The LaFontaines

The latest gig on our A to Z Musical Tour was ……

In this post we review THE LAFONTAINES, with support from SLIX and KERR MERCER

How do you describe the music of The LaFontaines? Indie guitar sounds married to hip hop vocals with singalong choruses?

If that’s the case then that’s precisely what the audience got on Friday night at The Barrowland Ballroom, for a sixth or seventh, depending who was counting, appearance by the band at this iconic venue.

In part the gig was to introduce the audience to a live performance of tracks from their recently released fourth album by the band Business As Usual.

After seventeen years together and almost ten years since the release of debut album Class, this was the perfect showcase to remind everyone what sets the band apart from many other Scottish bands on the various highways and byways of the musical map.

And, while tracks from Business As Usual took precedence as expected, songs off Class, Common Problem and Junior were enthusiastically welcomed with crowd vocals stretched to the limit on the choruses and arms waving in unison to the sounds feeding the frenzy of movement.

From the stage, looking out on a sea of swaying support, the band united with the fans in delivering a spectacle that ticked all the boxes for a great night.

That fan base is evidently growing too with the age gap between the youngest and eldest widening with each release. Many have been with the band pre Class, however it was evident that the audience was also made up of those joining The LaFontaines party for the first time.

For the past five years the band have been performing as a three piece, Darren McCaughey on guitar lets his instrument speak for himself as otherwise he could be mistaken for a silent partner out on the wing of the stage.

Jamie Keenan bangs away precisely on the drums while managing to provide much of the vocals throughout the set. Not the easiest of tasks, but well served in both departments.

And then there is Kerr Okan. The Leader of the Band. The Showman. The Vocalist. The Rapper. The Crowd Leader.

Kerr is never shy at coming forward throughout the night. He loves The Barrowlands. He loves Glasgow. He loves the audience for all their support.

Most importantly though, he loves his two-year-old son who took centre stage for a photograph with the fans that not many kids from his nursery school will have to look back on when they grow up. A tender side of the character that was at odds for the lively persona that roamed the stage.

Kerr was in commanding form throughout and, allied to the music the band have produced over the past ten years, he is right in asking why they haven’t made it further up the musical food chain.

After this performance, the hope has to be that the new album will open up the ears of many more people to the Scottish hip hop sounds with a nod to indie rock that the band produce.

---

Support Acts

Slix

As support acts go, Gourock band Slix did everything in their power to warm up the ever-increasing crowd in the run up to the headliners taking the stage.

Their brand of indie rock songs went down well despite being new to most of the audience. Robbie Peden was certainly a confident front man for his four bandmates and the band are starting to make waves in all the right places. Covering the ABBA song Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! didn’t do any harm to audience participation either.

From a Scottish perspective it’s great to hear them join the likes of Gallus, Parliamo, Vlure and others who are simmering just under the radar of a much wider audience. Only time will tell if that breakthrough becomes a reality.

Kerr Mercer

There’s nothing like an added bonus to kick off a gig and Kerr Mercer certainly provided an extra ingredient for what turned out to be a fine night of music at The Barrowland Ballroom.

With guitarist accompaniment and sometimes a venture to the keyboard, Kerr delivered a set of songs that were reminiscent of Paolo Nutini, a nod to whom he acknowledged with a cover of the star’s song Last Request. On the evidence of this short set, Kerr is well placed to make a much larger impression. His songs may be low key, however his raspy vocals add weight to each and he’s definitely on the one to watch list going forward. Last Request? I hope not.