Live Review: Vukovi - SWG3, Glasgow
Support: Fog Bandits, Lake Malice
11th April 2024
Words & Photos: Laura Muraska-Ross
So here we are again, the much anticipated, rescheduled show for the final night of Vukovi’s ‘My God Has Got A Gun’ tour. If you haven’t read my review of the first attempt at this gig, then you can read it here. There was a major blackout which cut short Vukovi’s last gig at SWG3, meaning we only managed to see support acts Artio, and Unpeople take to the stage (both amazing by the way).
We must give a shout out to Vukovi’s team and SWG3 for how quickly they managed to get a new date in place for this show and to all the amazing fans that kept their tickets and came back and made this a gig to remember. For the rescheduled show, we saw two different support acts from the original line-up. Glasgow based band, Fog Bandits and Lake Malice from Brighton, were the new kids on the block for this one.
First up was local Glasgow band Fog Bandits, who were pinching themselves with excitement to have gotten the chance to play on their biggest stage yet, supporting one of the bands they themselves are fans of (they had been at the previous cancelled show). They beat off the competition to be picked by Vukovi, after the band had popped a post on their socials asking people to send them suggestions for an opening support act.
The three-piece band absolutely killed it, when they took to the stage at the SGW3 Galvanizers. I had never heard of this band before, but the way they just, nonchalantly rocked out on stage, you would have thought they had been playing venues of this size for years. Their punk energy, and matching sound, are sure to have gained them quite a few more followers and fans than they had before, and a band that I would say are one to watch on the Scottish music scene. I think they have the potential to blow up through 2025/26. Highly recommend if you like high energy tunes you can sink your ear holes into!
Next up were Lake Malice, the two-piece metal band have a unique sound that incorporates lots of electronic and heavy metal mixed with an almost K-Pop undercurrent which somehow just works. It’s the kind of sound you hear and wonder how you had never heard it before. This band have been making a huge impact over the last couple years and have supported some of metals biggest bands such as Enter Shikari and Skindred as well as playing Download Festival and 2000 Trees.
Singer Alice Guala came to the stage with absolute fierceness which was contagious and enjoyable to watch. Guitarist and effects maestro Blake Cornwall at one point jumped off the stage and played guitar in the middle of the mosh pit, creating a great and memorable moment in their set, while Alice took to her knees on top of one of a speaker, centre-stage, in an almost ceremonial type of way, while Blake was doing his thing. Lake Malice are a force to be reckoned with and I for one love their no frills, simple approach to their performances. Very much like Vukovi, they have taken the less is more approach to making music, and by that, I mean they don’t have lots of members crowding the stage with various instruments. Proving that music can be just as good when there are less fingers in the pie as it were. If you get a chance to catch them live in the coming months, I highly recommend you check them out.
FINALLY…. the moment everyone had been waiting for since that mad power cut a few weeks ago. VUKOVI came bouncing on to the stage. Singer Janine Shilstone was holding a bottle of Buckfast in true Scottish fashion, and wearing a nude bodysuit covered in sparkly embellishments with a bright red ribbon tied around the waist. They opened their set with the short intro track ‘This is my Life and Trauma’ from their latest album, which was a great opener for their set and got the crowd pumped for what was to come. As soon as the heavy drums kicked in after the lyric ‘Bang’ the crowd went mental. Then they went straight into Gungho, another heavy hitter from the same album.
Throughout the set Janine kept thanking the crowd and expressing how amazing it was that everyone came back instead of getting refunds on their tickets. At one point saying how the Glasgow crowd are one of the hardest in the world to please, so they felt extremely grateful and honoured to have such an amazing turn out for the rescheduled show. The band even took a brief rest in between songs mud set to ask the crowd to join them in thinking about loved ones that were no longer with us.
A standout moment for me was when they played ‘My God Has Got A Gun’ towards the end of their set, with vocalist Alice from Lake Malice coming back on to the stage to join Janine. The pair bouncing up and down together, and Alice taking what seemed like the longest crowd surf in history, as the crowd kept passing her back until she almost reached the sound and lighting techs. Before Janine exclaimed ‘will you bring Alice f***ing back please’ and letting out a giggle. Shortly afterwards Janine herself took a dive into the crowd, exclaiming ‘don’t f***ing drop me’!
The banter Janine had with the audience throughout Vukovi’s set was frankly hilarious. Just genuine down to earth Scottish tongue and cheek humour. It was like she was just hanging out with a bunch of friends. Guitarist and bandmate Hamish Reilly was amazing on guitar, but seemed happy to let Janine take centre stage. She never stopped rolling around, flicking her hair, moshing and getting up and down off the drum riser, drinking Buckfast during songs and dancing. All while still somehow sounding, absolutely incredible.
We got to the last three songs of the set and Janine told the crowd that Vukovi don’t do encores, so this was it. I feel like the crowd really locked in at this point, and personally I think encores are overrated anyway (unless a band are pushing old age and need the breather for few minutes).
Vukovi ended their set with ‘I Exist’, ‘Run/Hide’ and ‘La Di Da’. The lack of an encore seemed to make the last few songs extra special, and the crowd completely embraced every moment of it. Looking round I could see people singing every word to every song, dancing, hugging each other and just having the best time. It was like a warm feeling of celebration, and to be honest I think things happen for a reason. Would the night had been as special the first time round or did cosmic forces make the power cut happen that night, to ensure the most epic end to their tour? We will never know, but one thing is for sure, it was one hell of a show and one I will keep in my vault of the best gigs I have had the pleasure of going to, never mind photographing (which I could write a whole other article about). Highly recommend you all three bands live if they are ever playing in a town near you. EPIC line up, EPIC night!
Photo Credits: Laura Muraska-Ross
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