Glasvegas & Von Iva @ Varsity Theater

(Von Iva)

(Von Iva)

San Francisco’s energetic all-girl trio Von Iva kicked things off a bit behind schedule to an unfamiliar audience that was clearly only there to see the headliners. Though singer Jillian Iva, keyboardist Rebecca Kupersmith and drummer Kelly Harris’ big-beat by way of California sound proved to not be my thing in the least, it appeared that they converted some new fans with their enthusiastic live show.

(Von Iva)

(Von Iva)

Glasgow, Scotland’s Glasvegas rolled into the sold out Varsity Theater on Tuesday night behind a wall of hype, sound and blinding lights, and delivered a resounding, albeit polarizing 50 minute set full of earnest, retro-leaning songs in the bands first ever Minneapolis performance. Taking the stage in the midst of an ever increasing cloud of smoke, dressed in their customary all black outfits (like their UK counterparts in White Lies), the four-piece proved to be an intense, focused live act that successfully fused a diverse assortment of various musical influences into their massive sound and style.

(video by Steve Engelmayer)

The band opened strong with “Geraldine,” one of the finer tracks on the bands self-titled debut, and even though they struggled through a slightly muddy, bass-heavy sound at the start, the song still managed to rouse the packed room due in part to the impassioned front man James Allan, whose vocals effectively rose above the escalating din of sound and guided the soaring song home. It seemed like the band was still sorting out the sound issues throughout the next track “Lonesome Swan,” and the song suffered a bit due to that and didn’t really resonate with me all that much. But when James mumbled, in his thick Glaswegian brogue, “this next track is called ‘It’s My Own Cheating Heart That Makes Me Cry,’” I knew the show was about to take off. The song is massive, filled with equal parts heart rendering emotion, nonsensical playground teasing and tongue in cheek allusions to Brit-pop, effectively taking off due to the towering dual guitars of James and his cousin Rab Allan.

(Glasvegas)

(Glasvegas)

Allan introduced drummer Caroline McKay during her long percussive introduction to “Polmont On My Mind,” and while her style is anything but intricate (much like Meg White), she provides exactly the sort of steady beat the songs need while standing behind her simple four piece kit. And “Polmont” really was stretched out and much more cacophonous than the recorded version, alluding to the discordant sound of fellow Scots the Jesus and Mary Chain for not the first or the last time in the evening. The fantastically named newer track “Fuck You, It’s Over” (from the Christmastime release A Snowflake Fell (And It Felt Like A Kiss) was next, and it allowed bassist Paul Donoghue a chance to shine as he carried this song along with his entrancing bass line. It also allowed Allan an opportunity to curse out a former lover demonstratively over the course of the song, a moment which I think he relished.

(Glasvegas)

(Glasvegas)

(Glasvegas)

Upon first hearing “Flowers and Football Tops,” the first song on the bands full-length, I knew it would be an absolutely immense live song, which it most assuredly proved to be, despite Allan asking the crowd beforehand if the band should “soldier on despite my voice cutting out a bit,” claiming he didn’t necessarily have “angelic pipes” anyway. You couldn’t tell anything was awry on this version though, as the band stormed their way through the propulsive track with an energy and an attitude that is entirely their own. The “You Are My Sunshine” bit tagged at the end was sublimely drawn out and bathed in distortion, reverb and strobe lights as Allan reveled in the drama of the moment. The JaMC influence was apparent on the following song, as well, with “Ice Cream Van” taking on a much more sinister and dissonant sound than the studio version, with the band backed by intense strobe lighting and an impenetrable cloud of smoke. Rab manned the moody keyboards for this song, adding a menacing layer on top of James’ piercing guitar and vocals that were nearly unintelligible due to the colossal sound they were generating. It was a pleasant surprise to be so moved by a track that never really reached me on record.

(Glasvegas)

(Glasvegas)

“Go Square Go” closed out the main set in an exultant manner, with the crowd singing (and cursing) along with Allan on the triumphant “Here we fucking go” bit, solidifying the connection between the band and the rapt audience. And after a few minutes of cheers to coax the band out for their encore, the Allan boys came out alone for a guitar only rendition of Snowflake track “Please Come Back Home” that, while it was slower than the original, proved to be no less stirring amidst the swirling dual guitars and the passionate pleas of James for a loved one to come back home (after he told them Fuck You It’s Over, perhaps). But pairing the two-song encore with closer “Daddy’s Gone” leads me to believe those pleas went unanswered and the subject of the songs had to forge on alone. After telling the audience that “this is our first time in Minneapolis, and I fucking love ya,” the band tore into the anthemic, ’50′s girl-group throwback that again had the crowd singing along with the band (and James jokingly covering his ears). It was a euphoric ending (complete with all the ladies in the front of the stage getting their hands kissed by James as an endearing thank you for coming out to the show) to an all too brief set that found the crowd wanting more, but being forced to wait until next time.

(Glasvegas)

(Glasvegas)

(Glasvegas)

Glasvegas are a band that not only represent the rougher, working class side of Glasgow, but also reflect the impact both sides of the radio dial have had on their sound, as they have been heavily influenced by both the “do-wop” ’50′s & ’60′s style sound and style as well as the JaMC wall of discord. It will be interesting to see how this band progresses as they solidify their own individual sound and separate it a bit from their predecessors. But if their sold-out Varsity Theater show proves anything, it’s that they have certainly found an audience that identifies with them and that their sound indeed resonates with an American audience. The band has a style, attitude and energy that can certainly take them as far as they choose to go, and hopefully that includes plenty of future shows in Minneapolis, as the band’s catalog and sound continues to grow along with the buzz.

[Review by Erik Thompson, photos by Jon Behm.]

Glasvegas: Purchase | Official | MySpace | Wikipedia
Von Iva: Official | Twitter | MySpace | Wikipedia

Also: Glasvegas “Glasvegas” Review