Reaction Management is a management company based in Glasgow, with a focus on consultancy, promotion and tour booking. Reaction Management work within the UK and have an ever growing roster of great talent. Their ethos is “music is our life and our bands are our family.” Reaction Mangement took over The Flying Duck in Glasgow for three nights to showcase many of the bands on their roster. I headed along to day 3 at The Flying Duck, catching up with 4 brand new acts I’d never seen live. The showcases were all mixed genre, showcasing the real diversity across their roster.
Foreign Wolf
5 piece hard rock band from Belfast have worked hard over the past 5 years and have built a great following. They describe themselves as having ‘a blend of heavy alt-rock loaded with enticing hooks and monstrous riffs‘ which was evident throughout their set. The whole band have a captivating stage prescence, demanding the attention of the crowd; especially the drummer (Max Couhig), resembling ‘Animal’ from the Muppets on occasion. I have to admit it was refreshing to see such a heavy band’s bass player, playing without a plectrum, Connor Forbes has some serious skill. Ending on ‘Faceless‘ (latest single) there is a quiet middle 8 section in which I could imagine a home crowd getting right in to and clapping along, clever use of dynamics. Foreign Wolf have a faultless balance of singing and screaming, utilising the other vocals in the band to bring some more layers to their sound. The band were super tight in their delivery, fun to watch and have made me want to see them again.
Good Human
5 piece Good Human hail from the Granite City (aka Aberdeen). They pride themselves on delivering ‘bone-crushing riffs and guttural vocals. Vocalist Connor can do some really insane things with his voice, how he does it I have no idea however it was extremely well delivered and probably a real draw for the crowd. Guitarists Alan and Craig bounce off of each other really well throughout the set, some really well placed solos. At one point Alan and Craig were playing a really catchy riff in unision, I’d have loved to have seen this done with some harmonies or in a ’round’ for a more impressive ‘wow’ moment.
Rhythm section, Ross (Drums) and Scotty (Bass) drive the band from the back, making some sick tempo changes and keeping up with some crazy time signatures. Good Human are bold and skillfull; a band that could probably change your mind on ‘heavier’ music, especially with some of those stylish melodic riffs.
Roisin McCarney
Roisin used to be on the Reaction Management roster and was an exclusive act for the night. Roisin is an absolute delight to watch live! She oozes energy and confidence.
I genuinly have no idea how she keeps up that energy for an entire set. Bringing all the pop vibes and fun to the stage. “It’s basically a panto, you are here to participate”.
Singing a mix of her own songs such as villain and dancing with the devil and providing us with a performance of her soon to drop single ‘Car Chase‘.
Roisin really is a powerhouse, there is no denying she has an impressive vocal range and blends genres well with her music. She currently performs to some really highly produced backing tracks however she has such energy and presence. To really showcase her talent and infectious energy I think I’d enjoy seeing her bounce off band members on stage, absolutely killing it like I know she can, strutting her stuff and owning the stage.
Allan Purvis
An indie/rock singer-songwriter from the outskirts of Glasgow. Heavily influenced by The 1975 and Catfish and the Bottlemen, Allan Purvis aims to bring you those indie summer anthems.
Having recently released his latest single Parting Shot which I reviewed for Discovery Music, it was nice to catch Allan live. He currently plays with backing tracks that he’s created. Unfortunately, there was some technical issues during his set (blown DI box), but Allan handled this well and kept his set running as he had planned in spite of things going wrong – handled like a pro!
Allan did a cracking cover of Sam Fender’s Seventeen Going Under which was a roaring success amongst the crowd with everyone joining in singing, which appeared to increase Allan’s confidence.
There is no denying Allan has a skill for writing catchy songs in which everyone can sing along with. You just have to listen to the likes of Sweet Talking and Little Talks – even Parting Shot to get a good idea of what Allan is about and what he is trying to achieve.
His set was enjoyable and everyone seemed to be right into it. It was lovely that he had so many family members down to support him! Allan really does have a cracking voice although it took him a couple of songs to really find himself tonight. Allan’s tunes scream guitars and drums! His recordings in the studio are HUGE and I’d absolutely love to see him execute this live with a band. I’m convinced he would be able to show off that vocal range I know he’s got in him and channel his inner rock star with more people sharing the stage with him.
What Reaction Management have built with their roster seems pretty special. The showcase reminded me of old times in the music scene; bands supporting bands. All the acts were out enjoying one another, offering encouragement and getting involved. Foreign Wolf were getting VERY invested in Roisin’s cover of Sound Of The Underground and everyone singing along with Allan’s Sam Fender cover.
Jay and his team really do hold their ethos ‘music is our life and our bands are our family‘ in what they do and it was echoed in the supportive nature of the bands on their roster on Sunday night, a real pleasure to watch unfold. A great Sunday night in Glasgow with a lot of talent on that stage.
