CO2, Reverie, Andrew Lindsay, Alex Edwards, Playing At Pharaohs live at The Admiral Bar, Glasgow
Aren't thumbs such peculiar instruments? Just as Sunday is a strange day with emphasis being put on rest and family. What about music? Irish rockers CO2 entertained an eventually keen crowd at the Admiral Bar. So we set sail.
Alex Edwards began proceedings with a set of acoustic songs that hinted heavily at a fondness for both celtic and American folk music. With a little of his own ingenuity and humour, Edwards churned out a set to combat inattention. Thankfully, most in attendance noticed this lad's ability and gave him the applause he merited.
Next up was Glasgow boy Andrew Lindsay. Hailing from the Frightened Rabbit school of introspective indie-folk, there was certain appeal in his performance, although you were never going to leave the show singing one of his songs. Voice and lyrics took precedence over music in his case. Although perhaps in need of a backing band - or at least a comic foil - fans of the aforementioned indie hipster flavours should catch Andrew Lindsay and hear what he say to say.
Playing at Pharaohs consisted at first of a rather cute young lady (Gemma) and a fellow in a Motorhead shirt (Andy) - both with guitars at the ready. My estimate suggests that this musical venture is in its infancy but, with increased exposure to song writing and performing, it could well prove fruitful. After all, who doesn't care for tuneful, folksy sounds? Later joined by keen associates who added further musical accompaniment, we heard both the quieter and "louder" joys of their sound.
Following on was a girl known as Reverie. Just as the name clouds her real identity, a mysterious quality permeates through her music. Gently scraping the strings of her guitar, and singing in a fragile, distant voice, there was almost a need for some thought before applause. But applause was most certainly due. We were even given a glimpse of the cute side of Reverie's music with a sweet sound being drawn from her ukulele on a couple of songs. An interesting performance indeed.
And so came CO2. Led by the emotive cries of frontwoman Noelle, this act were quick to impress, airing a rather emotionally-charged hard rock sound, in much the same way as Placebo once did. Before long, a once-shy crowd were on their feet - the music either compelled them or it had incredible healing properties. A watertight performance, tracks like "All or Nothing" were meant for large arenas and maybe that's where they're headed to.
On the seventh day, God took it easy. That's not to say that you should. Real music fans don't know what day of the week it is anyway.
Reviewer: Peter McGee
Review Date: 7 March 2010
Websites
CO2
Reverie
Alex Edwards
Andrew Lindsay
Playing at Pharaohs
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