Night four of the King Tuts Summer Nights saw music fans brave the rain to see alternative acts snails from jupiter, Flame, Fatale and spellbinding headliners The Violets.
King Tuts Summer Nights was well into it’s first weekend by the time Sunday came around with some incredible Scottish artists already having graced the stage. The Violets headline night was no different with a wide variation of sounds from the different artists making this a night for pretty much anyone.
First set of the night came from snails from jupiter.
This bands quirky sound immediately had me intrigued. The haunting sort of innocence of the vocal with the light guitars in my opinion gives them a sort of easy listening summery indie sound. The alternative act didn’t always stick to their softer tones though with moments, especially vocally where they gained in intensity. Their set was perfect for opening a night of up-and-coming acts. snails from jupiter I believe have been around for under a year, but they’ve already put together a set that will have many music fans wanting to stick around for more, even if there setlist may be away to change, as the vocalist mentioned at the end of their show.
As I mentioned earlier this was a night of huge variation in sound and the second act Flame deliver a sort of soft alternative rock with an ethereal edge.
Flame was probably my favourite act of the night largely due to just my own musical tastes. Their vocals were insane gaining lots of whoops and cheers throughout the night as they delivered powerhouse sounds over the alt soft rock instrumentals. Almost having a little bit of a country edge at times as well, it’s hard to put this band into a box but whatever they are doing it sounds great. Coming across super sweet and likable this was a band who are clearly mates having fun on stage, even having little boogies with each other throughout the set. Flame are an extremely likeable soft band with just enough of a rough edge.
Bringing probably the biggest crowd of the night into Glasgow’s beloved venue was Fatale.
Now these guys are a very new band who seem to have already gained a decent fan base and that is always a good sign. The lads may look like they’re away to play some new indie rock music, yet their sound is a lot more reminiscent of the 70’s, their set even saw them cover T. Rex’s ‘Life’s A Gas’ and The Velvet Undergrounds ‘Femme Fatale’. I always think it’s really cool to see new artists take on elements of music from older generations and especially when they are gaining the enthusiastic reception that Fatale were from the jumping room. The group had the whole room from the front to the back singing along with not only the classic covers but some originals too, further proving that Fatale is a band to watch out for.
Headlining the night was The Violets who are probably one of the most interesting acts I have seen in a long time.
The dark lit stage which they asked to be made even darker, and greener set an ambience that reflected the unusual sounds of their music. This was a set that I really don’t think I was prepared for even after checking out the couple of tracks they have on Spotify. The Violets presence was not only aided by their stage requests, but this is a group of incredibly talented musicians. While far from the kind of music I would listen to normally, there was something enchanting about the way they used their instruments to manipulate and create, this was especially true for the vocals which at times electronically echoed from the mic right to the walls, at other times were softer but with a hint of gravel, and then there were full intense raw moments where we saw the vocalist letting go of some anger on that stage. The Violets are a band I probably never would have gone to see normally so I’m happy I got the chance to by attending Summer Nights, I don’t think their set is something I will forget in a hurry.
The fourth night of incredible new talent was a strong reminder to me of why going to shows, even if it’s out with the genre you’d normally go see is important. You may find a new artist you love that you would never have heard of, or you may see a set that tests the boundaries of the music you like. The four artists that performed on the 20th of July may have all been very different in style from one another but each one put on a show that proved what rising bands in Scotland are capable of.