The London band live up to their reputation with rowdy Glasgow set.
Photo: Isla Kerr
It’s been quite an impressive few months for Fat Dog. Following the release of their debut album WOOF in September, they’ve embarked upon not one but two separate UK and European Tours in its honour and now find themselves on the precipice of what seems like endless festival appearances this year. Shaky Knees — all the way over in Atlanta — is just one of the many line-ups that their name appears on.
An early stage time of 8:30pm didn’t bother their Glasgow fans and The QMU (Queen Margaret Union) was packed well before they took to the stage. A relatively small venue came to life tonight as the audience were increasingly riled up by the London band.
Vigilante was the perfect first track. Anticipation built in time with the song until it released like a powder keg on the drop. It was immediately clear Fat Dog knew exactly how to appeal to a Scottish audience. Working 500 Miles into quite a few transitions was another stroke of genius. Keyboardist Chris clambered over the barrier and dove straight into the middle as its familiar beat echoed around the room. The crowd were all too happy to spread out into a mosh pit around him.
Rowdiness unleashed and it was vocalist Joe Love’s turn and, once his feet touched the barrier, he seemed to reside there for the rest of the night, pacing up and down in front of the crowd. Even when tapped on the shoulder by saxophonist Morgan to be told Chris’ desk needed to be reset, he used the moment to entertain the crowd instead of regrouping. He soon passed his mic to an eager audience member who echoed the chant of “Reset the desk”, which was already buzzing around the room in encouragement.
With Joe on the barrier, there was plenty of room for the rest of the band to move around the stage. What to do with all the space? Well, press-ups, of course. A face-off, in fact, that lasted for an impressively substantial amount of time, before they settled on the less physical option of rock-paper-scissors.
Competitions over, new single Peace Song was reworked slightly and received a commendable response in its reimagined form.
Fat Dog brought all the carnage their name would suggest to a live performance. They put on a proper show for their Glasgow admirers tonight and were rewarded with a roaring response in return.
All photos by Isla Kerr.