Bis

King Tut’s, Glasgow, Fri 6 Apr

FUTURE RETRO POWER POP COMEBACK

They announce themselves like superheroes, maybe, or superstar wrestlers, starting out in silhouette and dry ice, turning round one at a time. ‘Hello! We are Bis from Glasgow, Scotland!’ The palpable excitement that’s been building all night spills over and they launch into ‘Tell it to the Kids’, which is kind of funny as all the kids are up the road watching The Horrors. Bis have grown into their showy, screamy, pop-punk kitsch, now, the Teen C revolution tempered by the pain of pushing 30. Much has been said (in this publication and others) about Bis having been ahead of their time and much more relevant to contemporary music than they ever were on Top of the Pops, but tonight is all about nostalgia. The drum machine fails, as it was ever wont to do, and somebody shouts ‘sack the drummer!’ as they were ever wont to do. ‘Even I’m surprised at how high I used to sing,’ shrieks Manda, hoarsely. And the crowd forgives them everything and gets high on the joy of being 17 again, if only for a sweaty, exuberant hour and a half.

More: Bis, King Tut's, Retro, Reviews (Music)

Comments

No comments yet – be the first.

To post a comment you'll first need to log in: Forgotten your password?

Log in

Email
Password
Remember

Not registered? Sign up – it only takes a minute.