Granite Rocks – Featuring The View – Twin Atlantic – White Lies – The Little Kicks – and Tijuana Sun – at The Aecc – Aberdeen, UK

Aberdeen’s Granite Rocks concert was at the Aecc on Hogmanay (pronounced hog-man-ay] Eve— with the main stress on the last syllable) is the Scots word for the last day of the year and is synonymous with the celebration of the new year in the Scottish manner.

This was the 1st time the event has been put on, 5 bands under one roof, so any bad clement weather wouldn’t put a damper on the festivities.

Local band Tijuana Sun played to a small crowd but put on a good show they were followed by another local band The Little Kicks are a 4 piece band based in Scotland who are becoming increasingly well known for their distinctly catchy upbeat indie pop songs combined with a growing reputation for a great live show.who was playing to probably there biggest crowd in Aberdeen and played songs from there new album.

White Lies are a critically acclaimed band from Ealing in London.  Easy reference points would be bands such as Editors and Interpol but these comparisons would be fairly lazy when describing White Lies sound.  White Lies have a much more mainstream appeal and come to Aberdeen to round off a 2011 which included headline shows at Wembley Arena in London earlier this month and Summer slots at all the major UK festivals. They were immediately all guns blazing with hits "Strangers" and "To Lose My Life '. The latter was backed by a fireworks display at Wembley, but this time the trio had to do without such pyrotechnics. They did however ably compensate by playing their set with real gusto making the crowd firmly get on their side from the start.

By the time the first notes of "Farewell to the Fairground ' came around the band itself start smiling as much as the crowd.  Continuing their set with first album standout anthems ‘Death’ and "Unfinished Business" White Lies certainly pleased their existing fans with a great display and won over several new followers in the process.  Keep ears peeled for a new album expected for release in 2013.

Twin Atlantic pumped up the volume with some thrashy and mellow tunes and finished with a fast paced cover version of the proclaimers 500 miles, which had everyone singing along.

The Headliners of the evening The View, took to the stage and played two of there hits “same jeans” and “underneath the lights” realising it was almost 12 ‘o’clock they played a tune which I don’t know but lasted about 30 seconds before the dj for the evening did a countdown from 10-1 and then two pipers came on and played whilst everyone kissed each other, hugged and cheered as we said goodbye to 2011 and hello to 2012.

Then the view came back on and finished their set and sent the 1300 revellers home happy.
Let’s hope the venue does the same at the end of this year.
 

 

 

-Dod M.- and -Steven M.-
Big Wheel Overseas Correspondent

 
             More photos of the show can be seen HERE

 

 

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