The Glasgow PodcART

Tuesday night and after a celebratory pint the night before with the newest members of the podcART team it was on to Kung Tits and ‘The Balladeers’. If you haven’t heard the band before then it is almost impossible to describe them. They have a bluesy quality reminiscent of The Doors and with multi-instrumentalist Sean Fitzharris’ meandering organ parts there is an essence of the Kurt Weill influence that shaped Doors ditty Alabama Song, but trying to nail what a Balladeers song sounds like is much like describing the weather in Glasgow, ever changeable!  Give the song a few seconds and it will speed into a ska riff or break into an almost apoplectic crescendo of thunderous bass and crashing cymbals. This is easily one of the loudest bands you will ever hear and there is hardly a distorted guitar in sight!! All this noise is underpinned by Jackson Scott’s breathy, dead pan delivery and subtle guitar lines. Jackson’s fingers are perpetual motion, at times a blur of activity that seem impossible to reconcile with the sound produced through his amplifier. Blues turns to folk turns to other as violins are thrown into the mix of ever-changing rhythms and directions. Songs very rarely go in the expected direction but they always end up in a place reminiscent of where they began.

A special mention has to come to the walking bass lines of Gavin ‘Gav’ Troon and drums of Ruaraidh Macleod who between them produce a pulsating rattle of deep bluesy beats that are as infectious as they are startling. If you close your eyes at times its as if your listening to Keith Moon playing drums in ‘Madness’, a bizarre twist of fate fusing apposite musical styles’ in a marriage of inconvenience. The product of the marriage is something unique, at times familiar yet also startling. The Balladeers are that unusual musical anomaly, a band that will remind you of tonnes of other bands, yet sound only like themselves.

The Goldheart Assembly

It is always unfortunate when the touring band gets punted from top spot because they didn’t sell enough tickets but this was the card dealt The Goldheart Assembly on Tuesday due to the large Balladeer turnout.

 ’Has anyone downloaded this song from NME yet?’.. No response.

‘Is anyone here to see us?’

No response!!

I have to say i actually enjoyed the bands set. Although all the songs had a fairly similar quality and there was some obvious filler, the band were very good. Lush harmonies played over a late 60’s San Francisco sound meant there was nothing startling or new here, but it was all played out in a bravura fashion. Think ‘The Thrills’ if they were actually quite good and you are in the ballpark. Actually, i quite like ‘Big Sur’ now i think about it but no matter, The Goldheart Assembly were alright. Good musicians, a couple of great songs, they looked fantastic and i reckon if the stay together for a couple of years and grow some more facial hair to get that authentic late 60’s look then you never know.

There really was nothing new here though……. Unlike The Balladeers.

Sean

www.myspace.com/theballadeersrock