IT is a rare but awe-inspiring feeling to leave a gig and know that you’ve witnessed something truly momentous; a night so special that it will be remembered for years to come. That was exactly the case on Saturday night as thousands of jubilant music fans milled out of the Barrowlands after spending an hour and a half in the company of one of the most exciting bands this country is likely to ever produce.
Young Fathers have continuously shocked and amazed since they first emerged a decade ago; perhaps never more so however than with the release of their latest critically acclaimed LP Cocoa Sugar. Unveiled just two weeks prior to the gig, it has been described as the band’s most streamlined and accessible record to date; but that doesn’t mean it’s any less unique, inventive or genre-curious. The trio continue to push boundaries and estrange themselves from pop’s traditional structures on Cocoa Sugar in a way that is utterly boundless and liberating. Consumed with rage, Young Fathers are the riled oddballs on the hunt for change; and they channel this through an indefinable clatter of rhythms, dense electronic beats, an onslaught of industrial synths and warped pop melodies. They’re a band who are here to ask the questions but they do so without providing the straight-forward answers.
Watching them weave their magic in the live setting is as spiritual as it is thrilling; a mixture of the band’s unbridled charisma and sheer confidence with the crowd’s outpouring of appreciation makes for a truly momentous live experience. Opening number What A Time To Be Alive immediately sets the tone with its rabid intensity before they contort, thrash and dance through the sharp jolt of ‘’Wire’, the tribal ‘Queen is Dead’ and the defiant electro punk of Cocoa Sugar highlight ‘Toy’.
Unlike their more serious and at times hostile public image, the three-piece cannot be contained on stage. They perform against a blank screen but it quickly becomes clear that they do not require any stage frills or production techniques to make an impact; all eyes stay glued to the band’s frenzied frontline. Touring drummer Steven Morrison masterfully controls the momentum of the show, attacking each song with gusto, but it’s all about the interplay between the three main players. The group’s primary producer Graham G Hastings takes care of the electronic beats and the throbbing bass synths through a singular console, weaponising them to produce a monstrous sonic blaze, while Kayus Banole is the livewire of group; his frenzied energy contrasted by Alloysious Massaquoi’s effortless cool. Most importantly, Young Fathers have no ringleader; they move with impulse and with the kind of single-minded coordination that can only come from over a decade together.
They fire through one explosives song after another; effortlessly switching between unhinged, industrial hip-hop full of guttural shouts and smooth R&B harmonies brimming with sweet soulfulness. The propulsive ‘Rain Or Shine’ builds up to an absolute frenzy, the irresistible ‘Get Up’ provokes wild dancing while ‘In My View’ sees the sold-out venue belt out the chorus with their hands aloft. An instant classic among their diehard fans and new listeners alike since its release at the start of the year, the muscular number strikes a balance between artistic progression and the band’s newfound ability to reach out to a more mainstream audience.
After the gospel-esque ‘Lord’ and an utterly euphoric, spine-tingling take on ‘Only God Knows’, famously featured on the Trainspotting 2 soundtrack, they reject normal encore etiquette and remain onstage to bring the show to a rousing finale with ‘Shame’, a pointed call to action from their second LP White Men Are Black Men Too.
It’s fair to say that they leave the stage to a rip-roaring response. Basking in the euphoric glow of the Barrowlands, they glare out at the audience with bold, unwavering confidence; it’s impossible not to absorb their remarkable vitality. An utterly compelling, spiritual and visceral experience from start to finish, this gig will surely secure its place in the upper echelons of the venue’s revered history. Young Fathers are at the peak of their powers and they are undoubtedly one of the most innovative and singular outfits in the world right now.
ALL PHOTOGRAPHY BY RONAN PARK.
