Tenement Trail has become an annual event for my friend Joe and I. This can be quite tricky as the event falls at the start of the October schools week off, so we need to manage family expectations for a holiday to ensure that nothing is booked until after Tenement Trail!
Expectations were heightened this year by the fact that a number of bands we have been following were on the bill. Two of whom, Ferguson HiFi and Fatale played the Pretty Green TT pre-party at Tuts the night before, along with Little Grandad who we had already seen earlier in the week when they supported the magnificent Madra Salach at Saint Luke's. I never quite got round to writing a blog on that, all I'll say is that Madra Salach were beautifully powerful and soulful. Next stop The Barrowland for them! King Tuts was remarkable value for money, £4 a ticket! More about Ferguson HiFi and Fatale later ...
The sun was shining as Joe and I headed into BAaD to collect our wristbands for the day. We popped into Ho Lee Fook on London Road and were delighted to be seated immediately. The food was super fresh, tasty and had just the right level of kick. We were fueled for the day ahead.
After bumping into and enjoying a great chat with Robert from Paninaro / Social Recludse and the great Brian Sweeney, we also caught up with our mate Robbie and headed into Saint Luke's. A friend had recommended checking out Compost Compost Compost and said they were generating considerable interest.
Compost Compost Compost
Now, I've got to admit, I'm a bit of a band name snob. I make no apologies for that! So, while I'll never like their name, I have to say that the band themselves were super talented, going for a post OK Computer Radiohead sound. Loads of effects on guitar, distinctive bass sounds, epic vocals and cool synth effects and sounds. Not really my thing, but I could totally hear why people are talking about them.
We then had a little spare time to wander round, first stopping into the Van Winkle where a soundcheck was on, but then deciding to head over to the 228 where we caught a few songs from Dan Parks, a young Scottish singer-songwriter armed only with an acoustic guitar. That can be difficult for a young artist, holding your own in a busy bar where people are talking, but Parks held his own. A song about a school race as a child was a metaphor for life, there was a choice cover of California Dreaming and I heard some echoes of Paolo Nutini. Parks appears to be doing well and is headlining Tuts on 20th December.
Out one door, a few steps along, up the stairs and we were into Barras 2 (the venue and bar on the same floor as the merch, toilets and cloackroom) for Paulie Swan who I featured in my preview blog. Swan's online releases feature a full band and cinematic strings. For TT, it was just American (now living in Edinburgh) Swan with his guitar and his soulful and distinctive voice. With lyrics seeming like a spew of self-consciousness, thoughts and observations, Swan played jazzy, bluesy guitar, with what sounded like the occasional CHIC riff thrown in at times. There are no choruses, at least none that I detected, but Swan is one cool customer and has the style and talent to do his own thing. Definite echoes of Cameron Winter, maybe even a nod to Hendrix in his delivery. My friends and I unanimously declared that we could absolutely see him on Later with Jools.
We had a quick detour to The Gate and then split up, with Joe and Robbie heading to the Van Winkle for Maicin, while I headed back to Barras 2 for Angelface. Robbie declared Maicin his band of the day, with Joe saying they reminded him a little of Pavement at times.
Meanwhile, Angelface played a beautifully, swirly and dreamy set that included covers of Mazzy Star's Fade Into You and Vampire Empire by Big Thief. Closing song Think Twice sounds like a future single to me. Think The Sundays, lots of reverb, harmonies to melt your heart and glorious lead vocals. Angelface play Mono for Hogmanay.
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Supersun have featured in this blog a few times over the last year. Led by the energetic Adam Graham who also runs The Cabbage nights, the band has released Shine On as a limited edition flexi disc. I think this is an utterly brilliant song and it sounded fantastic in the Barrowland Ballroom, as did the psychedelic pop tinge Citrus Sunshine. Supersun drew a large crowd and are about to play a few dates on tour with The Bluetones.
The following month, Supersun headline Stereo on 12th November for the first anniversary of their Cabbage nights and also plan to release a magazine to document the times. Adam Graham and his band are definitely bringing a fresh energy to the Glasgow scene.
I was keen to catch Ferguson Hi-Fi, having fallen for the pure punk pop perfection of their debut single Get Over It and seeing them absolutely smash King Tuts at the Pretty Green sponsored Tenement Trail pre party the night before. Their blistering set was full of delicious hooks, choruses and riffs and songs that sound like future singles.
Peter Ferguson sings of life's challenges and beauty, backed by lead (played brilliantly by McCaughey) and rhythm guitars, a bass player who also sings beautiful harmonies at times and a cracking drummer. Clearly well rehearsed, the band zipped through a short set due to the sound issues (such a shame) but I saw enough at Tenement Trail and Tuts the previous night to easily spot a band on the rise.
Ferguson Hi-Fi have just released Little Things (There's Nothing Bigger) as their second single and their first headline show at McChuills on 19th November. TICKETS HERE. Look out for a feature on Ferguson Hi-Fi soon.
With Fatale coming on at 7.30pm, we had to decided whether or not to risk leaving the venue or not. So we decided to head upstairs to the Ballroom to catch some of Cliffords. I can't say I was aware of this band but they impressed. Tight, powerful and confident, singer Iona Lynch was soon commanding the attention of the sizeable (and filling fast) crowd with her impressive voice and stage presence.
However, we only caught half of Cliffords set as we headed back down to Barras 2. I've caught Fatale a number of times in the last 16-months or so and this was the best I've seen them. They gave it absolutely everything. Their energy was incredible, drummer James Lindsay was in sensational form - driving everything along. The whole band vibed off the packed room and gave it back out times 10, lifting the room. Opener September was warm, Winged Horse was beautiful, Moves You was glorious - like Teenage Fanclub in that glorious phase between Catholic Education and Bandwagonesque. Video single Jesus Christ was a riot, new song Superstar was ... super!
Ben Robertson was on top form, dancing, at the barrier, on the barrier, egging the crowd on, getting the place bouncing. Ahead of Another Sunrise, Robertson asked the crowd if they were going out tonight, going on to whip them into a frenzy with the hook I'm going out tonight. New song Bride closed the set, with a slightly heavier sound at times, though still super catchy. Fatale have been growing from strength to strength and I'm very excited to see them continue to develop through 2027.
King Tuts (for the third time this year) the previous night was good, but Fatale seemed to find another gear at Tenement Trail. It's such a great festival for new and breaking bands to play. It's one thing playing for your friends and fans, but another thing playing to festivals in front of strangers, drawn in by what they have seen, read or heard online, or simply because they have a space in their schedule. Judging by the fact there was one out and one in, I don't think too many people had simply stumbled across Fatale. This is a band on the rise.
With rumbling bellies, we walked round to Saint Luke's reminiscing about the burgers we'd had at the Guinness Bar and BBQ the previous year. And it was shutting down! Joe suggested heading to West Brewery and that was the end of our Tenement Trail. Yet another year where we haven't lasted until the headliners! Although we do tend to go for the discovery side of Tenement Trail. I guess some of the crowd do last the full day, while others come later on, and then there will be some like us who come early and don't quite last the distance. And this was me driving on and on Guinness zero!
Tenement Trail 2027 tickets are on sale now.
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