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Flood Of Red, live at Classic Grand.
It's a stereotypically rainy evening in Glasgow, as we head inside Jamaica Street's Classic Grand. The tickets for this show read 'Road To Rockness: Flood Of Red plus guests', yet it seems that the festival couldn't be further from most people's minds. Tonight has become more well known, during the last three weeks, as bassist Jim McGowan's final show with Flood of Red, and as the evening progresses, you begin to sense the bittersweet feelings surrounding their set before the band even hit the stage.
Playing their first Glaswegian show in recent months, the band open in a haze of red light, with the haunting prelude 'The Edge of The World'. Perfectly showcasing the band's ability to balance vocalist Jordan Spiers' unique voice with soaring guitars, they continue on. By the time we reach their third song, guitarist Calum Doris strikes up a round of applause in honour of his departing bandmate McGowan, and it's hard not to notice how sad tonight really feels; for audience and band alike. Despite this however, Flood Of Red are majestic. Their songs are delicate yet huge, and the sound they create fills the room with an incredible ambiance. 'I Will Not Change' is breathtaking. 'Losing All Balance In Fells Point' is a vulnerable yet powerful offering, whilst 'Little Lovers' is a shiver-inducing affair; Spiers growling the word 'Glasgow' at his hometown crowd, before dragging his microphone stand to the centre of the floor for the song's crescendo. It's in this song too, that drummer Graham Griffith shines amongst his peers, with his percussion adding an impressive grandeur to the track's close. It's only a shame that this song appears mid-set, allowing for us to miss out on the band's full percussion display which usually serves as an outro. Regardless though, 'Home Run (1997)' receives the best reaction of the night, juxtaposing a fragile, almost acappella section with the powerful instrumental sound the band have mastered. Then, in what seems like an all too-short amount of time, the set is drawn to close with more words shared in McGowan's honour, before they finally launch into 'The Edge of The World'. It's in this last song's build-up that each member - and a few friends from side stage - pull party poppers, and spray silly string around their bassist. In an incredible few minutes, the band continue to play, finishing the song whilst hugging McGowan, before lifting him above their heads to carry him offstage. The applause from the hundred or so people in the crowd is rapturous and it's truly heart warming to witness, and as both a reviewer and fan of Flood Of Red, this night was an honour to be apart of. |
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