Photo Credit: Andy Davies
It’s a cold and wet Saturday evening in Glasgow but the queue outside the Barrowlands stretches down the street. Tonight’s gig has been brought forward a month due to the headliners attending an awards ceremony on the original dates. This announcement created a lot of animosity from travelling fans but upon entering the Barras this evening, the vibe is nothing but electric and the whole place is buzzing.
First up are Sydney’s C.O.F.F.I.N who do an excellent job of warming up the crowd with their furious brand of punk-rock bringing to mind bands like Poison Idea and even Motorhead in parts. Despite being a relatively unknown band, there’s a pit going and a full house of happy fans by the time the band finish up. Glasgow would certainly welcome these boys back with open arms. A job well done. 7/10
By the time AMYL AND THE SNIFFERS take to the stage the room is rammed to the rafters and the excitement in the room is infectious. As Freaks to the Front begins the room explodes with life and we’re off. Frontwoman Amy Taylor sets the standard of how to own a stage and control a crowd. She runs back and forth across the stage, gets down in the pit whilst constantly smiling, pulling faces and interacting with the crowd at every moment. Gacked on Anger and Got You follow and the mass of sweaty fans lap up every moment and keep the security busy up the front. The band show no signs of slowing down tearing through live faves such as Maggot and No More Tears. They briefly pause to have some banter with the crowd, down shots of Buckfast and then get back to work.
Knifey which is dedicated to the girls and non-binary people in the crowd is the most poignant part of the set, bringing the tempo down for a few minutes but lifting the intensity to another level.
Tonight is a special show and it’s felt by both band and fans alike. This isn’t a band going through the motions, the love for Glasgow is real and it’s reciprocated by everyone in the crowd. Guitarist Dec Martens ends up in the crowd himself whilst members of C.O.F.F.I.N join on the stage as the band close up their set. As the lights go up, there are two thousand sweaty and happy fans heading out into the dreary streets of Glasgow. Can we do that again, please? 10/10
Words and Photos By: Andy Davies
