Friday April 5th saw the return to Glasgow of Ward Thomas in their headline gig at SWG3 Galvanizers on Eastvale Place. Supporting them on their tour were The Wandering Hearts.
There was a large crowd that turned out for this gig and the
venue (1st time visit for me) proved to be the ideal place for the event.
The Wandering Hearts opened the night and were absolutely fantastic, giving us, a great selection of their tracks and they were great at engaging with the audience, a few of whom had followed both them and Ward Thomas around the country on the whole tour.
Not having seen The Wandering Hearts live I was aware that Tim leaving might make a difference but the dynamics within the group was very tight. Tara, Chess and AJ just work together so well. Their music had us all engaged and it was great to see so many sing along to nearly every song. Tara singing and playing tambourine, Chess with the mandolin and tambourine and AJ on guitar supported by a guitar player and double bass player really did themselves proud. Their set went down a storm and their best hits in my opinion are Devil and Wish I Could.
At a lot of gigs I’ve been to lately there has been a very annoying trend of people talking all through the event but as far as I can gather this was not a problem on the night as people were so engaged so I say thanks to all who made it a great night. After their set The Wandering Hearts took time at the merch desk to speak to and sign merch for those people who managed to get through the crowd to see them.
I’ve only ever seen Ward Thomas as support to other artists but having them do a full set as headliners was fantastic. The twins along with their band again showcased what talent we have on our doorsteps and they really provided a brilliant nights entertainment. Again, the front row crew that had followed them on tour got a wee acknowledgement and thanks from the girls for taking the time to follow them round the country. Entering the stage with a wee bit of Caledonia made the night for me and a few others.
The voices Catherine and Lizzy have just blend so well together in their harmonies and I must say that for the whole set again the Glasgow crowd sang along. Songs from their most recent album Restless Minds along with a good mix of older tracks proved to be a winner with everyone.
The girls also did a wee acoustic part and during the night varied their tempo along with what is a great backing band this had us on our toes.
There was a great rapport with the audience and the youngest member of the crowd got singled out to be the main cheerleader and dancer for some of the songs and she never stopped bouncing and singing the whole night.
I have to say that the venue sound was superb and I’m looking forward to returning to one of the 4 rooms at SWG3.