LeBrock - Classic Grand, Glasgow Friday 10th September 2021

There was only one way to find out, so I spurned the chance to go to one of several more traditional rock gigs in Scotland that night and made my way along the M8 to Weegie Land for the first time in a while. The motorway wasn’t too bad for a change but street closures for TRNSMT and the one-way system got me, although I still managed to dodge the apprentice neds outside McDonalds and Wetherspoons and get in on time.

The gig was in the 250-capacity, Lounge on the floor below the main venue and there was a healthy crowd in. Disconcertingly for me, there was no sign of the usual rock uniform on most of the young-looking audience. I think I was probably the oldest person in the room and definitely the only one wearing a Vantage Point T-shirt and Rockfiend hoodie!

The stage set-up freaked me out a bit too – there wasn’t one! No backline, no drum-kit or mike stands – just a completely bare stage. In the past, rock fans have always grumbled about bands using ‘backing tapes’ but the times are changing – this is a synth-wave band after all. I definitely always give symphonic rock bands a pass on this topic as you can’t bring a choir and orchestra out on tour with you and I’m happy to accept modern bands with pre-recorded stuff as young folks are used to guitar-free music, non-traditional band set ups and DJ sets. It still feels weird, but this band have great melodic songs, it’s just that they’re played on synthesizers and drum tracks.

Happily, it still felt like a gig when the performers emerged though. There’s only two of them, including Michael Meadows on guitar so we did get guitar work and solos on every track, although sometimes he was almost invisible in the dark, as the only lighting on stage was 4 thin vertical light strips at the back. Shaun Phillips is the singer and he was very visible when he popped into the flickers of light at the front of the stage. He really looked the part with proper rock star charisma and long hair, plus an authentic looking 70s-style satin tour jacket – almost like a young Sebastian Bach, at times.

Musically, it all worked. “Hollow” was a great opener and they rattled through a selection of album tunes and EP ‘oldies’ that went down really well with the audience, hell, I even found myself accidentally dancing for a few seconds before I remembered who I am. It’s definitely got an 80s cinematic feel and I think they would do really well if they could get some songs on TV or movie soundtracks. They wrapped it all up with the fabulous “Interstellar” (definitely in my Top 3 singles of the year) but it was only a 45-minute set.

I would have to say that I enjoyed it and would go and see them again, but my pal Alan was less keen. I do wonder if they would do OK at HRH AOR or similar but I’m not sure if rock folks would give them a chance because of the karaoke feel and their non-traditional style. I fear they may fall between the stools of fragmented music genres but they’re definitely good enough to carve out their own niche.

It is also worth noting a fine set from the main tour support, Heart of Gold. Now they did look like a proper rock band, with vocalist, a real drum kit and two guitarists, although neither of them was playing bass and they also augmented their sound off-stage. The band is a vehicle for the solo-songs of Michael McGough, who’s actually English but whose day-job is guitarist with US melodic-hardcore band, Being as an Ocean. He sported a pretty loud Hawaiian shirt and stepped out without his guitar prop to sing at the mike. It’s not unfair to say that he’s not yet a flamboyant and showy front-man, but he is amiable and introduces a very tight selection of songs, of which the highlight is the elegiac “Midnight in Miami”.