"Join The Club!" - Retro Video Club Blow Aberdeen Away
Words by Alex Matthew and with photographs by Rory Barnes
Retro Video Club took Aberdeen by storm last Saturday evening with a furiously fantastic performance from both band and crowd alike, marking one of the greatest gigs the Granite City has seen in a good while!
Following a couple of Scottish shows the past two nights in the form of the ever-rapturous Glasgow and their welcoming hometown of Edinburgh, Retro Video Club found themselves in Aberdeen on a night invoking apocalyptic visions as an unforgivable blistering rain and wind battered the city.
Speaking with the Lothian lads prior to the gig the group seemed filled with enthusiasm and excitement about their final show of 2018, despite being far from home in such treacherous weather. Whilst recently coming off the back of what one can only imagine was an exhaustive English tour, where they played in countless towns and cities such as London, Liverpool and Newcastle, the group radiated a sense of vibrant electricity. It is stated in physics that energy cannot be destroyed, only converted and this certainly seemed to be the case here. As Retro Video Club unleashed a powerfully electric performance upon the crowd, who in return absorbed the buzz and responded in similar riot-inducing fashion.
Having ventured out upon the aforementioned debut English tour as part of a three piece headliner Retro Video Club brought with them those two such bands back over the border in the form of BlackWaters and RedFaces, as well as local support coming from youngsters Vansleep.
It was a night full of surprises. No one would have anticipated quite how strongly the crowd would react with Retro Video Club and nobody either would have probably bet on locals Vansleep to arguably draw the best reaction from the supporters before the main act. Whilst the majority of their gig drew the standard vigorous head-nodding their infectious pop and rock tunes usually do, Vansleep have always proved more adapt to the latter of the two genres. Therefore it was a shock to see their poppiest but perhaps most infectious song, “Get Up”, draw the most explosive reaction from the crowd as an excitable mosh-pit spawned before centre stage. It was also nice to hear the four-piece’s latest single, “Streetlights”, performed live with it packing even more emotional resonance and vibrance in such environment than the superb recorded track.
Following Vansleep were the punk-rock infused BlackWaters who won the award for stage presence of the night. Never before has a group hit Tunnels that is perhaps such a cathartic embodiment of fury, carrying with them great chains of anarchic wit and cheeky bite. Whilst the entire band brought an intense and strongly engaging aura to the stage, lead singer Max Tanner proved to be the manufacturer of the group’s most memorable moments as he mounted stage amps and addressed the crowd via razor sharp lyrics, unavoidable stares and harsh finger points. BlackWaters brought tunes to bang your head to and accompanied by radiating such a memorable on-stage chemistry one can’t help but wish to seek them out once more at a headline show of their own.
Last to approach the stage before the main act were Sheffield indie-rockers RedFaces, a group that would fit nicely in with the tent of bands which encompasses the likes of Circa Waves and The Amazons amongst others. Whilst being lighter in tone than their predecessors, RedFaces are not so when it comes their instrumentation as they displayed their sizzling guitar melodies alongside driving drum action. Accompanying this was a variety of impressive songwriting, delivered primarily by lead-vocalist Harry Lyon, although written by multiple members of the group. In particular lines such as “cried tears as thick as tar” proving to be stand outs! Connecting all of this musical magic was a charismatic and likeable on-stage presence which leaves one intrigued to see where the group venture to in the future!
At last Retro Video Club emerged onto the stage accompanied by anticipation so palatable you could just about taste it amidst the smoky air. As the frantic cheering crescendoed to a frightening climax the boys took their places on stage and began.
It will come as no surprise that for the duration of the set there was constant heavy bouncing from the thrilled audience and even some unexpected crowd surfing from one familiar faced fan (“wasn’t that guy up playing earlier?”), with bouncers being held close by to keep the frantic crowd in order.
For a band so young, relatively speaking, it’s truly remarkable to see a set list so tight, each track feels difficult to prise out and replace with another. This was with Retro Video Club playing two previously unheard songs on these Scottish dates also. Lead vocalist Liam Allison delivers the group’s straight faced and relatable lyrics with fantastic on stage power, backed by the rest of the strong sounding four piece who help bring the entire performance together into a show that exemplifies rock.
Highlights from the set included tracks such “Famous” and their hit “Chemistry” as well as the acoustically stripped back “Noir” which perhaps proved to be the set’s most effective track by allowing the room to breath as it connected each audience member via it’s heartfelt truthful lyrics. This relative calm it conjured in the midst of the frantic set helped to further enhance the rest of the night’s crazy constant state!
As if BlackWaters hadn’t already left enough of an impression, Max Tanner also remerged onto the stage halfway through Retro Video Club’s rollicking rendition of “Famous”. Armed with a bottle of Buckfast he conducted the crowd, rallying them even further as if he were a revolutionary marching his beloved followers into a carefully orchestrated riot!
However, you’d have been hard pressed to steal this night from Retro Video Club with the group turning what you have suspected to be a moderately successful night in Aberdeen into one fans will recall for years to come and possibly even longer if they receive the nation-wide fame there talent justifies. Although perhaps not what they desire based upon the mocking lyrics of their fan-favourite “Famous” which undermines the modern craving for celebrity status or a slight brush with fame. Backed by supports which rallied the audience into a rioting mood and as a result more than deserving your attention just as much as the main act, Retro Video Club turned in one of the most memorable performances to grace the Granite City in a long time. Shaking Tunnels as if they were a thundering freight train passing through at a violent pace, the group have no doubt left the city eager for their next return.
Aberdeen truly has joined the club!
