The BBC 6 Music Festival has delivered a huge and diverse line-up over the weekend, including The Jesus and the Mary Chain, Depeche Mode, Future Islands, Loyle Carner, and many more. The festival took place in across venues throughout Glasgow including the Barrowlands Ballroom, the O2 Acadmey, and St Lukes; all of which are institutions in the Scottish music scene.
On Saturday night, we head down to the O2 Academy; a former cinema. The BBC have transformed the venue for the occasion with hanging filament lights, coloured foliage on the balcony, and flowers on the stage.
The first band to take to the stage are homegrown talent Honeyblood. The Glasgow two-piece have had a phenomenal few years. They’ve been signed to FatCat Records, supported the Foo Fighters at Murrayfield in 2015 with Royal Blood, and releasing their second album Babes Never Die, which reached 50 in the UK charts.
It’s clear to see why the pair have been doing so well as they take to the stage with ‘Justine, Misery Queen‘. Despite there being only two of them, they manage to fill every space in the hall with their mix of crunchy guitar hooks and melodic vocals.
It’s hard to take your eyes off the pair as they push themselves as much as possible. Stina Marie Claire Tweeddale throws out some impressive guitar riffs while somehow managing to effortlessly sing in near pitch perfect. Cat Myers produces thudding drum lines which are massive at times, while also pulling back when necessary. In some places, such as the relentless ‘Love is a Disease‘, Myers takes it one step further by incorporating synth and backing vocals into her already intimidating performance.
The band play a selection of new songs, including title single from their album Babes Never Die, and older songs such as ‘Choker’ and ‘Super Rat‘ which helps to cement their place as one of the most exciting up-and-coming bands in Scotland.
Next up are indie band Grandaddy. The band split in 2012 but released their highly-anticipated comeback album, Last Place, this month.
The band open with ‘Hewlett’s Daughter‘ from their critically acclaimed album The Sophtware Slump. The song sets the mood for the rest of the set: moody, subdued and often experimental. They’re fairly relaxed and say little throughout the gig, but this was to be expected. Their music speaks for itself, although part of this could be due to the crowd. Everyone is in high spirits and most seemed to know them well.
Grandaddy played songs across their five albums, and it was easy to hear the influence they’ve had on other bands. Songs such as ‘Way We Wont‘ and ‘Disconnecty‘ wouldn’t sound out of place during a Manchester Orchestra or Death Cab for Cutie set. Frontman of the former, Andy Hull, has previously cited Grandaddy as a big influence on his songwriting.
The band wrap up their set with their 9-minute epic ‘He’s Simple, He’s Dumb, He’s the Pilot‘.
Grandaddy will be continuing on their UK tour with their new album Last Place.
The previous sets have everyone anxious for headliners The Shins. The venue is now packed and you can feel the anticipation.
The band begin with slow starter ‘Kissing the Lipless‘. When the full band kicks in, it has everyone’s attention as James Mercer‘s high vocals blast through the hall.
They rattle through old and new songs without ever dropping in energy. Although some of the current members have only been with the band for a year or so (guitarist Casey Foubert, drummer Jon Sortland, and keyboardist Patti King) The Shins play like they’ve been together since inception.
The Shins released their fifth album, Heartworms, in March this year and show off some of the tracks such as dreamy indie-pop ‘So Now What‘ and the incredibly catchy ‘Name For You‘. However, they know what the crowd are there for and they definitely deliver. They play hits such as ‘Australia‘ and kick off the encore with a beautifully stripped back version of ‘New Slang‘, which makes it worth the wait.
