Showing @ The Arches, Glasgow, Sat 26 April only
The Glaswegian rock band Fatherson follow up their debut album launch with a staggeringly packed out headline show at The Arches. In a world where local talent is often seen struggling to gain a big following, Fatherson prove their worth as their Saturday night show is brimming with avid and excitable fans, coming from across all areas of Scotland to see them.
The masses create a big atmosphere, but this equates to only a percentage of the buzz which comes from the stage when the punchy brash trills of Ross Leighton bounce between the venue’s iconic tunnelling walls. The crowd is packed up inside, fixed in awe as they open their set with I am an Island, the song to which their debut album is titled. The rare force of high male vocals submerged in deep cello notes chills the room.
The slick performance is shadowed by the epic yellow back-lights on stage, which beam onto the crowd as they word-for-word every song, like a great Scottish choir singing for all their worth. With such a different sound, the mixed up weight of Glaswegian rock with harmonising vocals and cello undertones is only part of what justifies Fatherson as one of the most successful fast climbing Scottish bands of the moment. Yet, Leighton still seems modestly dumbfounded by the reception tonight, and takes a few moments where he steps back from the microphone in astonishment as his lyrics are fed powerfully in unison back towards him.
The show ends magnificently, with the audience reeling a chant of ‘so go home, sober up, take the weight off your feet and just chill’, a lyric from encore favourite James, a refreshing alternative to the typical and tiresome ‘one more song’, and more importantly a deserved reaction to just how favoured Fatherson are amongst their fans.