T-Break Heat 5 @ King Tut's, 11 May
Endor handle the occasion with aplomb
Tonight is the opening night for the Glasgow showcases and as expected the selection of styles is eclectic. The unfortunate - or auspicious - opportunity of opening the west side festivities falls on Magdalena (2/5). The Glasgow based female-led four-piece, as is often the case throughout the next four nights, are initially greeted by a small crowd. They march on, though, displaying their distortion-laden offhand Sonic Youth stylings to those who have ventured up the stairs and away from the bar. Using emotionally-charged lyrics, with their sound hinting at a metal influence, they offer an interesting alternative but ultimately deliver nothing original.
Next on stage trying to gain favour with the judges are Civilised (2/5), hailing from the Ayrshire town of Kilmarnock and hoping to emulate the town's T Break heroes of a few years ago, Biffy Clyro. The band delivers a guitar and synth driven emo-oriented sound that gains polite favour with a growing crowd, but is at times disjointed and repetitive.
Local metallers For Your Sins (1/5) serve a course of unintelligible gargling from their frontman, backed by double pedal bass drum kicks and a cacophony of effect-laden guitars. Without knowing what message, if any, they are trying to communicate and with the same structure and pattern repeated throughout, interest is lost quickly.
With the evening progressing past the halfway point and the vastly-increased crowd size resulting in unintentional moments of intimacy with those squeezing past towards the bar, Endor (5/5) take the stage, with a favourable line in quirky Glaswegian pop that seems familiar yet distinctive at the same time. Mixing guitar riffs and minimalist harmonies, the crowd react accordingly by chanting the band's name. These young lads carry on regardless, handling the occasion with aplomb.
Reaching the penultimate act of the evening, some of the crowd disperse; after all it is a school night. Glasgow's last representative, NLD (2/5) or Nitro Loves Danger as they also call themselves, perform a slick but forgettable set, following a similar premise as earlier act Civilised with strong influence from the current American-led emo invasion.
Closing the evening is the first of Glasgow's east coast visitors. Edinburgh's Elkin (2/5) trade in acoustic rock, but unfortunately the crowd size has dwindled further after peaking for Endor's set and their bland and unimaginative Crowded House-via-the-Beatles take on the genre isn't going to keep anyone from their fish supper and the last bus home.