For many years now Scotland has consistently delivered high class acts, both in the mainstream and within the alternative genres, with the likes of Twin Atlantic, Prides and The Xcerts (to name a few) doing incredibly well for themselves. Despite releasing their debut album ‘I Am An Island’ in 2014, Fatherson have only really started making waves recently and with follow-up ‘Open Book’ on the horizon, we caught them live in Brighton to get a glimpse of what to expect (hint: it’s going to be really, really good).
Boy Jumps Ship have, for some reason, found themselves somewhat stuck in an awkward limbo of not-quite-a-new-band and not really furthering their career for the past couple of years. In all honesty, they’ve never left much of an impression with their previous live performances, however there was something about them that seemed different this time around. They were a lot tighter as a band, their songs sounded a lot more polished, (particularly the newer material) and there seemed to be a lot more passion behind the music. With a new album on its way, it would seem perhaps that Boy Jumps Ship are finally ready to launch and are putting everything they’ve got into it. Let’s just hope this new energy lasts long enough for them to make an impact.
Fatherson are over a week into their lengthy tour of the UK, but as they launch into ‘Always’ there is absolute no sign of fatigue or lack of excitement. Throughout, there is not a single fault with their performance and vocalist Ross Leighton absolutely shines, his voice effortlessly gliding through the high-pitched notes that seem somewhat impossible on record. Offering just the slightest of hints as to what to expect from the forthcoming album, the band introduce us to ‘Just Past The Point Of Breaking’ and later, new single ‘Lost Little Boys’. If these tracks are anything to go by, then we can expect an album of soaring choruses, powerful rhythms and an overwhelming amount of emotion all poured into one beautiful record.
‘I Like Not Knowing’ brings us towards the end of the show in a bundle of energy and “oh no” chants, before Leighton then winds things down with a stunning rendition of ‘An Island’ and a finale of ‘James’, which is spine-tingling to say the least and brings band and crowd together in a harmonious sing-a-long.
June may seem like a long wait for an album, but there is absolutely no doubt that it will be worth the wait and will see Fatherson become the new local heroes of the Scottish music scene.
TAMSYN WILCE