Iconic Glasgow indie venue The Old Hairdressers welcomed a night of punk and rock last Monday, May 1st. This was Tina Sandwich‘s first ever headline show, with the gig being in honour of her new single, Sick Girl. Before she graced the stage, the audience embraced some phenomenal opening acts.
Milange
Kicking the night off was Glasgow-based punk-rock band, Milange.
The band played several of their own released songs, as well as a well-welcomed punk rock rendition of the Gorillaz hit, Rhinestone Eyes.
The charisma and stage presence of all members was refreshingly even. At any moment, all of them were seen to be engrossed in the performance and giving it their all. And the audience loved it.
The crowd’s joy piqued as Milange performed their recently released single Manish which had the rather frail floor of the tiny venue quivering from the enthusiastically moshing crowd.
The crowd quickly became well acquainted with Milange and was cheering along to all their songs.
It was a performance worthy of headlining. The indie band delivered a fantastic show that impeccably set the tone before the other acts of the evening.
Soapbox
The energy in the room was suffocating as Soapbox, another punk-rock Glaswegian band, took to the stage; it only got more intense as they started their set.
The band never once slowed down. Each song was louder and more impassioned than the prior, with the frontman regularly venturing into the moshing crowd.
Spending as much time amongst the people as he did on stage, the crowd was electric.
Bingo Cult and Mind the Meter were two crowd favourites. The definition of punk, the songs and the performance of them connected with the crowd and created absolute havoc.
The already small and intimate venue felt even more enclosed as the crowd recited the catchy choruses, particularly enjoying the chants involved in Prince Andy.
Value Added Glasgow is their recently released single and the audience members who knew it knew it well. Everyone else quickly cottoned on and reached the enthusiasm of the dedicated listeners.
Soapbox added to the already fantastic atmosphere created by Milange, making the crowd more than ready for the headliner.
Tina Sandwich
After two insane openers, it seemed impossible to increase the atmosphere in the room. Of course, Tina Sandwich somehow managed it.
With the band on stage and Tina Sandwich nowhere to be seen, heads were glancing around. As a heavy rock intro started, Tina Sandwich walked on stage backed with an epic WWE-style intro. Impossibly, the crowd was hyped up even more.
After playing some much-adored tracks, Tina Sandwich blessed the crowd with her new song. Despite only being out for a few days, the crowd had a harness on the lyrics and showed their love for the song.
Next was a sweet unreleased ode to Joni Mitchell, who the crowd seemed to love as much as the song itself.
Fast Cars (and Movie Stars), which has more than 28,000 streams on Spotify, was another upbeat rock favourite of the night. The crowd got their boogie shoes back on and jumped away to a song many had clearly listened to countless times and loved.
Then, came the encore. Inviting the singers from Milange and Soapbox on stage, the trio performed a cover of the Beastie Boys’ classic Sabotage. As expected, Soapbox’s frontman moshed through the crowd but the energy on stage from those remaining was equally exciting. They had the whole room crouched down, the music building and everyone waiting for the bit. As the sound launched into volume, the crowd followed with absolute pandemonium of moshing bodies. This, alongside Up All Night, was a delightfully sweaty way to end the night.
Tina Sandwich and the openers are all performers to keep an eye on. Not only is their stage presence astounding, but their tracks are incredibly polished and powerful. Their next gigs are not to be missed.
Feature image credit: Alex Paterson
