KING Tut’s is undoubtedly one of the most prestigious venues in the country, hosting several shows to bands that are under the radar looking to project themselves into the music limelight. At the start of the year, it showcases the King Tut’s New Year’s Revolution – dedicated to all the best grassroots music around. Over 80 bands will take the infamous stage on St Vincent Street across 16 consecutive nights in January, and it is sure to be worth the value ticket price.
These sort of gigs that King Tut’s host are normally action-packed – filled-to-the-brim of music, even in between bands where there’s a DJ set. It is worth checking out Edinburgh-based band The Phantoms for a night of infectious and highly energetic rock on January 9th. Announced as one of the Fred Perry Subculture’s Band of the Week, the quartet are regularly compared to Oasis and The Doors. Medicine Man will be entertaining concert-goers with a DJ set in between acts, and Holy Pistol Club – a band swiftly becoming veterans at the venue – will be joining as midnight guests.
The all-important question of who will be joining The Phantoms is worth answering, with three acts of Proud Honey, The Ranzas and Sonic Templars being added to the bill. In similar grounds to The Phantoms, Proud Honey will perform before the headline act to lay out their highly overdriven and emotive rock n’ roll that can be comparable to The Verve. The Ranzas will bring out a similar sound with simple raw rock, and the Sonic Templars will use the experience they’ve built up already to demonstrate that they probably should be playing higher up in the bill.
The Fast Camels will introduce a 60’s psychedelic feel to King Tut’s on January 11th with support from All the Franklins, Homeward James and Black Cat Revue. There will be a DJ5 set in between bands, and Miracle Glass Company will be occupying the bar area. The Fast Camels already have a prolific appearance on the Glasgow music scene by clocking up 100 live appearances since their formation in 2005, and releasing an album shortly after. A second album is due, and new material could be prepared for their appearance on the Monday night.
All the Franklins will play before the headline act to display their blend of classic rock and psychedelia that signals The Grateful Dead, The Coral and Grizzly Bear. Homeward James will perform on the King Tut’s stage for the second time in three months to potentially debut new songs within their psych-grunge calibre. Taking the stage first will be Black Cat Revue, a band who have quickly made a name for themselves after only forming in the summer of 2014 – which has earned them a Fred Perry Subculture accolade.
On January 16th, The Calm Fiasco have all bases covered with their accessible mixture of pop, punk and indie – an amalgamation of genres that will more or less dominate the night – to exhibit their convincing trajectory as a band. They will be joined by Foggy City Orphan, which is essentially a new single launch for the Glasgow band, who will be releasing ‘Rocket’ on February 1st. The band full of family members that only formed a year ago have already been tipped for success by Jim Gellatly, and the band have also been played on radio by Tom Robinson and Steve Lamacq.
Edinburgh band Indigo Velvet will be heading to King Tut’s again to drip their tropical indie all over a predictably indie crowd, brightening up their day and going away to potentially become the new 1975. Bad Mannequins will start the festivities with their turn on garage punk in order to increase the familiarity of their band, which has been soaring since their live debut at the Art School in November. The Candid Mixtape will cover the DJ duty, whereas Ded Rabbit will play their biggest gig in the bar since headlining Fortune Promotions’ Hogmanay party at the Pear Tree in Edinburgh.
It won’t take long to witness more fantastic new music, as Bloodlines will headline the venue the day after The Calm Fiasco on January 17th. The Highlands band are certain to bring earthquakes to King Tut’s with their welcoming math rock that confirms chaos will be the only option in the tiny area of the venue to allow circle pit galore. Tetra will support Bloodlines with their heavy, aggressive style of alternative rock. It is a stark contrast to The 21st State, who will be there to perform a more indie alternative rock without all the crowd pandemonium. GoodCopGreatCop will start the night with a blend of The Xcerts and Biffy Clyro, that is their archetypal Scottish alternative music.
The last worthy mention of King Tut’s New Year’s Revolution has to be Apache Darling, which will be one of the more distinctive finds of the two weeks worth of gigs. The Ayrshire band headed to T in the Park last summer to play on the T Break stage, which has gathered them a significant audience since. That milestone attached to their history means getting tickets for this highly sought gig could be troublesome. They are joined by six-piece experimental electronic pop-rock band The Claramassa, for what could be slightly competitive towards Apache Darling. Glasgow-based quinet Acyrlic, who played at our last Tenement TV Trail, will be performing before both bands to mix up the electronica elements that is commanding the night, and are sure to be one of the most promising acts across the entire celebration. Wuh Oh, or Peter Ferguson when he’s not using his moniker, will begin this year on the live circuit by displaying his fresh ideas in the style of East India Youth.
See all gig listings and buy tickets via King Tut’s website.
