Those Damn Crows/Autumn Kings/James Bruner - Glasgow 21st October 2025

As I walked towards the SWG3 venue for an early evening pre-show interview with Those Damn Crows singer Shane Greenhall, it occurred to me that it was just over 2 years ago, almost to the day, since I had made that same walk the last time the band were in Glasgow in October 2023. Things had changed a bit for both me and the Welsh band since our last autumn evening dalliance; I’m heavier with even less hair, albeit slightly sprightlier thanks to the wonders of arthritis medication whilst Those Damn Crows… well… they can now say they’ve had a Number 1 Album in the Official UK Album Charts following the stunning success of fourth album God Shaped Hole earlier this year. They’ve possibly trumped me with that one!

After a series of smaller sold-out UK shows shortly before the album’s spring release, Shane Greenhall (vocals), Ian “Shiner” Thomas (guitar), Lloyd Wood (bass), Ronnie Huxford (drums) and David Winchurch (guitar) capitalised on their chart success with some festival shows and a European tour in the summer/early autumn that would ultimately culminate in a 10-date UK Tour with support from Canadians Autumn Kings and American James Bruner. That’s what brought us all together in Glasgow, as “The Crows” embarked on show number 4 of the UK run.

With a decent number of the “Crow Family” already queuing next to the Box Office when I arrived for the interview 2 hours before doors, it was clear that the band’s fanbase had continued to grow since their last visit to Scotland’s biggest city… and that was a massive bonus for James Bruner and his band, who played to a decent sized crowd, particularly towards the second half of their set. Bruner arrived on stage wearing blue jeans and a black leather jacket, with his looks, demeanour and stage moves reminding me of a blend of early Bruce Springsteen, Freddie Mercury and Mick Jagger. Let’s be honest… you could be a mixture of much worse than three bona-fide rock legends! Strutting through an energetic set that straddled a few rock sub-genres yet remained steadfastly rock n roll, Nashville-based Bruner and his band entertained from the outset, with the main man himself removing his jacket to perform much of the set topless, reminding me of my own mid-40s ultra dad-bod challenges with the kind of lean physique that I last possessed when I was around 10 years old! As he confidently worked the Glasgow crowd, there was a definite whiff of future rockstar in the air, with Bruner ably assisted by a tight and talented live band that included the impeccably dressed bassist TJ Fink, who effortlessly sported a pair of slacks. I’d love to see them headlining a smaller Glasgow venue such as King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut or The Cathouse, as on this form, they’d take the roof off and would take great strides in securing a faithful UK fanbase. Definitely one to watch!

Autumn Kings won the award for best pre-show playlist, with some top songs played loudly over the PA before they confidently strode onto the Glasgow stage. With their nu-metal looks and stage presence complemented by a large curtain backdrop of their logo, the Canadian band wasted no time in their quest to impress, kicking things off with ‘Sleep When I’m Dead’, that to my ears, was clearly influenced by the rap and clear vocal interplays of bands such as Linkin Park. This initial assessment was confirmed as being in the right ballpark when they played an excellent cover of a Linkin Park song (‘Terrified’, I believe) later in the set but in terms of covers, the oddest yet most entertaining choice was the band’s reworking of Ricky Martin’s ‘Livin’La Vida Loca’. Yup… that’s a sentence I never thought I’d type in a rock review and judging by some of the dropped jaws around me, many were equally as shocked! But it was the song that arguably opened the Scottish crowd to the huge potential in the music of Autumn Kings, with more devil horns and pumping fists appearing as the set progressed. There was even an effort at the now ubiquitous Scottish rock crowd chant of “Here we, here we, here we fucking go”, which I’ve got to be honest and say is getting a bit boring and predictable now. Let’s go back to Scottish music crowds being known for energy and atmosphere as opposed to a football-like chant… but I digress! With some newfound mid-set confidence and pizazz, Autumn Kings tied things up with ‘Aliens’, ‘Snakecharmer’, ‘Bleed It Out’ and ‘Hellbound’ that had nu-metal influences bonded together by Metallica-inspired riffing. Were Autumn Kings the right fit for a Those Damn Crows audience? Possibly not. But do they have great potential to return to the UK in the future, whether headlining smaller venues or supporting more appropriate acts? You bet! 

SWG3 was bursting to capacity by the time Welsh heroes Those Damn Crows took to the stage just before 9pm to a raucous Glaswegian welcome. The fact that the crowd was being galvanized by a band in a venue called The Galvanizers wasn’t lost on me! Ronnie Huxford was first to appear, playing the rock steady beat to new album track ‘Dancing With The Enemy’, with singer Shane Greenhall bounding on just in time for the first verse vocals. It was well-received and already appears to be a much-loved song, despite being new to “The Crows” arsenal of music. However, it’s always good to make sure the audience is on your side with a more well known, fan favourite early in the set and that’s exactly what happened as Wood, Thomas, Winfield and Huxford played the intro to the more frantic ‘Man on Fire’, causing much head bopping and singing of the chorus back to the band. Great start, indeed!

It was back to a newer track from the God Shaped Hole album with “Surrender”, as bassist Wood prowled the stage in impossibly leg-hugging jeans, with his distinctive long blonde mane of hair being thrown back and forward on his head (fun fact… I had a great head of blonde hair before it... well… fell out!). The sound was crystal clear and well-balanced, enabling Greenhall’s faultless voice to soar across the venue and even when I removed my filter ear plugs, it wasn’t uncomfortably loud. The moodier ‘Find a Way’, with its melodic, sing-along chorus was next up and by this time, the crowd had really started to warm up as they took on the “whhoooaa” background vocals. 

Those Damn Crows are incredibly proud of the God Shaped Hole album and so they should be. After all, it’s not every band that manages to record a number one album! So, it was no surprise that the next five songs, one after the other, came from that record. ‘Spit and Choke’ was played with speed and ferocity, allowing plenty of room for a bit of head banging whilst the more atmospheric ‘Turn It Around’ showed just why a more commercial hard rock audience has been attracted to the band’s music. But it was the triple whammy of ‘Glass Heart’, the wonderful ‘Dreaming’ and the more serene ‘The Nigh Train’ that really highlighted the progression in songwriting within “The Crows”. These songs show a true maturity in song writing, with catchy melodic choruses, deep and meaningful lyrics and some brilliant musicianship. Even better… they fared very well in a live environment and went down a storm with the Scottish fans. Even a false start to a few songs by Greehall, with a poor woman from Yorkshire getting the blame (jokingly, of course!) couldn’t spoil the atmosphere within the venue at that point in the concert. God Shaped Hole was a number one album for a reason and that was abundantly clear in this special 10-minute section of the show.

The familiar guitar intro to longtime fan-favourite ‘Who Did It’ brought proceedings back to more familiar territory, with Greenhall and Wood continuing to work the stage whilst Winchurch and Thomas remained in their usual spots stage left and right. The raucous ‘I Am’ led to Greenhall taking an opportunity to impress again with his vocals in a stripped back ‘Still’ before heading to the piano for the now much-loved piano version of ‘Blink of an Eye’ that creates a special atmosphere for the rest of the band to return to the stage and turn up the volume to finish the song. I don’t think fans would forgive Those Damn Crows if they ever removed this from their set, such is the connection between band and audience during this song. It’s very much one of their signature songs.

The heaviness was upped again with ‘Go Get It’ and ‘Sin on Skin’ before the excellent ‘This Time I’m Ready’, a song about the loss of Greenhall’s father and the anger and hurt his death caused, brought a more emotional twist to proceedings. Most people have suffered loss at some point in their lives, so perhaps that’s why it connects so well with so many. Indeed, it appears to be number 4 on the Apple Music list of my most played songs of the last 5 years. I listen to a lot of music, so that’s no mean feat! The classy, sing-along, melodic ‘See You Again’ (and I hope we will!) finished the set, with Those Damn Crows leaving the stage after yet another top-notch live performance.

Those Damn Crows have worked hard to get to where they now are. They didn’t achieve overnight success – they earned it by gigging up and down the country and honing and improving their songwriting with every album. The chart success of God Shaped Hole was a well-deserved reward for, as the band says, “smashing the glass ceiling” in terms of their songwriting and musicianship. They have always been a magnificent and highly energetic live act but on this showing, on a cold autumn night in Glasgow… well, this could be their best Scottish show yet. Those Damn Crows are now an arena-ready rock act, playing arena-sized rock anthems. Catch them in smaller venues whilst you can because if there’s any musical justice, these crows will be flying even higher to rock superstardom.

The God Shaped Hole UK Tour continues with shows in Bristol, Plymouth, Southampton, Birmingham and London, with further shows scheduled later in the year in Belfast, Dublin and Kingston-Upon-Thames. God Shaped Hole is available in various formats through Earache Records. Listen to singer Shane Greenhall’s interview with Rockfiend on the Rockfiend social media channels.