Review: Discopolis - King Tut’s, Glasgow

KING Tut’s New Year’s Revolution showcase of up and coming acts from around Scotland has returned for 2012. These nightly four-band bills are a canny way to get bums on seats and drinks down gullets at a quiet time of year, as well as an opportunity for callow young musicians to bag a coveted gig at a world-famous venue. So everyone’s happy.

Discopolis, though, are also nervous, or at least they appeared to be as they closed the evening’s proceedings with a tentative 30-minute set which was only warming up in its latter stages.

These three Edinburgh youths may look like they’re on exam study leave, but they have been touted over the past six months as a tasty electro pop proposition, featuring on the T Break Stage at T In the Park and ending 2011 by getting Edinburgh’s Hogmanay street party started. So they are not without some prestige experience.

However, at Tut’s they came over as musical wallflowers, only gradually emerging from their musical shell as their set progressed from its gentle start.

Following a flimsy cover of Bob Marley’s Waiting In Vain with breathy vocals from frontman Fergus Cook, spindly guitar and tinny beats, things picked up considerably when Laurie Corlett Donald moved over to a tiny Korg keyboard. Its warm tones enhanced the trance-like soundscape of current single Zenithobia and the fuller clubby backing of a brand new track called Celestial Books. But just as they were gearing up, it was time for curfew.

RATING: ***