Welsh rockers Feeder return to the Barrowlands with a sold-out show as part of their Black/Red tour in preparation for their upcoming album of the same name.
After a long and eerie build-up playing the topical Willy Wonka soundtrack, formed in Swansea but with a distinctive Mancunian swagger Pastel is the support for tonight, “we’re pissed already” shouts the very believable Jack Yates. Often described as shoegaze, the band share more than an accent with previous northern luminaries such as Oasis and The Charlatans. Still a relatively recent band, they play with confidence and have a sound that easily fills the large expanse of the Barrowland Ballroom. “It’s Saturday night in Glasgow, who gives a fuck who we are” – Jack remarks in a series of comments making it clear he was expecting to hear more from the audience. Liam Gallagher had played the same venue a week previously in what sounded like a relatively calm affair so it may be that Pastel may be trying to fill in the shoes of the previous rock’n’roll rebels.
Feeder started 30 years ago and it’s been 20 years since their period of runaway success. There was a time when it was impossible to turn on a TV or radio (or video game) without hearing the unmistakable “Buck Rogers” However some of the early fans might be surprised to find out Feeder has been knocking out successful albums charting very well every few years since 2016.
Coming to the stage with beaming smiles, Feeder got straight into the new material playing “ELF” and the sense of joy in the room was immediate. They had barely finished their first song before chants of “Feeder” filled the room. Bassist Taka was bouncing around and singer Grant took a different approach to getting the audience engaged, “This has to be the best venue in the UK” and the Barrowlands crowd lapped up the flattery.
Grant talks about the new album and the joy in creating something physical, growing up and buying CDs excited to look through the album artwork of Pink Floyd and the likes, “even if you can’t get a CD player in a car these days”. This isn’t an evening of harking back to glory days however, classics like “Just the Way I’m Feeling” are intertwined with recent singles “Playing with Fire” and they are all very well received, there is a distinct lack of tension between playing old classics and new material, “Tangerine” from 1997s “Polythene” and last years single “Hey You” got some of the best reactions of the evening. However, it was always going to be the familiar chords of Buck Rogers that got the room exploding in excitement.
Not content with a simple encore Feeder brings a piper to the stage for an authentic rendition of last year’s “Soldiers of Love” while Taka dons the Scottish flag he has been playing next to all night. The slower tune gives the crowd just enough time to catch their breath before “Just a Day” kicks off and has everyone doing impressions of their favourite music video.
Feeder hasn’t been the latest hot band for a while now but this isn’t a band trying to relive the past. It’s refreshing and wholesome to see a band so obviously enjoy what they are doing and manage to do it successfully on their terms. They may fly under the radar of Tik Tok but there is still somewhere to buy from a band putting out singles with B sides and CDs with track listings and artwork inside. Black/Red will be released on April the 5th and you can probably buy it from WHSmith for some extra authenticity.
Words and pictures: Dale Harvey @daleharvey
Additional pictures: Calum Mackintosh @ayecandyphotography