Carnivores supporting Penguins Kill Polar Bears

Captain's Rest 29.05.11

Sunday night on a bank holiday weekend. Lets face it. We’re all a bit knackered.

However, the Sunday of the Penguins Kill Polar Bears and Carnivores gig was one I had been looking forward to since the posters started appearing around Glasgow.

Having had a minor love affair with Penguin’s first EP, Dawn, when it came out last year, and seeing Carnivores perform on Detour’s videos on some very winedy stairs had me suitably excited for this gig.

After Kenny, the lead singer and guitarist from the Carnivores, very politely asked the audience of The Captain’s Rest to shuffle forward, they broke beautifully into Truth followed by Laughing at You.

I say beautifully, what I really mean is crashing and banging. It was beautiful to my sleepy little ears; any thoughts of being knackered were suitably reverberated out of the audiences system whether they liked it or not.

 “It’s good to be back,” explained Kenny, amidst heckling the audience about their lack of participation between songs, which was entirely justified; I put my hands up, out banter was appaulling.

However, they debuted their new song, which had the longest title in the world and I have to admit I only caught the first two words, “Positive Mental……(something-or-other-thingmy-thing) but it went down a storm with the audience.

It’s that ability to make a listener sit up and listen, to grab them by the ears and shake them until they’re suitably finished with you that make the Carnivores.

This was again demonstrated with their other new song, Scottish Football. It’s about “not taking sides with either of them cause they’re all idiots,” as Kenny so perfectly put it. But it’s poignant lyrics and suitably harsh and crashing accompanying noise addressed the issue perfectly.

I only wish there had been a stronger crowd to accompany this strong participator in the Scottish music scene. Oh well, all the more to look forward to when seeing them at T in the Park next month. They have the potential to rock that tent out of its pegs (and I’m very much looking forward to witnessing it!).

“Stick around for Penguins cause they’re loud and they’re awesome, which is one and the same thing.” Well said, Kenny, I couldn’t have put it better.

Penguins Kill Polar Bears Review to follow...