Uninvited took to the stage on Thursday night for their first headline show at King Tut’s in Glasgow and they certainly did not disappoint a sold out room.
The evening began with an opening set from Glasgow based Duo Stock Manager. They gave a tight set with a hint of melancholy to a filling room and have surely left with a few more fans. Unsuspecting patrons seemed to be dazzled by their unique blend of optimism and dread. Despite being a duo, they were certainly able to compensate the overwhelming expectation of the crowd and it was obvious to observe how they had won them over by the second last song of their set, judging by the heads nodding in unison.
Following Stock Manager we saw Edinburgh’s Happy Daze. Any thoughts of this band having a fun and bubbly energy were immediately affirmed as the singer took to the mic to introduce the band. With a heavier sound they seemed to control the audience comfortably, this became more apparent at the beginning of their second song as “Bang your heads to this riff” was responded to by an utter compliance from the audience. I knew they had completely won the crowd over when I saw an Uninvited T-shirt in the darkness clapping along.
These guys have taken an already established genre of modern metal and have effortlessly individualized it by transcribing over the top of it theatrical spinning motions on stage and adding playful jabs at heavy concepts. They’re almost like an unapologetic encyclopedia of human emotion. The band announced they will be returning to Glasgow next month and it’s most definitely an event to add to the calendar!
The room found a new energy that evening as Uninvited were getting ready to perform. The air was filled with anticipation as a stage hand began setting up, this was shortly followed by an eruption from the audience as the band took to the stage. From the very first riff it was apparent. This was their scene. Complimenting this with some dramatic rhythmic elements and vocal harmonies, the band had the room trapped in a net of stoic euphoria.
The group gives off vibes of Two Door Cinema Club, Frankensteined with some darker undertones and a few silhouettes of Punk. Watching their interactions with the audience was something in itself. Before diving into ‘Diet Cigarette’, they announced almost like deities laying down scripture that “Today is the last day we will play this song”. This was met by a brief period of mourning from their disciples in the audience, however this energy was not lost as they carried on playing.
There was a change in tone during the second half of their set as it was now “time for sad songs”. The band treated us to ‘Party Song’ with a visual representation of party hats being worn on stage. This was followed by a cover of ‘Just For Me’ by Pinkpanthress, keen fans will spot this was covered during their BBC Live Lounge session earlier this year. As the group began to take their leave from the stage the room erupted a second time as ‘One More Tune’ echoed throughout Tut’s. Uninvited happily obliged with not one, but two! They played ‘Tomboys’ before finishing the evening with ‘Behind the Black Door’. I remember feeling the floor of the venue bounce as the song reached its climax. This was certainly an unforgettable evening, and I leave with the image of a few dedicated fans at the front of the stage hopefully pleading for ‘One More Tune’.