PETTY THIEVES // KING TUT'S WAH WAH HUT, GLASGOW
Petty Thieves’ performance at King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut was short, muted and left the fans disappointed.
PETTY THIEVES PERFORMING AT GLASGOW’S KING TUT’S WAH WAH HUT - 01.03.2019
PICTURE BY: STEPHEN WILSON PHOTOGRAPHY
★★☆☆☆ (2.5/5)
The Scottish group began from the work of songwriter & lead guitarist Gregor Davis, and lead singer Myles Howies. They threw themselves into touring acoustic sets around their hometown of Falkirk and the central belt of Scotland. After a few years Petty Thieves had developed into a quartet and the lads, with demos available on Spotify, are now set to release their debut EP album in spring of this year.
King Tut’s is a golden, intimate gig venue and bar near Glasgow’s city centre. It has played host to huge acts like Rage Against the Machine, Radiohead, Blur and Average White Band. It’s an unassuming space, which feels friendly, open and exciting. A Friday night spot there is sought after and Petty Thieves struck gold nabbing a headline spot with supports Swift and Slouch.
Swift put in a valiant effort. The duo has an indie rock sound that is comparable to that of Jake Bugg and the Gallagher brothers. The song that was called ‘Bobby Mack’ is top notch. It has a bright sunny air and was performed superbly. Their song ‘Mellow Yellow’ was nice, although, could be a Bugg forgotten-about B-side. Their choice of the Oasis cover ‘Slide Away’ was appreciated, though a cover as close theirs was is bit lacklustre. They brought some lively fans but, on stage, they didn’t look confident in the spotlight. Swift have talent but are still in the infancies of their development as an act.
Next up was a brilliant, Glaswegian band, Slouch. They have the heaviest style of the all the bands that evening. Their song ‘My Shadow’ is formidable and excellent. Their frontman fills each song with such vibrant character and powerful vocal. Their drummer is reminiscent Stephen Morris, New Order hyper-speed pace maker. ‘In Your Mind’ is a fast paced banger and the band’s new single. It’s a mix of hard guitar with techno sprinkles and it’s done well. However, ‘Goodbye’ has a significant change of tempo between verse and chorus that comes across like two separate tracks melded together. ‘Days Don’t Last Forever’ finishes the set well, with a huge cheer from the crowd. Their playing was tight, consistent and together, even despite their comment that they were a member down for this show. The put the effort in and it paid off with a memorable performance. They a band for heavier indie fans to keep eye on.
Then it was time for the band the audience were chanting for, Petty Thieves. The lads came out looking sombre and uncomfortable and stayed that way till they left the stage. The recent single ‘Lies’ is played well but the band seem to remain still on stage. They even somehow covered the lively Kasabian track ‘I’m on Fire’ and filled it with apathy. A credit to their drum however, who looked to be the most focused and impassioned presence of the group. ‘Runaway’ is a smooth and comforting track but lacks the depth of feeling in its performance. Petty Thieves ended their performance well before scheduled to, playing no encore, and after having had very minimal interaction crowd.
Those hoping for a dynamic show from Petty Thieves left dishearten by the forgettable, stagnant performance. None of their fans are looking for gimmicks but that was as exciting as stale bread.
