Gig review: MARIACHI EL BRONX – King Tuts, Glasgow, 4 February 2015

It may have been a chilly February night in Glasgow but inside King Tuts the Mexican sunshine was as bright as ever. When Mariachi El Bronx are in town they always manage to bring sunshine and smiles in equal measure and tonight was to be no exception. I have been banging on about Mariachi El Bronx and their hardcore punk alter-ego, The Bronx, to anyone who will listen for the last few years and the word appears to be spreading as tonight’s show has the ‘sold out’ signs firmly in place.

First up tonight though is yet another Bronx off shoot entitled Pounded By The Surf. The band recreate the surf music of 1950’s California with heavy beats and lots of echo laden reverb guitar. Their Dick Dale homage was ok for the first couple of numbers but it soon became repetitive and, dare I say it, a bit boring. Wave after wave of what sounded like the same song pounded the crowd and in general the set was a bit of a wipeout.

The Bronx, Mariachi El Bronx and now Pounded by the Surf, as Meatloaf once said ‘two out of three ain’t bad’!

With King Tut’s now filled to the rafters it wasn’t just the music which was hotting up as the massed ranks of Mariachi El Bronx took to the stage. The band looked the part in their new uniforms as they kicked off ‘Right Between The Eyes’ from their latest album, ‘Mariachi El Bronx III’. The new album was featured on a few occasions throughout the evening with the highlights being ‘Wildfire’ and the uplifting ‘High Tide’.

The setlist was made up from all three albums and the older tracks were greeted like old friends. Singer Matt Caughthran was in his element and stated that he would like to start all tours in Scotland such was the crowd reaction. Whether the band were giving their all, as on the fast paced ’48 Roses’ and ‘Norteno Lights’, or serenading the crowd with the quieter ‘Holy’ and ‘Eternal’, the Glasgow crowd loved every minute.

The setlist on this tour is longer than on previous jaunts and it was a real value for money show. Rounding off the main set with my personal favourite, ‘Revolution Girl’, the band left the stage to a huge cheer only to return shortly afterwards for another three tracks, finishing off with the swinging ‘Clown Powder’ which pushed the stage curfew time back by a good 15 minutes but no one appeared to mind.

Mariachi El Bronx continue to grow and with the ‘sold out’ signs on the door tonight it looks as though bigger venues may beckon next time around. On this form the increase in fan numbers is understandable and it proves that I have been right all along, now there is a surprise!

Review by David Wilson

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