Young Guns w/ The Xcerts, Every Avenue and Dangerous!
It’s not often gigs of this scale find their way to Aberdeen since the loved Moshulu closed down, so when you look outside and see a long queue of excited punters, it gives you a good feeling for what lies ahead. Young Guns, haven’t played a show in the UK since Download Festival, instead being holed up on the other side of the world recording a follow up to their critally acclaimed debut album All Our Kings Are Dead. Just one peek at the bands playing before them and it’s easy to see why the English rock group are nervous to make their return to the club circuit.
A band who aren’t in the slightest bit nervous are Dangerous!. They take to the stage with the confidence you would expect from much more experienced bands and the young Aussies, match it with a solid slabs of punk tinged rock. It’s not the kind of band the many would have been expecting but their exuberance onstage (and off, in vocalist Tommy’s case) turns heads. Songs such as ‘Not One Of You’ and recent single ‘Movers & Shakers’ sound just as gritty onstage as they do on record, and they’re delivered with a swagger which would suggest the band are perfectly at home here in Aberdeen. It’s great to see a band who don’t take themselves too seriously, and one feels it is an attribute which will see Dangerous! go far. (8)
Americans Every Avenue are no stranger to playing shows in the UK and this experience shines through when the quintet have to play through a set plagued with sound difficulties. It’s not easy for the guys, but as the set goes on, the quality picks up and the crowd begin to feed off of the band’s feel good songs; such the opener from their latest album ‘Tie Me Down’. The set list is boasts many accessible songs from both their recent album Bad Habits and its predecessor Picture Perfect, and the balance keeps things nice and fresh right up to the finale in ‘Tell Me I’m A Wreck’. Things could have been better if the sound quality wasn’t dire at times, but it’s far from a shambles. (7)
The Xcerts are one of the finest bands to escape the confinements of the Aberdeen music scene, so it’s no surprise that the room is packed by the time the band take to the stage for their homecoming show. One criticism that has been aimed at the band in the past is their arguably poor setlist choice (maybe a bit heavy on more obscure songs), but this can’t be said for tonight’s choices. The band open up with the punchy ‘Do You Feel Safe?’ before ripping in to ‘Scatterbrain’, followed by some of the band’s most popular tracks from their latest album, particularly ‘Slackerpop’. The band are perhaps stick out a little bit tonight but they have enough about them to grab the attention of those who wouldn’t normally buy a ticket to such a performance. You can perhaps put this down to the many diverse support slots they have gained over the course of 2011 (in particular, Taking Back Sunday), but watching the band on stage it’s quite a simple formula. These guys are having fun, and are quite simply riding the wave of good fortune that 2011 has brought them. A successful homecoming show in many respects. (9)
It can’t be easy headlining a show with such great bands playing below you on the bill, but as Young Guns take to the stage and burst into ‘Elements’, it quickly becomes apparent that the band have upped their game. They have a completely different aura when compared to those who graced the stage before them. There’s a degree of determination etched on the face of frontman Gustav Wood as he commands the crowd from both the stage and the barrier, so much so that it’s difficult not to be totally absorbed in the performance. He has the crowd in the palm of his hand, which he utilises well when he orders them to sing along to new song ‘Bones’ and the anthemic ‘Crystal Clear’. Young Guns have the songs and the persona to wrap up a fantastic evening of live music as they blast through the powerful ‘Weight Of The World’ before giving their heartfelt gratitude to those who have stuck around. You could say tonight was a triumphant success, but did you really expect any different? You could argue that Young Guns sound is one that would be more suited to bigger stages, however if tonight is anything to go by these guys look perfectly at home in smaller surroundings. (8)
