This is what the Ramones’ Phil Spector-produced album ‘End Of The Century’ could have sounded like without the shlock. Glasvegas present a reverb-drenched pop revue that packs a punch.
The Glasgow four-piece play a kind of backstreet boozer take on Bubblegum Pop that fuses the cheerfulness of The Ramones’ ‘Rock’n'Roll High School’ with darker lyrics and down to earth attitude.
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Glasvegas are ‘the best Glasgow band in 20 years,’ according to Alan McGee, founder of Creation Records and the man who discovered Oasis. He would say that, wouldn’t he, as Glasvegas sound - and look - almost uncannily like the bands McGee championed on Creation between 1986 and 1988. The Jesus And Mary Chain, The X-Men, Biff Bang Pow and a fledgling Primal Scream.
Glasvegas sound like ‘a cross between the Jesus And Mary Chain, The Ronettes, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Alex Chilton and Motown,’ said McGee in an interview two years ago. That description is still pretty accurate.
I’d definitely add the Ramones. Singer James Allan does ever so often sound strikingly just like Joey Ramone, particularly in the ‘ooh, ooh, oooohhoo’ bits. Listen to ‘Daddy’s Gone’ or ‘Geraldine’ and you know what I mean.
The band is on tour this December. Are their shows going to be as full-frontal and abrupt as the Jesus & Mary Chain’s legendary 30 minute gigs? Try and catch Glasvegas in concert. Check dates and buy Concert Tickets online.
Back in their day, the Mary Chain, the Primals and the rest were called the C86 bands, named after a compilation cassette tape distributed with music mag NME in 1986. Most of the bands on the tape flaunted 1960’s influences, a pretty radical thing to do at the time, believe it or not.
Glasvegas got the C86 look right down to the detail: Black shirts buttoned up, leather jackets, black drainpipe jeans. Even the hairdos look like straight out of the 80’s. I have a 7″ by the Mighty Lemondrops from around 1987/88 where the band look uncannily like this year’s publicity shots of Glasvegas.
So, is it a pure revival or is it fresh? The music draws inspiration from a wide range of influences and goes beyond the original C86 sound. Also, nobody does the C86 look at the moment so this is quite cool, too.
Once you’ve listened to Glasvegas, they’re a band you’ll recognise straight away when one of their songs comes on. There’s something going on here that’s worth your attention.
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Listen to Glasvegas’ new single ‘Geraldine’. US residents can download the track as DRM-Free MP3 for only $0.99!
Listen here to Glasvegas’ debut album. Download the album here from iTunes UK. We don’t charge any extras, just pay the iTunes UK Store price!
