Free entry often guarantees a crowd. Free drink is always a nice touch. However, I’d rather attribute the popularity of Schnapps’s album launch to the fact that they have attracted a solid fanbase due to the quality of their music and previous concerts. This showing at The Old Hairdressers - which seems to have sprung up overnight – was an impressive throwback to the days when bands weren’t coddled and pampered.
As with most bands who flirt with garage rock and punk styles, there was a definite energy to the performance with frontman Jnr. Crawford proving to be a most theatrical character. Strangely, for a Glasgow-based singer, he didn’t seem affronted at the idea of interacting with his audience. The rest of the band were dexterous in playing their parts, giving Crawford free license to swagger through songs such as “Ice Cream” and “Lips”. Older members of the crowd were left to question whether it was 1974 or 2011. At the risk of over-analysing, let’s just call it good, dirty fun.
Credit must also go to the bar staff who probably took up smoking after hours of uninterrupted service. If there’s a profession due greater regard, I’m yet to encounter it and as for the art fags who only turned out to be seen? We could’ve pinned a few to the walls without much ceremony. Would that be modern art?