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Usually when you grow up overly engrossed in something, you often shun whatever that obsession is the first chance you get. That was the case with me, growing up in a Scottish home. If I never have to hear another set of bagpipes in my life, I think I’ll be just fine. However, every so often I’m filled with ancestral pride, and on Friday night it took the form of fellow Scots Glasvegas. Rocking out with full Scottish twang (okay mumbling) intact, the boys (and girl) effectively preached to a gleeful congregation at the jam-packed Mod Club in Toronto.
[Photo by ForTheRecords]
Openers Von Iva, whom I sheepishly admit had NO clue about, put on a great opening set. This girly threesome consisted of three very talented ladies, Rebecca “Bex” Kupersmith on a variety of synths (very much the female Martin Gore), Kelly “Lay Lay” Harris on drums (with the BEST pipes I’ve seen outside a gym), and singer Jillian Iva who pranced and preened her way through a 45 minute long set. Despite having no more in common with Glasvegas than a female drummer, Von Iva would have been a perfect fit as openers at something more like a Gossip concert. Regardless of the mismatch, these gals worked it. Period. Leading lady Jillian strutted her stuff on and off stage, like Tina Turner with a dash of Melissa Etheridge, and belted out one sultry tune after another. Think electro-pop-funk-soul-rock. Very 80s meets 2010.

After a lengthy intermission (ummm, when did everyone in the world suddenly grow over 6 feet?), on came the lads and lassie of Glasvegas. They heralded in their fine set with big tune Geraldine. A fine pick to get the crowd swooning. Speaking of swooning, I could not get enough of drummer Caroline McKay. Call me a sucker for drummers, but the girl stood and banged on those drums, for the entire show. Clad in a black-disco-ball-like tunic, she kept one helluva focused pace for the band and kept those boys going. And go they did. Awash with lots of reverb and quasi-shoegaze guitar noodling, Glasvegas put on a sonic display befitting the powerful, strobe-driven light show. The Mod Club has always had a decent in-house light show, and Friday’s pairing dazzled.
[Photo by ForTheRecords]
Taking swigs of beer from bottles handed to him from the crowd, and even grabbing and donning a tartan scarf from one eager fan, singer James Allan was one of the most gracious front-men I’ve ever seen. Amidst heartfelt thank-yous and I love yous, he threw out the occasional Celine-like kisses into the crowd. What surprised me most though was how the gig turned into on big choir-like sing-a-long. Now Glasvegas hasn’t been on the block long, so it’s not like they’re Oasis with a legion of fans that spans a decade. But somehow, despite only putting out their self-titled debut album last year, everyone knew the hooks to every song … especially Go Square Go and the set-closer Daddy’s Gone. I swear if I closed my eyes it almost felt like I was at a footy match just listening to the chanting of the crowd (what’s next? Oggy Oggy Oggy??). It was a wee bit strange, but also quite charming and dazzlingly hypnotizing. Maybe it was the crowd’s way of paying homage to lead singer James Allan’s previous life as a professional footballer. Just sayin’.

Set list:
Geraldine
Lonesome Swan
Polmont
Fuck You It’s Over
S.A.D. Light
Flowers
Ice Cream Van
Go Square Go
Encore:
Please Come Back Home
Daddy’s Gone