Over a hundred flowers and Feng Shui looking lamps rest between the instruments on the stage of Oran Mor. Definitely enough to set the mood for the evening. Stars have returned to Glasgow only four months after their last tour of duty but were ready to rock the house just as they did last time. Only this time they brought even more Canadians with them in the form of another part of the Arts and Crafts family, Apostle of a Hustle.
Amy Milan has called them her favourite band, and it's easy to see why. With an engaging and charismatic performance it is clear that these three love the music they make. And so do I. Andrew Whiteman has a massive amount of confidence, and the band isn't afraid to mix it up. At one point in the night Whiteman slung his guitar behind his back for an instrumental segment of a song, and went and tapped away at the cymbals of Dean Stone's drum kit with a pair of maracas. The music of Easy E filled the void as the band paused and repositioned themselves on stage. They strung a series of prayer flags across the stage as Stone then dusted off his cajon and then they dedicated a song to Eazy E, "… and everything he's ever done", and tore into their tribute to the late rapper. They rounded out the set performing my new found favoutite AOH song; "My Sword Hands Anger". Thunderous bass, lyrics you can sing to, and swift beats on the cajon. Listen to this song first thing in the morning and you'll find yourself strutting to work like Richard Branson on pay day.
Take down the flags, subtract a rapper tribute song, add a few more canucks, a flute, a flamboyant drummer, some keyboards, pillow case merchandise, and a melodica, and suddenly you have Stars take the stage. The voices of Amy Milan and Torquil Campbell fit together like jigsaw puzzle pieces and if you need proof, look no further than "Personal", where the two combine for a watery eyed duet. "Midnight Coward" also demonstrates how well these two voices collaborate; Campbell's passion and energy are accompanied by Milan's sweet and articulate style. "Ghost of Genova Heights" also warrants praise as Campbell's voice reaches the high notes and then collides with a dance beat that summons your feet to the dance floor. "Elevator Love Letter" took the crowd to new levels, and the energy flow continued with "What I'm Trying to Say" that always rallies the audience. The set continued and included "Window Bird" where Milan's voice prevails once more, "Your Ex-Lover is Dead", "Take Me to The Riot", and an encore performance featuring "The Night Starts Here" with a helping hand from Andrew Whiteman. The flowers flew through the air throughout the night and the audience scrambled to catch a souvenir of the show. By curfew, the stage was left with the remains of the bouquet and the remains of a show well played by two of Canada's finest bands.