Thus Love call Battleboro, Vermont home and the four-piece arrived on these shores for a run of dates kicking off with Reading Festival, which they played for the first time. No pressure then. Leeds Festival followed before travelling north to Scotland for the start of a short run of headline shows and three more festivals. Having played a full band, intimate instore show in Edinburgh’s independent record shop Assai Records it was time to head west along the M8 to Glasgow.
The gig at The Hug and Pint was sold out and there was a palpable sense of anticipation in the air. The atmosphere was bolstered by the support man/woman/chainsaw, who were obviously having the best time. How there aren’t more onstage injuries with bands I’ll never know! The six-piece, including a violin and three guitars, were happily jumping around the small stage and the non-verbal communication was a sight to behold as I can confirm no injuries occurred. The set of 11-tracks included a mix of songs which were unpredictable in nature, ebbing and flowing in pace and energy, and hence a delight, switching between male and female vocals. The band will release their debut EP Eazy Peazy on Fat Possum Records on November 8 and the set finished with current single ‘Ode to Clio’.
And so to Thus Love, whose debut album Memorial was released in October 2022 via Captured Tracks. It included the singles ‘Repetitioner’, ‘Put On Dog’ and ‘Family Man’ , and a support slot with Dry Cleaning and coverage on BBC Radio 6Music brought them to the attention of a wider audience in the UK. Second album All Pleasure is now set for release on 1 November (Captured Tracks). As well as Glasgow, Thus Love will play Birmingham and London before appearances at Manchester Psych Fest, Brighton Psych Fest and End of the Road, no doubt continuing to expand their fanbase on this side of the pond. Tonight’s set is a mix of the two albums, opening with ‘In Tandem‘ and ‘Inamorato’ from Memorial. This is a band who do not fit in a specific genre. Yes they are a guitar band, having increased to a four-piece, the amicable departure of bassist Nathaniel van Osdol leading to the arrival of Ally Juleen (bass) and Shane Blank (guitarist/keyboard), however guitar band does not do them justice. ‘Get Stable’ is the first track played from the new album and it has a real Rock ‘n’ Roll swagger to it. The gig is interspersed with banter between the band and the crowd; this is a group of artists comfortable in their skin and their creativity, able to connect, if not always to understand this Glasgow crowd! A highlight was current single ‘Birthday Song’ which begins “Do you believe in love?” the vocal delivered with an emotional power by lead singer/guitarist Echo Marshall which is captivating in its intensity. And what a joy to hear ‘Repetitioner’ again live. The breakthrough track from Memorial with its “stop you in your tracks” opening guitar riff was slightly reworked due to the change in band members, adding to its already thrilling soundscape.
Not one single person left the venue when they went off stage and to be honest its been a while since I’ve heard a chant of “One more song.” Thankfully Thus Love duly obliged and returned to play the title track of the second album ‘All Pleasure’. This time it really was the end of the night, but there is no doubt that the “difficult second album” syndrome will not apply here. On the evidence of tonight’s performance we can only hope they will return again after its release.
For more information on Thus Love please check their facebook and instagram.
For more information on man/woman/chainsaw please check their facebook and instagram.
Photos credit: Julia Mason
