August 18, 2000

Greenock Rico's Wine Bar

Until now, the people of Greenock hadn't seen anything quite like this.

A man in Greenock claims a giant squid has been buried deep beneath the town for centuries. Ancient fishermen, while seeking to capture their usual quota of fish, trapped it by accident and, not having a clue what it was, killed it and buried it. Greenock had never seen anything quite like it.

To this day, Greenock is still a 'small' town and certainly not much of a musical epicentre. Locals reminisce about the day when, way back in 1985,Primal Scream came to town. Only a few others have followed, notably Ocean Colour Scene and one of the first-ever gigs from The Seahorses. And so it is home to the live debut from the best band Noel Gallagher has drummed for, Tailgunner.

The whispers have been gaining momentum across the town throughout the day. Edited highlights include: Noel quit Oasis yesterday and is flying in later to play with the band (false); Noel and wife Meg are sipping champagne backstage in Rico's already (false); Noel's actually in Ibiza with his wife (true); Noel isn't here but brother Liam is, disguised as a roadie and due to get onstage for an impromptu cover of 'Live Forever' (false, sadly).

Oasis references are only valid in terms of attitude and within seconds Tailgunner mainman Mark Coyle's attitude is clear. He wants his band to become the most destructive, aggressive and downright tumultuous live band ever to set foot on a stage. Opener 'Undercover' sends the first three rows flying through the back of the club with its sheer volume, while 'Living For Real' continues along the same ruinous path, forcing a handful of people scuttling away, fingers planted firmly in ears, trying to avoid permanent damage.

While their eponymous debut offsets some of the noise with a healthy dose of acoustica, subtlety here is not an option. The veins in Coyle's neck stand out so far it looks at one point like a messy puncture could occur at any given second. It's clearly impossible to question whether or not he's put his heart and soul into this band.

But what about the songs? One gig under their belts and Tailgunner are good, but will not yet change lives. The optimists will plead Fugazi, Led Zeppelin and early Nirvana. The cynics? Probably Pusherman - either way, Tailgunner are more like fellow producer Steve Albini's Shellac than Butch Vig's Garbage.

Even in a town where fishermen don't understand squid, Tailgunner do make sense, reaching out and tapping into emotion. Until now, the people of Greenock hadn't seen anything quite like this.