Scottish native Callum Beattie and his band opened for Clean Cut Kid in Wolverhampton on Sunday night. I have never seen Callum before, but straight away I noticed the small following of women going nuts for him that he had clearly already earned himself.
He had a great energy and a really nice down to earth vibe. He quite happily took me backstage to shoot some portraits with him after his set. He came out and signed autographs and took pictures with waiting fans, and handed out free stickers and badges with his logo on. His effort to introduce people to his music was clear and he came across very well. People enjoyed his set, and he laughed as he told people that he'd spent most nights with his band on tour drinking, and commented on how people questioned how he was able to do it? 'Easy, by drinking pints!' Much to the amusement of the crowd. This guy is very determined. He played a great set, with a passionate accompanying band alongside him. His music was catchy and his charismatic personality really shone through.
Go check out his latest track 'Man Behind The Sun' :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ifb5CIpv6Y8
Clean Cut Kid, played a pleasantly humorous, and intimate gig. It was a relatively small venue, with great sound, that allowed for a real insight into this bands personality. This band have a really great rapport with one another, which is made quite evident from the way that they laugh and joke and bounce off one another on stage. For example, Evelyn told the crowd during the set that lead singer, Mike, had gotten eyes tattooed on the back of his head that day. And Mike proceeded to tell the crowd 'yeah, it's so that I can watch these fuckers behind me!' The crowd laughed at their Liverpool accent driven humour.
It was impossible not to laugh with them actually. They were a breath of fresh air. Their set included songs from their debut album 'Felt' and track after track were heartfelt lyrics, driven by infectious beats and synth. The lighting set was bright and colourful with pinks and greens mirroring the eighties fashion feel that this band give you. I loved that their merch stand included records of their singles with quirky photography and brightly coloured vinyls. Although this was a small venue, the crowd that this band attracted were loyal fans of their music and the smaller room meant that they could happily converse during the set with their audience.
I've never seen Clean Cut Kid live before, but after tonight I will be sure to see them again.