Mt. Doubt, with support from Acrylic and Foreignfox, at Tooth and Claw, Inverness on the 19th of November, 2016. Review.
On the Friday just passed I had the chance to catch not 1, nor 2 but 3 of the best new emerging acts from across Scotland. Netsounds hosted the free event and I am thankful for that and for bringing more great music to Inverness. When I arrived at the Tooth and Claw the place was a buzz with people eager for the night of music to start.
The first act of the night was “Acrylic,” who had replaced Redolent after they had to pull out the week before. Previous to this gig, I had not had the chance to catch the band before, but I will be making sure I do so again. When the band took to the stage, without meaning to I had to do a triple take as the singer “Andreas Christodoulidis” stands centre stage dressed in a pair of dungarees, making me think I had been transported back to the mid 90’s. The band kicked off with their latest single “Over Run,” a fast paced indie number that drew the audience in from the start. They continued their set with a few more tracks before finishing off with their last single “Awake” a track that keeps building and building until it reaches an euphoric climax, very reminiscent to the Killers. One of the reasons I love going and catching new music is for the chance to find a new band that you are willing to talk about to everyone and anyone and Acrylic are definitely one of these bands.
The next band to take to the stage were Dunfermline’s favourite sons Foreignfox. Their first track was “Perfect Place to Start” which was faced paced and full of emotion and was the perfect precursor for the rest of their performance. They then went in to “Blackout” a brilliant clap along anthem, before confusing the crowd with a false finish to only rock out the finish harder and faster. This was followed by the bands last two singles Monsoon and Frostbite, before playing a new track “Lights on Carry Me Home” and finishing their set of with a flourish with “Bonfire.” With a performance like this you can see why the lads got selected for the T Break Stage at this years T in the Park festival and I am pretty sure that they left Inverness with a load of new supporters.
The third and final act to play this free gig from Netsounds was Edinburgh based band Mt. Doubt. Here is another band who took the T Break stage by storm this year at T in the Park, fresh of releasing their second album a couple of months ago. The band kicked of with the first track from the album In Awe of Nothing “Fjords” a brilliantly constructed piece of music which helps bring the talent of lead singer Leo Bargery to the forefront. This was followed by “To A Cusp” and the second single from the album “Thirst” a hauntingly beautiful track that gets the hairs on the back of your neck tingling.
At this point the band pause to thank Acrylic and Foreignfox for their adventure to the Highlands, before getting right back into it with the first single from the album “Afterglow.” This is brilliant track with a dance vibe mixed in to it. They announce that they are just about finished and would like to close with two tracks from their debut album “My Past Is A Quiet Beast,” as they start to play “Soft Wrists.” The final track of the night is maybe the fastest paced track off of their two albums “Feathers.” I personally couldn’t have thought of a better way to close out.
Praise has to go to Netsounds and the Tooth And Claw as this was a great night of free music and amazing performances from three brilliant Scottish bands. I would recommend all three to you now, without a hesitation. Question has to be is “Why are you still reading this and not checking all three bands out right now?”