Marcus King – Glasgow SWG3 23rd March 2023
Review & Photography Kevin Kerr
One day after the gig and the hairs on the back of my neck are still on end, Marcus King, acclaimed singer, songwriter, and guitarist was back in Glasgow, playing SWG3 and touring the stunning album Young Blood, an album produced by Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys.
Marcus King was one of the last live gigs I went to before lockdown, so it seemed a very long wait to see him again. This gig was so worth the wait and exceeded all expectations. Tonight, hearing influences from Jimi Hendrix, Albert King, Freddie King, B.B. King, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and a decent nod to Tony Iommi, Marcus King is the real deal.
The show kicked off with awesome support from Ida Mae, delivering a stunning set of Americana and deep south blues-rock. Chris Turpin’s incredible guitar skills heating the crowd in preparation for The Marcus King Band
King stepped onto the stage with his signature hat silhouetted against the bright red stage lights, “let’s get it started” he shouts and rips into the opening “It’s Too Late”, the crowd is eager from the get-go.
His eight-piece band are masters of their art, taking lead from King as he conducts the show, cranking up the heat before letting it simmer back down. Just when you think that it’s as hot as it can get, King cranks it yet up another notch. Taking us through tracks such as Pain from the new Young Blood album to an outstanding cover of Gnarls Barkey’s Crazy.
At this point the band exits the stage, leaving only Jack Ryan behind the drums. Ryan’s solo leaves the crowd in awe for the next three minutes before he is re-joined by the rest of the band. The brass section breaks us back in gently with a rendition of Danny Boy
From here King simply takes it off the scale, rattling through “Lie Lie Lie and Rice Puddin and Comin Home”. With a set of just over two hours long, the “congregation” got exactly what they came for. King et al lead the crowd in the typical Glasgow welcome of HWFG, before launching into the long-awaited encore Goodbye Carolina
Hats off to you Marcus King, that was one hell of a show y’all
Photography Credit Kevin Kerr
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