Fatale at McChuills - March 2026

Fatale l-r James, Euan, Oscar (top), Ben, Chris

Saturday nights in McChuills have been the source of much pleasure for me over the years. Old Nick DJ-ing behind the bar early on, DJ's taking to the decks later, playing (or attempting to play in a busy area!) pool, meeting friends, ending the night there after a gig at the Barrowland Ballroom ... It's a wonderful pub full of characters, behind the bar and on the other side. McChuills has soul and strong values. They know what is right and what is wrong. And they love music! Lots of old faces still regularly frequent the bar and the decks. 

McChuills the kind of pub you fall for, dream of and pine for. These days, visiting is more of a treat, but every time I visit I think of my old flat in Dennistoun and times where I'd wander in for a pint after work and stay for a few, or ... wilder weekends.

It's great to see that McChuills still attracts a variety of subcultures of all ages. I mentioned Old Nick (who was DJ-ing before Andrew Divine last night) above and his son young Nick has done a grand job of changing things just ever so slightly, to put on bands and club nights in the side room ... or Acid Arch. Wet Leg (old blog here) and David Holmes are just 2 of the names to have graced the stage through there.

Fatale were back to the venue where they played their first gig in May 2025 - still less than a year ago! The band hang out in McChuills regularly and both are a perfect fit for each other. Fresh/recovered from 3-date tour of Aberdeen, Dundee and Inverness with The Cords and a show with Warren McIntyre and James Kirk in Edinburgh the previous night, the 5-piece were gig fit. 

Taking to the stage at 10pm, Fatale blitzed straight into Moves You, their traditional set closer. It was a bold move and it worked a treat, the place was bouncing. This is a fuzzy punky pop gem with a glorious breakdown, before zipping back to full throttle. Exhilarating!

Fatale have improved every time I've caught them live since last summer; sound, performance and songs. New song Sugar Bowl was melodic with the duelling guitars sounding sublime. Own Embrace and Another Sunrise sound like old friends. I find myself half singing a-long, even though I've only ever heard them live.

A cover version of Buttermilk by Eugenius fitted like a glove. That guitar riff never got the credit it deserves. Winged Horse, By The Tide and September kept things going while allowing Fatale to show different sides to their natural instinct for melodies, guitar sounds and hooks. 

The rhythm section of Oscar (bass) and James (drums) keep things tight, while also driving the sound along, while the guitars of Euan and Chris (also backing vocals) carry the joy of youthful enthusiasm through chords, riffs, solos and the effects they use. Ben Robertson was born to be a front man - conducting band mates and crowd with his on stage moves. All have fantastic hair! 

Wired sounds like a potential single. While Jesus Christ most definitely will be at some point. Beginning with a warm Big Star-esque riff, the song then explodes into life and is like one big chorus, full of infectious energy.

Fatale seem to have a natural feel for songwriting. Their musical knowledge and taste comes across in the songs they have covered since I first caught them last summer. The confidence that comes from playing gigs and generating a buzz from them seems to be lifting them to new levels. Building on the solid foundation they had from the off with early songs like Moves You, Jesus Christ and Another Sunrise.

Speaking of which, the band are clearly taken by new song Saint Mungo - named after the patron saint and founder of the City of Glasgow. It's the title track of their debut EP that is coming out on a limited edition 12-inch. ORDER HERE

Coming on for an encore, Ben announced that this would be the last time they played their cover of The Velvets Femme Fatale, however given the reaction, I'd be surprised if that's the case! They should definitely keep it up their sleeves for their adventures outwith Glasgow.

The band ended as they began, with an even more super charged version of Moves You, starting with Ben crowd surfing, before their good friend Ben Brown took over and somehow managed to stay aloft! Great fun.

Keep an eye on Fatale's Instagram page for news of up coming shows.

Next up is a gig at The Art School as part of the multi-venue House Guest festival on 4th April. The festival also takes in Sleazys and The 1990 (formerly Broadcast).

Wet Leg at McChuills

Wet Leg, Hester Chambers & Rhian Teasdale

Wet Leg came to my attention in the summer when 6 Music grabbed a hold of their glorious pop punk debut single Chaise Longue and just wouldn't let it go. And anyone who heard it, held the song close to their hearts just as tightly. Funny, catchy, urgent, cool, full of hooks and brilliant guitars - the sound of summer.

Around that time the band announced a tour, including a date in my favourite Glasgow pub - McChuills. You can read all about my love for the bar HERE

I grabbed a couple of tickets and kept an eye on the band. Wet Leg followed Chaise Longue with the superb Wet Dream, more energetic new wave pop, full of yelps, funky beats with scratchy, noisy and vital sounding guitars, suggestive lyrics and enough hooks to floor Tyson Fury.

What makes you think you're good enough

To think about me when you're touching yourself?

It very quickly became apparent that Wet Leg were one of the hottest new bands in the country and that McChuills was going to be far too small a venue to meet demand. I fully expected the gig to be upgraded to St Lukes or King Tuts.

Thankfully it wasn't. Both for the 100 or so people in McChuills and for Wet Leg on stage. They won't be playing that many more gigs where they are just a couple of feet from the audience, staring into the whites of their eyes. 

It was actually quite refreshing to read the band come out in some recent interviews and admit that they were still developing, so playing shows like this was really important. And it is, playing packed intimate venues like McChuills is both fun and a great road test for both band and songs.

As it was, there was a stage where I thought the gig wasn't going to happen as the sound engineer wrestled for 45-minutes to fix an issue with a microphone on stage, looking a little flustered at times as the crowd began to grow a little restless.

So instead of a 9pm start time, Wet Leg finally came on at 9.45pm, quickly bursting into action and winning the crowd from the get go.

Wet Leg are Rhian Teasedale and Hester Chambers, but when they play live they become a 5-piece. Their drummer was brilliant, downing beers in between songs and driving them along. Teasedale and Chambers both played guitar, the bass was groovy, underpinning everything, while at times there was a 3rd guitar or keys/synths.

There was a brilliant rawness about Wet Leg last night. They were tight but loose and they have found a sound that generates fun and excitement on stage and off. Chambers held her guitar high, playing inventive solos and riffs around Teasedale's rhythms. 

Wet Dream was played early on (full setlist below) and most of the songs were upbeat, spiky, melodic and fun. Supermarket sounded like a lost gem from the Britpop era; slightly ridiculous but so catchy I almost found myself singing along. Think Elastica meets Sleeper with Jarvis Cocker on writing duties.

There was a couple of slower numbers and towards the end Teasedale brought the band into a huddle on stage to decide how many songs they could still play. We got another 3, all fun and full of energy, the band having real fun with the instrumental sections in Angelica, with Chambers and Teasedale bending backwards as they played their guitars.

Of course, there was only one song that could close the show, there was no encore. Wet Lege ended with the brilliant Chaise Longue, the crowd singing along, shouting the What? section to in answer to Excuse me.

Frantic, furious and cool, McChuills went suitably wild. Wet Leg easily showcased that they have more singles and what is bound to be one of 2022's most anticipated albums up their sleeves. They were the hottest ticket in town last night and it looks like their April show at The Mash House in Edinburgh is already sold out. Hopefully they add another Glasgow date - be quick in trying to get a ticket if they do!

It's always good to catch a band on the up, it will be interesting to see just how high Wet Leg can go.