BIGFOOT COME DOWN YOUR WAY WITH SOLID SUPPORT FROM ANCHOR LAND AND DOOMSDAY OUTLAW Bigfoot/Doomsday Outlaw/Anchor Lane: The Hard Rock Café, Glasgow Words: Johnny Main, Pictures: Mark Rutherford With all the big bands who've recently announced tour dates in the UK, some people tend to forge there's also a wealth of young, up and coming bands relentlessly touring the UK drawing crowds to smaller venues and giving a value-for-money night out. Glasgow based Shock City Productions put on gigs at the city's Hard Rock Café most weekends, and I was invited along by them to see three young bands who are drawing quite a following – Wigan based rockers Bigfoot, Doomsday Outlaw from Derby and local boys, Anchor Lane. First up on stage were Glasgow based Anchor Lane, making their first real appearance in the pages of MetalTalk here, who certainly brought a solid following with them. Kicking off the evening's entertainment with 'Cog', it was a slightly shaky start with the initial track marred by some feedback but the track's obviously a firm favourite as pockets of the audience were nodding and tapping their feet along with the solid beat from drummer Scott Hanlon. Frontman Conor Gaffney kept the between song chat to a minimum allowing the band to squeeze in as many songs as possible. 'Hunter's Heart' turned out to be one of the favourite tracks of the set with guitarist Jack Nicol taking time out of head-banging to provide some minimal but effective backing vocals on this fast paced and upbeat track. 'Annie' followed which didn't let up in the power of the band with Gaffney giving perhaps his best vocal of the evening in a powerful number that included the first singalong of the evening. 'Take Some Time' is "a more mellow number", Gaffney informed us and it gave Nicol a real chance to shine and to show that he does so much more than just produce rock solid guitar riffs all night, with his intricate melody whilst Gaffney too has a chance to showcase his guitar skills too before letting loose once again with his incredible voice – another real highlight. 'Runaway' was a new song premiered specially for the evening and it's a pretty good one too. Sensational Alex Harvey Band bass player and local rock legend Chris Glen took the opportunity to get up close and personal for a look during the heavy number, and his smile at the end told you everything you need to know about what he thought, and certainly shows the band are going on the right direction with their new material. Let's not forget bass player Matthew Quigley too, who had his moment in the spotlight during 'Gone Cold' before Hanlon snatched it away with another ferocious beat. Closing their set off with 'Finished For Twelve', for which the band have recently filmed a video for, they were rewarded with a strong reception. All in all, not a bad performance at all for my first spot of Anchor lane, and I'll definitely be looking out for them in the future. Anchor Lane Setlist: Cog Hunter's Heart Annie Take Some Time Runaway Gone Cold Eclipse Finished For Twelve Anchor Lane are: Conor Gaffney – Vocals/Guitars Jack Nicol – Guitars/Backing Vocals Matthew Quigley – Bass Guitar Scott Hanlon – Drums/Backing Vocals I've heard a lot about Doomsday Outlaw so I was certainly looking forward to my first chance to see what these guys are all about, and they didn't disappoint one iota. If you've looking for something a bit different then this could be the band for you. "But they don't look like a rock band," said one punter to me as they kicked off their set with 'Over And Done' but my response was simple and straightforward - why do they have to conform to what you think a rock band should look like? Drawing heavily on last years 'Suffer More' album, the band started things off with 'Tale Of A Broken Man' which, we're informed by frontman Phil Poole, deals with a catalogue of human conditions which makes for an interesting lyric. There's an acapella intro which gives way to a really solid track which had the audience energised. Guitarist Stephen Michael Broughton is a bundle of energy as he makes best use of the small stage whilst Poole still manages to keep centre stage all to himself. 'Fallback' showcases drummer John Willis' incredible talent you can understand his nickname of 'Ironfoot' from the steady pounding the bass drum was getting throughout the set. Indeed, the concentration in his face told you how hard he was working throughout the set whilst Broughton stole the show here with his guitar solo. The title track from last year's album is a song about divorce says Poole and slows the pace slightly giving everyone a breather during the intro. It's a bit ballady and downbeat but Poole gives an emotional performance, which makes you wonder how close to home the song really is. Certainly, a watershed moment in the set, it shows the band can do subtlety when the mood takes them. New song 'Hard Times' follows with Broughton getting things going during the intro before the rest of the band joins in with what ends up being a truly great track. Poole really does have a great voice, and without any backing vocals he gets the lyrics across loss and clear time and again. 'All That I Have' (one of the first songs written with Poole) obviously means a lot to drummer as he sings along (albeit without a microphone) which has his feelings etched on his face. The band may have played these countless times but the smiles on their faces shows the comfort of the track - like an old friend – yet it still has a freshness about it. Closing off with 'Bring You Pain', I was already trying to work out when I'd see the band live again. That's two new bands in one night – both of whom impressed me greatly. Doomsday Outlaw Setlist: Over And Done Tale Of A Broken Man Fallback Suffer More Hard Times All That I Have Bring You Pain Doomsday Outlaw are: Phil Poole – Vocals Stephen Michael Broughton – Guitars Gavin Mills – Guitars Indy Chanda – Bass Guitar John Willis – Drums The evening's headliners were Bigfoot whom I was told earlier in the evening were a "marmite band – you love 'em or hate 'em," which I think is blatant rubbish – there's nothing like a highly professional band with their sense of humour firmly switched on who have the ability to entertain – and that they did with a set that the audience here simply couldn't get enough of. This appearance was essentially part of a clutch of dates put together as a warm up for the bands upcoming support tour with Black Spiders and anyone going to see them over the next few weeks are in for a real treat – the band are on fire judging by this performance, with frontman Antony Ellis' enthusiasm infectious from the first vocal line to the last guitar chord. The first three tracks were taken from last years 'Stone Soldiers' EP with the title track first in line setting things up for the rest of the set. 'In The Gutter' had guitarist Sam Millar playing a mean solo before handing things over to Mick McCullagh showing both guitarists are so in tune with each other that there's not an ounce of egotism between them. 'Run' really got the party going an extra notch with Ellis acting like young Bruce Dickinson as he owned every inch of the stage and the audience get more and now animated before Millar came in with a great solo. A quick plug for the bands new album, coming soon on Frontiers records Ellis tells us, before an old favourite 'Come Down My Way', from their 2015 self-titled EP, which sees Ellis strap on an acoustic guitar and had the audience swaying along before the electric guitars of Millar and McCullagh kick in and before you know it, the audience are happily singing along to the chorus without any encouragement needed from the band. Another old favourite from the EP, 'Bitchkiller' picks up the pace with McCullagh playing a great solo, but the standout performance here is without a doubt drummer Tom Aspinall whose thundering betas anchor the whole set. A new song, the fast paced 'Freakshow' had the audience headbanging along and received some generous applause at its finale. 'Forever Alone' once again shows Ellis' versatility – is it a ballad or is it a rocker? I'm not too sure to be honest, but what I do know is that it's a damn good track with Millar's performance shining through once again. A quick return to the bands 'Stone Soldiers' EP with 'Blame It On The Dog' and the band were on the home straight as they rushed through the rest of their set before closing off the evening with the evergreen 'The Other Side Of Paradise'. The evening was full of fresh British talent but Bigfoot rightly shone the brightest, so if you want to see one of the best of Britain's up and coming rock bands then get yourself down to a Bigfoot show sooner rather than later, honestly – you'll not be disappointed. Bigfoot Setlist: Stone Soldiers In The Gutter Run Come Down My Way Bitchkiller Freakshow Forever Alone Blame It On The Dog Jurassic Park Top Gun Medley The Other Side Of Paradise Bigfoot are: Antony Ellis – Vocals Sam Millar – Guitar Mick McCullagh – Guitar Matt Avery – Bass Guitar Tom Aspinall – Drums