The Oxides at Mad Hatters, Inverness, 16/1/2015. A review.
Since their first gig in July 2012 The Oxides burned brightly, always putting everything they had into a performance so it was with a heavy heart that I made my way to Mad Hatters to see them burn out in style. Jake Bolt doesn’t like to do anything in small measures and when he and his fellow Oxides called time on the band you knew that they wouldn’t go out with a whimper.
First up though were Krooked Saints. On nights like this a support band can play a bit part, but not tonight. Krooked Saints caught the attention early turning more than just a few heads towards the stage. They are from Dundee, and Dundee is a city which really produces top notch acts.
The sheer gallusness reminded me of The View, but the melodies were up there with The Hazey Janes. It’s not often that you stumble upon a band this good but tonight I did. From opener ‘I’ll Come Running’ to set ender ‘Final Fight’ they were excellent. Krooked Saints have it; they have it in bundles. I will be looking out for them in the future, and so should you.
It was always going to be emotional and no doubt for the faithful who would have been here at the birth it was. In typical Oxides fashion they did it a bit differently. There was no set list; they winged it. Oh but did they soar. Also in typical Oxides fashion they knock out ‘Her Methadrone’, then have some trouble on Jake’s pedal board. That was soon rectified and the favourites were played out by an emotional Jake.
From ‘In One Ear And Out The Other’ and ‘Writing On The Wall’ it was nailed on emotion. We were treated to all eleven tracks from their debut album and also their debut single. The debut album and single that never were.
Many of the songs had hardly been played, such as ‘Halo’ but the grit and determination was there. ‘All I Do’ could have been everlasting, and there would have been no complaints if it was, but it had to move to a conclusion. That final curtain call was ‘Going Overboard’. It may have been a short journey but it was one I was glad I had the opportunity to follow.
We may have had Krooked Saints, and they are a band to watch out for, but tonight was about The Oxides. This was a band with high hopes and ambitions who may not have achieved what they set out to do, but they have left an indelible mark on the local music scene.
The Oxides now join the ranks of Jake’s previous bands 28 Jacks and The Boosts taking their place in local music history. No doubt Jake will return. When and where? Who knows. The Oxides may be behind us but somehow we know we will have something to look forward to.
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Tonight as I wrote this up I did so with The Oxides soundcloud playing in the background. It’s not until it has gone that you realise quite how good it was when it lasted.
The Oxides. You were a band :-)
