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Glasgow: A History (Vol. I of VI)
The Tenementals
★★★★★
THE Beacon Arts centre in Greenock hosted the Tenementals and a local support band The Chords for a thrilling musical rendition of their album Glasgow: A History (Vol. I of VI).
On a Saturday evening in Greenock, with The Ferguson shipyard only about half a mile down the Clyde and struggling to build ferries, let alone warships, lead singer Dave Archibald reflected the loss of much of Glasgow’s industrial greatness in a duet aptly called Post Production. This melancholic and deeply insightful song is a gem for anyone with the kind of lived experience I have had growing up in and around Glasgow.
The shiny glass Beacon Arts Centre and Bar on the side of the Clyde was a starkly appropriate setting for Post Production and much of the Tenemental’s punk/folk songs and reflections of Glasgow.
Archibald teaches Film Studies at the university. He once lived in the same building as Professor John Foster in Govan, the historian and economist of the CPB. On the one occasion we spoke I asked him what kind of music they played. His reply was “You’d really need to have a listen.” Going to see The Tenementals is to listen to a kind of righteously angered musical commentary on the city that we have shaped.
The song The Owl of Minerva takes in the city from the all-seeing eye of a bird perched on the Finnieston Crane, a landmark on the river Clyde, opposite the BBC, Govan, STV and all manner of hotels and coffee shops these days. This song really is a belter and David’s vocals and delivery are measured and controlled, and the lyrics resonate with every line.
Music may be a personal thing, but what The Tenementals are able to do with their musical catalogue of Glasgow is to bring their message home to each individual audience member. The reflections David makes before songs reveals someone who brings a class perspective to his experience of life and his music.
Going to see The Tenementals really is a necessity, not an optional extra, for people interested both in where we come from, and in music that tells our stories. This music will move you. I urge you to hear them. They are scheduled to play Portobello in Edinburgh for May Day with Mick Lynch, former general secretary of the RMT.
On tour until June 26. For venues and dates, see: strength-in-numbers-records.kit.com
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