Lust for Live: Courting prove live is king at Glasgow gig
The stacked setlist left King Tuts out of puff.
Photo: Yuxin Zhang
Minutes after Liverpool’s Courting walked off stage at Glasgow’s King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut, the sweaty centre of the band’s Scottish crowd melted away. High on life, some went in search of the four who’d just kindly battered their eardrums, while others, with fringes stuck to foreheads, simply plonked themselves down on the nearest bench, in desperate need of oxygen after such a breathless set.
Having spent the last year touring their second record New Last Name, which saw them play the main stage at Reading and Leeds and complete their first US tour – all while secretly crafting their third album, Lust For Life Or: ‘How To Thread The Needle And Come Out The Other Side To Tell The Story’ – it feels as though Courting were always bound to have this effect on the notoriously rowdy city.
Walking on stage to the violin solo of their latest album’s intro track, the four-piece opened their set with dance-rock banger Pause At You before swiftly moving into frenzied first album favourite, Tennis. With vocalist Sean Murphy-O’Neill instantly getting right in the crowd’s face, the Liverpudlians went flat out from the get-go, proving Courting to be a band that’s as fearless on stage as it is in the studio.
Throwing a grenade of energy into the room, the entire gig felt like a short, sharp blast of unhinged momentum. From Sean Thomas’ jump-inspiring beat on The Hills and Connor McCann’s funky bassline on Lust for Life, to Josh Cope’s twangy guitar riff on Popshop! – which forced those mooching at the back to finally get into the mix – Courting’s set was defined by its blisteringly tight delivery as much as by its whiplash tempo.
So many of the skillfully performed tracks could easily have been branded someone’s gig highlight. We Look Good Together (Big Words) and Jumper inspired euphoric moshes under the instruction of Murphy-O’Neill. Flex saw the crowd crush around the stage to chant the lyrics back at the band, and even security couldn’t help but bop their heads to Likely place for them to be.
Courting was as electric, inventive and intelligent as you’d hope they’d be live. Their fun to listen to (and clearly fun to play) music easily translates on stage, leaving everyone lusting over their next gig. It’s clear Courting has the manic energy and mega tunes to tear up much bigger stages – the rest of the world just needs to catch up.
All photos by Yuxin Zhang.