I’ll just come right out and say it: As far as I’m concerned, the eponymous debut album from these Scots is the album of the year so far. (Yes, yes, I know it was released in the UK last year. I don’t live in the UK, OK?) Brilliant songwriting by frontman James Allan, who crafts stories and sketches fully-fleshed characters with an astonishing lyrical economy, combined with impossible-to-resist hooks made Glasvegas a love-at-first-listen band for me. I had considered holding off on seeing them live until their headlining show in D.C. (for which I was holding tickets) the week following South-by but, ultimately, I just couldn’t resist catching at least one of their South-by sets. That was definitely the right decision, as the short set Glasvegas played at Stubb’s on Friday afternoon served to whet my appetite and left me anxious for the headlining show I’d see less than a week later.
As much of a treat as it was to be at the SPIN party seeing Glasvegas for the first time, however, it did occur to me that a daytime show at Stubb’s was hardly the perfect environment for such an occasion … at least insofar as it seems to me that this is a band that should be properly experienced in the cool, welcoming darkness of a rock club, rather than under the blinding Texas sun. Incongruous as the circumstances may have been though, the undeniable power of their music, and the positively epic sweep of their sound (an absolutely huge live sound) shone through from the very first goosebump-inducing notes of opener, “Geraldine.†All told, it was a stunner of a set, and left me eagerly awaiting the full-length show that I would see six days later at home, especially as my favorite song, “Go Square Go,” had not been played in this set. As for that D.C. show, which did take place in the cool, welcoming darkness of a rock club (the mighty Black Cat) … well, I’ve been telling friends who were unfortunate enough to have missed the sold out show that the best way I can describe it is: imagine a built-for-stadiums band –with a sound, performance, and lighting to match– then imagine that same band playing their stadium-ready show within the confines of a small rock club. As I mentioned earlier, the operative word here is epic.
While I feel I must acknowledge that the majesty of experiencing Glasvegas live doesn’t even remotely come across on video (including professionally shot late-night TV appearances), nonetheless, here’s a taste of their performance of “Polmont On My Mind†from the SPIN party:
Want to read more highlights from this year’s South-by? Step right up for all of John’s SXSW ’09 highlights.
About the author: John Anderson is a SXSW addict, having attended "South-by" every year since 1999. His South-by geekery spilled over into the realm of blogging in 2006, and he is grateful to the Twangville audience for having indulged his South-by ravings since 2008.