Sauchiehall Street retains a smattering of live venues which jostle with student bars and newly opened restaurants for attention. Nice N Sleazy is one of Glasgow’s reassuring fixed points, a familiar bar built for live performances.
The crowd packed into the dark, hot basement for the Saint PHNX showcase gig were ready for their arrival. Some knew what to expect, others did not. This was the first show for vocalist Stevie Jukes and drummer Alan Jukes.
Their partnership is hewn from the fact they are brothers from Wishaw and from their previous musical collaborations in bands that have played some of the best stages in Glasgow. Tonight they were on their own in front of a new audience.
The boys bounded down the stairs and launched into their first single, Reload, filled with a succession of driving guitar riffs and beats with a catchy chorus. There was a visceral reaction from the crowd, this is melodic power pop that demands a reaction when performed live.
A short, engaging performance finished with elements of promise for bigger things to come. That was a couple of weeks ago, now comes the question: what next?
This is a local band who have an intricate yet immediately accessible electric sound combined with strong vocals. We could imagine them on a festival stage or graduating towards a full headline show.
Saint PHNX have been creating music in a self-made studio in the West End – much in the way CHVRCHES did – since the start of this year. Spotify, the BBC and Q magazine has taken noticed.
Now they have the attention of a local crowd and an opportunity to develop their live show let’s see where that takes them. We wouldn’t be surprised if they appeared on a bigger stage soon.
Related: Glasgowist interviews Saint PHNX
Take a look at some pictures from the debut show.
Images by Paul Gallagher for Glasgowist.
