The latest gig on our A to Z Musical Tour was ……
Having been aware of Nadine Shah for a few years, since the release of Kitchen Sink in 2020, it was only in January this year that we saw here perform as support act to Depeche Mode. Big stage, big crowd and, from afar, her stage presence lit up a short, yet captivating set.
Weeks later she released Filthy Underneath and is now touring the album across the country, this weekend landing at SWG3 in Glasgow. The review of the album highlights the personal turmoil that was encapsulated in many of the tracks and ten of the eleven songs, See My Girl being the exception, featured in her setlist.
SWG3 is not The Hydro, the crowd were tightly packed into the room, some close enough to the stage to shake hands and talk between tracks with her.
The first few songs ended with the briefest of thank yous as the crowd applauded the beautiful renditions of Even Light and Topless Mother. Nadine is no diva though. There was more than a hint of nervousness, maybe even embarrassment at how well the songs were being received.
Even Light : Topless Mother : Sad Lads Anonymous : You Drive, I Shoot : Fast Food : Ladies for Babies (Goats for Love) : Food For Fuel : Keeping Score : Twenty Things : Hyperrealism : Greatest Dancer : Fool : French Exit : Stealing Cars : Trad : Out the Way
As the set wears on, a few things spring to mind. Her backing band is exceptional, from the pounding drumbeats of Evan Jenkins to the tight guitar playing of both Neill MacColl and Dan Crook who is also on keyboard and backing vocals duties. Not to forget the rolling bass playing of Ben Nicholl.
Like the core themes of the album, Nadine has lived a life now recorded for posterity and is putting her soul into delivering an emotive performance for us to share.
It wasn’t all doom and gloom though. As the evening gathers pace, her smile and Geordie accent add another layer to her personality. When Hyperrealism was heard in absolute silence by the audience, her remark that of all the places she played at, Glasgow, was the least she expected to get such a reaction!! The positive feeling was only elevated further on next track, the stunning Greatest Dancer.
The early Sunday night curfew prevented any notion of an encore, however, having been witness to sixteen songs of grace, power and feeling, the audience never went away feeling short changed.
Nadine is a wonderful singer/songwriter. Her stage presence amplifies the tracks laid down in the studio and it won’t be long ’til she’s headlining much bigger venues across the country. We were spoiled last night. We were able to see every nuance of her face as she performed for us. It was an intimate show focussing on the most intimate of albums.
Support by Callum Easter
This is the second time in a few months that I’ve seen Callum Easter play a supporting role at SWG3 How do you define a man, his accordion and sometime help of a drummer?
Simply put, there appears to be few acts around the circuit who bring such imagination to a good old squeezebox. There is some electronic wizardry going on throughput his short set. There even appears to be, at times an attitude of, ‘Well I’m up here, you’re down there, let’s see if you like this!’
Like Nadine later, he puts his heart and soul into each song and in many ways is the perfect support act for her.
About the venue
SWG3 Warehouse, Capacity 500.
100 Eastvale PlaceGlasgowG3 8QG
All the spaces at SWG3 offer something unique for bands. The Warehouse is no different. Sparse in design, but warm in atmosphere.
From its storied early days as a word-of-mouth rave space, the Warehouse has grown up to become one of the city’s best-loved venues for sweaty, intimate gigs, high-atmosphere parties and a range of private events.
Up the stairwell is where it all began, with the derelict storage area of an old tobacco bond gradually making a name for itself as a sought-after space for club nights, live music and art. Today, it’s regularly hired for a wide range of other events — dinners, launches, screenings, shoots, 48-hour live art performances — across both night and day, with windows overlooking Yorkhill and entry out onto our recently-built terrace bar.
All comments welcome so that we can improve what we are publishing!