A NIGHT OF NOISE, SWEAT AND ROCK’N’ROLL | ONE NINE EIGHT AT GLASGOW’S AUDIO

LIVE REVIEW | ONE NINE EIGHT w/ AIM FOR TWO | GLASGOW AUDIO 30th May 2025 by Emma Carrington

On Friday night, some of the finest new alternative talents in Glasgow came together in the city’s live music venue, Audio, for a night of noise, sweat and rock ‘n’ roll. With a palpable buzz around the stacked bill of headliners One Nine Eight, support Aim For Two and special guests Count The Days and Fog Bandits. Unfortunately missing tonight’s special guests, we headed along to the show making it just in time for the supporting act, Aim For Two.

AIM FOR TWO

The only complaint I have against Glasgow band Aim For Two is that they should be playing a bigger stage.

Infamous amongst the local community, Aim For Two are a group fronted by Rory Galloway- who makes for a striking vocalist. Released in April this year, the band are currently on their fourth single “Pieces” and it is the greatest single they have released so far. Rory’s vocals are impressive, far more developed and intricate than a band of their size and popularity should be. If you’re a fan of some garage rock or grunge, Aim For Two of for you! 

Seeing the band live really showed the community around the four of them. Everybody in Glasgow’s Audio tonight seemed to already know one another, chatting away between sets which created a buzzing atmosphere. You could feel the genuine support and excitement the audience seemed to have for a small band with genuine talents beginning to break off from pub performances and taking to the big stage. 

A highlight of their set was their performance of Radiohead’s “Fake Plastic Trees” which was truly moving and for lack of a better word; beautiful. Rory’s grungy vocals really rival Thom Yorke’s rendition of this song, as he brings a raw grit and authenticity that differ from the melodramatic and emotional aspect of the original. Transforming the sound to something slightly more upbeat and raw, resulting in a ballad opposed to the original’s theatrical melancholy.

As I stated in the beginning, my only criticism of Aim For Two’s set tonight was is that the audience wasn’t bigger – that and they didn’t play more songs. Their performance was truly fantastic, and I, along with the rest of the UK indie scene, is desperate for more gigs, and possibly a full length album in time.

ONE NINE EIGHT

Headlining tonight’s bill were alternative rock metal group, One Nine Eight, who have been attempting to fill the gap in Glasgow’s upcoming metal scene. The group currently have a series of singles out and an EP ‘The Words Don’t Mean A Lot’ that they independently released last year. Having already played larger venues in Glasgow such as SWG3, King Tuts Wah-Wah Hut and St. Luke’s, the band are well suited to the bigger grassroot stages.

Despite the venue’s name being ‘Audio’, the room just didn’t have the capacity both spatially and sonically to host the bands heavy sound. It felt as though at some points it was just too pound to make sense of anything beyond sound and as a result I don’t think that the experience was as great as it could’ve been with a bigger venue. This was a real shame for band, however as since listening to One Nine Eight outwith their live show, I really enjoyed their sound. Reminiscent of early grunge and alternative rock such as Nirvana’s ‘Bleach’ or Deftones ‘Gore”, their brand new single “Number 1” reminds me greatly of “Love Buzz” for no reason other than its vibe.

Charlie Beaton‘s guitar work is definitely the heart of every single song and I was absolutely captivated by him live; his playing was truly remarkable and at a level that lots and lots of much bigger metal bands do not achieve. It was as though Eddie Van Halen was playing right in front of me. Vocals from Harrison Gray where also nothing short of top notch, and really hit the nostalgia aspect that the band claims to uphold. He portrayed the sound of early 2000s and 1990s vocalists, similar to the likes of Chino Moreno, with a bite to his voice that you can hear across Deftones music. That said, I would like to see them lean more into their own sound a bit more, less comparative to their influences as an independent sound will hold longevity for a band’s future and help to continue to develop their own following.

Despite such a strong start with Aim For Two opening, I’m heavily disappointed that the venue could simply not capture One Nine Eight’s true sound and glory. I enjoy listening to their songs independently far more than I enjoyed hearing them live, as they were just simply too pound for the shoebox that is Audio.

One Nine Eight Setlist:

• Messed Up Feeling 
• See Your Ghost
• Get It On 
• If I Was You (unreleased) 
• Nightmare
• Small Things 
• Number 1 
• This Is Your Life