Double take time. Dear old King Tuts was actually busy! I might have missed the first song but there was no doubt whatsoever in my mind that Carnivores had a purpose and that purpose was to shake the flaking paint off the walls and, showing the kind of confidence that proclaimed that they were not from Glasgow, they duly did so with a energetic mix of acerbic indie rock, hardcore metal riffs and (another surprise!) a sense of humour.
Following on were Tubelord who delivered as set of what I believe is commonly referred to alt-rock. A bit quirky rather than truly offbeat, they never really strayed far from what you would expect and, perhaps because of the novelty of a near falsetto male lead vocal, there would also be a case for proposing this band to be what indie pop would sound like if it were on the steroids.
Headlining tonight’s sold out gig was And So I Watch You From Afar and if ever there were a band that deserved to sell every ticket that went on sale then it was this intelligent and gracious band from Northern Ireland. Freed of lyrical restrictions, they let their instruments do the talking and what a conversation it was from a solidly rocking start that nearly caused a spontaneous moshpit through subtler moments highlighting both Celtic and African influences to a crushing, crowd surfing finale that drew two well deserved encores. It might well be a cliché but And So I Watch You From Afar is the kind of band that is destined to live (and die) on stage. The proof of that was there for all to behold.
Job done - and, anyway, glockenspiels make me thirsty - so off to The State Bar it was for a decent pint of Guinness.