UK post-rock heroes Black Country, New Road grip their Glasgow audience to demonstrate that they’re still an enduring and explosive force, and most importantly, that they’re still the best of friends.
As the walk-on music starts in the Old Fruitmarket this evening, there’s already a legion of phone torches waving in the air along with it. The tune of choice is Styx’s ‘Come Sail Away’, and to those reading the intent of this choice it isn’t hard to draw parallels between the tale of the song and that of the band we’re here to see. “So climb aboard, we’ll search for tomorrow on every shore. And I’ll try, oh lord, I’ll try to carry on”.
BCNR are a band that have seldom been out of flux during their time together. They marked and developed their identity on their breakout debut and sophomore albums, helmed by frontman Isaac Wood, who gave a voice of rare quality to the visceral emotional landscape of these albums. When Wood announced his departure from the group only days before the release of said sophomore album ‘Ants From Up There’, it left fans curious as to how the band would progress and what this persevering iteration of the group would sound like. There was likely no better way the group could have demonstrated this than on their recently released live album ‘Live At Bush Hall’, which showed various band members stepping up to the vocal pedestal with the music and songwriting sounding as strong as ever.
This was the display we were treated to tonight. Opening on the propulsive ‘Up Song’ the band are instantly rallying around each other, with the crowd joining in for rapturous chants of “Look at what we did together, BCNR friends forever”. A sentiment like this is easy to get swept up in and identify with. Here BCNR are showing a brave and honest acknowledgement of all they’ve endured together and showing that this has only served to strengthen their love for each other. As vocalist and saxophonist Lewis Evans introduces the lineup he states that “These aren’t just the band, these are friends” He then introduces them all as such. And what a glowing cast of friends they are.
Throughout the kaleidoscopic set each member gets their moment to shine as they trade the spotlight and show a virtuosic command of the musical language they speak. The songs are dynamic and fluent, ranging from bittersweet delicacy to thunderous peaks. There’s no shortage of emotional dynamics either, this is clearly an element each member of the band is sensitive to and when they mass together it is positively blistering to behold. The sound rattles across the walls of the Old Fruitmarket, visibly stunning all who are here to witness it. The quality of the songwriting allows easy inclusion of the audience as the band navigates this journey, ‘Bush Hall’ highlight ‘Dancers’ provokes a hall-wide refrain of ‘Dancers stand very still on the stage’. At the request of the band, the house lights repeatedly illuminate the crowd who greet the performers with waves and cheers. The joy on their faces is plain to see and the thanks they give at the end are truly heartfelt. The show concludes with a well-deserved theatre-like group bow to the tune of ‘The Boys Are Back In Town’.
Through all the violent turns they’ve faced in the current of their career, BCNR have prevailed through their incredible art, steadfast conviction and fierce loyalty to one another. Long may it continue, BCNR friends forever.
Words by Jack Martin @jickus_
Pictures by Rosie Sco @rosie.sco