Recently I ticked off a box on my Glasgow to-do that was long overdue. To attend a gig at King Tut’s. I know. Probably should’ve been before now. To business though, and the bands taking the burden of my terrific expectation were Copy Haho, Pulled Apart By Horses and Sky Larkin and it duly turned into a night memorable for a number of reasons. It began with the Haho boys. Since moving westwards I like to think I’ve become reasonably good friends with these fine fellows, mostly because I provide Joe with caramel shortcake in Peckham’s. I’m also a huge fan of their wonderful pop music and after I was informed by Edinburgh flyering legend Jim of the top notch sound quality at Tut’s I was suitably excited about hearing such instant classics as You Are My Coal Mine, Cutting Out The Bad and new banger Pulling Push Ups (Apologies to Joe, this is all a bit glowing isn’t it?). I probably needn’t tell you it was brilliant, by the end of the set even the bar staff had left their station to peer round the corner toward the stage. Their debut EP is out shortly on the impeccable Big Scary Monsters and the first 50 preorders get a poster which is allegedly shit but I’m sure quite marvellous.
Pulled Apart By Horses, I was led to believe by HP, the other half of mighty Edinburgh night This Is Music along with the aforementioned legend Jim, would “bring the rock”. And they did. In fact it was a veritable feast of 'the rock'. A quite preposterous live experience, all the hallmarks of screaming vocals, thrashing limbs and stage dives, speaker scaling and thundering riffage were present and correct. Occupying the same ground so well trodden by Death From Above 1979 and fellow Leeds thrash types, them of the journalist’s punctuation bane, ¡Forward, Russia! (yes I copied and pasted that) doesn’t really help them, for outside of their live experience it all sounds a bit tired. But I suppose they would likely argue that live is really where their musical heart lies. They do have some mean RAGE style riffs though, and you can’t argue with that.
Finally were Sky Larkin and for the life of me I just can’t quite grasp get the fuss about this band. And in saying that I feel almost disgraceful and sullied, because they’re clearly quite lovely folk and for a lot of people they are the proverbial bee’s knee’s. I remember seeing them supporting Los Campesinos! way back in 2007 at the Capitol in Glasgow and leaving with a badge and being happy about this, so there must be something I enjoyed. I’ll need to have another listen to the recorded material I reckon, and no doubt when the album emerges shortly on Wichita, it’ll be snapped up for absorption.
Afterwards, there was some discussion about a semi-mythical Bloc Party (the Wichita labelmates of Sky Larkin were over at the somewhat more cavernous Carling Academy) afterparty but this indie wet-dream never materialised and thus Nice & Sleazy’s was the foremost option. As it turned out however, this was a truly wise decision because who should we spot in said bar but Arab Strap themselves, Malcolm Middleton and Aiden John Moffat. Not that I spoke to them, god no. How terrifying a prospect that would be. Upon moving next door to the mighty Box we again encountered the Scottish indie legends, who were by now heartily pissed and having a riotous time. The finale to this was observing Middleton having a good dance and then falling flat on his back. I take this memory to the grave. Great stuff. Give me that over a trendy, strutting über-indie afterparty anytime.
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