VAGABONDS // NICE 'N' SLEAZY'S
Last Friday Nice ‘n’ Sleazys hosted ‘Vagabonds’ for their new EP launch ‘Weekend Messiah’. With tickets selling out on the night the crowd were in for a busy start to their weekend.
With a debut performance from ‘Peplo’ it was a fresh start to the night. They played some interesting music with my favourite song ‘Tall’ highlighting the performance. Although it was clear this four-piece had little experience playing in front of a crowd they played well under the circumstances. Apart from some minor issues with the lead guitar causing the band to stop mid-song there wasn’t any huge issues with the openers.
With a quick five-minute change over the audience refilled their drinks and turned back to the stage. They were greeted by Lucids, another four-piece indie band. With some more rock-ish tunes for the crowd they certainly had heads nodding and feet stomping. A band with a nice blend of Scottish-indie and Manchester…ness they were a good listen. However, this band brought a issue to my attention, one that is prevalent in almost every small-to-medium sized four-piece band I have seen recently. This issue is what I call ‘boring bassist syndrome’ where almost every bassist in every band will stand and stare at a wall while the rest of the band has fun. This doesn’t ruin performances, but it is always a better performance when every band member has some interaction whether it is with the audience or the other band members.
It was time for the headline act. Vagabonds entered the stage with a round of applause. An eager 180 fans waited to hear the new EP for the first time. With people clambering onto chairs and standing on couches just to catch a glimpse of the band it was obvious how the anticipation had been building for weeks, and now it was time. Confidence was high with the band, and the crowd responded well. As the set kicked off the lights changed which set a special atmosphere around the room. The party really started when they played a tremendous cover of ‘What You Know’ by Two Door Cinema Club. From then on it was the only way was up, with epic shared singing, banging baselines and remarkable rhythm the talent was strong on the night. A personal favourite of the set was ‘Wait For Me’ originally released last year but now officially out and I must say it was a great three minutes. With more covers the only issue with this band is that they don’t have enough music! A problem that will be quickly solved in the coming year I’m sure. If you’ve not heard of or listened to this indie-rock band from Motherwell I suggest you do quickly and get ahead of the trend because there’s no doubt if they keep doing what their doing they’ll be back with more songs, more sold out shows and more mesmerising performances.
You can listen to ‘Weekend Messiah’ on Spotify below: