The Filthy Tongues

The fourth gig on our A to Z musical adventure was ……

Cult heroes The Filthy Tongues at Oran Mor in Glasgow.

Date Sunday 4 February 2024

Byres Rd, Glasgow G12 8QX

Capacity at Oran Mor is around 500.

Oran Mor has to be one of the most imposing venues in Glasgow with a rich history. Alasdair Gray is the Glasgow-born writer and artist responsible for the stunning ceiling mural in The Auditorium, one of the largest pieces of public art in Scotland, commissioned for Òran Mór by Colin Beattie. For more…..

What a way to end your weekend

This was the first time we had managed to get tickets to see The Filthy Tongues and what a treat was in store for us.

Oran Mor’s basement venue is an ideal setting for really intimate gigs, and when you get an act with the following of The Filthy Tongues, you’re also guaranteeing an electric atmosphere.

One of the great thinks about the internet is that if you do just a little bit of research you can find out what the band is likely to play and then immerse yourself in the tracks via a Spotify playlist or the like.

To be fair though, even in the recognition of songs from the first bars of music, the live versions, especially tonight, were far superior to the album releases. A wee bit of attitude can go a long way and it was great to see how the live interpretations of the songs leant themselves to.

My personal favourites on the night were the early In These Dark Places, Holy Brothers and finally Jacob’s ladder.

Definitely one of my ‘repeated’ Playlists which bring back great memories of a great gig.

Three members of The Filthy Tongues, Martin Metcalfe, Fin Wilson and Derek Kelly, are maybe better known from their other band Goodbye Mr Mackenzie, but there is no doubt that the three of them possess the driving force to take this band forward even further. And I doubt if anyone in the audience would wish for less.

We just managed to get to the venue in time to hear and see the support act Scorpio Leisure with lead singer Hettie Noir giving it her all in a dynamic set so a very appreciative audience. She was later welcomed on stage by The Filthy Tongues to provide backing vocals for the two encore numbers.

Definitely a band to keep an eye on for the future.