LIVE REVIEW: Warmduscher @ SWG3 and BC Camplight @ St. Luke’s
Warmduscher - Live at SWG3, Glasgow (April 2022)
I was sprawled out lazily on the couch wrapped in a quilt as the youtube algorithm fed me reactions to Will Smith slapping Chris Rock. I don’t normally chill out but a mixture of bereavement and burnout had left me languishing in an enforced hibernation. Suddenly, I get a message at 7 pm from Kirsten and Jennifer saying ‘Do you want a free ticket to Warmduscher?’ . I initially declined, as these are the messages my subconscious warned me about. One hour later she still had not gotten rid of the ticket so I changed my mind and made my way to the SWG3 just in time for halfway through the first song and was instantly delighted I had ignored sensible advice from my brain and enjoyed the ‘kitchen - twitchin’ of a crazed SWG3 being turned into a sleazy, gutter-funk party.
A surreal disco carnival with boiler suits and sharp-witted lyrics that demand you dance along as the embers of a self-imploding planet light up like an apocalyptic campfire behind in the distance. The venue was packed and loving every moment of it. I still have no idea how or why Hip Hop legend Kool Keith appears on a track with them, or Iggy Pop for that matter. But they are part of a certain London underground scene where nothing, yet everything, makes sense.
A superb live band that will return to Scotland in July for Doune the Rabbit Hole Festival.
And you can check out their incredible, brand new album ‘Live at The Hotspot ‘ over here
After Warmduscher made me feel alive again, I went for ‘one pint’ and ended up at a new Glasgow retro gaming nightclub called NQ64 . Ignore the shite name, they have turned a dingy techno club into a whole new, psychedelic world of arcades and swally that was busy , spacious and open until 3am every night of the week.
I don’t personally play computer games, I have been clean from a troublesome football manager addiction for 15 years but when in rome… I got beat at Outrun 2 by my pal (although it was close) then made up for it by beating him at Mortal Combat . 14 year old me must have saved some sort of subconscious muscle memory because I won … easily.
It ended up being a late one but I knew I had to dust myself down and get back up again to Saint Lukes for the one and only BC Camplight brought to us by the legends at 432 Promotions.
BC Camplight - Live at Saint Lukes, Glasgow (April 2022 )
I had heard bits and bobs that I had liked but a former band member of mine and old friend Martyn was really, really into them and told me to do some digging . That guy knows his onions so I went through the back catalogue and was blown away by the variations in the structures , the passion, the musicality, the self-deprecating humour . Well, it was right up my street.
Above you can see a sold-out Saint Lukes. They sang, they clapped and hung off every word. He has mastered the rare art of introducing songs banter. Telling tales that make the audience laugh and feel every note they are about to hear and see.
Their Kool Keith moment was thinking ‘Why does this American guy know so much about Buckfast?’ but from what I gather he is based in Manchester now and has toured relentlessly over the years and doing that as an independent artist usually means sleeping on a floor for free , and being offered Scotland’s third national drink. It featured on the well-received opener and brilliantly named ‘I only Drink When I`m drunk’ as the crowd jumped around and the main man even spilt Buckie on his keyboard. The music would not be affected though and this was the beginning of a genius set full of emotion and hilarity.
The band are so tight they are like an energy company wanting a 50% wage rise when the rest of the world gets something between 1% and - 20%. That`s how tight they were. For the international reader, tight means stingy. Stingy means tight-fisted with money , like a bad Scottish stereotype that may have begun because cunts were against giving all the oil away for free. I don’t know. I digress.
Tonight BC Camplight played everything from disco to funk to grunge to mellow to ballads to rock n roll. Sometimes fun, sometimes poignant, like all my favourite bands. I am gonna link below to one of the highlights but they need to be seen live in the flesh for the full experience and you can also see these guys yourself live at Doune the Rabbit Hole in July.
To recap, a world class frontman, that got deported by Theresa May. And he is not a fan of her. And neither are we. So that was a good bit.
The whole band were exceptional especially , the lassie who did backing vocals, sax, keys, percussion and everything else. It was more dramatic than Meatloaf but without taking themselves too seriously. I genuinely love that about both these bands, Being able to play as good as anyone else on the planet , and still have fun.
I thoroughly enjoyed Warmduscher, BC Camplight and that new computer game nightclub.
It felt like life can be fun again.
Roll on festival season and before that, I look forward to playing that very same venue Saint Lukes with my own band The Girobabies on April 23rd. Tickets for that can be gotten here
and you can see BC Camplight, Warmduscher, Girobabies and much, much more by getting your tickets here for Doune the Rabbit Hole 2022.
It`s been a tough month, a tough year, a tough life but right now it feels that ….
I`m alright in the world
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