Live Review – The Blackout

2023 may have taken a few bands away from us – it did however give a lot back including the big news of the return Welsh rockers The Blackout. When the announcement first happened it seemed the return would be limited to their comeback show in Wales and a guest appearance at Download Festival in June, however not long after they dropped of the news of their ‘Fuck The Blackout (Wasn’t It, Was It?)’ tour and the nostalgia came flooding back at the thought of seeing these icons back on the road across the UK. Glasgow always had a great relationship with the band, I went along to catch them take to stage at a sold out SWG3, just a short (ish) walk from where I had last seen them in back 2011, and with the additions of two local Glasgow bands to complete the bill, it was set to be a special show.

Early doors at gigs come with their perks however it does no good for posture – we’re elder emo’s, of course we have back problems in our thirties. Pains aside it was time for the first act of the night in the form of Glasgow’s own Newshapes. The beauty of this tour is the additions of local bands in every city, and this booking was the perfect choice. The Glaswegians brought the screams and heavy riffs while also mixing things up with some smooth vocals. Their sound of glitchy drum tracks adds something new to what they are doing and makes their performance stand out. They made their presence felt giving the crowd a good mix of their released music and even an unheard song. Prepare to see this name on a lot of bills in the future!

Next up a band who just seem to be growing in popularity after each show and music release, it’s one of our ones to watch in 2024, local heroes, Dead Pony. The 4-piece are set to unleash their debut album ‘Ignore This’ in April and this tour is the perfect way to introduce both fans old and new into what’s to come. The opening of the set was a case of start as you mean to go on – kicking off with an unexpected cover of The Prodigy (Pendulum remix) Voodoo People setting the tone. The flow of the set kept you guessing with a mix of hard hitting in your face bangers and slightly more tame tracks to help catch your breath. Their stage presence can’t be ignored with vocalist Anna moving with the confidence and charisma of a singer at the very top. The set contained bangers like ‘23, ‘Never Me’, ‘Cobra’ & upcoming single ‘Rainbows’, It was the perfect way to warm up the crowd for what was to come and provided the first pits of the night.

As the stage gets prepped for tonight’s headliners – the biggest question would be why there was an office chair in the middle of the stage with a mic stand propped in front of it. As the band enter the stage, singer Gavin Butler hobbles on in crutches and his foot strapped up in a boot – Sean Smith points out this comes as a result of Gav busting his achilles tendon the night before and rather than rearrange the tour (as Sean jokingly points out – all the fans have jobs and kids now) the show must go on and mess around they didn’t as they kick off with ‘Shutthefuckuppercut’ which instantly sends the room into a frenzy. Barely halfway through the first song, Sean is hanging across the barrier swinging the mic around in his fashion passing it to fans to scream back the lyrics. The set is stacked with timeless Blackout classics filled with Sean’s iconic growls showing no sign of slacking after all these years. – it really is great to have these guys back.

Despite being stuck in the chair, Gavin makes the best of a bad situation and is as active as possible covering all areas of the state via wheels. The areas Gav struggled to cover, Sean more than made up for, running and jumping around in true Sean Smith style – he even brought his comedian side out bringing the jokes to the party. Wearing a fans bra that made its way soaring on to the stage, something I for one didn’t know was still a thing at live shows around his head for the timeless ‘fly eye’ mimic whilst acting in typical Sean Smith fashion using his mic to well…. signal masterbation.

The set came with a few added surprises with some tour debuts for tracks like ‘Tick Tick BOOM!’ following some prompting from the fans and ‘Liars’ and ‘We’re Going to Hell….So Bring the Sunblock’ also made their way in. The nostalgia came flooding back for each song bringing so many happy memories of seeing this band for the first over a decade ago – in a room singing my heart out to songs that shaped a big part of my life.

‘Hope (Scream It Out Loud)’, iconic classic ‘Children of the Night’ and more recent work in ‘Higher & Higher’ concluded a very fun show. It was such a pleasure to see this band back on stage, despite the injury from the opening night, the dedication and commitment to giving the fans what they have waited years for shows how much the band still care about what they do.

Words by Craig McInnes