GIG REVIEW: KING KING Come Home To The O2 Academy, Glasgow

23rd February 2019 admin

KING KING finish off their tour in their proclaimed hometown and say goodbye to their long time Bass player in a very emotional send off.

Before we get to the tears there is some happiness in support for this part of the tour with SARI SCHORR. Time to be honest here and I only decided to come to this show about 2 hours prior as I had tickets for Slash but the two reasons I chose this gig was to say goodbye to Lyndsay Coulson and to see the smiling face of the best female blues singer in the last decade.

Sari Schorr

I have seen Sari many times already in a short space of time but always in a much more intimate venue so it was great to see her let her inner Janis out on a big stage.

She opened with “New Revolution” form latest release Never Say Never. An album that was created through great controversy and still made it into my top five albums of 2018.

She followed this up quickly with my all time favourite track of hers in “Damn the Reason”, she was going full on blues for this audience, an audience that many would not know her name but she was the name on everyone’s lips here tonight and when you hear her voice on this track you know why.

She slowed everything down on “Ready for Love” and this is where well known guitarist Ash Wilson stepped to the fore. His work up front is incredible and the bond he has with Sari and the rest of the band is easy to see.

Next up is just sheer blues genius in “King of Rock and Roll”, another track from the new release and a song that any blues fan will fall in love with. It also sees Sari move across that stage like the sultress she is. She slithers more than walks, the music comes through her pores and drips from her mouth. She is bewitching to watch.

Sari has came a log way in the UK, the band now seem to be fixed and focused(except for the missing Bob on keys). She plays to bigger audiences each time and this tour looks to increase on this so get yourself to her headline tour in March as you want to witness this band in what should be her last tour of smaller venues.

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King King

Now it is time to suck up the emotion, man up and enjoy the King King boys one last time with this incarnation and to lighten the mood AC/DC “Highway to Hell” blasts out of the PA and everybody is singing it right back to that big, empty stage. Once the hype slowed down slightly the band took to the stage with a massive cheer for the departing bass player and with 100 people wearing masks of him in the crowd it must have been a bit unsettling to see.

As Alan Nimmo strode onto that stage it is always the same reaction, a huge smile and a thumbs up. It is a long way from the pubs in this town that these boys played. I have seen them in so many venues I cannot even count them and the fact that this venue is packed out is a homage to the band and Lyndsay. It must have been an amazing feeling for the bass player to look out onto that crowd and think of what he has achieved in 10 years, The name he has helped make, the numerous awards they have amassed and the friends he has made. There is no doubt this must have been one of the hardest decisions he has ever made and knowing him he probably put the band first as he has the last 10 years.

The setlist tonight was made to reflect those years and the journey they have been on. There were numerous highlights for me, the dedication of “Coming Home” to the recently departed Ted McKenna, the always sing along in my favourite track “Rush Hour”, the long wait to finally hear “Take a Look” live which was everything I had hoped for but there were three main high points for me.

The first was “Stranger to Love” which I challenge anyone to listen to live and not be blown away, Alan is one of the best guitarists to come out of Scotland and his fret work on this song shows you why that is true.

Next was watching the passing of the baton from Lyndsay to new guy Zander Greenshields, a moment that I cannot explain how I felt watching the sharp dressed man as he walked away and left the band behind.

The last and most impressive was the encore and a very early track in “Old Love”. It was like Alan was taking us right back to the beginning and giving his own thanks To Lyndsay and man did he put his heart and soul into it, from his usual thanks for coming out to live music to the best solo I have ever seen him play.

Tonight was a different show than all others that had went before, as good if not better than every one but tinged with sadness for those who have been there since the start. It is now a new chapter for King King but I have to say thank you for the music and the memories Lyndsay Coulson, you are a legend and a small part of Glasgow goes home with you, keep it close and call on it when you need support as we will always be in your core.