Live Review

Strawberry Ocean Sea – King Tut’s, Glasgow

• 17th Jan 2011

The New Year’s Revolution series of shows at King Tut’s came up trumps on Saturday night.

Those who arrived early were treated to an entertaining acoustic set by local band Selective Service in the bar before Strawberry Ocean Sea superbly headlined a fine four band bill on the stage.

Scott Nicol got things moving with an excellent set of acoustic rock songs. He has a strong voice with just a touch of huskiness to add an edge to his vocals, especially on the slower tracks. This was a high energy performance and Nicol got the crowd involved as much as he could. Definitely one for my “must see again” list.

The Twist from Dundee had brought plenty of fans to Glasgow with them and performed will in front of what was an appreciative crowd. Their two guitar indie sound is solid, if unremarkable, but they added variety with a couple of slower numbers, one featuring some complex vocal harmonies. The Twist clearly love playing live and are building a good reputation on the Scottish scene.

Jumpersknee brought their electro-rock to the party, a heavy bass beat adding to the dominant keyboards. There is a modern feel to their music, even in their cover of Adamski’s Killer, which was very well received. I would have liked to hear more from the lead guitarist, who was reduced to adding the occasional flourish.

Strawberry Ocean Sea took to the stage just after 11pm, meaning that their set was curtailed to around half an hour. But that was long enough for the large crowd to see exactly what the five piece Glasgow band have to offer.

Opening with Heart and Soul, followed by the excellent Enough Is Never Enough, the band married a solid sound with soaring vocals and anthemic choruses to great effect. With two guitars plus keyboards in the mix they have a potent rock sound and the set moved along at a fine pace.

Strawberry Ocean Sea came together last March, although you could have been forgiven for thinking that they have been playing together for longer. They have a number of fine songs in their repertoire, including Down By The River and the atmospheric The Spirit. They are as yet unsigned, which must surely provide an opportunity for a record label somewhere.

Frontman Jonny Skinner is the leader of the band, his vocals strong and clear. He is ably backed by the rest of the group, with Richie Bell on bass and Cobo on drums providing a strong backbeat. Stuart Kennedy on keyboards has both power and finesse, while guitarist Greg Kenney offers up a mix of power chords and some delicate lead guitar work.

The band left the stage in a howl of feedback to a noisy reception from a capacity crowd that had been very well entertained. It was perhaps unfortunate that they did not have a little longer to play, and an encore would certainly have been justified.

Strawberry Ocean Sea are more than just a solid rock band; they have that added touch of quality that separates them from many other bands. And their stock is rising with each show they play.