AN institution in Glasgow’s collective musical calendar that typically heralds in the arrival of the summer months, Oran Mor’s West End Festival All Dayer is beloved for intermingling exciting homegrown talent and innovative acts from further afield. Primed to seize hold of the iconic Byres Road venue this Sunday, revellers can expect to be treated to auditory delights from not only familiar faces but a crop of burgeoning artists that have a prosperous path ahead of them.
Without further ado, here’s our rundown of the essential sets (alongside an exclusive discount code for our readers!) that harbour the potential to make this one of the most revered West End Festival All Dayer events yet in its illustrious history.
Boy Azooga
Armed with the sense of sonic reckless abandon that is predominantly confined to the hedonistic and overwrought days of the 1970’s , Cardiff’s Boy Azooga have almost prodigiously found their way into the affections of the music press and musos alike with their multi-faceted sound. After colliding to earth with authority on debut single ‘Face Behind Her Cigarette’ and quickly garnering a lot of admirers, each deft twist and turn in their journey would perplex, beguile and entrance in the best way possible as their debut album loomed ever closer. Now that their debut record 1,2 King Fu! has arrived in all of its frenetic splendour, the band have firmly confirmed all of our suspicions that their innovative cosmic rock sound hasn’t diminished with greater exposure and that there’s a wealth of untapped creativity that shows no signs of ever running dry. If you’ve yet to listen to the LP, one solitary play-through it will be all of the incentive you need to be front and centre in preparation of them gracing Oran Mor’s stage on Sunday.
WUH OH
In the wake of a blistering show at The Great Escape Festival, the hype that coalesces around Glasgow’s own Wuh Oh may well be hitting its apex. The proponent of wondrous and luscious soundscapes that envelope every synapse and crevice of your brain, the artist lesser known as Pete Ferguson will capitalise on the momentum from his headline show at Glasgow’s newest jazz haunt The Blue Arrow in order to bring his rampantly eclectic material to Oran Mor and a whole new host of potential converts. If anyone needs further clarification of the sheer scale of his unfettered creativity and acumen, bask in the astounding and vibrant glory of ‘Hairstyle’:
Man Of Moon
In a plain of consciousness between languorous psychedelic excavation and lucid and immediate rock ‘n’ roll at its most potent, there resides Edinburgh’s Man Of Moon. Firm favourites at TTV ever since they asserted themselves on the motorik voyage of ‘The Road’ back in 2015, the duo have subsequently shone at every occasion that they’ve dispensed with their elusiveness and brought themselves to the fore. After a lengthy hiatus from the live arena in order to submerge themselves in the coinciding realms of writing and recording, the group behind the phenomenal Medicine EP embarked upon a mammoth European tour in support of Man Of Moon and are firing on all cylinders at present. With the tantalising prospect of their debut LP lingering over our heads, now is the time to see them in an all-dayer setting before festival main stages beckon them towards vast seas of people.
Be Charlotte
With major label deal in tow, the future has never seemed so glaringly bright for Dundonian pop songstress Be Charlotte. A scenario made all the more impressive by the fact that she has been steadfast in the commitment to fostering her own sound as opposed to cow-towing to the whims of prevailing trends or transient motifs that gained prevalence on the pop charts, what we have in Charlotte Brimner is an artist of her own devising and one that’s fully equipped to the take the world by storm. Poised to bring a whole host of new material to an enraptured Oran Mor crowd, those in attendance will be treated to an advance preview of her next evolution and the new crop of songs that could be what catapults her into the stratosphere.
Vessels
Having only released their brilliant fourth studio album ‘The Great Distraction’ in September 2017, Vessels have already treated their fans to new music this year in the form of song ‘PantherTek’. Their newest release gives another clear indication that they are open to exploring any avenue possible and making it work. Despite the band’s post-rock foundations when they initially formed 11 years ago, the five-piece from Leeds have slowly but surely evolved into a band capable of writing and producing songs with great diversity whilst constantly evolving at the same time. Vessels’ ability to perfectly gravitate between various genres of music has allowed them to be recognised as a hugely exciting and engaging band, both in their albums and in their own live sets for over a decade. The All Dayer Festival will allow this talented band further opportunity to showcase their expertise and leave the crowd vying for more.
Headclouds
With the release of their debut EP Pure Honey due this year, it is a very exciting time for the Newcastle outfit Headclouds after emerging in 2017 with their debut single ‘Flowers’. Merging pop and rock with a predominantly guitar sound, their first release paved the way for their next two releases and only further showing their ability to compose tremendous juxtaposition within their songs. Vibrancy and energy fill each of their three tracks, despite the somewhat downbeat lyrics which accompany them. Anticipation continues to surround the five-piece amidst the release of their EP this year, with the date still to be confirmed, however one thing is for sure; this band are one to watch in the future and at this year’s All Dayer Festival.
Harry & The Hendersons
When it comes to the unbridled spirit of invention and cohesion among the band, there is no act in Glasgow that can rival the monumental feats that Harry & The Hendersons can pull off live. Comprised of seven prodigiously talented pals from Rutherglen, their fully realised psych-folk sound has received a groundswell of acclaim in recent years now that we’ve finally got a definitive document of what they can accomplish when are all parties are striving towards the same goal. Released last year, their debut full-length Method Of The Matchstick Men is an unequivocally mesmeric listen that implores the listener to bask in its lustrous world for days on end. For any agnostic that has yet to be ensnared by the band’s ample charms as of yet, you need only head down to Oran Mor this Sunday and see what’s so special about this outfit come to life in stunning, imaginative colour.
Tickets for The West End Festival are still available now via Ticketweb. As a special offer that’s been allotted to TTV, Oran Mor have provided us with a discount code for readers that will give access to £10 tickets. For those looking to gain access to a remarkable day of live music for minimal sterling, here it is- WEF2018
Check out the full line-up below:
