Does It Offend You, Yeah? - Classic Grand, Glasgow - 24-10-09

‘Does It Offend You, Yeah?’ - with their equally long 2008 debut LP - ‘You Have No Idea What You’re Getting Yourself Into’ - rolled into a surprisingly small venue in Glasgow this evening with their intriguing brand of ‘dance-punk’

I tentatively got a hold of their album after being lured in by the likes of Battle Royale a while ago - so much of the recent dance-infused art-punk that has become popular with those with sharp-cut fringes and thickly applied eyeliner can be so up-itself that it makes you want to banish it all from any sort of relation to the alternative. DIOYY wouldn’t be included in that type of genre-cleansing if I was the one administering it.

With all the excitement and energy that comes along with the likes of drum-and-bass scenesters Pendulum, but with none of the pretense, singer James Rushent insisted that every fan should have the band’s mobile number, and ‘give them a call for a chat’, along with the promise that one of them would ring back. Not many groups who’ve embarked on sold-out headline US tours would make that sort of commitment. I wonder how many people actually took them up on their offer.. 07575610169 are the necessary digits if you feel the urge! I’m going to save mine up till one of those emotional, post-whiskey moments. You know the sort I mean.

Their love for playing live was evident; rampaging through their set with barely any lights on them at all, it was clear they wanted to be every bit part of things, rather than just the focus of adulation - not that there was any lacking. The gig was a party for everyone to get in on; whether or not you could see their faces. If they hadn’t had to play, I’m pretty sure they’d have been in the middle with everyone else.

However, despite their reputations, there was no stage-diving, broken legs or smashed up instruments tonight - at least not from the band anyway; the same can’t be said for the baby-faced crowdsurfers from the crowd.

Bring on 2010, and the follow-up - ‘Don’t Say We Didn’t Warn You’

Photos from the gig after the jump.