GIG REVIEW | INDIGO VELVET @ BEAT GENERATOR | 03.11.19

It’s been a while so apologies if my first review in over 3 months comes across as a bit shaky and please, be nice! The latest gig was one which, since the announcement, I knew I had to be at, Edinburgh lads Indigo Velvet stopping off in Dundee on their mini-tour of Scotland, supported by Dundee bands, OHRIO and The Harmonix as well as Perth trio, hvsk. With this line-up I was quite unsure what to expect but opened the prospect of walking into the unknown with open arms.

First up to take to the stage and beginning their set just as we walked through the doors was Dundee young lads The Harmonix. Brining along with them a barrage of support with the entirety of the crowd seeming to be there just for them, seeing such loyalty from a fan base is fantastic to see within the local scene and at such a young age it was promising for the future of the scene. They had the crowd rocking from the first minute to last with fast paced guitar meeting with heavy hitting drums such as in their debut single ‘Rollercoaster’ with even mosh pits breaking out at times. This accompanied with a very impressive cover of ‘Teddy Picker’ by the Arctic Monkeys made coming down early worth it!

The Harmonix

Next up was Perth based lads, hvsk, now admittedly I had never listened to these lads so was going into this gig completely unaware on what to expect and without any music out on mainstream steaming sites you had to be there to know. The lads started their set off well with boppy tunes that had everyone tapping their feet and bobbing their heads with some intoxicated people breaking out in some questionable full on dance. It would have been great to have seen more passion and love from the lads for the music they were producing and putting out to the crowd as quite more often than not that passion can be passed onto the crowd. Overall though it was a solid set from the lads and I look forward to the release of their debut EP in the coming weeks and wish them all the best with the release.

hvsk

Next up was the other Dundee band of the night and certainly no stranger to one of mine or any review by DM, OHRIO. Now you would think how much could be said about one band that we haven’t already been said before and I thought the same prior to this gig, creating a severe sense of anxiety for me. However, it seems that every time I see OHRIO they still shock me. Every gig that comes up the lads seem to step the show up a gear whether the sound became much clearer and distinct to them or like this time their stage presence much clearer. A personal highlight of their set is the addition of probably my favourite OHRIO tune ‘Soldier’, which we are still waiting for an official release of, chop chop lads.

OHRIO

Finally, time for the headliner, Indigo Velvet! I first caught these lads back in August at Belladrum Festival and instantly fell in love with their Caribbean/Rock mash-up it really is unlike anything else within the music scene at the moment. Kicking off their set with their latest release, which had just dropped two days prior, ‘American God (Let’s go Die in California)’ they went on to play an array of new and old tunes throughout the night making their set perfect for people die-hard or new to get a taster of what Indigo Velvet really are about, feel-good bouncy tunes with impressive riffs and Caribbean like beats. It was obvious to see that they had created and brought a dedicated fan base as at times it felt like being part of a choir with a crescendo of voices singing the tunes back to the Edinburgh boys. Overall a fantastic set from the lads despite seeming to be pushed for time and shout out to Billy the drummer who took the time out to have a chat with me after.

Indigo Velvet

Overall, this was a fantastic night which was a great advert for the local scene and I look forward to welcoming all the bands on the bill back soon in Dundee for another fun-filled night!