LIVE REVIEW: Vukovi @ SWG3, Glasgow
On a bitterly cold Glasgow evening hundreds of rabid fans are piling into SWG3. They are all here to witness the biggest show to date for stalwarts of the Scottish scene VUKOVI, finishing off their huge European tour in style. VUKOVI have been on the road in support of their widely praised new record NULA for two weeks and this has done nothing but build the anticipation for their only Scottish show.
As the TV Studio in SWG3 starts to fill, the task of warming up the crowd for the evening falls at the feet of ZAND. After coming to the stage with mask on and baseball bat in hand, the pioneer of “ugly pop” opens with their massive hit Inappropriate which seemed to catch the crowd off guard as they were uncomfortably quiet to start off. Despite Glasgow’s resistance to get involved, their short set is packed with hit after hit with the likes of I Spit On Your Grave, Freak and Religion being pulled out of the bag. Standing in an almost completely concrete warehouse, there are worries for the sound quality however it works perfectly for ZAND as their powerful lyrics cut through the heavy basslines nicely. ZAND brings their set to an end with the massive Slut Money which got a cheer from the fans at the front which was nice to see as ZAND clearly put a lot into this performance and deserved a reaction from those in attendance. This was a great performance from ZAND however it seemed that a lot of this crowd just weren’t ready for them unfortunately.
Rating: 7/10
Now it’s time for the reason everyone has crammed into the room. VUKOVI’s biggest Scottish headline show is happening and the crowd are electric in anticipation. The journey to get here has been a long one for VUKOVI and the expectation is that this show will be full of energy and very emotional. The lights go down and the noise in the TV Studio at SWG3 is deafening. Marching drums play over the PA as VUKOVI take to the stage one-by-one and open with the punchy LASSO from NULA, sending the crowd wild. From the off there are crowd surfers and mosh pits galore. There’s no let off as Janine Shilstone introduces 2020 hit C.L.A.U.D.I.A which keeps the energy in the room at a solid 10. We are treated to more of the new record as the fiery HURT and the anthem QUENCH send the Glasgow crowd into raptures.
Throughout the set you can see the emotions on frontwoman Janine Shilstone’s face with her exclaiming that “this is silly”. Sweat is dripping from the walls as VUKOVI keep the energy coming with the likes of Behave and Violent Minds. HADES gets a big reaction and keeps fans on their toes. The crowd get a well deserved breather as the pace is slowed down with a sombre moment with Janine performing I’m Sorry and Colour Me In. The venue is lit up by phone lights as Janine sits on the barrier. The energy is picked right back up again for the home stretch of the set with a very emotional rendition of the huge anthem I EXIST. Fans in the front had held aloft signs that read “We Exist” bringing Janine to tears. SLO and Run/Hide bring the crowd to boiling point just in time for the massive hit La Di Da with ZAND which gets an incredible reaction and closes out an unbelievable homecoming set.
No one in the room expected anything less than an incredible show from VUKOVI but they smashed everyone’s expectations with a performance that will be remembered for a long time to come. Janine was on top form with fantastic vocals and her unmissable presence. Guitarist Hamish Reilly was hitting out with the big riffs and unmatched energy. VUKOVI clearly poured their heart into this incredible performance and left everything out on that stage.
Rating: 10/10
Check out our photo gallery of the night’s action in Glasgow from Chelsea Cochrane here:
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