Sounding like they could be The Black Keys’ rebellious little brother with an angry, energetic twist – Baby Strange are a Glasgow-based band full of fiery, moody and undeniably chant-worthy songs.
When entering Falkirk Warehouse last Saturday, I was initially surprised at how small a space it was, especially considering their 26,000+ monthly listeners on Spotify.
However, once Baby Strange took to the stage it didn’t matter the size of the venue. As soon as the first pluck of their guitar strings was heard, a sudden surge of people who were patiently waiting at the bar or loitering around the booths were practically sprinting towards the front to see them.
From the word “go” they had even the most reserved gig-goers bouncing their hips, tapping their feet and clapping their hands.
With each song they performed, their effortlessness shone the whole way through their surprisingly short 45 minute set, which unfortunately flew in so quickly from the moment they played ‘Nude’, their first song of the night.
The consistency in how they played all 12 songs was incredibly impressive – every song sounded like a breath of fresh air – like you were hearing them for the first time every time. You’d almost think they’d been doing this as long as The Clash – a very promising sign for a band who are still in their early days, but are assuredly climbing their way up to bigger and better venues.
Singer Johnny Madden was also in good spirits, not even flinching at the fact some ecstatic fans were leaning more than half their bodies over the mini barriers just to touch him. Calm, cool and collected – he oozed the essence of rock ‘n’ roll.
They didn’t even mind the fact that one particularly enthusiastic (and topless) fan managed to climb onto the stage and almost interrupt their entire set – instead, bassist Aidan McCann gave him a hug.
Songs that were particular highlights throughout the night include: ‘Pleasure City’, a song which is always going to be their traditional crowd pleaser; ‘VVV’ which has a memorable Kasabian-except-moodier feel to it; the light and lovely ‘California Sun’ and ‘Friend’ – a bustling mosh-pit-waiting-to-happen tune which is the perfect last song to leave the audience on a high.
Chucking their clothes into the crowd and exchanging banter with their fans in between songs – you can already tell that Baby Strange are just waiting to be announced as Scotland’s next staple rock stars, and they sure are destined for it.
Baby Strange will be next performing in Glasgow’s 02 ABC venue on December 16.
You can also check out their set list here:
- Nude
- Pleasure City
- VVV
- Pure Evil
- Trouble
- Young Folks (Peter Bjorn and John cover)
- Human
- Never Enough
- Distance Yourself
- California Sun
- Want It/Need It
- Friend
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