Glasvegas : Doug Fir Lounge; Portland, OR; January 12th, 2009
(hopefully a running feature)
Well, my first show of the calendar year! I'll admit to not having been aware of Glasvegas until about a week or so ago. I have time during my week to read a small handful of music blogs & e-zines, and this band hasn't been featured in any of them. I saw the article in the Boston Globe previewing their show there, then caught them on Letterman and realized they were scheduled to be playing down the street from me. A cursury listen to some streaming audio and perusal of other reviews on the internets was enough to convince me to buy a ticket.
After reading some of the buzz, I was actually surprised there were tix left when I looked on Thursday. Particularly here in Hipsterland Portland. By show time the Doug was packed. I missed the opening set from Carl Barat, and there was about an hour between sets, as they seemed to be having technical difficulties (I think the set was being proffessionally shot and recorded).
When they emerged, Glasvegas chugged through 9 songs in about 45 minutes, reemerging out of the feedback of "Daddy's Gone" for a quick encore. Having done my homework, I knew the set would be short and thus wasn't disappointed, but seriously? A headline band playing for less than an hour? They've apparently been together since 2003; making their debut record more of a compilation of recuts. This is fine, and not unusual, but it does make me wonder about the future of this group. Do they not have any other decent songs? Are they being so micromanaged their management is afraid of them making a mistake? How is the next record going to take shape? And I guess the answer is "I don't know".
Their set was pretty damn good, if not revolutionary. The comparisons to Jesus & Mary Chain are apt, though I think they sound a little more like the Doves. (But, apparently Glasgow bands are like caucasian basketball players - they may only be compared within their demographic. Despite Glasvegas pointing out that most Glasgow bands that have made it are culled from college students who aren't really from Glasgow in the first place.) I'm glad I went, as presumably their next tour will be more expensive, in a larger venue, etc. Whether they will have the songs to back it up remains to be seen. Their current mash of singalong-chugging-space rock gives them a good start. Tags: music reviews, yablo, glasvegas, rock
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