Live Review: Glas-Goes Pop 2023

Being the non-religious type, I hasten to use the word 'pilgrimage' to explain what a visit to Glasgow means, but for me it seems the necessary noun. I've never been to Glasgow, in fact I've never made it to Scotland before - such is the cities' influence on indie culture - it's long overdue. So where better to go and see an indie pop festival paying homage to the music that flourished here more than most other places? 

Glas-Goes Pop is the second edition of the festival, after last year saw the likes of Close Lobsters, The June Brides, Mozart Estate and Rachel Love grace the most unlikely of stages. Amongst the campus and surrounding buildings of Glasgow Uni is the GUU Debates Chamber; a building that has graced some of Scotland's brightest minds deep in intellectual conflict since the 19th Century. It has long been speculated that J.K Rowling modelled parts of Hogwarts on Glasgow and this opulent building could certainly be the ideal host to some form of wizardry. The spells being cast here this weekend though are purely a result of some musical magic. 

Friday starts with a leisurely stroll around the West End of Glasgow, with some pleasant weather allowing us not to worry about the fact we have no idea where we're going. Eventually we find the venue just as opening band of the weekend, The BV's take to the stage. From Augsberg in Germany, the band flit between genres with relative ease, without sounding out of place in any. They're equally as comfortable indulging in drawn-out Krautrock as they are the more straight forward C86 jangle pop that presumbaly most attending are more in tune with. The BV's live show is tight and proficient and they start things off to appreciative applause.  

Some more of the lesser known bands on the bill provide some of the weekend's most intriguing sets. Brooklyn's Jeanines are a duo who share a label with The Reds, Pinks and Purples and released last year's acclaimed Don't Wait For A Sign. They write "..sad folk songs" according to singer/guitarist Alicia Hyman before they're turned into "..indie pop gems" by drummer/bassist/guitarist Jed Smith. There's a charm to them live that radiates from the stage and the smiling faces of the audience show that they are a popular booking. 

They may have been around for slightly longer, but The Luxembourg Signal are a new name to some here. They're a collective of band members from both sides of the Atlantic, that cut their teeth in some of the underground's finest bands, such as Aberdeen, Fonda and Trembling Blue Stars. Their songs are beautifully balanced and nuanced works, that combine danceable 60s' psych with soaring dream pop. The melodies reverberate around this hall that is much more used to impassioned raised voices than perfectly complemented vocals. The Luxumbourg Signal leave quite the impression and I'm pretty much smitten by the end of their intoxicating set. Looking round at the front of the stage, I'm not the only one. 

As the bill progresses both days, the quota of underground indie stalwarts increases; as does the size of the crowd.  Aussies Even As We Speak formed in the 1980s and were part of the Sarah Records stable of bands. The band were a John Peel favourite and one of only a select few Austrailian bands to get the honour a Peel session. Dressed in all-in-one silver space suits and colourful wigs - like an indie pop version of The Jetsons -  the fondness for them in the room is obvious as they play a set laden with humour. 

It's a story of "what could have been" for The Loft. Again the band were Peel favourites, but they also were an early part of a Glaswegian institution: Creation Records. Before the label went Champagne Supernova in the 1990s, Alan McGee was an early advocate of The Loft and released both 'Why Does The Rain?' and 'Up the Hill and Down the Slope'  in the mid-80s.  It's a testament to the knowledge of the crowd that their set is nothing short of a triumph. You can see this is a band that are now doing it for the sheer love and their delicately crafted songs are the perfect tonic as the night drawers on.

 

Another highlight comes from legendary local songwriter Duglas T. Stewart and his latest line up of BMX Bandits; a band deeply rooted in Glaswegian indie history. Their past members read like a who's who of Scottish music, with ex-members being from Teenage Fanclub, The Soup Dragons and The Vaselines. The band were also a favourite of Kurt Cobain, who was often seen wearing a BMX Bandits t-shirt. All of this information seems irrelevent as they start their set, as in 2023 Stewart is still a naturally charasmatic performer, who has assembled a tight band of younger performers to give the songs a new lease of life. 

There are cheers as the band play 'Serious Drugs' early in the set and there are plenty of stripe-clad blurs on the dancefloor, as a singsong erupts. Even as the guitarist openly admits: "I played the wrong chord.." during a false start for another song - it's clear it's not Mark.E.Smith we're dealing with here - the whole affair is laughed about as Stewart leads them back to the intro. Open in his between-tune dialogue; his stories are both hilarious and bittersweet precursors to the songs. These may not be the best written, most precisely realised or deeply profound songs on display this weekend, but they are certainly the most fun. As if to accentuate the point, out comes the kazoo..

The headliners on both nights are carefully picked by the organisers to reflect the niche audience at their disposal. It's inevitable Belle and Sebastian are going to be involved one way or another this weekend: we're in Glasgow after all! B&S guitarist Stevie Jackson steps up to headline Friday with his 'friends' as his backing band. The rumour all weekend is that it could well be guests from other bands rotating as his band or that the whole of Belle and Sebastian could well turn up. The latter rumour seems likely as various band members are spotted in the venue as the evening progresses. 

The rumour mill may have gone overboard, but it's not entirely incorrect. Several members of the band join Jackson on stage and what follows is an enjoyable mix of old and new solo material, including several songs from Jackson's 2011 solo album (I Can't Get No) Stevie Jackson. The biggest buzz comes from the nods to the day job though, with 'Chick Factor', 'Seymour Stein' and 'The Wrong Girl' going down a storm with the appreciative audience left wanting more as the set ends. 

There's a hush of reverence when Robert Forster bounds on stage on Saturday night, with the energy of a man half his age. An original member of cult Aussies The Go Betweens, Forster brings only his trusty acoustic and a shed-load of confidence and wit. He looks marginally annoyed when a raffle takes longer than it ought to, as nobody seems to have a winning ticket.

 He's frustrated by the light set-up changing colours also, but what seems to start off on the wrong foot soon gets into its stride. Playing songs from the early days of The Go Betweens all the way up to his current album The Candle and the Flame, a lesser performer would struggle to keep this audience as engaged as they are with no band to fall back on. Forster has them right where he wants them tonight: hanging on his every word. There are even tears from some, who have clearly waited to see some of these songs live for quite some time.  It's a fitting end to the weekend.

There's a community built up around events like Glas-Goes Pop. Many of those attending have been at similar weekends in other cities, have been to the much-missed Indietracks festival or meet each other for gigs worldwide. The spirit that comes from such community feeds into a deeper sense of belonging, that keeps this group of people coming back for more. I'm reminded of the refrain from The Velvet Underground's 'I'll Be Your Mirror':

I'll be your Mirror (reflect what you are)

As long as events with such obvious love and affection for this music like Glas-Goes Pop go ahead, the pilgrims will return.