Glasswerk Glasgow Indie Showcase @ Nice n Sleazy Date: 29th January 2006 Support: The Prayers + The Front + Montra

And so, I find myself in the rather plush, newly refurbished surroundings of Nice 'n' Sleazy, for the second Glasswerk Glasgow Showcase Night! Tonight's offerings were cut slightly shorter than expected with the dropping out of Starstudded78 at the last minute - due to their singer not showing up. But, as always, the show must go on! So tonight we have music from Montra, The Front and The Prayers.

First up onto the stage were Montra. With a quick "hello" to the crowd they blasted into their first song, ‘Cloudbreak’, a perfect opener as it showed off all the best parts of the band in one - great vocals, catchy melodies and fine stage presence! I really liked this band as soon as they stepped on the stage, as they all looked confident and ready for the show, unlike some bands I've seen around, they knew how to play to a packed crowd. And packed it was! Even though those in attendance were slightly reluctant to get right up front, you could see from the toe-tapping and head bobbing that Montra's brand of Indie rock was going down a storm and I'm sure many who watched would go to see them again.

After a short break, the next band to peddle their wares was hopping onto the stage. The makeup of Kilwinning 4-pieceThe Front is slightly odd, the band members don't really seem to go together: long haired bassist and guitarist, an (as usual), non-descript drummer and finally a very hard looking front man! But enough about what they look like, the music is what we're here to see. The music was catchy and hook laden with some nice guitar parts and interesting lyrics. The crowd seemed to be well into it as they jumped around like mad to songs such as ‘Idol’ and ‘Some Might Say’ (not the Oasis one by the way!) The performance was very enjoyable and went smoothly until there seemed to be a problem with the sound, which singer Kris seemed very aggravated by. I discovered later that the sound man had cut off the vocals in his monitor due to a gripe that had begun during the sound check – very unprofessional indeed!

Lastly, but definitely not least, are The Prayers! Taking the stage in front of a packed and (by now) pretty drunk crowd, they seemed perfectly at home. As soon as they went into their set I smiled and knew it was going to be good. Great songs, some fantastic dancing and a good bit of rock and rolling made this set the best of the night! It was good to see a lead singer who adds to the actual musicality of the songs, and with tambourine and/or maracas in hand he did so with great aplomb! I must say the stand out moment for me, from the whole night, was the use of the Megaphone! Hats off to the guys for coming up with an ingenious idea, and pulling it off in such a way that it didn't seem gimmicky. The crowd loved the band and so did I, and, if you haven't seen them yet… go see them!

All in all a sterling night of Brit-Pop and Indie Rock 'n' Roll. Aside from some issues with band members not turning up, the antagonistic sound guy with a god complex and the theft of my mate’s pint I was very impressed. If all the Glasswerk showcases are like this, the Glasgow scene is going to be looking very rosy in 2006!

Montra: [link]
The Front: [link]
The Prayers: [link]