The music industry is horribly whitewashed. It’s difficult to tell genuine bands from those created for profit. Yet there are still acts that come together via sincerity and innocence such as Scottish alternative rockers Glasvegas. Formed in 2003, the quartet of vocalist/guitarist James Allan, guitarist Rab Allan, bassist Paul Donoghue and drummer Caroline McKay is as natural as the day is long.
“We didn’t know what we were doing,” chuckles Rab Allan about the band’s early years. “Me and James learned to play guitar at the same time so we used to just sit and play Oasis covers. We probably don’t sound anything like them at this point but they were the common ground for us. I went to school with Paul and knew he could play the bass. Caroline had never played the drums but we knew she’d be up for it so we gave it a shot.”
It sounds anti-climactic but with many bands crafted behind-the-scenes and molded into media-savvy mannequins, such humble beginnings are an anomaly.
Regardless, Allan’s music does the real talking. Glasvegas’ serene, understated rock is catching like The Plague. Their first two singles Go Square Go! and Daddy’s Gone sparked massive interest and a bidding war between record labels. Taking the prize, Columbia Records immediately released the band’s eponymous debut in September of last year, followed up by holiday-themed EP A Snowflake Fell (And It Felt Like a Kiss) which, incidentally, was recorded in the eerie confines of a Transylvanian church.
“There was no real point behind it other than the acoustics and general oddity of it … But it’s an experience you rarely get and will never forget,” Allan says.
Rightfully, neither have any of Glasvegas’ fans. A Snowflake Fell (And It Felt Like A Kiss) maintains the powerful, unique thrust the band establishes on their debut yet expands it; points a finger towards loftier goals for the sophomore full-length they are currently working on.
