Thaladela, @ McChuills: fun, bold covers, and glorious melodies at ‘Overload’ launch (Gig review)

One of the things about McChuills is that it has everything in its right place. The pool table, Jubel on draught, and the records that have shaped your life on the walls. It’s always been a music bar, that’s never been in doubt, but in recent years, the quantity, and quality, of live acts has matched the DJs on display, both in-house, and guests.

So, for local bands, where better to launch their debut single, than a venue where music heritage lies at every turn? It’s far from Thaladela’s first gig, they’ve trod the boards at many of the low-level but oh so important Glasgow venues, but a debut single only happens once. This means family members and friends squeeze into the back room to show support and drive the band on.

And the set starts with a Radiohead cover, ‘Everything In Its Right Place.’ A bold move, whether your focus on choosing a track from such a major name, or a band whose name splits opinion. Not that this matters tonight, the haunting build of the song starts us strongly, the band living up to the benchmark they’ve set themselves

As you’d expect from a band starting with this type of cover, there’s serious moments, sections that are glacial in tone and pace. There’s also a lot of fun though, duet sections, light-hearted talk between songs, and drums. If you believe drums drive songs, especially live, you can relax, Theladela have that covered.

The gig was to launch ‘Overload’, the band’s debut single, and a more than decent introduction. It starts slow and murky, the live version benefitting from low lighting and mild disorientation wrapping itself around you.The switch-up to shoegazey haze after a minute is seamless, and welcome.

The shift in gear shows the band at their best, and when you’re nodding along, the Wolf Alice influence reference in their press releases make sense. It’s fleeting, it’s not punching you in the face, blink and you’ll miss it, but there’s some glorious melodies that put you in mind of that big name, a chance for singer Sarah Forrest to showcase her range.

It’s a strong set, short, as you’d expect, but with a brief encore, the band make sure they leave everyone with something they’ll remember long after the night is gone.

No matter the pace of the song, and it’s slower here, a Glasgow crowd knows every word to ‘I Wanna Be Adored’. Backwards, inside out, upside down, it’s a track that is in your blood, let alone on your mind. Which makes it an open-goal for a band covering it, but it brings its own pressure. Any slip, butchered line or absent bass line, will be noticed, but it’s a forgiving crowd, who sing along, and take us home. 

There’s the sound of broken glass from the back of the room, cheers and perhaps more through relief than absolute joy, smiles creeping across the face of the band. So, that’s the debut single launched, and maybe, the work starts here. We’ll see where Thaladela goes from here, but it’s a solid start worth checking out.

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