Beer, beards, mosh pits and guitar riffs, that all means one thing; Red Fang are in town.
It has been two years since Red Fang’s first Scottish appearance, an explosive set supporting Mastodon and The Dillinger Escape Plan at the Barrowlands, shortly followed by a sold out headline show at Ivory Blacks.
Tonight the Portland band make their third visit to Glasgow in support of their latest album Whales and Leeches.
The band hit the stage in front a packed room and don’t waste time getting in to the swing of things, opening their hour long set with the 2012 single ‘Hank is Dead’.
The group is known for their high energy live performances and tonight is no different, they are loud, they are tight and they are sounding thunderous, making little room for on stage banter the band blast through an array of songs from their three album catalogue.
It would be somewhat of an understatement to describe the band as ‘well received’ by the audience, met by sing-alongs, crowd surfers and a rather large mosh pit taking up the majority of the floor space (primarily occupied by shirtless men with beards).
The set builds to climax with fan favorite ‘Wires’, but this doesn’t seem enough for crowd who are left demanding more.
When the band return they are met with the classic (awful) Glasgow “here we fucking go” chant, to which singer/bass player Aaron Beam responds “I don’t know what you guys are chanting but it sounds awesome”.
The band treat us to two more songs, finally taking it back to the beginning to close the night, to the first track on the first album ‘Prehistoric Dog’.
This show is a real treat, a fun, energetic and powerful live show; Red Fang’s popularity in Glasgow seems to grow with each visit and rightfully so, a live show of this caliber is a rare spectacle – who knows where the band will be playing in five years.
Words: Iain Gillon
