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As much a regular Christmas fixture as train strikes, memes suggesting that “You can’t say Merry Christmas anymore”, and guys leaving Christmas shopping until Christmas Eve, GUN are back at The Barras for their annual knees-up.
This time around they come bearing gifts in the guise of a new studio album ‘Hombres’, their finest since 1994’s ‘Swagger’, and one that saw the band rewarded with a Top 10 position on the National Album Charts (numero uno in Scotland, natch). Later tonight during a triumphant homecoming, the band would be presented with an award for sales of 10,000 copies of ‘Hombres’, and as frontman Dante Gizzi points out several times during the evening; it’s all down to fan power.
Opening the evening’s festivities are Collateral, who have the thankless task of performing to a room where perhaps 50% of the audience is either still in the queue outside waiting to go through the metal detectors, or at the bar downstairs. This doesn’t matter to Collateral, instead, it seems to spur them on. Fronted by Angelo Tristan, Collateral have always been a stronger prospect in a live setting than in the studio. Tonight, that’s still the case. Cheered on by their own fans gathered at the barrier, the Kent-based quartet grab the opportunity to play in front of the largest crowd of the tour with both hands. By the time the short set ends with a raucous run-through of ‘Mr. Big Shot’, those in the crowd savvy enough to wander in from the heaving bar downstairs can now be considered as converts to the Collateral cause.
Main tour support comes from the musical collective known as Kira Mac, led by the statuesque Rhiannon Hill (wearing a GUN shirt, as is drummer Loz Riley – that kid can hit, btw). Whereas Collateral had to contend with a slow-moving queue, Kira Mac have their own hiccup in the guise of technical difficulties that forces the band to play an abridged set. A shame considering how well the band goes over. Kira Mac’s USP might just be the ability that they have to conjure up a sound that can effortlessly change depending on the surroundings. There is a hint of a modern Country influence in Hill’s writing; tone down Joe Worrall’s guitar sound and a great deal of the material would be perfect for someone like Carrie Underwood – ‘One Way Ticket’ and ‘Dead Man Walking’ immediately spring to mind…but why would you want to curtail the guitar wizardry from Worrall?
Disclosure: all GUN live images were taken at PJ Molloys in Dunfermline and at Firevolt Festival earlier this year.
In the time between Kira Mac leaving the stage and the first of two pieces of intro music – José Feliciano’s Christmas classic ‘Feliz Navidad’ – starting up, the famous Ballroom has filled to bursting point. Once the Christmas music fades out, it’s time for the audience to warm up their voices when SAHB’s version of ‘Delilah’ comes roaring out of the PA. Always guaranteed to get the juices flowing, tonight, in this venue, eleven days before Christmas, it is an inspired choice of music to welcome the arrival of local heroes GUN. How local? Walking distance local.
Through the steam rising from the throng, new guitarist Roo MacFarlane stands legs wide apart, Gibson SG slung low, waiting to explode to life once Glasgow’s people poet Alex Harvey finishes begging for forgiveness. He doesn’t start the set though, that job falls to bassist Andy Carr who peels off some thick bass licks on set opener ‘Lucky Guy’ – the first of a handful of tracks aired from the aforementioned new album ‘Hombres’. With three-part harmonies from MacFarlane, Carr, and founding member Jools Gizzi that are on-point, vocalist Dante Gizzi strolls on looking like the coolest guy in the sweltering venue and gets the party started. Once the song bursts to live, MacFarlane is finally unleashed and sets off like an out-of-control unmanned fire hose. It’s always risky opening with a new song, but this one comes with a size fourteen boot stomp that makes it a perfect choice.
Creating the perfect setlist for such an important gig is always tricky, but GUN have it down to an art and mixes newer material with the classics perfectly. 2017’s ‘She Knows’ has Jools pogoing like a loon, and offers up the first real chance for Roo MacFarlane to impress as Dante calls him forward to take the first solo. Full to the top with youthful exuberance, MacFarlane is a great fit for GUN and brings a sense of wide-eyed piss and vinegar with him. The chemistry between the young guitar-slinger and the grizzled veteran Jools Gizzi is there for all to see and the pair constantly alternate solos all evening, with one taking a step forward while the other stands back and locks into a rhythmic groove.
‘Vicious Heart’ is a welcome return to the setlist and judging by the introduction from Dante, the deep cut from ‘Swagger’ seems to be there because of the number of people asking for it. MacFarlane takes the first solo again, and breaking out every guitar-God pose in the rule book, he offers the assembled photographers one money shot after another. Sticking with ‘Swagger’, the euphoric ‘Don’t Say It’s Over’ quickly follows on and has Dante taking out his in-ears to hear the crowd on the catchy-as-fuck chorus. Total and utter banger. Paul McManus is having the game of his life behind his drum kit.
As if to reinforce that GUN are still making top-quality music four decades after first breaking out; new track ‘All Fired Up’ forms a killer one-two with ‘Welcome to the Real World’ from the acclaimed 1992 sophomore album ‘Gallus’. The large screen behind McManus’s kit flickers to life with black-and-white scenes of urban life in Glasgow from back in the day and it’s hard not to think of that annoying social media trend of “Look at them all living in the moment…not a phone in sight”.
Rather than relying on nostalgia, GUN carefully slots in newer material around the older classics; with ‘Falling’ particularly impressive thanks to the gradual atmospheric build, and more top-notch harmonies from Carr and Jools, with another killer solo from MacFarlane. ‘Pride’ can be found on the deluxe version of ‘Hombres’ and its arrival is met by the stage lights turning green and white in a cheeky wink to the green half of Glasgow…and all on the eve of a big match between Green and Blue.
The latter stages of the gig become a GUN ‘Best Of’ set; with the powerful riffs of ‘Word Up’ kicking off a 30-minute run of banger after banger. But for all the grit and bouncability factor of the likes of ‘Inside Out’, ‘Steal Your Fire’, ‘Better Days’, and ‘Shame On You’, the highlight is GUN at their most stripped-back when Dante and Jools take to the stage for an acoustic segment that features ‘The Only One’ leading into ‘Taking On the World’. Ending an incredible year for the band, it was an emotional moment for the Gizzi brothers and fans alike and came as part of a home stretch that proved that GUN can be hail, hailed as one of the most resilient and reliable UK rock acts of the last few decades.
Instead of saying same time next year, lads, might one suggest that instead of a Christmas gig, maybe go with a Hogmanay gig?
Hey, GUN! The Barras called, they want their roof back!
Review – Dave
Live images – Callum Scott/Rob Wilkins
Portrait photo credit – Stevie Kyle
