I was recently sent to review King Tuts summer Nights on behalf of Discovery Music – before I mentioned I would like to do it more often! 😉
Line up for this particular night was something to be admired, I was sold from two of the words Carly Connor – due to previously being devastated I missed her EP launch!
First up was Dumfries’ finest The Lutras, who have been on the scene for a few years now with one of their biggest slots supporting Vida in Liquid Rooms in Edinburgh. The boys are made up of a 4 piece who take influence from 60s/70s big pop rock sounding tunes. From the moment they walked on the stage it was clear each member had their own persona but that there was a mutual ground between them all musically, well there had to be with how tight they were for their opening. The more they played the more I was engrossed in their pop rock beauty, and drawn into Ben’s vocals which seemed to grow stronger and stronger with each lyric. The boys truly didn’t disappoint with their cover of Shania Twain’s finest tune – Man I feel like a women! Hats off to the boys, they’re truly the only ones who I’ve heard pull off that sexy guitar intro! Having never seen or heard of The Lutras before, I was sold to tune into their Spotify from that set, and I have to admit I’m hankering to go back to see them again.
Next up was Dundee’s finest solo act of today, Billy Mitchell. He’s been on my list to see live for a very, very long time – and now it was happening! From the moment he had one foot on the stage I could sense his cheeky chap attitude. It was very clear from his opening that Glasgow was a place that he loved, and he had no issues in engaging with the crowd. His songs are nothing short of a clever lyric and cute guitar licks, while he explores majority of his vocal range, with a glimmer of influence from Kyle Falconer quirkiness. Every single tune on the set Billy played with an extreme energy, making it all the more special. He even dropped a few new absolute belters which stray slightly from his usual catalogue but they will not disappoint – and you’ll only be able to find one of these on an EP- that’s it! As his set drew to a close it was and is still pretty clear that Billy has a lot of potential to go far, given the way he experiments with his voice and stacks the harmonies, it’s nothing short of perfection. Finishing off with Losing Control and his latest release Psycho he encouraged the crowd to sing along and kept the energy going throughout the venue. If you haven’t checked this boy out- do so now!
Carly Connor followed on from Billy, and I may be biased in saying so – but this girl is something else! Her energy is insane and she has this crazy ability of sending shivers down your spine with the way she pulls and pushes her voice. Carly has been all around the country playing support slots for acts such as Chaka Khan, fun Lovin Criminals and Glasgow classic Paolo Nutini, and if you’ve seen her before you’ll know why. Bursting onto the stage keen to get going Carly brought her big voice to the crowd, and she did not disappoint, opening with Carabelle with a slight twist on the sound compared to the recording. She engages with the crowd on a different level, mainly with her Glasgow banter, and has everyone eating from the palm of her hand. Semolina and Cyanide was followed by her more upbeat previous single ‘Who’s Gonna Love You’ which is one of my old man’s favourites (and he’s hard to impress), at which point I caught a glimpse of Carly’s mum to find her bursting with joy and singing her heart out. Next up was her latest single of her heartbreak over selling her guitar to the Goldie Hawn, although the song itself is sad its especially refreshing on the EP! As the set drew to a close Carly was left to her own devises with a guitar, which again, is an absolute treat! Being able to sing herself, with just a guitar, shows raw talent and passion.
Then it was time for the headliners Luke La Volpe, who took me totally by surprise with Lukes insanely beautiful baritone voice, which is something to admired. The fit of his low tones and the upbeat bluesy vibe go really well hand in hand, and its clear these boys have worked hard to define their sound and give us something original. They made their presence known setting the crowd off and tried out a new tune Dolly, which really takes you back with that 60’s blues guitar. Every single member plays a vital part within their band, and everyone looked so focused, but loving soaking up the atmosphere. Their Arctic Monkeys, in their Humbug days, like harmonies really enhanced every tune that they belted out and they are by far one of the smoothest bands with every single element complimenting each other, leaving their set to feel shorter than it actually was. The set was brought down a little with Dancing with Shaddows, but it was perfect timing in my opinion, because they sure shot the atmosphere right back up after that and kept spirits high until the end, giving us the welcome to the weekend that we all needed! They definitely have a large following which appreciate the boys for who they are. I definitely feel that if you haven’t already checked these lads out then you definitely should!
It sounds cliché when I say that all the bands were amazing, but this is by far one of the best gigs I’ve been to in Glasgow for a while!
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