A number of years ago, my brother and I challenged each other to find a local gig every couple of months in Glasgow. An opportunity to pay less than a tenner for live music, nothing that was going to break the bank, but the chance to see something different and hear that raw sound you normally only get with a debut album or with hungry new artists fighting their way to the top.
Over the course of a few months we did pick out some excellent gigs – The View, Glasvegas, The Automatic and The Rifles were standouts from our venture. Standing in a room of no more than 150 people with a band giving it their all in the hope that a deal was just round the corner was time well spent between 2007 and 2008.
So, in 2017 when an old school friend sent me a message on social media to listen to a band he had seen at the Doune the Rabbit Hole festival, I was intrigued. In the age of quick access to digital music, 15 minutes and 3 songs later, I was engrossed with his suggestion.
Listen to DOMINIK DIAMOND with A Celtic State of Mind here:Mickey 9s charge out the speaker. The band from Cumbernauld, led by the masked St. Cool, delivered a welcome change to what I was listening to. With hypnotic bass lines and electro dance-infused guitar riffs, the band produce a punchy sound that keeps you hooked.
Dipping into a wide range of musical influences, Mickey 9s transport you back to the post-punk electro ’80s and early ’90s indie tracks complemented by the gallus delivery of vocalist St Cool. After tuning into their debut album The Party Manifesto the next step was to experience a Mickey 9s gig.
On St Patrick’s weekend 2017, I ditched the traditional Irish folk music offerings in the Glasgow bars and made my way along to The Record Factory on Byres Road to hear the band live. Nobody in the crowd would be left disappointed. Storming through their set list Mickey 9s gave a flawless performance, leaving their followers exhausted but energised for more.
Following the release of their third album Galactic Radio in late 2017, I made the trip to see them again, this time at Oran Mor in Glasgow’s west end; a bigger venue with more admirers squeezed in.
A wide-ranging fan base from teenagers to 60 somethings and everything in-between mingled in the merriment and energy of the band’s musical manifesto. Find a Thing, Shark in the Water, Ammunition and Psycho Control all leave you throwing dance moves along with other revellers. More thought-provoking lyrics from the likes of Berlin and Ghosts show a social political consciousness from a band who continue to grow their fan base.
Martin Donaldson
Watch A Celtic State of Mind at the Stevie Chalmers Auction here:
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