GGMU Album Release @ Gus' Pub // July 8th 2010

OK, I am not going to lie, I was EXTREMELY excited for this show.
GGMU are one of my favorite Halifax bands... hell, one of my favorite bands period. It was because of this fact that I decided that we were going to do something a little different this show.

Noisography has been toying with the idea of a LIVE Concert Series for a little while now, so while we had our hands on a portable audio recorder, we decided to see how things would work out.

A full download of the GGMU set will be available in the next couple of days, but in the meantime we bring you a sample of the evenings amazing performance.

- Click here to stream GGMU - 'ZOMBIES' LIVE from Gus' Pub -
or right click & "save link as" to download.

Now onward to Isaac's review, some photos and some video!

Thursday night at Gus’ pub, Glory Glory Man United unveiled their debut record “Zombies!!!”(the packaging of this album is sharp as hell; the sleeve is silk screened and the record itself is coloured pastel blue). The show was short and sweet. With only two bands on the bill, it wrapped up much earlier than shows usually do in this town. It was done so as a courtesy to those who had to work in the morning. I thought it was a great idea and it seemed to work because the place was pretty damn packed.

The first set was Halifax singer/songwriter Jon Mckiel and his most excellent band (note: “Jon Mckiel and his Most Excellent Band” isn’t the actual name of his band, but I’m convinced it should be. I’m thinking of getting a petition going). Mckiel’s songs had a very intimate troubadour quality to them. He has a strong voice and an emotive vocal style, but what really makes his sound work is his backing band. Their heavy jams and chugging grooves add a lot more dimension and excitement to the material.

The songs were often fairly simple little compositions and they worked really well because they were obviously composed with great deal of skill. The material was executed with a sense of urgency, the hooks were strong and the jackhammer heavy musical breaks were fantastic. Jon Mckiel and his most excellent band put on a live show that is both laid back and intense. the band brings clashing musical styles together to a place where the music threatens to implode or run off the rails at any moment but somehow never does.

The second and final band of the night, Glory Glory Man United somehow managed to top Jon Mckiel (and his most excellent band), which is no small accomplishment. It was their night and they owned it.

Glory Glory Man United are a really awesome band. Their set was a full dosage of energetic, danceable rock songs with awesome melodies, inventive hooks, funky as hell basslines and trippy musical experimentation. They sound incredibly full despite being a three piece. Their songs always sounded full but never cluttered. The thing that really impressed me about GGMU was how fresh yet familiar their sound is. It’s poppy and fun and dancy, but it’s also edgy and even a little bit dark.

The band had a strong onstage presence; they lost themselves in their music and didn’t come off as self conscious in the least. In between songs the band was constantly cracking jokes. There was some amusing banter about how the band plans to attend a few “onstage banter courses and seminars” in hopes of improving their game.

There isn’t much more I can say about GGMU except that they put on one of the best live shows in town. Do yourself a favour and see them the next time they're out.

VIDEO:



Click here to see all the photos from the night's show!

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Review/ Video: Isaac Thompson
Photos: Tiffany Naugler
Audio: Daniel Nightingale
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