The bus to Glasgow from Aberdeen was sticky. Truthfully, I had little to no motivation to even leave the house, never mind go on a 3 hour bus ride. I could feel myself sleeping with a breathless gawk. Mouth open, head up. Even the pre-gig pints weren’t sitting right. Luckily, these feelings of unease vanished almost immediately upon arriving to The Hug and Pint.
BMX Bandits had already played a show just moments before I went downstairs to the venue (as a result of the second evening show selling out so quickly) and I wondered how many people simply stayed put, waiting for the second show to begin. It was full. Immediately full. Readers may know how small the venue is, only fitting 100 or so people, and my guess is that it was close to capacity by the time the support band Goliath took the stage. I got a real burst of happiness.
Centre stage, the best view in the house. I didn’t know what to expect from Goliath as they tuned their instruments. A young band with an older bassist, later revealed by chief Bandit Duglas T. Stewart to be an old friend. The first and last songs were absolute highlights for me. The first was a rhythmic delight, with each band member playing percussion instruments, a perfect backdrop for chanted vocals and a driving bass drum. The last song served as a segue towards the C86 sound associated with BMX Bandits. Almost twee in nature, executed brilliantly.
Looking around the crowd, everyone was smiling. Grinning ear to ear, and patiently waiting for the headline act to join them. Even more full.
The indie legends started their set with new single ‘Setting Sun’ which is taken from their upcoming album. They played a host of songs from this project, the second of which recalled some of the jazzier moments on classics like ‘I Could Fall In Love’ or ‘It Hasn’t Ended’. Cult hits ‘Serious Drugs’ and ‘Little Hands’ were personal highlights whilst fan favourites ‘Disco Girl’ and ‘E102’ were greeted by an outstanding applause.
The gig served as a reminder of what live music should be – fun! Stewart had the whole room in the palm of his hand, telling stories of old friends, offering words of wisdom and using a banana as a phone. I genuinely haven’t smiled for that long in a very long time, and I’d hazard a guess that most of the other 100 ticket holders felt the same. This was a masterclass in pop music and really makes you wonder why BMX Bandits never became a bigger name. A must see for all Scottish music fans.