Tonight was a “hometown” gig for Cut Glass Kings on their first UK tour in over two years. I say hometown, well Stourbridge, famous for Glassmaking is only fifteen miles from Brum as the crow flies. This nine-date tour will see the duo perform in intimate venues across the country in support of their new album ‘From a Distant Place’ released today. An album, for me, as Belfast comedian Frank Carson would say “is a cracker”.
This venue used to be called The Last Drop and has a brass plaque outside proclaiming it as the site of the last public hanging in Birmingham. This has proven to be a publicity stunt but the last public hanging did indeed take place just around the corner in August 1806.
Paul Cross (guitars/vocals) and Greg McMurray (drums) are joined by Barry Fratelli on bass for these dates and the trio arrive on stage with little fuss and head straight into the mesmeric bluesy slow burn of `Seven Signs` from the latest release which had a real rumble about it and felt quite spiritual come mystical. Another few cuts follow from the latest album with the driving `At the Borderline` with its catchy chorus line which includes “we’re the fuse to a fire we’ve never understood,” the expansive `Big Dreams` and `Thick As Thieves` which had a real Kasabian vibe live.
The fellas also share a few numbers off their self-titled debut album with the thoughtful and dreamy `Too Long`, `Dream in the Dark` and `Gonna Get to You` which was both delightfully fuzzy and noisy. They managed to squeeze `Gift Horse` from the new release in between which was every bit as trippy and psychedelic as on the record.
This fifty-minute set closed out with `Close to the Bone` which for me live had a real sense of Hendrix about it and the blistering `Shadow of Your Love`. There was no encore but the trio hung around a played a brief heavy rock-tinged instrumental jam before leaving the stage. The room which was packed full of friends and fans who tonight were given an opportunity to experience the raw power and infectious energy of the band up close and personal. There was minimal conversation apart from some song introductions on route as the band let the music do the talking for them. If you`re a fan of fuzzy psych rock with a touch of heavy blues, there are six shows remaining around the country. Three this month and three next month and I guarantee if you manage to catch any you won`t come away disappointed.
