Set to be one of the loudest and busiest events in the generally subdued venue Mono, Guitar Wolf bring a lot of vitriolic noise to the stage.
Amid the festivities of the Commonwealth Games, perhaps the Glasgow crowd are simply too partied out to get as rowdy as the band are asking for.
Support from the excellent Los Tentakills comes in the form of a tight set of foot-stomping rockabilly featuring a fair amount of covers, which are executed with great care for the source material as well as a fresh, modern vibrance and energy.
The band are normally a four-piece however they are reduced to three on the night and what they lack in numbers they more than make up for with fetching hats and a great atmosphere.
A glance out of the window during their final tune of the night and you would have witnessed random passers by joining in with guitar windmills, such is the power of their set; much fun is had by all.
Guitar Wolf are a completely different beast, swinging mercilessly from one abrasive track too the next with middle fingers raised and chin sweat flicked into the crowd with careless abandon.
The leather clad Japanese rockers draw heavily from the angry punks of the 70s but seem somewhat lacking in the message.
Yes, there is a lot of noise and some highly technical guitar skills on display, it does sound forceful and there is a fair amount of swagger on stage, however there isn’t much else to their performance, the band fail really to show any self-awareness and there is much expression beyond that which could be expressed with simple hand gestures.
I thought perhaps it was just me, but a scan of the room shows only a couple of heads bobbing with any more vigour than you would see on a morning bus ride, this one should have been rowdy.
Words: Angus MacDonald
Photos: Ann-Margaret Campbell
