Walking into the bar of the somewhat legendary, and newly refurbished King Tut’s in Glasgow was something of a shock. Crisp greys and extra bright strip lighting showing off the abundance of framed gig artwork adorning the walls, all seemed just a bit too clinical on first arrival. As the strip lights were dimmed and the surroundings became a little more subdued it made much more sense.
Upstairs in the 300 capacity venue the support band Dark Bells were coming to the end of their half-hour set. I’ll definitely be looking out for their next visit, a tight three-piece with nice psych basslines and a female vocal with hints of Grace Slick.
The four members of Cloud Control bounced onstage just after 10pm with lead vocalist Alister Wright wrapped up in a hoody and cap and bassist Jeremy Kelshaw similarly wrapped up in a combat jacket and cap. After saying hello to the crowd they opened with ‘Scream Rave’ complete with trippy live layered lead vocals to mimic the album version. Booming drums made it clear in terms of sound the crowd were in for a treat. Without pausing they launched into a blinding version of recent single ‘Dojo Rising’ complete with the sweet backing vocals of Heidi Lenffer and the rest of the band. Each member of the band was mic’d up and all chiming in with harmonies throughout the set, making light work of the live vocals. They said early on they’d be playing “some old and some new” tracks, and true to their word the set was a mixture of Dream Cave and 2011’s Bliss Release.
Musically the band were on form throughout and their sound definitely has the feel-good factor, this along with their knack for interesting experimentation makes for a satisfying live performance. At one point Kelshaw (bass) mic’d up a flight-case to play as added percussion and put as much heart into this as any other part of the set. Highlight for me was Island Living, with its extra heavy bass, finger-tapping guitar solo and speedy arpeggio keys. Dojo Rising may have been the crowd favourite, being requested again by someone towards the end of the set. The quick joking reply from Wright, “I can’t understand what you’re saying” had the crowd laughing but may be a little telling of the sweet and sour nature of a singles success.
The band are on tour in UK and Europe over the coming months, as well as supporting Local Natives. Click HERE for dates and venues.
