GUN DON'T HAVE BETTER DAYS THAN THIS AS THEY LAUNCH 'FAVOURITE PLEASURES'
Gun: 'Favourite Pleasures' Album Launch
Saint Luke's & The Winged Ox, Glasgow


Words: Johnny Main, Pictures: Carlan Braid




It's not often that album launch parties are held outside the big smoke of London but given Gun's rich Scottish heritage it seemed only right that the band should unveil 'Favourite Pleasures' in their home city in front of a very select audience in intimate surroundings.

Entry to this exclusive event was via a random draw for those who had already pre-ordered 'Favourite Pleasures' from the official Gun webstore and with the album (favourably reviewed by MetalTalk here) released the following day it was a 'not to be missed' opportunity for hardcore Gun fans to not only get an early listen to some of the new tracks but also to revel in the glory of some the biggest hits and lesser known tracks from their solid back catalogue.

This unique event, with only four hundred tickets up for grabs, also afforded us an opportunity to look into one of Glasgow's finest new live venues, Saint Luke's & The Winged Ox, just a stone's throw away from the famous Barrowlands Ballroom.



Before Gun took to the stage, however, there was the little matter of the support act, 100 Fables, an exciting young band in an already thriving Glasgow music scene who describe themselves as being born out of a "shared love of the new wave movement and their passion for the 80s new wave and post punk electro sound" so certainly not your typical rock band support act possibly, but then Gun are obviously keen to try and give back something to the city that's been so kind to them in the past by promoting up and coming artists.

100 Fables' thirty minute set showcased the very best the band has to offer, along with their somewhat quirky sound. Backed up with an array of computer samples, that didn't detract from the performances on stage, the five piece band made a good impression on the audience, even with the hall being only half full when they began their set.



After a jaunty start with 'The Pressure' the band soon settled into the groove, especially vocalist Lyndsey Knox who really stretched her voice during 'Lost Generation' while drummer Chris Stewart kept a fast and solid beat on his small electronic drum kit.

Amongst their best was 'Complication' with Knox really getting into the flow. She was backed up on vocals by guitarist Erin Reidy, and this made a clear positive impression on the audience.

Late in the set, 'Untold' delivered the most aggressive vocal performance from Knox and you could feel the passion for her performance before the Glaswegians closed off with 'Wake Up', which by comparison showcased their poppier more upbeat side.

With an EP due for release this band may not be the usual fare that appears in the pages of MetalTalk but I can't help but praise their performance and their sound.





100 Fables setlist:
The Pressure
Forgotten
Lost Generation
Metropolis
Complication
Untold
Wake Up

100 Fables are:
Lynsey Knox – Vocals
Erin Reidy – Guitar
Mark McMurtie – Guitar
Harris Hiscoe – Bass Guitar
Chris Stewart – Drums



As the clock struck 9.00pm and with the stage set and the restless crowd buzzing with anticipation, the lights finally went down to a huge ovation as the local heroes finally stepped into the spotlight led by Jools Gizzi who was quick to acknowledge the audience, with his brother Dante Gizzi receiving the biggest cheer as he stepped out last.

With just over an hour's stage time slated, a truncated set was the order of the night and this being the official launch for 'Favourite Pleasures', over half of the set featured brand new tracks from the new opus. Now that's confidence in the material and it was more than justified.

Indeed, as Dante Gizzi said, the band are "very proud of the new album" and as well they should be as it's already been a critical success judging by the reviews and the audience's enthusiasm tonight which in turn rubbed off on the band.

"We don't care about critics anyway," added Dante Gizzi before adding with sincerity: "It's you, the fans, that mean the most to us!"

First off from the new album were the opening three tracks, the fast paced 'She Knows' which saw an abundance of camera phones hoisted stagewards, before the more sedate paced 'Here's Where I Am', followed by the title track, 'Favourite Pleasures', which as Dante pointed out is "the track most people have already heard" as it's been featured heavily on various rock radio stations, and it doesn't take long for the audience to start singing along to it.

A fabulous piece of rock music, guitarist Tommy Gentry paced the boards with a huge grin on his face before settling in centre stage as he pulled out the guitar solo before the song ended to a riotous ovation.



"We feel like Santa on the night before Christmas!" joked Dante before thanking the audience for coming to a "fantastic venue". "It's good to be back, good to be back in Glasgow," he added before regaling a story that he used to drink a well-known brand of cider and Super Lager round the corner from the venue, admitting that much to his obvious embarrassment, it put him off drinking Super Lager for life!

Back to the business at hand and 'Silent Lovers' followed with its punchy drums courtesy of Paul McManus before Tommy returned to the limelight with a more laid back solo whilst Jools got up close and personal with the front row of the audience before displaying his own soloing skills.

Another track that shows the Gallus rockers have lost none of their credentials is 'Black Heart' with its solid guitar hook and it shows they can give any other rock band on the circuit a run for their money. The solid mid-paced drum beat and heavy guitar had the crowd nodding along and I'd be very surprised if this doesn't end up on the regular setlist for some time to come; a thoroughly enjoyable track from start to finish which brought smiles to the faces of pretty much most of the audience.

The gem of the night has to be the performance of 'The Boy Who Fooled The World' which saw Tommy swap his guitar for a piano. As Dante explained, it's about himself and his infatuation with music when he was young, but he's interrupted during the pensive moment by the sound of Tommy readying himself at the piano. He's jokingly told to stop and they let the music do the talking.

A watershed moment during the evening, Dante gives his most passionate vocal performance, showing how much the song means to him, whilst Tommy's piano, the simple bass guitar and subtle drumming suit the song absolutely perfectly and draw the audience into Dante Gizzi's world.

His performance is so moving, a girl in the crowd wipes a tear from her eye at the conclusion.

With material like that, they surely can't resist adding this to their upcoming setlist too?



The evening was as much about celebrating Gun's rich history too and a quick through some well known tracks completed the remainder of the set, including the rarely heard 'Crazy You' from 1997s '0141 632 6326' - "the only decent track on the album," joked Dante - which again featured Tommy on piano.

This was followed by a duo of songs from the band's 1989 debut album, 'Taking On The World', 'Inside Out' and 'Shame On You', with Tommy back on guitar and centre stage for the former while the latter kept the party vibe going with bass player Andy Carr finally getting his moment in the spotlight during the intro as the audience showed their appreciation for this well worn classic track as they sang loudly to every single lyric.

Gun's celebrated cover of the Beastie Boys '(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party!)' was supposed to end the show and any other day this would have been great as the band and audience let loose with a joyous anthem that everyone knows the chorus to, but as the band disappeared off stage to rapturous applause, Dante quickly reappeared followed by the rest of the band telling the delighted audience: "One more song – we literally decided to do this just off stage there!" before once again delving into the back catalogue with 'Steal Your Fire', the first single from 1992s 'Gallus' album.

Gun are most definitely back and with the new album giving them added confidence and a fan base more than happy to send it into the charts, there is something to believe in once again as they unleash their armoury and take on the world once again.





You can catch Gun live here:
Saturday 11th November: Hard Rock Hell, Pwllheli
Saturday 2nd December: Barrowland Ballroom,Glasgow
Friday 8th December: Club Academy, Manchester
Saturday 9th December: Electric Ballroom, London

Tickets are available right here.

Gun setlist:
She Knows
Here's Where I Am
Favourite Pleasures
Silent Lovers
Black Heart
Tragic Heroes
The Boy Who Fooled The World
Crazy You
Inside Out
Shame On You
(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!)
Steal Your Fire

Gun are:
Dante Gizzi – Vocals
Jools Gizzi – Guitars
Tommy Gentry – Guitars
Andy Carr – Bass Guitar Paul McManus – Drums