Tenement TV Discover Tour
April 5th, 2019
Mark Sharp & The Bicycle Thieves, Beta Waves, Quiche
One of the biggest and most respected supporters of new music in Scotland, Tenement TV, have decided to showcase some of the best emerging acts this country has to offer with a series of live shows.
The Discover Tour runs throughout April and will see a number of bands tour across Scotland, before heading south for gigs in London and Brighton, thus giving well-deserved exposure and touring experience to our favourite emerging artists. First up we’re in familiar surroundings as Broadcast plays host…
Opening tonight was hometown newcomers, Quiche, who impressed the early crowd with their genre-bending set. It was clear from Quiche’s intriguing releases during 2018 that they don't consign themselves to a particular genre, instead draw from a myriad of influences from Queen to Tame Impala to Mac Demarco. The results live make for an impressive and enjoyable watch as the harmonising vocals adds a dreamy-pop layer on an already intricate musical jigsaw.
Long time favourites of ours, Beta Waves, made the trip down to Glasgow to play their first of many gigs as part of the Discover Tour - in fact they play every night from Inverness to Brighton!
As the underground venue started to fill the guitar-synth duo yet again put on a spell-binding performance, with the crowd in the palm of their hand throughout the 25min set. We’ve yet to see a band who bridge the gap between studio and stage with such aplomb as multiple songs receive a live makeover, like recent single Another Mad Crab. The track builds beautifully into a rousing finale as the engrossed crowd become more and more engaged.
No two Beta Waves shows are the same and perhaps in the wrong hands this could irritate fans who want to hear their favourite track mirrored from the studio - however with Harry and Dale at the helm those fears are banished as they manage to add and enhance tracks to give the show a more immersive and personal feel.
Topping the bill was Mark Sharp & The Bicycle Thieves, a band on the cusp of something big. Having played a sold out gig over at Glasgow’s G2 in December, Mark Sharp & TBT were back on Sauchiehall St looking to whip up another storm with their own blend of indie rock.
The 5-piece kicked off with ‘Lost Cause’ & ‘All The Good Times Have Gone’ - both from their 2017 debut EP - which provided Mark with an early chance to flex those considerable vocal chords and the band to get into full swing, most notably Cameron McKay with some early solos on lead guitar.
Showing his experience, Mark was his usual energetic and charismatic self, with the exuberant crowd hanging on his every word as they played latest single ‘Warpaint' before diving into two crowd pleasers, ‘Fools’ and ‘Born Sloppy’, which again was greeted with cheers and a mass sing-a-long.
By the end of penultimate track, ‘Firewater’, there were bodies and pints flying all over the gaff as the adoring fans belted back every word. We left with the feeling that this band of close friends from West Lothian mean an awful lot to everyone who attended, and at the end of the day, is that not what music's about?
The Discover Tour 2019 runs throughout April, find your nearest gig here