The Old Hairdressers – 8 November
Saturday night and once again heading to The Old Hairdressers, nestling in a quiet lane, yards from the mayhem of Glasgow Central Station with streams of people heading out across the city centre for their own night out..
The Kryss Talmeth Experience
I’m, not yet at any rate, a big fan of AI, but sometimes needs must and, despite a search through various sites to look for more information on the band, nothing seemed to match the simplicity of the para below that was offered up by my new AI companion.
‘The Kryss Talmeth Experience is a psychedelic stoner blues band from Edinburgh, Scotland, known for its heavy, groovy, and fuzzy sound that blends influences from jazz, blues, funk, metal, and rock ‘n’ roll. They formed in late 2016 and released their debut album, Buy The Ticket Take The Ride, in 2019. Their second album, When The Wheels Fall Off, was released in December 2024.’
I doubt if AI has ever bought a ticket to see them play, but the above is a fairly accurate description of their set at the Old Hairdressers in support of Dead Otter.
Not since attending gigs at The Apollo, witnessing the likes of Deep Purple and Black Sabbath have I felt such a connection to a heavy rock experience, with the drums of Matt Curtis and bass of Mark Quinn in a titanic battle against lead guitar and vocals of Craig Carnegie for our attention. Over the course of the set, it was an evenly matched draw with a renewed desire now to trawl though the musical archives of the late seventies to listen to similar heavy outpourings.
Listening to the album through the stereo speakers as I write this you don’t get the same sense of sound that boomed across the venue. The live versions of the songs have more passion, more depth, and enable all three to show their musicianship.
A trip back in time, or a reminder that the diversity of music available touches all genres, and there are still many aficionados of each. An excellent introduction to the band and a fine choice of support.
Dead Otter
As mentioned in more than one post here, a gig should take in the whole experience. The queues before doors open, finding the best spot to be in for the night, maybe a wee glance at the merch stalls and of course watching, listening, and internally judging the support act(s).
It wasn’t that long ago that Dead Otter first entered my consciousness when they were the opening act for The Janitors and Kungens Man which was reviewed at the time. The closing paragraph describing their set went as follows –
With an album due out soon, I might just be looking to get a ticket to the album launch for another sonic boom.
And sure enough, on launch night I was perched beside the stage to hear them give their all to an intimate, appreciative audience.
Once again, shortening the research for the post, my friendly AI describe the band as
The members of the band Dead Otter are John Riddell (guitar and vocals), Gav Riddell (bass), Scott Falconer (drums), and Omar Aborida (guitar). The Scottish band has been making music since 1995, with its current lineup featuring a “twin guitar attack” and a solid rhythm section.
That succinct description of the band doesn’t really do them justice though.
Into the mix should be added dynamic, powerful, electric and any combination of synonyms that take your fancy. It’s true that the ‘twin guitar attack’ becomes the focal point throughout their set, however bass and drums add their own bit of dynamism to the tracks off the album Sentinel for which the gig was being used to promote.
There’s something about the mostly instrumental music played on the night that makes you want to close your eyes and wander off in any number of directions that the music may take you.
In the confines of The Old Hairdressers the instruments resonated not so much up and over the audience but through them. It’s certainly a feeling you wouldn’t get at the larger venues in and around the city and all the more reason for supporting these spaces as they are one of the main arteries to the musical body of works that abound.
Kicking off with album opener Space Shadows, the band led us on a journey that fulfilled the audience expectations of hearing new songs, played expertly with genuine feeling. Throw in a couple of earlier songs in the shape of The Whangy and Pathfinder and long-time fans would have been more than satisfied with the night.
The album is rich in texture, a psychedelic mix that blends the heavy pulsating beats across all the instruments. Who needs words when they sing so well of their own accord.
On this showing, with new material to play, I reckon I can amend the final paragraph of this review to read.
I might just be looking to get a ticket for the next time they are in or around town for another sonic boom experience.
