Credit where credit is due, with a support line-up consisting of Common Ground, Feet Of Clay and Nick Mercer Jnr, promoter My First Music certainly know how to put on a gig!
Being a Friday with doors opening at 7.00 pm and Common Ground taking the stage at 7.20pm, it was a case of a sharp exit from work and getting to the Classic Grand early if you wanted to hear this talented and upcoming group from Ayrshire. Led by front-man Wullie Bhoy, the band wasted no time firing up the crowd with opening track ‘Rules Of Life’ followed by the stonking ‘Mr VIP’. Having caught the band earlier in the year at King Tut’s, this was a track that caught my attention back then and once again sounded fantastic! ’10 Feet Tall’ was another highlight and once again listening to the band I was left thinking… these could go places! In singer Wullie, Common Ground have frontman with a real stage persona who resonates confidence with the rest of the band sounding well-honed (despite a stand-in bassist for the weekend). Between songs there are chants from the crowd of “Common Ground, Common Ground” and it is evident the boys are building up something of a local following. As the set comes to a rousing climax with ‘Fever’ and finally ‘Days’, I am left pondering… How is Nick Mercer Jnr going to follow this?
Taking to the stage with his just his acoustic guitar, it was clear Nick Mercer Jnr was going to struggle to match the energy Common Ground radiated and, whilst I was not overly familiar with his material, I enjoyed the stripped-back songs Nick delivered. Having previously supported the likes of Oasis and The Fratellis there was no mistaking the talent on show from the former Sergeant front-man and when he played his track ‘Counting Down The Days’ there were a few in the crowd who got right into this catchy number. With Nick announcing he was heading through to Falkirk to play a gig later in the night and also appearing the next day at Dunfermline Live it was certainly a good performance to start off a busy weekend.
With such a packed bill there was little time to catch your breath between sets and next to take the stage were Feet Of Clay. Hailing from Coatbrige, this six-piece band – led by front-man John Paul McMullen – have fairly recently become immortalised with their inclusion in the Barrowland path. New track ‘Alive’ opened the set as the band instantly responded to the electric atmosphere generated by the crowd. Having caught and enjoyed Feet Of Clay previously, this opening number caught me somewhat off-guard and had me reminiscing of the rocky Primal Scream sound I love. The band were clearly at ease on stage and enjoying the occasion, with singer John Paul working the crowd into a frenzy during their set consisting of songs ‘Youth Today’, ‘Scheme Blues’, ‘Car Crash’, ‘Too Close’ and ‘Two-Bob Junkie’. Again there were chants from the crowd with ‘Feet Of Clay, Feet Of Clay’ echoing between sets and again I was impressed. Listening to the band I could hear some of the early ’90s influences tagged Manc/Baggy coming through and enjoyed their set immensely. Indeed the last time I caught Feet of Clay they supported Manc band Northside and will once again do so when the band come north to play the Admiral next month. The set closed with new single ‘The Revenge Of Icarus’ and, having been fortunate enough to find a copy of this lying on the floor at the end of the night, I have given this grower of a track a few listens already. With the talented artist Pete MacLeod also coming from Coatbridge, it appears there is something in water over in that neck of the woods.
So onto the main act Mark Morriss aka The Quill and former lead singer of The Bluetones. I caught Mark last year supporting Shed Seven at the Barrowland and despite never being a die-hard Bluetones fan, enjoyed his set of solo/Bluetones material – and in particular his cover of Lionel Ritchie’s ‘Hello’, and had been looking forward to this since it was announced a number of months back.
Accompanied by a full band of “friends” on stage (a well as a couple of ladies on the merchandise stall) The Quill once again sounded great live. For me personally, there were a number of highlights with tracks ‘Digging A Hole’, ‘Pink Bullets’, ‘Duchess’, ‘Hard To Be Good’ and ‘Lay Low’ sounding terrific. Once again there was a killer cover tucked into the set with Mark delivering almost a full version of the Robert Palmer song ‘She Makes My Day’. It was also great to hear Mark this time accompanied with a full band. Between songs Mark engaged the crowd with commentary, jokes and even signed an autograph for one demanding fan. Unfortunately, the set was slightly tarnished when one idiot from the crowd threw a glass at Mark who, despite this, demonstrated his professionalism by continuing with the show. I have to say, this kind of behavior infuriates me and how someone who has chosen to go along to see an artist perform can think this is either funny or in any way acceptable is beyond me. As the night came to an end, Mark and his friends left the stage to much applause although one fan did start complaining to me that Mark had not played any Bluetones songs. Politely, I informed her I believed it was a Mark Morriss solo gig although secretly I did yearn for ‘Bluetonic’, ‘Putting Out Fires’ and of course ‘Slight Return’. Who knows… perhaps next time?
Bazza Mills
@bazzamills
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