King Tuts is one of Glasgows iconic music venues. Numerous ‘Big’ bands including Oasis were discovered and signed after playing here. Its not the biggest venue in Glasgow only having a capacity of 300 but there are very few nights that its not sold out and tonight is one where it seems to be very close to capacity.
Honeygrip
Local band Honeygrip open tonights show . The five piece consisting of Jamie Campbell on vocals , Kyle Stewart & Michael Cunningham on guitars , Alex Phillips on bass and Garry Curran on drums all struggle for space on the small stage ,also adorned with 2 drumkits and the headliners guitar tech hidden in clear site in a corner , but they make the most of the cramped conditions and play a blinder .
This is their first gig of 2020 and go down a storm . Songs such as ‘Carnival’ and ‘Tequila ‘ both taken from their 2018 Uncle Funkle EP are excellent tracks and with an album currently being recorded all augurs well for Honeygrip this year . One to keep tour eye out for .
Honeygrip are :
Jamie Campbell – Vocals
Kyle Stewart – Guitars
Michael Cunningham – Guitars
Alex Phillips – Bass
Garry Curran – Drums
For more info :
https:/www.facebook.com/HoneygripOfficial
Twitter – @Honeygripband
Collateral
This being the second time seeing Collateral in 9 days , I know what to expect and am not disappointed. No nonsense old time rock ‘n’ roll delivered superbly . Vocalist Angelo Tristran is on good form and the acoustics in King Tuts suit Collateral down to the ground. Opening tonight with ‘Big Shot ‘ followed by another 2 singles from their recently released self titled album ,in the form of ‘Midnight Queen ‘ and ‘Merry go round’ both big tempo sing along songs which the crowd do with aplomb tonight.
Angelo is the showman in this band , bouncing about, arms waving , getting the crowd singing and nodding in time to the music constantly interacting with them , it works well . Don’t forget the rest of the band who play an equal part in the ongoing success of Collateral , Todd Winger on guitar , and the backline of Jack Bentley on bass and Ben Atkinson on drums all contributing to the tightness if the band .
‘Going with the wind ‘ encourages a singalong and set closers ‘ About a boy’ and the single ‘ Lullaby ‘ which for me is a brilliant song closes tonight . A good set and performance tonight . Collateral are well on the way upwards.
Collateral are
Angelo Tristran – Vocals/Guitar
Todd Winger – Guitars
Jack Bentley – Bass
Ben Atkinson – Drums
For more info :
https;/www.facebook.com/collateralrocks
Twitter : @collateralrocks
Phil X & The Drills
Top of the bill tonight is Phil X , current incumbent of the position of lead guitarist in Bon Jovi .
The Greek -Canadian eventually officially replaced Richie Sambora in 2016 having filled in for him several times during Sambora’s absences.
Tonight he is touring with his own band The Drills , who consist of Phil himself , with Daniel Spree on bass and Andy Galeon on drums .
The night gets off to great start with ‘ Happy ‘ . Il refer to Phil as PX to make it an easier read . PX has an infectious ,humorous, affable side to him . He constantly pokes fun at himself and selected members of the crowd but there is no getting away from the fact he is an astonishing guitarist . ‘ Something to Say ‘ from 2019’s EP Stupid Good Lookings Vol 1 is a great song followed by ‘Air Hockey Champion of The World ‘ and then ‘ I wish my beer was as cold as your heart ‘ . Great songs , nightmare to note down , he clearly doesn’t believe in short snappy titles .
We then have a medley of Led Zeppelin songs which gets a loud cheer from the crowd, followed by AC/DC classic ‘ Walk all over you ‘ . During the course of the night we have numerous guitar snippets from well known songs including at one point ‘The Flintstones ‘ theme tune . Not your normal run of the mill gig .
No Woman of mine ‘ and ‘Rock n roll you all ‘ another coulle of outstanding tracks . There is an amusing interlude when he straps on a guitar without removing the previous one he was playing with causing a tangle of guitars , all shrugged off with a quip from PX . The final song of the set being one of the best versions ive ever heard of Black Sabbaths ‘ Neon Knights ‘ simply outstanding .
A superb set , with some great songs and some unusual songs but all performed perfectly by the band and plenty of laughs along the way , A good nights entertainment by all 3 bands .
Phil X & The Drills are
Phil X – Guitars & Vocals
Daniel Spree – Bass & Vocals
Kevin Kapler – Drums
For more info :
https:/www.facebook.com/therealphilx/
https:/www.facebook.com/thedrills/
Twitter : @The RealPhilX
@philxthedrills
Review by Craig Cooper
Photography by MB Photography Scotland
