Hovvdy brought their sound to Glasgow
The duo brought their noise to King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut.
Photo: Isla Kerr
Hovvdy were welcomed to Glasgow with open arms for their first-ever show in the city this past Tuesday. It was the opening night of their UK and European tour and it began in none other than King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut. Support came from Noah Weinman under the banner of his project Runnner. The LA-based artist has been releasing music under this name for almost seven years now and has a polished sound, making him the perfect tone-setter for tonight.
Runnner walked onto the stage alone and took some time to tune his guitar before launching into an entirely acoustic set. A few fans near the front had clearly arrived early to see him and sung along to the first track. In between songs, the crowd was possibly the quietest a Glaswegian one has ever been. This could be seen negatively but tonight it was rather the opposite. A dropped pin could have been heard — and that was plainly because of how intently the room was listening to Noah.
Noah explained he had asked his Instagram followers earlier in the day what songs he should play tonight. He went on to tell us that their responses had made him change his setlist and that the next song was a request. The set continued in this way as he played a mix of requested songs, unreleased tracks and some he decided to play despite the lack of requests.
Noah interacted with the crowd as if they were long lost friends. He shared that he visited the botanical gardens today and introduced tracks with subtle humour: “This is a song about basketball… it’s called basketball.” This relaxed demeanour was received well by the room who laughed at his jokes and swayed in time with the track.
The set drew to a close with bike again (another request), Runner classic, Ur Name on a Grain of Rice, and finally Eggshell. Runnner’s distinctive sound is a joy to hear and he definitely gained some new listeners — myself included — here tonight.
Hailing from Texas, the American indie pop duo consists of Charlie Martin and Will Taylor. Their latest album is a mature body of work. It is their fifth release and feels like an embodiment of who the band are, where they are going and who they have been. They seem to agree — this is the first album they have honoured with a self-titled name. They seemed to be enjoying their first time in Glasgow, joking: “It’s very… not dark here”. They were not wrong, the sun was still a full thirty minutes off setting when their set began.
Charlie and Will used the whole stage as they stomped around and faced off while playing guitar. They took turns leading vocals and had a tangible affinity with one another.
Jean — from the new album — mixes self doubt and happiness, and its experimental sound had the crowd swaying along in no time.
Tonight the duo shared the stage with Mark on drums and Bennett Littlejohn on bass, who have become key parts of Hovvdy’s live performance. Bennett also helped to produce their nineteen track long, 54 minute epic self-titled album.
Charlie shared how starstruck he was to be playing the venue where Oasis had been signed 31 years ago. As if that wasn’t excitement enough, he added that the band had seen slowdive’s Simon Scott in the airport on their way to the UK and felt like ‘proper rockers’ on this tour.
Mark and Bennett left the stage to get a drink, leaving Charlie and Will to perform a few songs alone. The two are both originally drummers but their laid back indie music would lead you to think otherwise, their music talent is evident though as they entertain the room with ease.
Will thanked the crowd for listening to the new record before countering, “It seems like you all listened to it, well at least these five people did,” pointing to some people near the front before adding, “that’s all that matters.” Charlie joined in with, “We live for those five people.” This shines true, Hovvdy are a no frills, no dramatics, good music type of band.
After True Love, the Texas Musicians left the stage. Within ten seconds, the room was raucous with the crowd stamping the ground and calling for “One more tune”. They obliged and came out less than a minute later, sharing that they had planned to wait for a few more but upon hearing how much noise was being made they gave up being ‘cool’. An encore of Blindsided and Forever drew the night to a close as fans sung the chorus of each as loud as they could.
For a band perhaps known for their mellow music and attitudes, Hovvdy inspire a love that makes their fans want to scream and shout. They are a seriously impressive pair and definitely worth catching on this tour.