By Kevin Scott
Just days before launching their debut album, Glasgow band Quickbeam played a hometown gig in an abandoned Victorian swimming pool to celebrate the arrival of said release.
And what a venue it is: Govanhill Baths may not have seen any swimmers for a while, but it survives as a venue thanks to the work of community campaigners who prevented its closure. The show saw Quickbeam and record label Comets and Cartwheels collaborate with local artists to produce an event that encompassed art, projection and theatrics. Not to mention music from one of Scotland’s biggest musical hopes for 2013.
With a glass ceiling far above the makeshift stage in the pool’s deep end, support band (and labelmates) Fake Major arrived in broad daylight, giving something a festival vibe. “We’re in at the deep end now,” announced the band – one of whom was wearing a rubber ring. They worked their way through a steady set of pop-tinged folk, with Richard Ferguson and David McGinty’s harmonies particularly impressive.
Between bands, the sun set, the pool darkened and the atmosphere in the now crammed venue began buzzing with anticipation.
A theatrical interlude preceded the arrival of the band, who strode on stage to huge applause. A full complement of strings and brass boosted the band numbers on the night from four to 10.
Opening with ‘Remember’ Quickbeam quickly arrested the crowd and established their sound – gritty guitars clashing with subtle strings and brass, instantly backing up the comparisons with Sigur Ros that have accompanied almost every review of the band.
Debut single ‘Seven Hundred Birds’ was a real stand out, Monika Gromek’s voice perfectly balanced against the strings, while the swell on ‘Immense’ was huge, the band slowing building the sound into a huge multi-instrumental crescendo that felt like the biggest wave the pool had seen since its heyday was about to crash over the audience.
Andrew Thomson’s delicate piano pitched against Ruth Campbell’s cello worked as well live as it does on record. Indeed, ‘Fall’, with Thomson taking lead vocal, was the first song of the night that deviated from the album, with the guitar cranked up and the post-rock sound more fully realised, despite the sound system in the venue not being as big as it could have been. This proved to be a minor issue throughout, with the sound never quite loud enough to dominate the chatty Friday night crowd. For those who did pay attention, the experience was all the better.
‘Matter’ proved to be the highlight. The ethereal lilt of Gromek’s chorus “I’ve travelled so far for so long…” was majestic, the accompanying video playing out on a screen behind the band only adding to the spell being cast.
Closing with the spectacular ‘Grace’, there’s a hint that this could have been something much more than a gig if only the audience had given more undivided attention. That will matter little to the band, who seemed genuinely moved by the reception they received at the end.
Quickbeam already have one of the contenders for Album of the Year, and if this show was a marker, there’s enormous potential in their ability as a live act. Govanhill Baths was a glorious fit for an event like this and it’s one that will live long in the ear of the audience, but it’ll be interesting to see Quickbeam play a venue built specifically for music. It won’t look nearly as spectacular, but your ears will probably thank you for it.
