Bloodlines , with support from Sly at Last and Kid Kapichi, at Tooth & Claw, Inverness.
It was an early start at the Tooth and Claw with opening act Sly At Last taking to the stage at 7.30 and they were quickly going through gears were up to speed in no time at all. “All I Want’ produced a bounce along to a falsetto vocal as the guitars charged along. The slipped a couple of covers into their set, Foals ‘Mountain At My Gates’ and Royal Blood’s ‘Out Of The Black’.
They draw inspiration from both acts and they harness the energy of both songs well and Alastair Tibbs set the guitar aside for the Royal Blood cover and transmitted this to the audience, even if it made him a little dizzy… There is variation within their set and their sound remains accessible throughout. An accomplished opener.
Next up, and all the way from Hastings, were Kid Kapichi in what was their, unsurprisingly, first time playing Inverness. Welcoming us with a wall of sound and some strutting rock Kid Kapichi made sure they grabbed your attention straight away. It was like early Blur, but with someone having the genius to ramp up the guitars a notch or two and run it all down the darker side of the street.
The vocals of Ben Beetham and Jack Wilson bounce off each other with blokeish ease. New single ‘Puppet Strings’ is inventive and there is a real Raconteurs feel to ‘Ice Cream’. A damn impressive half hour from the guys who made the ‘trip through Mordor’, in a good way, to get here.
The bar was set high as Bloodlines snaked their way through the crowd to take to the stage. Hard edged and in your face topped off with a snarling youthful Lydonesque vocal from Jamie Coltart. This gave way to an intense tribal undercurrent in ‘Mother’s Misery’. The crowd were up for this and a mosh pit formed early in the set.
The enthusiasm was reciprocated as forays into the crowd were made, expanding their stage. There was also enthusiasm for the band, and not just Jamie, to take off their shirts. A bit of cajoling and peer pressure was required, and Stephen Bull did say that he found it ‘a bit weird’. But relieved of their shirts the set continued unabated. It’s not subtle, in terms of their overwhelming force, but equally they are not one trick noise merchants either and there is a subtlety in the ferociousness of their delivery.
They know when to wring that little bit extra out. With ‘Bleed It Out’ for example they were really let of the leash. With the night coming to an end shortly before 10, with the lights coming up towards the end of the set, they were getting every last ounce out of the night, and in doing so left a very sweaty, but happy, room. Bloodlines do put on a show, and tonight was no exception.
See pictures of Bloodlines on the night, below;
