Messa – Cathouse, Glasgow – 3rd November 2026

AN INNOVATIVE AND EXHILARATING METAL BAND

Messa are an innovative four-piece metal band from Italy, who are not afraid to mix metal with other influences, including jazz, and on their most recent album, The Spin, elements of gothic rock and post-punk. It makes for a heady mix, that whether in the studio or a live setting, is an exhilarating listen, that takes the audience on a musical journey.

The Spin, without doubt, was one of the best metal albums of last year. The epic centrepiece track, The Dress, is a jazz metal masterpiece, that brings the two genres together in a seamless and hugely impressive fusion.

The band members comprise, Sara Bianchin, vocals and lyrics, Alberto Piccolo, guitars, piano and synthesiser, Marco Zanin, bass and synthesiser, and Rocco Toldo on drums. A musically adventurous unit, who on the Glasgow stopover of their EU and UK tour, are playing the Cathouse venue in central Glasgow, which has hosted many memorable metal gigs over the years.

A STRONG ANTHEMIC SOUND

Support on the tour is the five piece band, The Night Eternal, from Germany. They have a strong anthemic metal sound live, with a powerful vocalist in Ricardo Baum and some nice lead guitar lines laid down by Robert Richter. As their set progressed, the Cathouse began to fill up, a positive sign of how the band was being received. 

FREEWHEELING WITHIN LAYERED COMPOSITIONS

Alberto, Marco and Rocco take to the stage against the backdrop of the distinctive Messa logo banner, with a pulsating ambient synth sound emanating from the stage. As they unleash Babalon, from the 2016 album Belfry, the power of band’s live sound is immediately apparent, with the heavy doom metal reverberations pummelling the audience. Sarah joins them on stage, and the song’s quieter section provides the perfect setting to appreciate the quality of a voice that can bring to the band’s sound a gentle folk-based lilt, alongside soaring over the metal infused heavier moments.

Rocco’s subtle cymbal work flows beautifully around Sarah’s voice. When Sarah sings “Oh lord, it’s a new dawn rising,” one is taken back to Grace Slick’s words from the Woodstock stage as the Jefferson Airplane started to play with the dawn rising. In fact, there is something of the Jefferson Airplane’s freewheeling within layered compositions, that also wonderfully inhabits Messa’s music. Alberto’s first guitar solo of the night plays with a series of melodic phrases, underlining the improvisational vision of a fine musician, with a background in jazz. 

At Races from The Spin album follows, as the tempo dynamically shifts up a gear. There is a joyous danceability and swing about this high-reaching song. The music almost visibly flows out into the audience. The contrasting shifts of pace during the song further add to the irresistible nature of the number. Sarah thanks everyone for coming out to see the band on a Tuesday night. The audience cheer loudly and are obviously pleased to be here. 

A SONG AND PERFORMANCE OF EPIC PROPORTIONS

The Dress, also from The Spin, is the moment, when everything comes together on the stage. It is a song and performance of epic proportions, which also has a serious commentary about self-image and self-esteem. Sarah’s voice ascends with emotion and expression as she sings: “All my monsters ready to feed. Coming over. Eating my heart.”

Alberto’s majestic guitar solo is full on modal jazz, with exquisite detail and tonality. Rocco’s drumming has a finesse that echoes Elvin Jones’s great work with John Coltrane. Marco’s washes of synthesiser sound add just the right hint of atmospherics. The wall of sound unleashed in the songs final coda has the audience clapping along rhythmically, as Sarah’s voice elevates everything, and carries the song to its crashing conclusion. The Cathouse crowd raise the roof with good reason. This is glorious, exciting music, with a serious intent both musically and lyrically. 

MUSICAL AMBITION AND RISK TAKING

Thicker Blood combines a metal structure that creates a thrilling vortex of sound, out of which soars Sarah’s immaculate jazz like phrasing. It could almost be a jazz ballad in a metal guise. Rocco’s screamed shouts mark the segueing into Alberto’ guitar improvisation, initially accompanied by only Marco’s synthesiser. Creatively playing with the soundscape, there is a fluidity and glistening tone to Alberto’s improvisation, together with a rhythmic playfulness, which leads to a clapping along by the audience.

The sequence then evolves into Pilgrim, from the 2022 album Close. On one part of Pilgrim, Sarah’s wordless vocal swirls around the central guitar motif, before the band launch into the heavy blues driven part of the song. This lengthy linked sequence of songs and improvisation never once loses the audience’s attention. It speaks to the musical ambition and risk taking that only a very gifted band like Messa can carry off successfully.

Reveal, Sarah almost apologetically announces as also being from The Spin album. The crowd clearly recognise how good the album is, as they loudly cheer her announcement. With its strongly blues-based slide guitar intro, and crushing sound, it is probably one of the heaviest tracks on the album. The ringing slide solo cuts through the air with a crackle of energy. Snakeskin Drape, from 2018’s Feast For Water, concludes the set with a matching sense of energy and a squall like guitar solo.

During the set, Sarah seemed to say that she was not doing well, and the set did appear understandably, perhaps a little shortened. That Sarah, Alberto, Marco and Rocco could deliver a set with such striking musical highlights and palpable commitment, when perhaps one of their number was not feeling at their best, speaks volumes about the quality of this fine band and their respect for their audience. 

If you haven’t come across the music of Messa yet, now is the time to dive in and immerse yourself, in what this incredible and very talented band have to offer.

All photography by Lewis Allen.

Messa: Website

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