The Pierce Brothers seem a bit overwhelmed as an already quite full Barrowlands take them to their hearts. Their set is short but full of crowd-pleasing moments and on this evidence they should visit the city again as soon as possible.
Pierce Brothers – where’s the digeridoo gone?
Tash Sultana’s debut album Flow State was released last year but only reached no.67 in the UK album charts but that has not stopped this being a sell out gig at the legendary Barrowlands. The audience has a diverse age range and more female than you would normally expect for an artist whose set is littered with lengthy guitar workouts. And TS is an extraordinary guitarist and multi-instrumentalist – and a very good singer.
And it is just TS for the whole set as they use technology to make it feel like a whole band is up there on the stage. TS’s energy is amazing – bounding across the stage, leaping into the air several times in a sort of squished body-scissor action guitar in hand, blowing a trumpet. There are some great psychedelic back projections but even without them the show would have spectacle in abundance.
Who needs a band?
The songs are diverse – some are based around long guitar jams, some are more psychedelic, some are reggae infused, and some are just beautiful, like ‘Pink Moon’ (see sample video below). And that musical inclusiveness seems to stem from TS’s nature.
A poignant moment comes when TS tells us that the experience of touring in the US was an unhappy one that led TS to questioning their musical path but that the experience on this European tour (including tonight) have rekindled the belief in themselves and their music. I’m sure this from the heart admission melted the heart of any non-believers left in the crowd.
So the world’s first nonbinary guitar hero came and conquered Glasgow and I think Glasgow also conquered TS. A great night – come again soon!
