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Ok, so first off I must iterate the fact that this particular run down is in no particular order, nor is it a definitive list of the best British record labels of all time (as if such a breakdown could ever be truly quantified). It is simply a list of some personal favourites within the British...MORE>>

Up-and-coming promotion company Beepcult Events are setting up gigs with intriguing bands all over Glasgow in the coming months.  Their second show was an acoustic set held at Brel, on Aston Lane, and definitely brought in the crowds.  The  brilliant  set  list contained  the  talents of Splash Tetra, Three Blocks from the Wake, and SixPeopleAway; all local artists with the greatest momentum and drive.

The gig takes place in Brel’s conservatory area, laden with chairs and a cosy wooden interior. After the soundcheck, the doors are open for a total of five minutes and the room is already swimming with chatter.

First to take the stage is Splash Tetra, aka, Bob. Taking advantage of his warming Scottish accent, he and his guitar begin to play songs with inspirations taken from topics including cutting grass, computers, and a quarry. With a bit of heckling in-between songs, Splash Tetra uses his lyrical genius to entertain; one song surrounds a chorus telling some to go away or they’ll be hit - or as Bob proudly puts it, “f*ck off or I’ll chib ye”. A tribute to his Scottish heritage. One downside to his songs is that they don’t ever hold a beat: you can’t sit and tap your foot for any length of time or nod your head. This takes away from the involvement the crowd could feel with the singer, but on the plus side it didn’t really disadvantage Splash Tetra due to the acoustic nature of the gig.

His confidence shines through on stage and he leaves in a loud volume of cheer. The punters leave to get re-hydrated at the bar whilst the next band gets set-up onstage.

Three Blocks from the Wake is that next band; consisting of the duo Vicki and Gary. Usually this band uses synthesizers, a backing drum track and has a bassist - but again due to the acousticness of the gig they get down to basics.

People re-enter the conservatory as Three Blocks go straight into their first track. Gary’s mellow guitar-ing matches Vicki’s mellow and cosy vocals as they perform the magical task of silencing the crowd completely. The band brings a nice contented vibe to the room with songs from their upcoming album to be released on Gargleblast Records later in the year. The songs from the band don’t have any obvious kick to them, no in-your-face beats or loud volume, but this still succeeds in getting people to engage with them. Vicki uses her glockenspiel and her heart-warming lyrics to emphasise the calming element the band possesses, and they end their set with more fans than they started.

Lastly, we have SixPeopleAway: a medium-speed, dual vocal, semi ‘emo’ band. The two guys that make up the band have constant smiles on their faces and engage in really good chat with each other before starting. The crowd has died down slightly for this final band, but this is absolutely no indication of their level of talent compared with the others. They are more upbeat than the previous bands - but being the only one with a physical beat that’s not difficult. They use clever guitar riffs and sometimes a good off-beat tempo to difference themselves from the easiness of the two previous artists. One of their songs, “Small Fortune”, has a good crescendo building up to the end. The main vocalist has a very manic-street-preachers sound about him whilst singing on this particular track, and the other guitarist engages in very melodic backing vocals throughout.

SixPeopleAway bid us goodnight and pack up their music machines. Leaving the venue, the smiles have transferred from this last duo to the faces of every punter. A definite sign of things to come, judging from each of the bands performances. Check out the myspace pages of any of the bands you like the sound of: they’re all gigging away over the coming months, so grab your money and your ears and go engage in some of Glasgow’s ingenious music makers.