Side projects can be a poisoned chalice affair for many bands. Hit and miss is the order of the day here (think Dead Weather and Dee Dee King respectively), but after years of gritty touring and angst ridden self styled distorted pop, Xcerts front man Murray Macleod (along with industry supremo, songwriter and producer Paul Steel) let loose their home recorded debut outing ‘I Fear A New World’. Certainly a grower, the album uses a melange of the weird and wonderful to strike a melancholy yet uplifting chord in anyone, and the translation to the live environment didn’t disappoint.
It’s a fairly surreal atmosphere in ‘Tuts as I make it just in time to catch the end of the final support act (an apology on this point to the support acts, a rarity for me to miss them). Indie kids aplenty dress the bar, and the standard shuffle of converse can be heard climbing the stairs to the stage area, but for the first time in an age, I can comfortably shimmy around the dance floor to improve my view of the acts. CCD front man Murray’s near 10 years in the 2 parts Aberdonian and 1 part Exeter(…ite?) Xcerts has drawn a solid following wherever they go - I knew that The Xcerts 10 year reunion gig pencilled in for the following Saturday in Aberdeen was already long past sold out. But tonight has a family and friends affair sort of vibe, a small midweek get together of like minded souls to support their pals.
That said, the 50 or 60 strong crowd certainly embraced this new venture with all the vigour and tenacity I’ve come to expect of any keen Xcerts fan. There’s a strong sense that there aren’t many passengers here tonight - given tickets went on sale before the band’s first album was officially released, the ‘inner circle vibe’ is fairly palpable. But this atmosphere only serves to help the audience fill the room, regardless of the number of bodies.
Floating through the crowd is Xcerts bassist, Jordan (Joe) Smith, leading to much mumbling and questioning. Sure enough, as Murray and Paul take to the stage they are swiftly joined by the remainder of the Xcerts (Tom Heron taking his usual place behind the sticks).
Murray’s clean cut days seem to be fading from him, and his maturity and growth in recent years is tangible as he sheds the usual guitar, bedding into his new Steve Tyler-esque vibe with aplomb.
The opening track, ‘The Ghost That Burned Your House Down’ feels bigger than the room, and serves well to eradicate any doubt that we’re seeing the Xcerts by any other name. ‘Killer Party’, a track more on the thumping side of things kills indeed, by the end of which I could feel a bad case of gig throat coming on. Nevertheless I persevered and was not disappointed as the night progressed from the mysterious and surreal to the calming and soulful.
From a minor technical hiccup (in that technically Murray sang the wrong section of a song, throwing Paul off) the guys rebounded expertly, and as always Murray injected his own brand of awkward humour to capture the hearts and sympathies of everyone in the crowd. By the time they rolled into the fist pumping feel good track ‘Deadheads’, Murray’s voice had started to pack its bags, but he honourably powered through each of the 4 key changes at the end of the track to bring home what turned out to be a musical highlight of 2013 for me.
After a couple of years without much tangible output, The Xcerts have every plan to release an album in 2014 - an event of serious significance for some, and if Cold Crows Dead are any indication, great things can be expected. Of course, the supremely talented Paul Steel’s influence and shaping of the sound will have been one of the key differences in tone and general vibe, but one can hope that the growth, maturity and creativity heard on ‘I Fear A New World’ will translate into a truly exciting release from The Xcerts this year.
Cold Crows Dead’s ‘I Fear A New World’ is available from all your favourite outlets as of December 2nd 2013.
You can follow the author of this article, Jamie Cook, on Twitter @TheTartanRogue.
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