DEADLETTER in The Flying Duck

Not just another day in the office for DEADLETTER as they open in Glasgow

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Who: DEADLETTER

Where: The Flying Duck, Glasgow

When: September 17

DEADLETTER arrived in Glasgow for the second date of their debut UK headline tour. This is a band I have been fortunate to see a number of times since they played Summerhall in Edinburgh last year as part of The Great Eastern festival. It was obvious then that the Yorkshire born and bred, and now London based 6-piece were going to be a force to be reckoned with.

A year on and they took to the stage in Glasgow to a packed-out crowd at The Flying Duck, a basement venue perfect for their shenanigans. But I digress. Let’s begin as always with the support bands. Two local bands for tonight, they could not have been more different.

First onstage were Goth GF. And there was no way you were going to be chattering away while this band were onstage. Loud, energetic, and noisy you just had to pay attention, which was totally fine as it was so entertaining. Two guitars and a drummer it was dominated by a wild exuberance. At one point it shifted from punk into rock 'n' roll thus demonstrating just how impossible it would be to pigeon-hole this band. With an EP launch at this venue, their DIY approach and raw full-on music was the perfect start to the night.

To be honest I was simply not prepared for what happened next! On came Doss, an angry duo ranting over minimalist beats. But the massive dollop of humour and the between tracks banter had me in stitches. With tracks such as Redundant and Posers there were obviously fans in the crowd who were singing along while the onstage presence was, literally, attention grabbing with taps aff (that's tops off for non Scottish readers - ed) Glasgow humour. Expletive strewn I had a smile on my face throughout, it was impossible not to.

And so to DEADLETTER. The Flying Duck was packed by now which was so good to see and there was a definite buzz in the room. They did not disappoint. Quite the opposite. The power of this band was even more evident with such a large crowd as the dancing started almost immediately. The set contained a sprinkling of new songs but it was obvious just how far DEADLETTER have come hearing the crowd singing along to previous singles Hero and particularly Fit For Work.

Lead singer Zac Lawrence is a charismatic frontman. Comfortable in his skin he fronts the band while delivering a performance which whips up the crowd into even more of a frenzy. Jumping in and out of the crowd, a moshpit was only a matter of time. Fit for Work had the place jumping with microphone stands flying and folk ending up on the stage by accident! At one point Zac clambered up onto the kit and there was a moment I wondered if he was going to leap into the crowd!

The new songs included Weights and Madges Declaration and show evidence of more new music on the way, and we all got stuck in singing Degenerate Inanimate. The saxophone of Poppy Richler adds a dimension to this post-punk band with its striking rawness and edge. Along with drums and three guitars the combined sound of DEADLETTER is both ferocious and yet danceable, an opportunity to unshackle from the world and revel in the joy of live music.

As they sing in the final song Zeitgeist there is indeed “something in the air”.

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