The Flying Duck in Glasgow hosts the launch of Actual Bastard from sludge/doom/hardcore quartet Gout and the atmosphere carried a  low-level tension you only get when you know things might get unpredictable.

K.YALO

Opening the night are K.Yalo, the Glasgow-based project of Kyalo Searle Mbullu ,a multidisciplinary artist known for blending experimental electronic music with audio-reactive visuals. Backed by a screen of constantly shifting imagery, his set felt immersive from the start. In my opinion, it was the perfect opening for the night . There was a clear thread of rave culture running through it, a kind of ‘90s party energy that does not rely on nostalgia, but mostly  on atmosphere. It spread across the room early on, setting a tone that would carry through the entire show. The sound leans into repetition and texture rather than structure, creating something slightly disorienting but hard to step away from.

MRS FRIGHTHOUSE

I had already seen Mrs Frighthouse live back in September 2025 during Core Festival in Glasgow, and I remember being immediately struck by the contrast between Carys and Luna’s voices. This time, that contrast feels even more defined, maybe because the sound at Flying Duck is more suitable for their music. One voice is raw and abrasive, at times almost theatrical, recalling something out of a horror film characters, while Carys’ voice moves in the opposite direction, almost celestial. At moments, it feels like a blend of Diamanda Galás, Siouxsie Sioux and Nina Hagen, without ever slipping into imitation.

The visual element remains central, with evocative projections of surgeries running behind the band, reinforcing the tension between the two vocal approaches. Their set felt like a sequence of songs highly immersive, unsettling at times, but hard to look away from. Completely absorbing.

GOUT

By the time Gout take the stage, the room is packed and restless but it becomes clear immediately that this wouldn’t be a standard live setup. Instead of using the stage, the band arranged themselves in a circle on the floor, just beneath it. The crowd closed in around them, erasing any real boundary between performer and audience. It changes the dynamic completely. You are not watching the set, you are inside it.

The atmosphere mirrors exactly what comes across on Actual Bastard and the personal impression I had listening to it (review here). This is less a gig and more a ‘90s house party in a cramped rehearsal space, with friends packed together; noise, movement, drinks in hand, and  everything slightly out of control in a good way 

CHAMELEONIC SHIFTS

They opened with Tarmac, followed by Too Bleak, setting the tone straight away. While the rest of the band hold their positions in the circle, lit by a mix of yellow and red spotlights, vocalist Ally Scott moves constantly, jumping from one side to the other, never settling. Offstage, he comes across almost reserved, but once the set started, that shifted completely. There’s something almost chameleonic in the way he performs, switching from calm to explosive in seconds, holding attention without needing to force it.

Small details make the set even more memorable. At one point, the drummer uses a beer keg as a ride, adding to that improvised, anything-can-happen feeling that runs through the whole performance. I end up on the stage itself, watching from above alongside a handful of others, while the band remain surrounded on all sides. It is a strange perspective, looking down at a gig that is more like a gathering than a performance.

A DIFFERENT WEIGHT

A softer moment arrives midway through the set, when the guitarists stepped forward to sing Newcastle. The song shifts the atmosphere in the room that changes in intensity. It’s easily one of Gout’s most iconic tracks, and one I’ve come to appreciate more over time, especially after seeing them open for Cwfen a few months back. Live, it carries a different weight: more exposed, giving space to something slightly vulnerable within the band’s otherwise chaotic delivery. This moment  deepens the flow instead of breaking it.

I’m a Beacon of Health and Wellbeing closes the set, which feels like the perfect ending. There is no need for anything bigger or more dramatic. It captures everything the night has been building toward: tension, release, and unpredictability. This is one of the most memorable release parties the local scene has seen in a while, everything about it feels genuine and unforced.

Gout: Bandcamp

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