Live Review – Cabbage, The Shimmer Band, Stereo, Glasgow

Explosive psychedelic rock outfit The Shimmer Band are full of confidence, swagger and energy and have been causing quite the stir with their quick rise of prolific support slots and high-praised press.
The Bristol band are absolutely destined for the festival fields, huge venues, stadiums even, with their re-brand of psychedelic synth rock which takes it’s roots from many of the 90s greats such as the Verve, and Primal Scream but their set is full of modern flourishes. Enormously uplifting, the band’s epic sound is apparent on single ‘Shoot Me (Baby)’ with it’s terrace-style chant and almighty Stooges style stomp and bursts of electronica which punctuate throbbing bass and spiky guitar. It is destined to be a festival anthem.
The most promising tracks of their set, included latest single ‘Jacknife And The Death Call’ and ‘Sunkick’ which is brimming with Primal Scream swagger. Whilst ‘Freedom’ is a hands in the air chorus heavy track.

The band already have an arsenal of songs which only add to their rapidly rising reputation. Euphoric, powerful and gloriously uplifting, here’s to the summer, and festivals when we can belt out their tunes to great abandon.
The Shimmer Band
Regardless of the fantastic set from The Shimmer Band before them, the swelling crowd were really focused on band of the moment Cabbage.
Certainly, they are one of most hyped bands in the country right now, and everybody seems to have an opinion of them and their left wing political lyricism. The sold out eclectic crowd at Stereo is made up of indie kids, curious kids, (and their parents) and aging skinheads, and everyone in between which further highlight Cabbage’s broad appeal in uniting people.
As soon as Mossley outfit Cabbage saunter onto the stage to the ‘Rawhide’ theme, they then proceed to tear through a solid set of immersive post-punk and unashamedly abrasive left-wing, political tracks. There is an underlying atmosphere that the band are intent on causing chaos and opinion than conforming.

‘Uber Capitalist Death Trade’ stands out as one of tonight’s many highlights, its primitive chorus is brash, obnoxious and full of punk vigour.
‘Terrorist Synthesizer’ simply mirrors raucous pissed up nature of tonight’s crowd as both crowd and band bustle around and are chucked over the frenzied crowd below. Whilst, Kevin’ is delivered as a stomping track reminiscent of The Fall.
The band perform with wild abandon and deliver a set full of anger, political spit fury and pure pride of being lower class.
Cabbage
‘Necroflat In The Palace’ and the America/ Trump bashing, ‘Free Steven Avery (Wrong America)’, simply rile up the crowd further. ‘Necroflat…’ sneers hatred at the Royals’ and their awareness of the dark underbelly of celebrity behaviours, as both band and crowd chant “I was born in the NHS, I wanna die in NHS”, as the band lead the crowd in rousing hands in the air protest before diving back into the crowd.
Whilst ‘It’s Grim Up North Korea’ and ‘Gibraltar Ape’ go down well with the adoring frenzied crowd.

Cabbage’s astute cynicism is apparent throughout their set and their impish humour (‘Dinnerlady’) is unapologetic in its soundtrack for this unsettled and angry era. If you don’t like the look of what we are currently witnessing then look away now as it’s only about to get worse as Cabbage narrate brexit Britain.
Believe the hype.

Posted by Stacy Rowan

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