Gig review: Have Mercy Las Vegas, Glasgow

With a joyous, rambunctious energy, Have Mercy Las Vegas stormed long sequences of this gig, with several in the crowd breaking into spontaneous do-si-does round King Tut’s sticky floor.

Picture: TSPL

Have Mercy Las Vegas - King Tut’s, Glasgow

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Headlining this King Tut’s New Year’s Revolution showcase, the unsigned folk sextet from Loch Lomond – paying homage to Appalachian music and slide blues while remaining essentially true to their Scots roots – are poised to release their debut album shortly.

And on this evidence, it should be a belter.

Pappy was a sprightly opener, and the exuberant Barn Stomp is a touchstone for their sound with recently acquired fiddler Andrew Napier unshowily to the fore.

There is a jaded cynicism about relationships that cuts through even the more straightforward ballads such as aching lament That’s Life or the twinkly Plastic Promises, with Trotter and Crispin McAlpine harmonising beautifully.

Led by the latter’s ukulele, Snakes and Horses romped impressively through a succession of gear changes, though that was as nothing compared to the galloping Suffering Love, featuring some frenetic fretwork from McAlpine and fellow guitarist Stephen Scott.

Urged for an encore, they threatened a Flight of the Conchords cover but instead opted for the marginally less ridiculous Cotton-Eyed Joe, a nod to 1990s floor-fillers from a band that doesn’t take itself too seriously.