Review by Ritchie Birnie for MPM
After a very long intermission Blues Pills return to Glasgow and remind us how much these Swedish rockers have been missed.
Due to traveling back from Belfast for the Iron Maiden show I missed The Picturebooks. When I say missed them I mean playing as I ran into them as soon as I got to the venue as they sat outside the coolest Van ,in camping chairs and chomping on a kebab. I was gutted I did not make it as these boys put 100% into every show so do not make the same mistake as me and make sure you do not miss them when they it your hometown.
I arrived about four songs into Blues Pills set and the crowd were already ecstatic and getting sweaty in the small hall.
Elin already has the men in the palm of her hand with the short, crop top combo and everyone else is totally engrossed in their Psychedelic blues numbers.
I had already missed a few tracks from the new( two year old) album, “Holy Moly” which bothers me greatly but I get right into “Wish I’D Known” and I am just in time for a singalong and the song blasts away the cobwebs from my 10 and a half hours of traveling.
Next up is “Black Smoke” and as that lazy guitar bursts into a Hendrix frenzy and Elin lets loose you really see the power in the band. There is nothing lost from Zach Anderson who has moved from bass to guitar. The energy is infectious and the crowd are held on every note, every chord and every movement.
It is back to 2012 with “Bliss” from the same titled EP before “Astral Plane” from the same EP and this was where I found the band. I loved the chill of these songs, For me these were Sunday, hangover tracks that I could just laze out to with no input from me. Where I could just relax and take in the beautiful 60/70s vibes.
This is also how I enjoyed tonight’s show. I am at the back of the hall taking in every song, watching these fantastic musicians and basically being mesmerised by Elin and her amazing voice.
I am glad I get to hear “Dust” from Holy Moly as this really focuses on the Blues from the name and somehow takes on a burlesque vibe.
As we ramp up to the end of the show we are treated to the seriously powerful vocals on “Little Sun”, “Devil Man” and finish on “Low Road” which is the most frantic track from “Holy Moly” and outstanding live.
The band has completed their UK dates now and head to Europe with a host of festival shows so Europe are in for some awesome shows and I hope and pray that I do not have to wait six years to see the band again.
Photography by MPM – Photos taken in Belfast.
