A review of He Slept on 57’s final show hosted at the Ironworks on the 30th of August 2013.
A sad evening for many as Inverness band He Slept on 57 played their final show at Ironworks on Friday after flying the flag for Inverness Indie Rock for several years, playing venues all over Scotland and with the release of numerous very well received EPs .
The evening started peacefully as we were treated to a performance from someone that has supported He Slept a number of times over the years, a friend of theirs, Ewan Mcconologue A.K.A Toastie. Starting his set with his track “Hey Kid”, a catchy acoustic pop song, his set varied in dynamics, from impressively soft love songs, with him stating “ They’re always better when they’re written about a girl. “ to more upbeat sounds, and covers of tracks by Talking Heads, Sublime and Big Star. Although it’s a cliché to say it about a young Scottish singer-songwriter, he reminded me of a one man Frightened Rabbit, with his voice verging on Malcolm Middleton at it’s lower end, and a less nasally Tommy Reilly at it’s high end.
Disco Cats, who took to the stage next, are relatively new on the scene, but are quickly making a good name for themselves. This young pop-punk band grow on me every time I see them and are becoming increasingly catchy, with songs sticking in my head for days after, notably the song “I Never Lied”, which they recently recorded as a demo. Their set was fast and energetic, capturing the attention of the growing crowd throughout. With 3 of the 4 members sharing lead vocals, they created a unique sound based on the guitars rather than a single voice defining the band, unlike any act I can think of from Inverness. This band are surely on the way up and were a good way to start heating things up for He Slept on 57.
Shortly into their set, after getting over the shock that such a band were allowed to play an over 14’s show, the crudely topical band Cactus & Cardigan rocketed through a set of heavy riffs and impressive breakdowns. Not hiding their immaturity, stating that “there’s always time for a “your mum” joke” and with titles such as “Reggie Yates Is The Messiah”, “George Michael Cums Cobwebs” and ‘Wank Sock”, it is easy to see that they would not be everyone’s cup of tea but, as the set drove on, every single person in the room was banging their head along to the music, making them undeniably good. Though they seemed a bit heavy for a warm up act, they certainly did the job of getting people pumped up for the main event.
Although there was plenty of space to move, when you remember that this is a local unsigned band, in the largest venue in the centre of Inverness, the turnout becomes very impressive, all being here to say farewell to He Slept on 57.
As an intro piece of music started over the PA, I felt deafened by the cheering and whistling coming from the crowd, showing how passionate people were about the band. They kicked off with “Clark Bent”, a track from their 2010 EP “A Glow from the Night Light” with the majority of the crowd joining in early with a line, chanting “fighting out the hardest way” and carried on a set of new songs and old songs, songs off of the new EP, “Gates” including the tracks “Katy, Bar the Door” and “ A Bunch of Fives”; and off the the 2010 EP “Where the Air is Thin” and “Another Photo for the Album”
Declaring “The worst thing that has ever happened to anyone ever, has just happened to me”, as he spilt his rum, front man Stuart was on form, at one point throwing a cake into the audience, in celebration of his own birthday; an action leading to my favourite part of the night, as someone wiped themselves out, slipping on the cake. After a humble thanks, they played most peoples’ favourite, “Your Faint Memory”, leaving it to ring out as they left the stage. An unexpected encore for the band saw them play out with one final track, “Her Paper Tiger”.
A great performance from this band, who will be very much missed.
More photos of He Slept on 57’s final gig.
