The Ninth Wave, Damn Dirty Duke & GRAVELLE @ QMU, 21/09/19

Image credit: Neelam Khan Vela 
Drab Majesty, IST IST and The Ninth Wave all playing shows in the same weekend? What a time to be alive. At least, that’s how it feels walking up to Glasgow University’s Queen Margaret Union on the second last Saturday of September. This time it’s The Ninth Wave’s turn to headline an intimate gig in their home city as part of Freshers’ Week, and though the phrase tends to be overused, this is an event that genuinely isn’t to be missed.

Kicking off the night are Livingston/Aberdeen favourites GRAVELLE, because who else? This noisy pair of hot ghouls seem to playing shows all over the place at the moment, and I still can’t get enough of them. If you haven’t seen them before, one of the first things you notice about Monique Maurel and Kyle MacNaughton-Wright is that these two have a way of performing like they’re possessed. It could well be red eye makeup creating the illusion that they’re both bleeding out of their eyes, but the way Monique rolls hers towards the ceiling while Kyle thrashes about with his guitar certainly adds to that. There’s no slowing down on the sonic chaos, either – serving up a jagged bassline in the erotically-charged electronic track ‘Touch Me’, the duo proceed to execute ‘How I Learned to Stop Worrying’ in all its melancholic glory before whipping up a dance-punk rage with ‘Shut Up’. If you’ve ever felt like a freak of nature, GRAVELLE are here to prove that you can own it.

I hadn’t heard of Damn Dirty Duke before they were announced as support, but given that they describe themselves as ‘a Scottish darkwave dystopian duo misplaced in London’, I’m intrigued to see them up next. It’s also worth mentioning that Detroit Law and Colette Dryburgh work in the fashion industry, because as they take to the stage it’s like Alice in Wonderland meets Mad Max, and this somehow translates into a post-apocalyptic sound mixed with dark fantasy; to be honest, it’s hard to make sense of their set, but maybe that’s the point. To illustrate, their single ‘Concrete’ is a pretty good example of what I mean – starting off with a guitar-based rhythm in the verses and Colette on vocals, this track leads to a clean pop hook in the chorus with rippling synth effects before Detroit takes over with spoken word; eventually, the whole thing deviates into glitching noise. Although I feel they could be more engaging as an act if they interacted with the crowd a bit more, Damn Dirty Duke could well be worth keeping an eye on in the future.

Cue the Weegie headliners themselves. Currently a duo consisting of Hadyn Park-Patterson and Millie Kidd, The Ninth Wave have been making a stir over the last couple of years, and for good reason. As tempting as it is to place them in the same category as other post-punk revival bands like White Lies and Interpol, part of what makes them so interesting is how their song-writing borrows from a vast range of musical influences – listen to any one of their songs and you’ll realize that although it sounds vaguely familiar, it’s still essentially original.

Joined by two other live members, the four-piece now deliver on their promise. Following a hymn-like introduction that allows for a suitably dramatic entrance, The Ninth Wave begin with their hit ‘This Broken Design’ from Infancy Part 1 before bursting into ‘Imitation’ and its searing post-chorus riff. “Hope you’re ready to get sad” later becomes Millie’s quote of the night as they melt into the softer tones of ‘Used to Be Yours’ – as well as reflecting the bond that she and Hadyn share as long-time friends, the way they come face to face and lean on each other during this song brings its narrative to life to the point where it’s touching to witness. It helps that they both happen to be impressive vocalists too, because their voices work just as well individually as they do together; along with an excellent drummer and keyboardist equally playing their part, it actually feels like watching four people doing what they were born to do.

In fact, there’s an element of grace and poise to this show all around, because like GRAVELLE and Damn Dirty Duke, The Ninth Wave have their own aesthetic that makes them a sight for sore eyes. Throughout ‘Half Pure’ – which is a pure anthem in itself - Hadyn appears with his arms outstretched like a kilt-wearing Messiah with a bleached blond mullet, getting in amongst the crowd and occasionally beating his own naked chest with his fist; meanwhile, Millie commands the stage like a badass banshee with her bass. Looks aside, you can feel the aggression of their music in your bones. ‘New Kind of Ego’ is a passionate outpouring of emotion, and sure enough a moshpit breaks out during closing number ‘Swallow Me’ just before Hadyn tosses the mic. In the end their set only lasted around 40 minutes, but by the time they exit the stage they've already had a whirlwind effect.

As a live music venue the QMU is no stranger when it comes to hosting exciting bands on their way to making a name for themselves, and with the way The Ninth Wave are heading, this gig definitely felt like history in the making. In any case, tonight restored my hope that terms like ‘alternative’ haven’t yet lost their meaning, because as long as pain and glamour never go out of style, there’ll always be artists willing to embrace those gothic tendencies – especially if it means being dressed to kill and writing songs that know how to hit where it hurts.