29 November, 2024, The Rumshack, Glasgow
It’s Friday night in Glasgow and, what looked like a quiet start to the weekend, was transformed when, just after 7.30pm, up popped a message from Liam Chapman to say that he’d managed to squeeze me onto the Guest List for the night’s sold-out Billy Nomates show at local venue The Rumshack.
The venue itself only holds about 220, so unsurprisingly the Sold-Out signs had been put up not long after the gig was announced.
Billy Nomates, or Victoria Ann ‘Tor’ Maries to give her, her Sunday name, has played in Glasgow before. She likes the coolness of Glasgow, and I don’t think she meant the late November chill outside. Her band were made up of Glaswegians too, Mandy Clarke on bass and backing vocals and Liam Chapman on the drum stool and backing vocals when required.
For just over an hour, they played a selection of songs, some new, some old and some demos that may or may not see the light of day on her new recording due in 2025.
There was an upbeat vibe to Billy Nomates singing as she went through their setlist, feeding off the enthusiasm of the audience standing only feet away from her. Even when Mandy and Liam left the stage to let her play an acoustic solo, she exuded the star quality that had drawn everyone to the gig.
She was relaxed throughout, funny when introducing some of the songs and describing how they had developed, from a little boy’s ghost story to the song Vertigo which, several years later, she now suffers from.
While Liam battered away on his drums, it was left to Mandy to take charge of the business end of the tour, suggesting that everyone might want to meet up after the last song around the ‘Merch Table’ where there were any number of goodies they could buy. The sales slogan ‘buy two, get two’ wasn’t lost on the crowd.
While writing this post, I’ve been listening to the first two Billy Nomates albums, her self-named debut album in 2020 and the 2023 follow-up CACTI. There is little doubt that her songs resonate with many people who feel forgotten about. She is also capable of pointing out some of life’s daily absurdities in songs that point to a punk ethic clothed in danceable beats.
A huge thanks to Liam for the opportunity to see him, Mandy and ‘Tor’ in action. A fantastic way to start Chapter 2 of our own #AtoZMusicalTour.
If there was ever a case for ensuring that musical acts and venues have the opportunity to provide entertainment for the masses, then tonight’s show reaffirmed why we should all fight to retain what many may be taking for granted.
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