THE IMAGINEERS | GIG REVIEW
by Angela Hewitt

King Tut's presents 'The Imagineers' Gig Review 01 Oct 2011

If music be the food of love, OK enough of that, there are many ways to describe a gig in Glasgow without involving Shakespeare. Although I live in Glasgow and admittedly may come across a tad bias, nevertheless you cannot beat a gig in King Tut's. Once you enter the atmosphere is electric, the sound is amazing and the audience are crazy. I'll discuss the crazy audience later.

Firstly I'd like to start off by saying I unfortunately missed the first band 'The Merrylees' because I was interviewing 'The Imagineers' at the time. I did however manage to catch the second band 'The Stagger Rats' and was pleasantly surprised by their performance.

I was fortunate to meet one of the member's of 'The Stagger Rats' Daniel while interviewing 'The Imagineers'. A very pleasant fellow albeit a little quiet. Once on stage his persona changed completely and he turned out to be one of the two lead singers in the band. He had an amazing voice with a rather varied range. I would describe them as a "preppy" up-beat kind of band with a psychedelic sound who interacts well with the crowd. The other lead singer who played the Hammond organ introduced a little hilarity to the set by changing his voice to an amusing tone. They appear to have very loyal fans who danced and stomped their feet from beginning to end, singing word for word every song. Songs like 'Fuzzy Fuzzy' their first single from their debut album Scorpio Leisure. I see big things happening for the 'The Stagger Rats', in no uncertain terms definitely a band to watch out for in the future.

Finally we come to the main event 'The Imagineers' a four piece band with a Latin rhythm vibe. Hailing from Glasgow..

'The Imagineers' are a splendid bunch of chaps that couldn't be nicer if they tried. While interviewing the guys I was instantly put at ease and blown away by how well thought out and put together they were.

They are a passionate bunch of men who really believe in their music and what it is they are trying to achieve. On a personal note I would also like to point out that they have an amazing sense of humour and are truly grounded.

Giving this was their first hometown gig in a while the anticipation from the crowd was damn near verging on the dangerous side when the guys came on stage. Professional to the last Stevie stood centre stage eyes closed waiting to begin. Shouts from the crowd and minor insults (that you would only get from a Glaswegian crowd) could not break his concentration. Suddenly the music starts and the magic begins. It is hard not to be drawn in by this band as they work seamlessly together like a well oiled machine.

There was no interaction with the crowd but that didn't seem to bother anyone. The undeniable fierce loyalty they have in their fans is truly extraordinary. I have never experienced a crowd in my life to go as wild as they did when 'The Imagineers' were playing. Looking at the demographic of the people there it was unclear as to who 'The Imagineers' were marketing their music towards. They seemed to have fans from all ages and walks of life. This is very hard to achieve nowadays and so I take my hat off to them.

Many of the songs played seemed to be crowd favourites such as 'Fairground' which was a great opener to the performance. 'Spanish Sands' appeared to get the crowd dancing and gesturing violently. And what I am led to believe is a new song 'Albert Einstein' really grabbed the crowd's attention and went over a storm. The boys could literally do no wrong.

It was slightly emotional towards the end of the set as the crowd were unwilling to let it end. Calling for an encore the guys came on once more and performed their most popular song 'Mariana' and ended with 'The Changeover' which was phenomenal in its execution. In that one song it was clear from the band members' faces that the professional mask had slipped. That the love from the crowd was too great and they had to show their appreciation. Extending the song and repeating the chorus over and over again to allow for maximum audience participation.

I loved everything about this band from there well styled outfits, intelligent guitar riffs and catchy hooks to their mesmerizing lyrics that I feel really speak to today's society. Completely unpretentious and down to earth with Stevie's amazing vocal range, Scott's expert execution on the lead guitar, Ali's superb bass lines and Stephen's powerful drumming. When these guys perform they change the dynamic in the room; so much so that you can feel the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. This is when you know you are in the presence of something very special.

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