Shimmer, the Chinaskis, Unite the Divide, Baldego live at Pivo Pivo, Glasgow
There is something inspirational about walking through the streets of Glasgow. Beggars, thieves, domestic disputes saved up so they can be shared with the world outside a bar, that big police van fitted out for riots - everything you might need to get the creative juices flowing. Even in the relative tranquillity of a basement bar, you get hyperactive goldfish and musicians ordering cocktails by the pint. You would run out of ink long before you ran out of words.
So to Baldego. I was of the opinion that Baldego were a band - in fact, I'm sure they were - last time I saw them but tonight Baldego are but one man. However, with some electronic trickery to assist him, J.J. McGowan delivered something a lot better than a set of stripped down rock songs and his vigorous performance soon got your attention and made you forget the lack of his band mates.
Onward to Unite the Divide. This young band must have fitted themselves with Duracell batteries before starting to play. That would explain the amount of energy on show on stage and they powered their way through a bouyant set of punk meets hard rock songs.
Time for Shimmer. If you are looking for a band that is right on the money then Shimmer are for you for they've got songs that scale all the way up to a stadium. Memorable riffs and radio friendly melodies abound and the band play like a band should. Those songs get batted out into the room with both precision and feeling making it easy to see why this band has built a substantial local following.
The task of following Shimmer fell to the Chinaskis. It was not an easy task by any means but the Chinaskis made a decent showing nonetheless. Keeping the tempo up was a smart move and their songs - punctuated as they were with heavy rock guitar riffs - were delivered confidently and dynamically. That's not to say that they were a rock band for there were clear indications of underlying power pop sensibilities.
Reckon a trip to the kebab shop is in order. There will be sights to be seen there. There always are.
Reviewer: Handsome Bluesbunny
Review Date: 29 April 2010
Websites
Shimmer
Baldego
Unite the Divide
The Chinaskis
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