Anyone going into Bob Mould‘s Wednesday night show at Glasgow’s Oran Mor with the assumption that a Mould solo gig might be a more subdued night of acoustic singer-songwriter vibes surely had any of those preconceived notions dashed once he took to the stage. With a simple greeting of “How’s it going? Let’s get right to it then”, Mould launched into “The War” off 2014’s Beauty and Ruin. It may have just been one man and his guitar, but Mould was plugged in, loud and distorted, and ready to make a racket.
Running through songs from throughout his career, including newer stuff like “Forecast of Rain” and “The Ocean” off of 2020’s Blue Hearts alongside old classics like “Flip Your Wig”, “Never Talking To You Again”, “Celebrated Summer” and “If I Can’t Change Your Mind”, Mould put on a fun, high energy show for the fairly packed house at Oran Mor.
And if there were any who did come to the show hoping for something more acoustically based, opener Katie Malco had that area covered. Focusing on tunes off of her latest release Failures, the English singer played a solid opening set that definitely made an impression on many in attendance if the lineup that formed at the merch table after her set is any indication.