From Down Under to King Tut’s: Pacific Avenue Make Glasgow Their Own
Review by LiveWithLP | Lauren Page - Photography by Lynsey Wyllie
The last time Pacific Avenue played Glasgow, they were supporting DMA’S at the Barrowlands. This time, the Australian band were back with their own name above the door at King Tut’s - and trust me, the Scottish crowd were raring to GO.
There’s something exciting about seeing a band make that jump. A support slot gives you a chance to win people over, but a headline show answers the question of whether they’ll come back for more. On this occasion, Glasgow certainly did.
Before Pacific Avenue took the stage, Hot Property made sure nobody was saving all their energy for later. They chatted with the crowd throughout their set and commanded attention from start to finish. Lockjaw City and Beggar Blues kicked things off, while American Circus and Driving kept the room engaged. By the time they reached Get Yourself in the Groove and Ain’t That a Lotta Love, they’d done exactly what you want a support act to do: made me want to catch them again.
Then Pacific Avenue arrived, opening with Things We Wanna Say before heading into Spin Me Like Your Records. Straight away, it felt like a band enjoying the fact that this was their night. King Tut’s is the kind of venue where you can see every reaction on stage and hear every conversation between songs, which made this first Glasgow headline show feel that bit more personal.
Bassist Jack didn’t take long to get on the crowd’s good side. Early in the set, he announced that the Glasgow accent was his favourite.. A risky thing to say if you don’t mean it, Jack. We will remember.
The songs kept coming, with Strawberry Daydream, Ordinary People and Here We Go Again showing just how easily Pacific Avenue can move through a set without letting the energy drop. There’s a confidence to the way they play together, but they never felt distant from the people in front of them. That mattered even more once lead singer Harry admitted his voice was struggling.
He said he was glad the band could sing along with him, and rather than trying to hide what was happening, he carried on with the show. I always think moments like that tell you more about a band than a perfectly smooth performance ever could. Harry was honest about it, the others were right there with him, and the connection in the room held.
One of the biggest moments came from their cover of Djo’s End of Beginning. Now, I’m usually watching to see whether a cover earns its place in a headline set, especially when a band has plenty of its own material to play. This one absolutely did. It was a huge hit with the crowd and gave the night one of those shared singalong moments you find yourself talking about on the way home.
Pacific Avenue didn’t need the cover to carry the show, though. Someday Soon and Modern Lovers kept things moving, while Tell Me It Ain’t Over brought us towards the final run of songs. By the time they reached Working Class Hero, Leaving for London and Something Good, it felt as though the set had flown by.
That’s probably my biggest takeaway from the night. Their previous Glasgow appearance gave people a reason to look them up afterwards. This show gave those people a reason to come back again.
Pacific Avenue may have played a bigger Glasgow venue supporting DMA’S, but there was something special about seeing them take ownership of King Tut’s. Ben got his favourite accent, Harry got a band beside him when his voice needed it, and Glasgow got its first proper Pacific Avenue headline show.
Trust me here - it's certainly not the last.