@ Glad Café, Glasgow, 21 July 2015

The Glad Café is a coffee shop, bar and live music venue situated in Glasgow’s South Side. Located a short trip southward of the hustle and bustle of Glasgow city centre, it is definitely worth journeying to the Shawlands area to see some great live music in this intimate and welcoming venue.

Poor Things open tonight’s gig with a short set of catchy rock-pop tunes. Their sound is not too far from Weezer or even Pavement at their most melodic: think big choruses and loud guitars. The blistering energy and verve of their music make for an excellent gig opening. Last month, Poor Things put out a split single on Gerry Loves Records – a good place to begin exploring the sounds of this band.

Evans The Death recently released their second album, Expect Delays, on indie label Fortuna Pop! There have been lineup changes since their self-titled debut release, but despite these, the band’s raw energy and their ear for a catchy pop tune remain. Tonight’s show has prompted the London-formed group to embark on their first performing trip to Scotland, but they are definitely not novices to live music-making. Vocalist Katherine Whitaker and the rest of the five piece band take comfortably to the stage to perform loud discord rock with passion and intensity. Despite following, in instrumental terms, the indie pop staple (two guitars, drummer, bass player and vocalist), there is an added depth to this music. Propelling it are the punchy lyrics and soaring vocals, which feel even more visceral and immediate in a live setting.

The bulk of the set is made up of songs from the new album, and these are well-received by the audience. Over the past few years Evans The Death have toured relentlessly, and have continued throughout to make powerful and engaging music. Their Scottish debut was a triumph. Let’s hope more dates north of the border will soon be pencilled into the touring diary.