An eager crowd gather early on among the pillars of Stereo to watch Glasgow’s Haight-Ashbury perform support to the legends of lo-fi, Young Marble Giants, for the second night in a row.
Playing only two shows on what has to be called a comeback tour, YMG chose Manchester and Glasgow as their hosts for what might possibly be their last ever live performances.
Haight-Ashbury on the other hand, fresh from their sold out support European and UK tours with Paolo Nutini, grasp the audience attention by playing a number of new tracks
Opening the show was ‘Sepia Song’, a catchy powerful fusion of folk vocals and sweeping psychedelic guitars, which can be found on the Ashbury’s third album, Perhaps.
As the Glasgow trio then bolster in to fan favourite ‘Freeman Town’ from their first album, you cannot help observing the Led Zeppelin influence when listening to Scott’s guitar solos as the song breaks down and the crowd begin to clap, not realising there are several more minutes to elapse.
This seems to excite the Ashbury’s, when Jen and Kirsty look over to each other smiling, building on the crowd’s confusion that now turns to anticipation of where the rest of the track will take them.
Ending the half hour set, Kirsty thanks the crowd for coming down early and thanks YMG for having them there.
They then perform new single ‘Keep It On Ice’, which will be released this December, a fast paced, energetic upbeat track that gives the audience some food for thought.
Taking to the stage Young Marble Giants, who were formed in Wales in 1978, are greeted with cheers and thrills, as the tension in the crowd builds.
A customer complains at the bar that the air conditioning fans are ruining the atmosphere, just as they slow down and come to a grinding halt, leaving behind a very quiet and almost churchlike or assembly hall meeting ambience.
Allison Statton says “hello” and introduces the band as “YMG” and then says “this is called ‘N.I.T.A’” as a pulsating electric drumbeat arises and with it long notes of the keyboard and thick flicks of a bass line are moulded together.
This simplistic aura sounds so vibrant and distinct, not just due to the air conditioning being turned off, but to the band’s all time aim of producing a quality simplistic sound like no other.
Statton’s vocals sound exactly like they do on record from over 30 years ago as she gazes in to the distance, not allowing her eyes to meet anyone in the audience.
The crowd begin to loosen up a little as Statton starts singing ‘Eating Noddemix’ and bob their heads in time to the bass line and the lo-fi sequencing of the tightly knit track.
Statton then calls out to the crowd: “I don’t know when our next gig is but can you all be there?” to which the crowd shout a resounding “yes” and clap enthusiastically.
She then signals the next track is the title track of their main album, Colossal Youth, pulsating happy keyboard riffs and harmonising vocals from the chirpy Statton sounds like she is singing a rendition of a nursery rhyme before the song fades out after only two minutes.
Much like most of their work, each track that is played leaves the audience hungrier for more.
The crowd cheer and clap the loudest throughout the set so far and guitaritst Stuart Moxham, takes in a big breath of stale warm air inside Stereo and calls out to the crowd: ”time for a break?”, to which the audience laugh sympathetically.
He then goes on to say: “you can tell we aren’t rock n roll, because you’re much louder than we are.”
The atmosphere becomes quieter and everyone stiffens up a little as the band prepare for the next track.
Statton, almost looking a little nervous and anxious on stage, ponders over her music stand flicking through the pages, before wheeling through ‘Brand-New-Life’ and ‘Final Day’.
Statton suggests to the crowd that they won’t bother doing that thing where the band walk off stage and walk back on for an encore as the steps to exit the stage almost interfere with where half the crowd are gathered.
Finishing on ‘The Man Amplifier’, with its fun old fashioned organ driven riffs and the more epic sounding and almost manic ‘Cakewalking’, just like the music, a simple ending ensues; the lights filter off on stage and the house lights re-emerge as everyone claps and then turns and heads for the exit.
A simple ending to what might be the last performance of a band that has influenced many others, not just through their music, but how they have recorded, created and innovated the realms of lo-fi music over the years using different equipment and instruments.
Words: Chris Flockhart
Photos: Michael Gallacher
