I think I managed to grab the last ticket for this sold out show at Broadcast in Sauchiehall Street. Five band for £8, what a bargain! This Feeling is a record company based in Manchester, they help to promote up and coming bands with shows like this around the UK. Tonight I was in for a treat, the five acts performing being PG Ciarletta, The Wits, Fright Years, Usual Affairs and Dictator.
First up was Phil ‘PG’ Ciarletta, a solo artist from Kirkcaldy. Phil started playing guitar at the age of 12 and later went to regular open mic nights to gain his confidence. He wrote some decent songs during lockdown. He worked through his most well known songs: 27, Please Stay, Chancer, Bonnie Toun and finishing with The Sesh. The Sesh is a song most people can relate to, being about a weekender ‘bevvie session’. The Sesh topped the iTunes Alternative Chart in 2020. Incidentally Phil would be supporting Mark Sharp at King Tut’s the following night, another gig I was attending.
Following a short break The Wits were next on stage. The five piece band from Greenock/Port Glasgow are Seanpaul Fabiani (vocals), Sean Green (rhythm guitar) and brothers Gabriel (lead guitar) and Jude McNelis (bass, only 15 years old!) and Adrian Woodside (drums). I managed to get chatting to one of their dads who filled me in about them. Their sound is very indie rock with excellent guitar riffs and singer Seanpaul has a great voice. They played six songs in their set and the single memory went down well with the 20 or so fans that had travelled from Greenock. I am sure we will be hearing much more from them soon.
Edinburgh band Fright Years formed in early 2021 and released an EP in Spring 2022. The keyboard led songs were delightful to listen to and the lead singer/keyboard players vocals were outstanding. Every Weekend has proved to be their most popular song to date, alongside Another Life and latest song Warning Signs. They also played their next to be released song, looking forward to that one.
Usual Affairs brough a busload of fans from Edinburgh and they certainly created an amazing atmosphere in the small venue. The four piece band rattled through six songs including Haunted, Tempting Disaster, She Knows, Royal Court and the new single Settle the Score. Great guitars and vocals.
Next up was the main act of the evening. Dictator are from West Lothian, an area that seems to just keep producing amazing musicians. Lewis Capaldi, The Snuts, LF System, Mark Sharp all hail from thereabouts. The band comprises Michael Campbell (vocals), Zach Tarimo Goodhur (guitar), Joe Murty (bass) and Allan Ramsay (drums). The first song they played was Anthem for a Doomed Youth, the song with the most streams to date, and it went down well with the fans. Five more songs followed this: Conquistador, Mirror Mirror, Enough is Enough, Rubik’s Cube and they finished the set with Fin. The band invited Phil Ciarletta back on to the stage for a duet on this last song. This band are going places. They have sold out shows in Manchester and London coming up next week. Onwards and upwards.
Review and Photographs by Alan Brown
