By Jessica Robinson
One thing we pride ourselves on here at Über Rock is discovering and supporting young, local talent all across the Über Kingdom of Rock ‘n’ Roll – and often before the mainstream media have got wind of exactly how good the grassroots musical gene pool really is… The Ciceros are a band that have been making waves here on the Glaswegian scene since they emerged from the ashes of local heroes Vincent a while back, so their biggest hometown headline show to date seemed like the perfect excuse to wander along and find out what all the fuss has been about…
Openers Speak Easy Circus are a four-piece indie band that features a saxophone, which made for a good addition to the rest of the band. With other members on instruments such as: bass guitar that was grooving all night, guitar/vocals that allowed the songs to keep a clean and smooth feel and drums which were crisp and precise throughout the entire set. The band’s long songs didn’t feel to drag on at all with dashes of saxophone solos and guitar licks carried by funky bass lines no matter what direction the dynamic of the songs went. Consistently the bassist was smiling as he played along to the songs with clear enjoyment for what he was doing. A few people within the audience highly connected to the feel of the band and were dancing within the crowd, as there was plenty of space in the venue to do so.
There is a clear blend of musical influences across genres, as well as a merge of musical talent from members within the band, as the sax player additionally moved between keyboard and saxophone. Stage presence overall wasn’t bad as movement from members other than the bassist was limited and tended to stay within a certain zone. Whereas the bassist was constantly connecting with the vibe of the music moving around, although the guitarist/singer moved around a bit when he didn’t need to be at the microphone to sing. Overall the band was enjoyable to listen to and watch perform, it seemed as though many other audience members enjoyed the act too.
The second band of the evening was The Acid Club, a three-membered alternative band that featured two guitarists who also did vocals, as well as a drummer. The act sounded a little bit washed out with the vocals being hidden behind the sound of the two guitars and there wasn’t much of a dynamic change between sections within the songs. Some of the chorus sections were easy to pick up and listen to as well as being somewhat enjoyable, although some of the guitar melodies in sections seemed to fall apart slightly and the guitars sounded out of tune. The singer sounded as though he often struggled to pitch to the correct key of the songs due to one of the guitars, if not both, being out of tune.
Personally, I feel this was the weaker act of the evening, although they do have the ability to grow to be something better than where they are currently at. Some audience members enjoyed a few of the songs but didn’t seem to enjoy the set as much as the first act that was on. The Acid Club, with work, could be a good up and coming band as the ideas are there, it’s just a case of being in tune.
The Ciceros ended the night with fast paced almost nostalgia inducing songs, which feel like they would make a good soundtrack to anyone’s life, with good dynamic breakdowns which include a somewhat rough yet melodic vocal melody as well as grooving bass guitar and strong guitar solos consistently throughout all the songs. There is not a single fault between members and their ability to perform at all – The Ciceros highlight the talent within the young and growing music scene in Glasgow and without a doubt have the potential to take on bigger shows.
Between their catchy melodies and overall enjoyable songs, the act’s stage presence is certainly something that is just as strong for the band. With bassist John Gallacher constantly on the move, bouncing about to the solid tracks and coming over to singer and rhythm guitarist Aleksander Nowak at various points during the show. Their songs feature strong rhythmic bass guitar lines with drums that perfectly compliment the rhythm that the bass guitar is doing. For such a young drummer Conlan Ainsworth is certainly going to be a one to watch progress throughout the band’s musical lifetime as he is without a doubt one of the best live drummers, I have witnessed all year. Due to his ability to stay so tight with the band and perform strong drum fills which tie in perfectly with the bands feel and the groove of the songs.
On lead guitar and backing vocals is Ross McCann who, even though he is one of the more laid-back members on the stage, stands out with his shining guitar solos and backing vocals which complement the sound of singer Aleksander’s voice well, especially for the alternative sound of the band. There is clear influence from bands such as The Lapelles, Arctic Monkeys and My Chemical Romance, to which they carried out an amazing rendition of the MCR hit ‘Teenagers’. Aleksander managed to keep the crowd strongly involved with the act by getting the audience to sing along to sections within the song and he kept the energy to a max with a helping hand from bassist John, clapping in the air to get the audience going even more. During the solo section Aleksander got down onto his knees whilst playing guitar which was a frequent move towards the end of the evening. Although movement wasn’t just restricted to that, as, at one point, Aleksander got up onto the bass drum and did the well-known punk move of jumping from it, during their song ‘My Way’. As John got up on one of the front of stage monitors and played the bass breakdown section after the sleek guitar solo by Ross.
Songs such as ‘Give Me A Call’ and ‘Jealousy’ went down incredibly well with the audience jumping and screaming along to the high energy songs, frequent attendees of their shows knew all the words as well as moments within the set where there would be the perfect thrashing opportunities. John was sporting a casual pair of beautiful pointy sunglasses which boosted the edgy but cool look of the bassist which was wearing a black button up shirt matching the rest of the band except for Ross. Despite wearing the glasses for most of the set they frequently made their way onto the floor but got tossed back up to the bassist as he happily moved around of the stage laughing at the fact, he could not see anything with them on at all. At one point in the set the glasses made their way onto Aleksander after being placed onto him by friends within the front row which made for a good laugh.
There was no moment between songs that wasn’t enjoyable either, with the crowd members frequently chanting “Ciceros” to the band as they laughed and smiled at the friendly interaction which was being thrown at them. There were of course various points within the set where the chant had changed to the typical chant of Scottish shows where the audience screamed “here we fuckin go” – this was also evidently loved by the band as they encouraged it to go for longer. The Ciceros finished the night on their song ‘The Bucky Song’ which had the audience screaming and jumping along and once the song had ended the audience chanted for one more song, although there was sadly nothing else to come from the band.
It was truly an incredibly show to be a part of and the experience is sure to not be forgotten by anyone that was there as an audience member or by the band. The Ciceros certainly have the potential to grow and achieve things which are even bigger than headlining King Tut’s for the first time. Be sure to get on the hype and check out The Ciceros at their next gig coming up on 12 December at The Garage (Attic Bar) – and tell them we sent you! It will certainly be a show that shouldn’t be missed especially after the night this was!
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