The SEC Armadillo in Glasgow was already filling up on Wednesday 30 September as fans arrived for Europe’s The Final Countdown 40th Anniversary Tour. With Glasgow favourites GUN also on the bill, Montreal’s The Damn Truth had a tough job on their hands. Thirty minutes to win over a room that had come to see two established names.
They didn’t waste a second.
From the moment Lee-La Baum walked onto the stage, The Damn Truth looked like a band that had absolutely no intention of behaving like an opening act. Joined by Tom Schemer on guitar, Pierre-Yves Letellier on bass and Dave Traina on drums, the Canadian four-piece hit the stage with attitude, volume and a healthy dose of old-school rock ’n’ roll swagger.
They opened with their own take on Jefferson Airplane’s “White Rabbit”, and it immediately grabbed attention. Baum’s smoky, powerful vocals gave the song a darker and heavier feel, while the band behind her turned the psychedelic classic into something far more muscular.
It was an interesting way to introduce themselves.
Then came “Be Somebody”, and suddenly we were hearing exactly what The Damn Truth are all about.
There are obvious echoes of classic rock running through this band, but this isn’t simply a case of recreating something that worked fifty years ago. They take those influences and throw in soul, blues, attitude and a modern energy that gives the whole thing its own identity.
“Love Outta Luck” kept the pressure on, with Schemer’s guitar cutting through the room while Letellier and Traina locked everything together underneath. The rhythm section deserves plenty of credit here. Despite having only thirty minutes, the band never sounded as though they were racing through a checklist of songs. There was weight behind the performance.
Then came “The Willow”, and Baum showed that she is more than capable of stepping away from the full-throttle attack. Her voice has warmth as well as grit, and that contrast is one of the things that makes The Damn Truth such an interesting live proposition.
The band followed with “This Is Who We Are Now”, before launching into “All Night Long”.
This was a proper crowd-moving rock song. Big groove, swaggering guitar and Baum completely owning the stage. It was the sort of performance that makes you want to hear what this band could do with a full headline set rather than thirty minutes between stage changes.
And then, almost as quickly as it had started, it was time for “Tomorrow”, bringing the Glasgow set to a close.
Thirty minutes.
That was the frustrating part.
The Damn Truth had barely got going.
Their longer headline performances give them the opportunity to dig much deeper into their catalogue, with songs such as “Killer Whale”, “Addicted”, “If I Don’t Make It Home”, “Lonely”, “Only Love”, “Look Innocent” and “Get With You” all having featured in recent UK sets. In Glasgow, those songs had to stay in the locker.
The Armadillo is also no small venue, and winning over an audience when you’re the first band of the night is never easy. Most people are still finding their seats, getting drinks and settling into the evening.
The Damn Truth didn’t appear remotely concerned.
Baum naturally commands attention, but this is very much a four-piece band. Schemer brings the guitar fire, Letellier provides a powerful bass presence and Traina keeps the whole machine driving forward. There is chemistry between them, and that chemistry comes across particularly well from the stage.
What impressed me most was the confidence.
There was no sense of we’re only the support band tonight. Instead, The Damn Truth played as though they belonged on that stage, in that room and in front of that audience.
By the time they walked off, I suspect more than a few people who hadn’t heard of them before were wondering exactly who this Canadian band were and where they could see them again.
That’s what a good support slot should do.
It should leave people wanting more.
And The Damn Truth certainly achieved that in Glasgow.
Thirty minutes was nowhere near enough, but perhaps that is the biggest compliment you can give them. They left the Armadillo having made their mark without the luxury of a long set, and for anyone discovering them for the first time, this was one hell of an introduction.
The Damn Truth may have been the opening band, but they certainly didn’t play like one.
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