Formed out of a shared love for emo and alternative, Human Renegade members Allistair, Kieran, Craig, Charlie, and Lily invited us for a Halloween extravaganza at Audio Glasgow, with support acts The Dead Cinderellas, Sacramoot and Fate has Favourites, expertly put together by Sundown Gigs.

Clamouring onto the busy Glasgow Central train, clad in a very haphazardly thrown together attempt at a costume (dress-up was highly encouraged, and I’ll be damned if I don’t take part in the shenanigans) – I’ll admit I was around 20 minutes late, but thankfully I didn’t miss the support acts, who I was really looking forward to seeing having had a swatch of their respective discographies. 

I have seen Human Renegade a handful of times at venues such as The Garage Attic, Sneaky Petes, and Cathouse. With every gig they only get better, with the preceding gig still being stellar, not to say that my expectations were high, but I did expect a great performance ahead.

I’m also a small venue fan, and this was my first time in Audio Glasgow. It is a venue I’ll be keeping my eye out on in the future for smaller gigs – accessible, easy to find and plenty of room for an energetic crowd.

The Dead Cinderellas: 8/10

Missing the first wee bit of their set, The Dead Cinderellas had already made a great impression on myself and the audience, so much so that they were asked for an encore.

Melodic and entrancing, their stage presence and performance was sublime – my brain was felt and they were velcro. I wouldn’t be surprised if they had a headline gig very soon.

Sacramoot: 7/10

What started off as a much anticipated performance quickly evolved into a welcomed chaos, with the lead singer falling, breaking a guitar string and smashing his own guitar off the floor in a cobain-in-paris-during-drain-you-in-1994 type of way; all within around 15 minutes of the set resulting in it being cut short.

Despite this, the group took the stage with a bravado befitting of their punk influences, and really worked the crowd with their grunge-forward, gritty discography; their song ‘voices in my head’ being the one that stuck with me the most, as well as the image of the lead singers guitar string being flung into the audience, and his hat flying over the crowd towards where I was stood.

Fate Has Favourites: 6.5/10

Image Credit: Amy Brandon

Fate has Favourites had the job of following up on the chaos of Sacramoot, which they were able to work with to their very best. An impressive 5-piece with a huge discography to back them, their fine-tuned performance was an interesting juxtaposition against the previous acts and who was to follow.

The lead singer held our attention, using the stage to his full advantage; ripping his shirt off and covering himself in blood, and up for cracking jokes with the crowd, although one or two maybe didn’t land.

Their new single ‘embers’ went down really well, and was the stand-out for me.

Human Renegade 

Between load-ins of the support acts, I was able to chat to two members of headliners Human Renegade, who’s excitement seemed to radiate off them – and that excitement came through so vividly when they got on stage.

Kicking us off with their track, ‘17 Hour Heartbreak’, Human Renegade were ready to put on a memorable show. Followed by their most recent single, “I wrote this song because the thought of seeing you kiss him makes me sick’, the room quickly warmed to the band’s energy – the crowd at the front moshing and dancing along.

I’ve seen Human Renegade a handful of times at this point, and with every gig they get better and constantly excel. Adapting to changes on the fly, and a synergy between the audience and each other that feels so nurtured.

I’ve seen it in past gigs of theirs, some members of the audience might not be totally familiar with the band, and by the end they’ll be just as enticed as the rest of us. 

Image Credit: Amy Brandon

Every single member put their all into this set; the keys during ‘oh brother, my son’ from Kieran were amazing – I’ve watched Human Renegade before taking on Kieran for keys/guitar, and he really adds a whole extra layer to their sound that I didn’t realise was missing, and it was this song that really affirmed that for me.

Bassist Lily’s vocals during ‘Buttercup’ are something I always look forward to during their sets, she brings such a haunting and melancholic feeling to such a wonderfully woeful song, and her overall performance was stunning – she has an incredible talent for driving the songs and keeping in sync with her bandmates.

Image Credit: Amy Brandon

Charlie’s performance is always electrifying and so fun to watch, particularly his guitar solo during ‘Ash and Smoke’, and Alli and Craig are both absolute monsters during ‘Death at World’s End’.

These are musicians who have a clear passion for what they do and it is so beautiful to see that show on stage. 

Their single, ‘emo’ always goes down a treat for their final song, with my personal favourites being “17 hour heartbreak”, “i wrote this song because the thought of seeing you kiss him makes me sick” and ‘Buttercup’. 

Unfortunately due to time constraints and technical issues throughout the night, their set was cut short – however they still gave an amazing performance.

My one gripe is that I do wish we had a more present audience for their set in particular, although given the circumstances of it being 4 acts within 4 hours, and longer load-ins and shorter sets than anticipated, Human Renegade gave it their all, which is always expected at their shows.

Featured Image Credit: Scottish Music Network