Spoke too Soon Launch new EP ‘Your Own Creation’, at The Ironworks, Inverness
Opening the night were In This Life, a four piece, and a bundle of energy from north-east Scotland. Unfortunately I was fashionably late due to an earlier engagement but was, however, fortunate to catch the tail end of their set, setting the bar high for the three acts to follow. A distinctly pop punk feel and the perpetual motion of lead singer Kris McIntosh and his invisible pogo stick let you know that they were no shrinking violets. For an opener they got a bit of action out of the crowd at the front which is no mean feat. One I’ll have to catch again to find out what they are all about.
Next to take to the Ironworks stage were alternative rock outfit Distance Between Us. Lead vocals are shared between guitarists Dave McBain and Adam Wilson who although have contrasting styles they meld perfectly as they interchange between lines. Dave acts as a foil to Adam’s edge-on scream, with neither dominating the other. They play it tight, and need to, as they switch focus between each other. The chat between songs is solid too, whether banter with the crowd or the more heartfelt sentiments prior to ‘Ok’. The set closer had to be that piece of earworm, as much as they may now hate it themselves, ‘Emergency Line’. More importantly for Distance Between Us they looked at home on the Ironworks Stage.
Hailing from Fraserburgh were Dude Trips another new band for me. Yes, I do lead a sheltered life! Following on with the shared vocals saw bass player Jamie Mathers lead from the centre with stage right, guitarist Shaun Ross. For a set which initially strikes me as pounding energy, it quickly reveals layers of unequivocal emotion. It just drips grief and yet points towards hope. When Shaun was left on stage for one song there were shades of Glasvegas’s James Allan emotional delivery. They may be new to me but I left with their slice of vinyl.
It was very clear that each of the bands knew each other well, and all spoke highly of each other from the stage. It was friends together and yes, it was a party. And tonight it was Spoke Too Soon’s party. This is a band I do know. However, it has been sometime since I’ve seen them and there has been a bit of a change in the line up, so do I really know them? They make quite a dramatic entrance to the strains of Escala’s Palladio and then jump straight in with an effervescent Cameron Grant bounding around the stage. It’s not just Cameron who has a spring in his step, but their audience who are drawn forward. They may have formed in 2011 but this is not the band I remember. Spoke Too Soon have now found their groove and a sense of purpose that goes with it. That drive stays throughout and the party excitement gets a little bit too much as they return to the stage far too quickly for their encore before their fans can get a decent ‘one more song’ chant underway. But then it couldn’t have been a surprise that latest single ‘Insecurities’ would end the night, although there was no insecurity about Spoke Too Soon’s performance.
Four bands all sufficiently different to showcase the range of talent in the north and north east of Scotland. Credit must go to Spoke Too Soon for going big and booking their launch in the Ironworks. Well played.
Images of the night can be found here.
