David Delinquent and the IOUs may have been around since Covid times, but it was the first time I have been lucky enough to see to see them live. While album release show in their home town of Dundee was inevitably going about them, they didn't skimp on the support acts.
First up was Lonely Lost Boy who may or may not be David Delinquent's younger brother. Opening with a cover of Carter USM's Only Living Boy in New Cross, and with a set interspersed with additional covers (blah vblah) and original material, it was the latter that really captured the eye. With a significant nod to the likes of Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash, his own songs is where he felt more comfortable and rightly so. Ending with Green Day's Good Riddance (Time of your Life) was where he truly brought his own style to a cover, making it a song Woody Gutherie would be proud of rather than the pop-punk of the original.
I have a soft spot for Perth UHI alumni Deavenu, as I spent 5 years working on the same campus where they were honing their craft. Playing alt-rock that thankfully isn't indebted to Oasis or their thousands of clones. What really sets Deavenu apart from the crowd is Amber McCarthy on vocals. With a soaring range, she elevates the band to a whole new level.
It feels like the next 12 months could be pivotal for Aftrshocks. Folllowing on from their set at Rebellion, they have maintained the new levels of heaviness they showed off in Blackpool. While it was only 2 years ago that they dropped their first material, a studio album already feels long overdue. The material for this evidently exists based on their performance. A rip-roarer of a set that showed off Daniel Caterer's increasing proficiency as a songwriter, even a broken string mid-song couldn't put the trio off their stride. Closer Get Loud perfectly encapsulated everything that makes Aftrshocks special.
I have waited a long time to finally see David Delinquent and the IOUs live. They have spent the last couple of summers expanding their fanbase at various festivals, a policy that has clearly paid off if the number of people spending their Friday night watching them is any indication.
A rambunctious run through of their outstanding debut album, Scandal, with a couple of additional tracks that didn't make it onto the album. Head honcho, David Delinquent, had a smile throughout that was wider than the Tay as the band gave the audience exactly what they wanted, punk 'n roll storytelling with its heart on its sleeve.
The last thing anyone was expecting for their album release show was to open with a brand new track, the Best Is Yet To Come. That sort of curveball shows the confidence that the IOUs have in their own material, and, fingers crossed, an indication that they are already thinking about further releases. That confidence was amplified by playing the entirity of Scandal in order (apart from a couple of mid-set songs that didn't make it onto the album), something that many bands don't dare to do until a significant anniversary.
Live, the IOUs operate in unison as a solitary beast. As with any good live band, the rhythm section is the heartbeat of the IOUs with David on guitar, Scott Sweeney on bass and Gordon McNally on drums. What the trio provide is the backbone for David's vocals, supported by JP's soaring solos. While it is hard to pick a particular highglight of their set, as a fan of horn sections I always lean to the IOU songs that allow for Bonnie Ross' Lara Logic influenced sax to really shine (Everybody Loves You, Alleycats In Love).
Finishing with a brutal cover of Nirvana's Breed left the walls dripping in sweat/ It was as fine a cover as you could possibly want. It won't be long until this night joins the posters plastered across the walls of the toilets of Beat Generator.
