Live Review

Morning Parade – King Tut’s, Glasgow

• 27th Feb 2011

Morning Parade have been widely tipped for the top, and they showed exactly why last night with a fine set at King Tut’s. Having previously supported the likes of Florence and The Machine, Feeder and Glasvegas, this is the Essex boys’ first headline UK tour and they looked more than comfortable in the role.

The evening was kicked off by Dear Mountaineer, a new local band playing only their third show together. Their gentle indie sound tends towards electric folk with some nice harmonies and a female drummer who has a lovely voice. The melodies are simple but effective and there is much more to come from the band.

Martin James and the Associates followed with their dynamic classic rock sound. There is a clear Springsteen influence to the music, which is never a bad thing. Space was at a premium for the seven piece band, but they managed to show off their musical talents well. James is young and confident and has a strong rock voice that is ideally suited to his music.

Morning Parade took to the stage in near darkness, a backing track playing as the lights slowly came on, before they burst into their debut single Under The Stars. Right from the off the sound was strong and clear, with powerful melodies and a solid beat backing the vibrant vocals of Steve Sparrow.

Marble Attic, a past demo download, had a heavier sound. The two guitars of Sparrow and Chad Thomas combined nicely, while Ben Gidding’s keyboards provided a dance flourish. And as they moved smoothly into the slower Headlights, the keyboards again shone through.

It is obvious that these guys know how to write good songs. Solid guitar work and pulsating synth rhythms mixed with strident vocals added up to infectious hooks and big choruses. Morning Parade’s rock sound has a radio friendly feel to it that should take them far.

Another previous demo, Youth, started with a complex drum beat from Andy Hayes who along with Phil Titus on bass set a strong beat all night long. The vocals were raw and emotional, and the crowd responded, swaying and dancing along.

The set continued apace, the sound rising and falling as dance rhythms alternated with crunching guitars. Many of the crowd were perhaps unfamiliar with the songs, which will form the basis of Morning Parade’s upcoming debut album. But they recognised the quality of the performance and the applause got louder with each song.

New single A&E was a standout. This is simply a very fine pop song, rhythmic and anthemic. It has a dance beat but the guitar work gives it an original feel. And the insistent vocals soared over the music quite superbly.

And the closing combination of Carousel and Born Alone brought the night to a tremendous conclusion. The latter featured some delicate guitar over a heavy bass line before building to a guitar driven crescendo to end the set.

Morning Parade were making their first trip to Glasgow and although the gig was not a sell out their appeal is clear to see. When they tour later in the year to promote their debut album I hope they return – and I expect there will be a capacity crowd to greet them.