Live Review

Dead Rock West – King Tut’s, Glasgow

• 28th Jun 2011

Monday night in Glasgow. The end of a day that had seen typically Scottish summer weather: grey and dull. Some uplifting music was needed – and Californians Dead Rock West provided it with an excellent, if too short, set.

Ayrshire’s Scott Nicol got the night off to a fine start. Playing an acoustic set backed by lead guitarist Grant Spence after plans for a full band set had gone awry, he entertained those lucky enough to have arrived early in impressive style. Nicol’s gravel tinged voice gave his up-tempo acoustic songs a powerful edge and Spence added some nice fills. Highlights were the slower Another Sunset and the closing Sound The Alarm with Charlie Mcree from the headliners joining on drums.

The four members of Dead Rock West strolled onto the stage and started to play. And can they play. Their approach is very much a no frills one; the music stands for itself. Their potent mixture of solid rock music with elements of folk, country and pop is based around good musicianship and excellent vocal harmonies.

Lead vocals are shared between Cindy Wasserman and guitarist Frank Lee Drennen giving variety to the delivery. When one leads the other backs, aided by bassist Jack Reynolds, and the overall effect is at times stunning. Added to the driving beat set by drummer Mcree and Reynolds, there is combination of power and finesse that thrills.

Kicking off with several songs from their debut album, Honey and Salt, the band was into top gear from the off. Rocket From The Crypt was a fast rocker that featured those fine harmonies and some excellent lead guitar work.

The pace dropped a little as attention turned to the new album, Bright Morning Stars, which has a spiritual, almost gospel, feel to it. Tell The Angels was beautifully sung by Cindy Wasserman, her vocals both inspiring and powerful. And Beyond The Blues was also excellently delivered, a slower track with a lovely soft blues feel.

Highway One from the debut album was also a highlight, a tale of travelling through California on a long road. The lyrics are so vivid that the contrast between Scottish summer and Californian sun was almost visible.

The set ended much too quickly, with a closing up tempo song that combined rock and gospel to good effect, the vocal harmonies soaring and the music rising to one final crescendo. Unfortunately there was no encore and the band left the stage to a fine reception from the crowd.

Dead Rock West showed that they are an excellent live band, which added to their growing repertoire of songs should give the band a bright future. They may be infrequent visitors to the UK but are assured of a warm welcome when they come back to Glasgow.