McChuills – 30 October
Duncan Marquiss
One man, a couple of guitars, a series of loops and a microphone, sporadically used to say hello.
There is something awe inspiring when the components above are used to full effect by a talented musician. Duncan Marquiss, The Phantom Band guitarist is such a talent, and he used the support slot to demonstrate what is possible when someone understands the opportunities that technology and electronics provides.
The song structures are all there of course, certainly the music is to the fore more than the gizmos that lay at his feet. Bu his own admission, Duncan ‘doesn’t get out much!!’. I’m sure that isn’t the case, but what he produces when ‘inside’ is simply superb.
Man of Moon
A sold out McChuills was the Glasgow venue for Chris Bainbridge and Iain Stewart to strut their stuff to an enthusiastic fan base who had been lucky enough to grab their tickets shortly after they went on sale. It was certainly something Chris was keen to highlight in offering their gratitude that so many people are keen to see them play live, allied to the sales of their albums.
Nobody would have left disappointed as the energetic duo mixed old songs with the new in a set list that demonstrated how well the two blend to provide a wall of sound that reverberated across the room.
The lead guitar work of Chris may form the backbone of the songs played and most eyes would have been focussed on his delivery, yet the powerful drumming of Iain is just as critical to the sound they make and proves the old adage that the sum of the parts can be greater than the individual elements each brings.
With songs from both the debut album Dark Sea and 2024 release Machinism offering live versions of what is already known, their brief glimpse into some new album recordings showed how far they have journeyed in such a relatively short time and the future would appear to augur well.
Their Spotify bio gives a nod to influences of both Mogwai and Nine Inch Nails and there can be little doubt, in the live setting at least, the hypnotic sound they produce is of that standing.
Based on the night’s performance, intimate settings like McChuills will be difficult to maintain as the demand to see them grows.
