The crowds come out of the Cineworld complex. They weave about the pavement talking about something or other. Not that I care for I am on a mission. A mission to find The Flying Duck. It's not so much a quest as a journey up an alley in Glasgow. Well, a few alleys actually but I always get there in the end.
Ryan Burns is on stage. He's got a bit of gravel in his voice and that's good. One man and a guitar is a recipe for misery most of the time but Ryan Burns lifts things above the melancholy. His voice rings clear and he leaves me with the feeling that he is an honest performer who believes in what he sings.
Spy Movie prove to be something of an enigma. They have a fine collection of mature pop songs replete with melody. They have an appealing singer in Kat King to lift those songs up to the sky. The problem is that they don't really convince you when they play. When they should soar - as on "What Would Morrissey Say" - they simply plod. The sound was less than sparkling and that may well have been the cause of their lack of vigour but as the man says - close but no cigar.
Licker start off well with the rhythmic majesty of the honourable Rufus K Stone shaking the walls. Deadpan, laconic vocals decorate their songs that seem to come from a hinterland occupied by both Goodbye Mr Mackenzie and Joy Division. However, the sound does them no favours either and the band's brave boy-girl harmonies soon get lost in the murk. Of their songs, the shadowy "Underground" stands out. Worth another look at a better venue, methinks.
All quiet on the Western Front. Time to go home.