Goldblade – Glasgow O2 Academy
January 7th, 2010 by RBRGoldblade
Glasgow O2 Academy
16th December 2009
A mixture of mohican, bondage trousered and adidas track suited fans queued round the venue tonight in freezing conditions for a gig with 2 very different acts on the bill. Manchester’s hard working punks Goldblade were here to support fellow Manchurian, ex Stone Roses front man Ian Brown.
Having seen Goldblade headline in a small rock venue in Glasgow just 6 weeks ago and being entertained to an energetic show, I wondered what John Robb and the boys had in store in one of the city’s larger and most popular venues. They didn’t disappoint. From arriving on stage and welcoming the crowd, the ‘blade kicked off a traditional punk show filled with fast n furious 2 ½ minutes rabble rousing tunes like ‘Fighting in the Dancehalls’ and ‘Strictly Hardcore’.
Singer Robb putting his usual amount of energy into trying to get the crowd involved in the show. After all that’s what they are here for. Unfortunately, with the largest part of audience probably being old Stone Roses fans, there wasn’t the same energy given back to the band from the floor. Undeterred, the Robbster, continued to flit between the stage and the crowd barrier, which is a trademark of a Golblade performance. Meanwhile, Pete, Keith and Johnny Skullknuckles prowl the stage, all of them obviously enjoying being there, with the permanent grins on their faces. Even drummer Rob Haynes was getting in on the act, occasionally standing behind his kit, grinning like a kid. This isn’t work for this band, this is FUN!!
3 or 4 songs into the set, it was obvious that some of the crowd who were maybe here because of the headliner were starting to ‘get’ Goldblade as the crowd of heads bouncing around the barrier was starting to grow.
With a set largely made up of mini anthems from the outstanding Mutiny album, including ‘Riot Riot’ and album opener ‘Jukebox Generation’, and guitar riffs giving more than a passing nod to punk rock’s rock and roll roots, the band were starting to get a well deserved feedback from the growing crowd, culminating in eager interaction when ‘brother’ John ‘baptises’ the crowd during the finale, ‘Do You Believe In The Power of Rock and Roll’
It’s not often you go to a gig to see just the support band, but tonight that was why I was there. And tonight, as usual, the ‘blade didn’t disappoint. The only thing missing from tonight’s set was the typical on stage crowd involvement during ‘Riot Riot’, but this didn’t detract from another blinding gig.
A closing note for anyone who hasn’t yet been to a Goldblade gig…………………… why not?
They will be at a venue near you next year, that’s a certainty. So get off your arse and go see a band who put their all into it for a change, then take the time to have a pint and a chat to the people who came to see them.
Words and images: Wullie Marr
