Gig review: The twilight sad - Barrowland, Glasgow

After consolidating their reputation with a tremendous third album, expectations were high before this, the Twilight Sad’s biggest gig to date.

The twilight sad - Barrowland, Glasgow

* * *

The sprawling old ballroom certainly welcomed the Kilsyth outfit’s panoramic wall of rock sound and their lighting technician’s desire to blind everyone assembled.

The searing, sensory overload wasn’t restricted to the audience though, with singer James Graham audibly choking with emotion towards the close of their 90 minute set.

Opening with the industrial Kill It in the Morning, its ominous overbearance recalling Nine Inch Nails until the dying synths, Graham imploring: “What more do you need to know?”, the multi-layered, nuanced-then-explosive That Summer, At Home I had Become the Invisible Boy captured the occasion’s epic ambitions, the singer screaming over Andy MacFarlane’s dynamic guitar.

The hard-charging, bass-driven Dead City and the possessed electronics of Alphabet were equally impressive, even if the sound, ultimately and wretchedly went wayward in a sonic squall and Graham’s low vocals disappearing in the maelstrom of noise. Yet I Became A Prostitute soared, the cacophony ebbing long enough for him to impart his fall from grace tale, before the returning blast of guitar and drums, the melody lurking just below its twisted surface. Cold Days From The Birdhouse was another highlight, the crowd taking the rare opportunity to join in between the cresting verses.

Unfortunately, the self-indulgent, extended finale to At The Burnside, ensured that many of them also streamed away before the final chord.