Big Pink @ G2 09-05-10

BIG PINK
G2, Glasgow, May 9 * *

The signs were ominous for tonight’s performance by Big Pink before the band had even arrived on stage. Poor ticket sales meant instead of the Garage it was G2 that played host to the Londoners. But even in the smaller venue it was still a patchy crowd who bore witness to a set where the lighting often proved more entertaining than the music.
Trooping on stage through a purple wall of smoke, the strains of Cypress Hill’s I Wanna Get High blasting out the PA, the duo, joined by a drummer and bassist, launched into Too Young To Love. Waves of distortion, relentless bass and brooding, ethereal synth combined to hypnotic effect, well initially at least
The spell was soon broken however as the song, like much of what was to come, degenerated into a rather repetitive dirge. They did deviate occasionally, but poppier numbers like Tonight and set closer Dominos felt disposable and in the case of the latter, annoyingly catchy. The shouts for an encore that never came were half-hearted and short-lived, undoubtedly a telling reflection on what was overall a disappointing experience.