It’s a cold night in Glasgow but King Tuts is filled to the brim and beginning to heat up.  The tiny venue is filled with long hair and impressive beards for the arrival of stoner kings Orange Goblin; it makes a girl feel a bit jealous.

First on tonight are Earls of Mars, and they are an interesting lot to say the least. Their slow sonic groove flows over the baying crowd as they thunder through their set. The tracks are bass-heavy, laden with soul and proggy quirks. Sadly, it wavers a little with some fairly long songs slowing down the momentum. Not the typical support act for a headliner such as Orange Goblin, but it definitely seems to go down well.

Next on the stage is Admiral Sir Cloudesley Shovell, who have won a place in everyone’s hearts merely for having such an extravagant name alone. They instantly inject a bit more swing to the pace of the night, as they gallop through their set.  It’s rock and it’s heavy, so we like it.  Once again, much like the Earls of Mars set, it bogs down a little with similar tracks for those who aren’t educated in the band. Still, they are a name to look out for in the future.
 
Orange Goblin take to the stage and everyone’s favourite man-mountain teddybear Ben Ward steps forward into his rightful place. Ben can dominate a crowd with the wave of his hand and it’s beautiful to witness. The crowd surge as ‘Scorpionica’ slams down and shakes us to the bone.

‘The Filthy & the Few’ displays the more traditional metal influence to their stoner rock sound, showing that their newest record ‘A Eulogy for the Damned’ sits well alongside their strong discography.  We delve into the stoner haze with the stunning ‘Saruman’s Wish’ and the crowd reacts with a barrage of horns and head banging, much to the delight of Mr Ward. He looms over the crowd as the rest of the band continue to grind and peel through their extensive catalogue of filthy riffs.

We lose some of the usual quality during the meandering riff passages due to slightly muddy sound. An unfortunate problem, which has plagued most of the sets tonight, but it doesn’t dampen the spirits. ‘Red Tide Rising’ shows that heavy and slick go hand-in-hand in Orange Goblin’s book. The song is a brain-worm filled with some of the best guitar work you can encounter live, whilst those bourbon-soaked vocals of Ben Ward soar and capture the heart; there isn’t a person in the room who isn’t enjoying this set.

Orange Goblin love what they do, their live shows are exceptional and they continually prove why they are one of the finest bands the UK has produced.  They are only set to soar in popularity going into the future; soon you’ll be hard pushed to find them in such an intimate venue. We’ve all savoured this moment; superb stuff from the London based lads yet again.