It’s a daunting prospect writing a review for a Dragged Into Sunlight gig. The enigmatic band’s live set, performed bathed in smoke, with their backs to the crowd while under pulsating lights, is the stuff of legend. Their Damnation set from 2024 is still spoken about as one of the best ever. They’re a band I’ve wanted to see for a long time, and now that I have, I’m not sure my words will be able to do it justice. But we’ll get to all that in good time because last Sunday’s gig wasn’t just about Dragged Into Sunlight. There were two other brilliant bands on show, bands that were on the same extreme wavelength as the night’s headline act, but in their own way.
First up was Plague Pit. I missed their first song as I had to get across Glasgow from another gig (the vibe shift from Kneecap to Plague Pit was quite something) but when I arrived, I was pleased to see that Slay was getting pretty full already for the night’s opening band. They play their own brand of death metal that I think sets them aside from other bands in that genre. You’re not getting a blistering, in-your-face assault; the dread in which Plague Pit deals comes in waves, thunderous bone-rattling waves that move through you as it slowly sets in. At times there were bursts of chaotic energy that add a different edge to what they’re doing, before the malaise eventually sets back in. They were the perfect band to kick off the night and set the scene for what was to come.
I’d say we were almost at capacity by the time Vacuous took to the stage, and they made sure to put on a show for everyone who had got down early. Their energy was off the charts, and they have a sound that I can only describe as death metal that’s taken a detour via some proper old-school hardcore and DIY punk. The vocals were fierce, frontman Jo Chen stalking the stage while delivering the raw aggressive lyrics, as the band played around him like feral animals. If you’re looking at an advert for why you shouldn’t turn up just for a headliner, and should make sure you get down for the support, look no further than Vacuous and Plague Pit. I wasn’t overly familiar with either, but after seeing them both live, I’m all in and having spoken to others, I’m certainly not the only one.
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This show was the first time Dragged Into Sunlight had played in Glasgow since 2018 so the expectation, excitement, and tension were high as the crew began to set the stage. Slay had clearly read the same things I had about merch queues wrapping round other venues like a game of Snake, so they smartly opened up a whole other room to accommodate the clamour for t-shirts and vinyl boxsets, which was a good move. Watching the crew set up was something to behold in itself. Placing the animal skulls atop each of the amps, moving the centrepiece candelabra front and centre of the stage, then carefully lighting the candles (over and over again in one instance) and burning the incense.
The band kept everyone waiting just long enough, and then what little lighting there was in the venue went down. Somewhere amongst the thick fog, the eye-shattering strobes, and the ominous droning music the band took to the stage to begin their exhibition in extreme. The set consisted of their seminal Hatred for Mankind in full, as seems to be their standard set at recent gigs and really, when you’ve got that perfection in your arsenal why wouldn’t you play it? I can’t imagine the band ever get bored of playing it, they seem like the type of band to thrive in its darkness and the ability to push everything to the very limit, and then somehow going even further. Every heinous riff, every demented smash of the drums, every hate-filled vocal, and every audio sample from history’s worst people inflicted more and more sonic violence on a crowd who couldn’t get enough. The intensity never let up for one second. I’m pretty sure I saw the same guy go crowd surfing five or six times. By the time “Totem of Skulls” rings out and I slowly make my way into the Glasgow night, I know I’ve just witnessed probably one of the best live shows I’ve ever seen, and one that will take some beating.
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