Anyone who knows me knows I come from a rock and metal background, but over the last few years or so I’ve opened up to a lot of new genres, one of them being indie-folk. And it all came to a head when I made my way down to the prestigious King Tuts to witness The Once all the way from Newfoundland in Canada, who coincidentally got their first big break in the city of Glasgow thanks to a certain gentleman named Passenger. With a packed crowd ready and buzzing with anticipation, it was time for the show to begin.

Up first to kick off the proceedings was Bec Sandridge, originally hailing from Syndey and now based in Glasgow, a singer-songwriter who I had become quite a fan of in the past year. Despite being ridiculously nervous, she captured the crowd’s attention as they got sucked in by her unique stage presence, terrific guitar skills and an array of tunes, including some from their Wild Heart EP like Cars, Red Jumper and the wonderful title track, and she even treated everyone to a brand new song.

A fantastic opening set which, judging by the awfully warm response from everyone in the room and the long queue waiting to chat to her immediately after, earned Bec a batch of new fans, and deservedly so.

Now it was time for The Once themselves to take to the stage, and straight off the bat they were just the nicest trio of people you could meet, not to mention really funny too. Geraldine was a lovely vocalist, while Andrew and Phil demonstrated their clear acoustic talents. There was an intoxicating atmosphere in the venue as they played a selection of numbers from their Departures album including All The Hours and You Will, I Lead Follow, the latter featuring some clever writing. But no doubt the highlights of the set were when the crowd sang their hearts out alongside the band in songs like Standing At Your Door, Fool For You and a great cover of You’re My Best Friend by Queen. It was quite frankly an electrifying sight to witness, and one the band were genuinely grateful for.

Capping off with We Are All Running, which was accompanied by a thunderous clapping frenzy courtesy of the audience, they left the stage only to be greeted with a roaring ensemble of foot stamping that indicated a desire for the encore, and the band granted just that to send off their set in style. On the whole, an absolutely excellent, top notch performance that provided all in attendance with a memorable musical experience that won’t be forgotten any time soon.

If folk music is to your liking, then I implore you all to catch The Once and Bec at a live show near you today, for they are all hard working, highly talented musicians who deserve all the love and exposure they can get.