Raining. Cold. Windy. Good thing there is warm shelter and a pint at the 13th Note in Glasgow. Not only that, but three Scottish bands are going to be pumping out live music tonight. Lions.chase.tigers will be accompanied by State of Affairs and Wanton Mission Failure.
Wanton Mission Failure brought forth great modern rock that packed a powerful jab and a left hook. Loud, aggressive, but radio friendly at the same time, the four piece have a sound that is tough and motivational. "Lose Myself", with a nice bass introduction, pumped out a true rock sound and you can see the classic rock influences intertwined into this bands style. It's the kind of music that makes you want to turn up the radio, drive really fast down the highway, singing to yourself and thinking about your ex and "The Battle of You and Me" helps you do just that. Great start to the night. So far, mission accomplished.
Edinburgh's State of Affairs were sandwiched in the middle of the bill and they came out rockin'. Their songs combine an easy listening calmness that often developed into power riffs that would shake the needle on the Richter scale. These guys are really good and belong in company of bands like Mae, Underoath, and Armour for Sleep. I honestly couldn't name any of their songs as a pure stand out, which just goes to prove that it's all good. Try and get out to see these guys, and if you choose to go into it blind, without hearing any of their tunes, (like I did) I'm sure you'll be pleasantly surprised. If you can't make the journey east to catch a live show in their home town, be sure to get your greasy paws on their forthcoming EP. This way a couple years down the road from now you'll be telling the truth when you tell your mates you liked them before they were big.
Lions.Chase.Tigers were headlining the night and it was time for these young cats took to the stage. Lacking a little in confidence but that was fine for their first show of the year after the festive hiatus. Shaking off the holiday cobwebs, they put together a great set of expressive, melodramatically pleasing songs. Through the scarves and stripes, they proved they know their instruments and what they are capable of. If these guys continue to keep playing live shows throughout Scotland they are only going to get a bigger audience and gain the confidence needed to make themselves really stand out in the live environment. In keeping with what's in tune in the independent pop scene these days, I'm sure they'll have the high school girls screaming for more, but I wouldn't be surprised if they're already at that stage in the game.