Photo Credit: Rory Barnes
On the first weekend of June, Scotland really is the place to be from Taylor Swift in Edinburgh, Girls Aloud in Glasgow’s OVO Hydro and The LaFontaines in a soft play centre on a Sunday morning. Yes, you read that right.
Prior to the release of their fourth studio album Business As Usual, the Scottish trio headed to Inflata Nation in Glasgow to put on a fun little rock show in the inflatable arena. The idea was inspired by Kerr Okan’s own experience as a father, giving parents who might not be able to attend live shows as much as they’d like the chance to let their hair down whilst their kids have a great time too.
Walking in to be met with the band sound checking to tables full of kids birthday parties, unaware of what was going to go down soon, it looked set to be one of the strangest gigs we’ve attended to date. After a pre-set soundtrack of Let It Go and A Whole New World, the band walked to the front of the room as Okan joked ‘you’re the mini rockers of tomorrow – see you at festivals in ten years!’, Kicking off with Alpha, the trios performance is slick with the dual vocals of Okan and Jamie Keenan bouncing off each other with Darren McCaughey’s effortless guitar lines running through. The LaFontaines were not just here to play but also educate the excited kids running around and upping the energy in the room, ‘That song was Alpha which begins with an A, A is for Apple’.
Opening up to the seated crowd, Okan said what we were all thinking ‘In theory this was a fantastic idea. Three minutes in it’s very strange. I feel like some entertainer at Butlins, if this album doesn’t sell that’s where I’ll be’. Having seen the band perform in festival fields and smaller venues in the UK and Europe, this was definitely a new experience for us and the many parents in the room who were clear fans of the band. Continuing through their set, fan favourite Up made an appearance as the singalongs began and smiles spread across the kids and parents faces bouncing along to the melodic number which sees clean and rap vocals entwine flawlessly.
New album track and recent single Where They Know My Name went down a treat as Okan walked around the venue introducing himself to the kids watching on and even letting a younger fan in the audience who’d come equipped with an inflatable guitar take to the stage. Imagine coming to a gig with your own instrument and knowing all the words, this really is the next generation of rockstars in the making!
It’s a punchy, swagger filled set as the trio are musically tight to the point by the time Class and King begin we’ve forgotten that this isn’t our usual surroundings for a show until Okan makes a dive for the soft play to perform for a short while. With rider beers being swapped for mustard and ketchup bottles backstage, there’s a real intimate, fun vibe about today and we’d love to see more bands taking the leap to different venues for shows as it makes it a truly family friendly vibe.
As we headed towards the end of the set ‘there’s only time for two more songs before the castles deflate!’ it was time for Okan to try and get a conga line going. Emphasis on the word try… Maybe it was a bit too early on a Sunday afternoon! Closing their set with album title track Business As Usual, there was clapping, there was head bopping and there was a really great vibe. Taking a look around us we saw nothing but smiles on faces, parents dancing along with their children making unforgettable memories and children experiencing potentially their first live gig. The LaFontaines might have said ‘thank you for watching us car crash our way through this’ but you know what? They absolutely smashed it in the best way.
With this show being in support of new album Business As Usual, the band were promoting it in any way possible whether it was joking that ‘every album brought is another child saved’ or trying to get the youngsters to spend their pocket money on the album. The LaFontaines are one of the most solid and consistent live bands on the scene, the trios lyric and musical abilities are second to none whether it’s spitting raw verses or the sing-along choruses. Putting on a show at Inflata Nation whilst making it feel like it’s a normal Sunday activity, never missing a beat and performing like this was a grassroots music venue down the road proves just how they’re one of the best bands in Scotland right now and they definitely deserve your attention.
Business As Usual is out now via SO Recordings and is available to purchase here.
The band will be heading out on a run of more conventional shows later this year, see them at the following dates:
September 2024
Fri 13th – GLASGOW – Barrowland Ballroom
Mon 16th – NEWCASTLE – The Cluny
Tue 17th – LEEDS – Wardrobe
Wed 18th – MANCHESTER – Deaf Institute
Thu 19th – BIRMINGHAM – O2 Institute 2
Fri 20th – CARDIFF – Clwb Ifor Bach
Sat 21st – LONDON – Omeara
Tickets are on sale HERE.
