Words by Morgan Hermiston
Since their formation in 2018, Courting have embarked on numerous tours to celebrate EPs and subsequent albums. Having sold out a secret show in Edinburgh in 2023, their momentum hasn’t halted. In March of this year, Courting released their third studio album, How To Thread The Needle And Come Out The Other Side To Tell The Story, or Lust for Life in short. The Lust for Life tour celebrates the record, and fans are not shy to show their admiration for this latest release and previously released tracks too.
Kicking off the night’s performances are The Noise Club. The six-piece group, whose tunes span across genres such as electronic and indie-rock, are a dream to watch live, especially in the iconic King Tut’s. Frontman Milroy sings, struts, and sways around the stage, reminiscent of world-class frontmen like Suede’s Brett Anderson and David Byrne of Talking Heads. Milroy makes the stage his own and commands the attention of everyone in the room. Dan Drennan and Colin McGachy share responsibilities on guitar, with Josh Fox dancing between guitar and synth. Antony Becirspahic and Johnny Boyd maintain melodic momentum on bass and drums. Their fusion of concepts, like sounds straight from a western along with repetitive riffs allow The Noise Club to demonstrate an instantly memorable opening set. They play a mixture of released and unreleased tunes, ranging from 2022 tracks ‘Trequarista’ and ‘Ghost Photography’ to more recent songs like 2024 release ‘3:10 To Paisley’.
Following on from Noise Club’s impressive set are Quality Control, an all-female quartet. Fronting Quality Control is vocalist Heidi Welch Mackay, with Mel Martin on guitar, Hannah Connell on bass, and Heidi De Pellette on drums. With no songs currently released, it was intriguing to see what the four-piece would do. Their setlist consists of originals, with a couple of covers thrown in, which effortlessly keep the audience engaged. Their original tracks included ‘party lover’, ‘everything must go’, ‘cotton’, and ‘nightmare’. IDLES and Amyl and the Sniffers get a mention in Quality Control’s atmospheric renditions of ‘Well Done’ and ‘Jerkin’. They are definitely a band you’ll be hearing more about, with a growing and dedicated fanbase that make their set equally as energetic as Noise Club’s.
Headliners Courting walk on to Iggy Pop’s ‘Lust For Life’, instantly bringing the audience into their set, even before picking up their instruments. Loud applause and cheering fill the intimate venue, and they soak it in before quickly jumping into their set. Opening tracks ‘Rollback Intro’ and ‘Pause at You’ are taken from their most recent record, leaving no ambiguity as to what they were there to do. Sean Murphy-O’Neill’s digitally altered vocals are instantly recognisable, and fans sing along with him immediately. He climbs onto the barrier railing on numerous occasions too, building a rapport and connection with those singing each lyric to him.
Guitarist Joshua Cope provides electrifying solos with bassist Connor McCann and drummer Sean Thomas lays out the fundamental foundations of each song. They incorporate tracks from previous two albums, ‘Guitar Music’ [2022] and ‘New Last Name’ [2024], as well as 2021 EP ‘Grand National’. The likes of ‘Tennis’, ‘Emily G’, ‘Famous’, and ‘Flex’ are huge hits with their energetic fans, with choruses at times sang back louder than Murphy-O’Neill’s vocals.
Having already seen them, I thought I knew what to expect, but you can never be too sure with Courting. Their passion for live performing is evident, with their enthusiasm matching their fans instantly. With a 16-song setlist as jam-packed as this one, there is something for listeners new and old. If you haven’t seen or heard of Courting, they’re a group you should definitely put on your radar. It would be difficult not to find a song you liked with a discography that spans alternative, indie, electronic and everything in between.
Quality Control’s next gig is at SWG3 Poetry Club on 15th May this year alongside Roller Disco Death Party and Clay Rings in a show for Solid Yolk Films’ Money For Nothing Filming Event.
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