Puppy @ Garage Attic, Glasgow (21st April 2019)
with Green Lung
On the weekend of this gig, Scotland was in the middle of a record-breaking and blisteringly warm Easter holiday. If you were to tell me that this was all to end in an unavoidable heat death then I would not be that upset as long as I still got to see Puppy play live. The gig took place in Glasgow's Garage Attic venue, which has fittingly enough appeared to have become a hotspot of sorts for bands of the alt-rock/new-grunge variety when they make tour stops in the city. If you find a band that you're even just starting to get into that happen to be playing this venue, be sure to make a memorable experience for yourself by checking them out here.
The first group on were Green Lung, a heavy rock band from South London who were the main support act for Puppy on this tour. The band describe themselves as "Earth rock" - hopefully I'm not wrong in assuming this is in reference to the mighty Earth-shattering riffs they brought with them. Think the abrasiveness of Corrosion of Conformity mixed with the doominess of Black Sabbath; a combination that can never go wrong in my book. The best way I feel I can describe the band's live show would be to say it looked like a riff-rock-powered time machine was taking the venue back to an age of psychedelic 70s goodness, and fortunately sounded like as much. An impressive band with an equally impressive sound, be sure to give them a listen if you’re into your heavy riffs, groovy vibes, and are a fan of bands that know how to have a good time.
It was then time for the evening's headlining act to come on. Puppy took the stage to the tune of Cynthia Harrell's 'Snake Eater' (I am never one to say no to a good Metal Gear Solid reference) triumphantly and quite rightly so. On their first outing in support of new debut album The Goat, Puppy played the new tracks live as well as some of their most well known songs. Surprisingly, classic EP track 'Entombed' was the first song of the set - no punches are being pulled here with a choice like that, and a sudden surge in the room's gravity could be felt as the crowd took part in one collective headbang. For those unfortunate enough to have never heard Puppy before, imagine the pop-punk influences of Weezer and the like combined with the more grown-up grunge sensibilities of bands such as Smashing Pumpkins, all topped off with the time-signature-altering preciseness of Helmet for good measure.
The band were in excellent form as devastating riffs followed one after the other, from the infectiously catchy new tune 'Black Hole' right through to old favourites 'Arabella' and 'Forever'. Not a beat was missed as guitarist and vocalist Jock Norton led the way with glacial guitar parts where there was not a single off-note to be had and he somehow making it all look so simple. Bassist Will Michael skilfully flexes his low-frequency chops with ease as always, and drummer Billy Howard thrashing the kit like it is his worst enemy was a delight to watch on its own.
Having previously seen the band twice (once at Bloodstock Open Air in 2017, and at Glasgow's Audio venue later the same year), it is easy to observe how much work Puppy put into their live show, constantly improving and yet somehow making more room to fit in intricate musicianship. With songs like these and a following already as strong as the one they have at this point, you can imagine the possibilities will be endless for these guys. If you haven't seen Puppy yet, you don't know what you're missing.
(You can check out the video for opening song 'Entombed' here if you would like to get a better idea, however!)
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WORDS: Ray Mondo
On the weekend of this gig, Scotland was in the middle of a record-breaking and blisteringly warm Easter holiday. If you were to tell me that this was all to end in an unavoidable heat death then I would not be that upset as long as I still got to see Puppy play live. The gig took place in Glasgow's Garage Attic venue, which has fittingly enough appeared to have become a hotspot of sorts for bands of the alt-rock/new-grunge variety when they make tour stops in the city. If you find a band that you're even just starting to get into that happen to be playing this venue, be sure to make a memorable experience for yourself by checking them out here.
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The band were in excellent form as devastating riffs followed one after the other, from the infectiously catchy new tune 'Black Hole' right through to old favourites 'Arabella' and 'Forever'. Not a beat was missed as guitarist and vocalist Jock Norton led the way with glacial guitar parts where there was not a single off-note to be had and he somehow making it all look so simple. Bassist Will Michael skilfully flexes his low-frequency chops with ease as always, and drummer Billy Howard thrashing the kit like it is his worst enemy was a delight to watch on its own.
Having previously seen the band twice (once at Bloodstock Open Air in 2017, and at Glasgow's Audio venue later the same year), it is easy to observe how much work Puppy put into their live show, constantly improving and yet somehow making more room to fit in intricate musicianship. With songs like these and a following already as strong as the one they have at this point, you can imagine the possibilities will be endless for these guys. If you haven't seen Puppy yet, you don't know what you're missing.
(You can check out the video for opening song 'Entombed' here if you would like to get a better idea, however!)
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Thanks very much to Ray for writing up this review and thanks to you for reading. Please leave a comment, give us a like/follow on the socials or get in touch if you would like to contribute or make a submission to RWEI.
Be sure to check out the review for Puppy's debut album 'The Goat' over here if you like what you've read here as well.
Cheers!
Be sure to check out the review for Puppy's debut album 'The Goat' over here if you like what you've read here as well.
Cheers!
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