Those Damn Crows - Cathouse, Glasgow 5 February 2020
Live Review
‘You’ve got to hit the lows to feel the highs’
In their own words, ‘you’ve got to hit the lows to feel the highs’. TDC are feeling the highs right now and they’re ‘king loving it! They’ve paid their dues, learnt their craft and built a reputation. Tonight, the sold-out Cathouse is rammed full of punters who know all the words to the songs on their first album and can’t wait to get their paws on ‘Point of No Return’ - their second album which is poised to smash in the back doors of the charts on its release this week.
After all the support slots and festivals, they enjoy the benefits of headlining; playing last and getting to take their time. As at Winterstorm, they open with the already familiar ‘Who Did It’ - one of several new songs they work into the set effectively, including ‘Sin on Skin’, ‘Be You’, ‘Set in Stone’ and the ballad ‘Never Win’. All the old favourites are there too and some get a re-work to keep them fresh; ‘Someone Someday’ includes excerpts from both ‘Pinball Wizard’ and ‘Live & Let Die’. ‘Blink of an Eye’ is already a stone-cold classic. It’s the kind of song that took Daughtry into the arenas and can do the same for the Crows. Here it gets a ‘Purple Rain’ intro during Shane’s 3-song piano interlude.
There’s not much room for walkabouts in this venue but we still get the full Shane-show including the usual panto stuff about which side can shout the loudest. They don’t need that anymore – they’ve cracked it and the crowd are loud throughout, including the traditional weegie ‘Here We Go’ chant. And for all that eyes are on Shane throughout, don’t forget that the magic doesn’t happen without Lloydie, Shiner and the rest keeping it tight and making the music rock.
It’s a triumphant night for the Welshmen. The whole tour is sold out and its turned into a lap of honour. We’ll not see them in venues this size again but they’re back in Scotland later for Bonfest and Monsterfest. They’re a band whose time has come and they’ve earned the right to gate-crash the big time. Well played lads.