WESTSIDE COWBOY rolled into King Tuts on Monday night riding wave of momentum that shows no signs of slowing down.
With the gig sold out well in advance and the crowd squeezed into available corner of the infamous Glasgow venue, it was immediately clear that word had well and truly travelled about this four-piece – and anticipation was high.
To kick things odd fellow Manchester band Holly Head were on supporting duties. Fresh from the release of ‘No Country Is An Island’, they’re an exhilarating, restless live act with raw, politically charged lyrics and grooving punk songs – and they certainly left a lasting impression.
As for the headline act, Westside Cowboy have already been tipped by all the right people. In a whirlwind 2025, they won the Glastonbury Emerging Talent competition, signed to Island Records imprint Adventure Recordings and performed at numerous festivals and venues up and down the country – gaining new followers at every turn. So much so that their live reputation now precedes them – their glorious amalgamation of country, alt-rock and folk (coined Britainicana) is thoughtful and melodic, yet loose and unpredictable. And it makes for a truly enthralling live show.
Arriving on stage to a rapturous reception, the four-piece opened with a cover of the instrumental ‘Midnight Cowboy’ by Santo and Johnny – starting in melodic fashion before gradually filling the room with bluesy guitar, harder drums and quicker beats. Rising to a big crescendo, drummer Paddy Murphy, along with the crowd, yelled ‘Westside Cowboy!’ and they launched into a storming version of ‘I’ve Never Met Anyone I Thought I Could Really Love (Until I Met You)’. On record, their chemistry is clear – they sound like a band who just love making music together rather than striving for perfection. But in person, this comes to life even more – the guitar surges and vocal harmonies are joyous, chaotic and skilful, and they add a rawness, swagger and vitality to each song. What’s more, they love every minute of it.
Swapping vocal leads throughout the night, James Bradbury took on the fuzzy and chaotic ‘Alright Alright Alright’, with its foot-stomping nods to country, while ‘Shells’ was a slow burner which allowed Aoife O’Connell and Reuben Haycock’s vocals to shine that provokes a singalong they don’t expect. Lifted from their new EP ‘So Much Country ‘Till We Get There’, released only a couple of weeks ago, ‘Can’t See’, ‘Don’t Throw Rocks’ and ‘The Wahs’ picked up the pace again with urgent guitars and giddy melodies while ‘Strange Taxidermy’ featured goosebump-inducing vocals from Aoife. It’s their ability to effortlessly shift from the intimate and vulnerable to the punchy, taut indie bangers that really impressed – they move with a real shared purpose and instinct, as if they’re totally lost in the moment, and it was impossible not to get swept up in their infectious energy.
Rattling through their material in 50 minutes, they finished with a now customary take of ‘In The Morning’, a stripped-back number that sees all four of them gather around Aoife’s mic to sing together. Raw, warm and endearing, it perfectly summed up everything that we love about them, with the crowd singing and stomping along with them in unison.
A band clearly full of confidence and on the road to something special, Westside Cowboy live up to all the hype and more. Catch them this summer when they play TRNSMT Festival,
