as chaotic as their “All Inclusive” would. It was explosive, slightly unhinged and felt refreshingly unfiltered. Personally, my favourite part was the several alien balloons being flung into the audience by the band members, who were clearly delighted at the chaos.
This was a performance I will not be soon forgetting. To say the energy was high would be a massive understatement, nearly as massive as I’m sure the queue to their Ticketmaster links in a couple of years will be. Their new release features a series of tracks layered with chaotic lead guitar ringing with urgency with lead singer Dale McPhail belting out lyrical gold in an accent that sounds musical even when he’s not singing. Fans of the one and only Mr Tarantino’s work would love this bunch.
“Dance like dickheads in the dark!” he demanded, and the audience were more than happy to oblige. Without turning this into a long-winded rant about “All Inclusive” I have to say that it is an absolute unit of a release. And as for the performance itself, I couldn’t help but think to myself that this, this, is how you launch an EP.
As I left the venue, everyone around me seemed to be on the same cloud nine as I was. I ran into an attendee on the train back home and we spent our whole journey raving about the gig. The line-up of dreams was on stage in 1990 that night and the acts all seemed to bring out the best in each other and complimented one another beautifully. If you’re fortunate enough to live anywhere you might be able to catch any of these artists, make sure you keep up with them and head along to their next shows.
Keep up with Lemon Drink here: https://www.instagram.com/lemondrinkband/
Keep up with Come Outside here: https://www.instagram.com/comeoutsidemusic/
Listen to “All Inclusive” by Grow Up here: https://open.spotify.com/album/3wXTtmM6vhpDpGgkvtQcux?si=RYeMrDZPSEWWIJ4utYg88g