Glitterati

Winchester's Railway - October 2005

by Louise Glyde

Glam rock in the form of Glitterati came to Winchester on Tuesday. These five lads from Leeds really know how to rock and were greeted with an energetic enthusiasm from a packed back room at The Railway, on St Paul’s Hill. With hints of legends like Thin Lizzie, Aerosmith and Guns ‘N’ Roses, Glitterati have a stark edge to their music. The guitars offering a thrashy ‘in your face’ edge and lead singer Paul’s guttural vocals make their sound even more gritty. There was plenty of opportunity to bounce about to the lightening paced tunes, but a lot of energy was needed just to keep up. The rest of the outfit worked well together, keeping the beat tight, at a ferocious pace. Most encouragingly of all they were having a great time on stage and Paul in particular seemed to relish interacting with the crowd. The second song into the set 'You’ve Got Nothing On Me' made it to number 36 in the official top 40, earlier this year. The thrashing lets up to make way for a more melodic tune. Glitterati’s latest single, 'Back in Power', was less hectic still than the previous two songs, which showed this band do have a certain depth to them. One could argue they are slightly too heavy on guitars, which resulted in Paul's occasional vocal drown-outs, but if anyone cared, they didn't show it. Let's hope they get as good a reception on the rest of their 34-date UK tour. Whatever happens this band will have a ball wherever they go.