Mood Ring: Gig Review
Mood Ring: Gig Review
Event by 23 Music Management
I had the pleasure of attending Mood Ring’s debut Glasgow gig, tucked away in a cosy basement venue of Room 2 that was buzzing with energy. Taking place on the 28th September, the crowd was nearly at capacity, creating an intimate atmosphere for the night.
The first act was alternative rock act Just Someone Who Cared, though I regretfully could not make it in time for their set due to other commitments.
I arrived just in time to catch the tail end of Daphné Rouge, an Indie Pop artist whose vibrant stage presence and powerful vocals were a breath of fresh air, especially after my recent bout with a cold. Accompanied by her lively band—William Macdonald on electric guitar, Aly Macpherson on bass, and Panka Pongrácz on drums—Daphné delivered an energetic performance that was visually and musically captivating. Their colourful outfits matched the vibrant energy of the set, making for an engaging experience, I found myself completely lost in their music. They finished with Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance With Somebody”, which is always a crowd-pleaser. Daphné Rouge is playing at Glasgow's Bloc on Wednesday 6th November, which is free entry, so definitely one to mark in the calendar.
Next up was Tanzana, an all-female experimental rock group from Rutherglen. I was impressed by Freya’s dynamic vocal performance, especially her strong delivery during the choruses. At times it was a little hard to make out the vocals but as the set progressed, her confidence grew, showcasing a compelling mix of quiet introspection and powerful expression. There was a palpable blend of personalities between the band members on stage, giving off the vibe of friends making music together— which I always find a refreshing sight.
By the time Mood Ring took the stage, I was already thoroughly entertained. This was only their second performance, but you wouldn’t have guessed it from their confident presence. Comprised of talented musicians from the central belt scene, including bluesy-pop singer-songwriter Megan Black, Lewis Ross on drums, and Edinburgh-based singer-songwriter Eve Simpson, along with saxophonist/vocalist Rachel Duns and guitarist/vocalist Kyle Hood, it became clear why they were self-described as a supergroup. On the night, Laoghaire Brown filled in on the bass – they don’t usually have a bassist – and I think this was a great decision for the show as Laoghaire brought a groovier element to their sound.
The set kicked off with "An Ode To a Boring Man," a clever and unfortunately relatable title for a track! The harmonies between Megan, Eve, and Rachel was mesmerizing, with each voice being distinct yet perfectly intertwined. The following track, "California," showcased Rachel's impressive ability to shift seamlessly between saxophone and vocals, a task that I’m sure does not come with ease but Rachel made it appear as such. It was clear that the 70s rock nostalgia infused with jazz influences was a signature of their style, most likely courtesy of the jazz-influenced members studying at RCS: Duns and Hood.
As the night progressed, tracks like "Take It All" and "Wheel Of Motion" highlighted the band's versatility. Kyle's vocals brought a softer, George Harrison-esque quality to the mix, contrasting beautifully with the powerful female leads. Rachel's flute shredding added a mystical touch.
Megan's introduction "Pay The Price," as being about revenge, a song that captivated the audience with its intricate rhythms and raw emotion. The subsequent track, "You Need Me," resonated with me the most, addressing the challenges musicians face in the music industry, regarding the hardship and under appreciation, fused with a poignant blend of bluesy harmonica and heartfelt lyrics.
The final number, "Lovin'," was undoubtedly the crowd's favourite. Eve introduced it as “When your man does a cannonball into the swimming pool, and it gives you the ick”. I really enjoyed Eve’s backing vocals in this song, she was fearless and bold in her choices, and at times incorporated finger snapping which I’m always a fan of.
Mood Ring’s performance was a blend of talent and experimentation, I would absolutely attend one of their shows again and I recommend that you do too.
Just before the performance started, I had the pleasure of interviewing Mood Ring in the Green Room.
Mood Ring Interview
Q) How did the band start?
"Kyle and I wrote a song together and we felt that we wanted to bring more people in." - Megan
"It ended up with you asking Kyle to write a song and then getting Lewis to play drums" - Rachel
"Yeah we brought people in one at a time because we were like oh we'll bring Lewis as well, oh Rachel can join as well" - Kyle
"I didn't think of it that way, it felt like a blueprint of what I wanted" - Megan
"I was invited, that is true, and then it became a thing" - Eve
Q) How is this different compared to your other project.
“It’s a lot less gay than my other stuff” – Megan
“Very different genre wise the most for me. I’m a folky girl, so it’s nice to be a rock star.”- Eve
"Yeah, I'm usually a jazzer and I get to be a rock star" - Rachel
"It fuelled my musical curiosity. It’s like when you have that time when you’re younger, and you don’t have to work 100 jobs and you can be creative. This has allowed me to be creative again" - Eve
“I think it’s nice to have other projects to work on that aren’t your main project.” – Rachel
“I just kind of sit behind the drums and hit things. It’s similar for me.” – Lewis
Q) what are you guys working on at the moment
"We're recording
and working towards an album" – Kyle
“We’ve got half the album written, we’re gonna get it out into the world.” – Rachel
Q) How does the song writing process work? I know that there are a few solo artists in the group so I’m curious to how the dynamic works.
A) "A mixture of one person brings an idea to the band and the others work with it, or it is born out of a random jam within the space and then we just run with an idea". – Eve
"A lot of songs have been born that way we’ve just been jamming and then we’ve ended up liking it so we turn it into an actual song." – Rachel
"My songs all come from female rage" – Megan
"I'm a lover girl so mine don't come from female rage, I'm just a soft dog."- Eve
Q) What do you want people to take away from your music?
“Everyone can be their favourite rockstar.” – Eve
“I think the songs all belong to their little world because they all came from different places. I think when people listen to the songs they will see where we’ve been in our early 20s.” – Megan
“That if you go out of your comfort zone cool things can happen.” – Rachel
Please support the artists mentioned by following them on social media:
Just Someone Who Cared's Instagram
All photographs were taken by @goffeedoesgigs on Instagram, follow her here
Written by Niamh Maclennan
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