Intense, gritty, euphoric. Glaswegian dance punk band Vlure unleashed their extraordinary, riotous anthems on to the Manchester crowds at the weekend.
The band who have just released their debut LP, Escalate, were in buoyant mood. Frontman Hamish was a real commanding presence throughout the set; bare chested in an Iggy Pop style angst he tore into each track. At moments he was also in the midst of the crowd, along with bandmate Conor (guitars and production), wanting them to connect fully with the psychodrama of each tune.
Musically the band have definitely embraced rave culture through a post-punk lens. There are clear comparisons to the Prodigy at their peak: No Good (Start The Dance) and even Breathe spring to mind as influences on the current album. Synths very much to the fore from both Alexandra and Conor, bringing that crashing, euphoric sound on tracks like Heartbeat. But also really impressive to watch Carlo bringing in some powerfully thunderous live rhythms on his proper acoustic drum kit.
Another clear influence on the band is Primal Scream and especially the nightlife embracing Screamadelica era. Fellow Scot Bobby Gillespie even features on final track, A Clear Tide, which was played prior to the encore. You can imagine this featuring on the Trainspotting soundtrack.
Towards the end of the set, the band played some of their early tracks, including the mighty Shattered Faith. I remembered this particular track from seeing them on their home turf at QMU in Glasgow, supporting The Murder Capital. That was a gig just pre-lockdown that demonstrated a promising young band. Five years down the line they have truly delivered that euphoria.
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