Slessor Gardens, sandwiched between Dundee’s famous Caird Hall and the river Tay has seen its fair share of major acts from its first use in 2017 as a music venue including UB40 and Little Mix in the past and just this week Professor Green and Shaun Ryder’s Black Grape were the entertainment at the ‘Ibiza Orchestra’ and ‘Sausage and Cider’ Events of this weekend. Summer Sundays has typically had Ocean Colour Scene as their headliner this year but changed that up for Dundee with The View as an inspired if obvious choice for the Final act of the final show this year.
The day started with grey skies but at least the forecast rain hadn’t materialised.
Alex MacKinnon from Summer Sundays said we’re delighted to be hosting the event and as promoters, have run events across England with one being on the on the same day as England got beat in the Euros Final. He hoped that Scotland would have a better result away to Portugal later in the evening.
Ben Walker was the opening act for the ‘Summer Sundays’ festival. What a 21st birthday present indeed. Ben, born in Dundee living in Montrose, has been writing songs with Kyle Falconer of the evening’s headliners The View (more on them later) and is now a full-time professional musician. Ben met Kyle at La Sierra Casa songwriting camp in Spain and Kyle has supported Ben since. Perhaps a little bit of good works from the other local boy done good! His excitement and joy at being the opening act in his hometown were obvious to all. Best day of his life and his birthday had hardly started. His opening 45-minute set was full of excellent material including Hotel Comedown, Ronseal, Busy Smiling, just a Boy and his most recent single – Lose It All. One to watch music fans!
Next up the effervescent Gerry Cinna-Man aka Gary Digan was well wrapped up with a big coat and a tammy, slightly over protected but not if it rained…saltire hanging from the mic-stand. His eclectic mix of foot thumping acoustic tribute songs interspersed with dance trance floor fillers had the crowd jumping from the start to the end. Belter, Shout, Freed from Desire, Here We Go Again, You’re a superstar. With Canter to finish off the set. Garry said he didn’t have a set list for the show he just wings it! Arguably the best act of the day and could probably have played for twice as long!
The Pigeon Detectives, hailing from Leeds, delivered a performance that was nothing short of electrifying, maintaining an incredible level of energy throughout their set. The frontman, Matt Bowman, was a dynamo, tirelessly navigating every corner of the stage, scaling the speakers, and even making his way to the front barrier at one point. His antics didn’t stop there; he climbed atop the drum kit, generously handed out setlists to eager fans, and tossed plectrums and drumsticks into the crowd, creating memorable moments for many. The Pigeon Detectives have mastered the art of live performances, captivating the audience with their dynamic presence and engaging antics. Personally, I felt their slot in the lineup should have followed Ash, given the sheer impact of their music and the robust energy they brought to the stage. Their sound was exceptional, resonating well with the audience and leaving a lasting impression.
Ash from Ireland were the last of the support acts. They are more grungy than I remember and were a welcome change in style from the out and out thrash of the Pigeon Detectives. Their bigger hits much less of the grunge and more straight 90’s Indie anthems. Ash strolled through their set list without really reaching the energy of the previous band. Whether it be A Life Less Ordinary, Shining Light, Oh Yeah or Girl From Mars, their set never really caught fire even with Burn Baby Burn as their final crowd pleaser. Mark Hamilton on Bass was immense on Bass Guitar!
The Crowd had grown considerably throughout the day and as it turned to night, with the sun setting in the west.’ The View’ from Broughty Ferry on the sunrise coast, took to the stage. This was their biggest hometown gig. Bigger than their tremendous Caird Hall outing in 2023. Every fan from miles around appeared to have bought a ticket and Summer Sundays confirmed it was their biggest seller of the year. A great festival, with a local big-name band as headliner, in a perfect setting as the dying rays of the sun completed the lighting transformation to the main event! And just into their set Kyle confirmed to the crowd that Scotland had taken the lead against Portugal 1-0. The crowd went wild!
The view had had a sold-out tour as Liam Gallagher’s support on the 30-year celebration of his Definitely maybe album but confirmed they will not be supporting Oasis next year…you could feel the collective sense of anticipation expelled in a single breath from the assembled crowd as their hopes were dashed. They played all their massive tunes! Same Jeans, Double Yellow Lines, Sunday, Superstar Tradesman and Shock Horror to name a few…. The crowd by this time were just in rapture. It was like a meeting of soulmates across the divide. The band loving playing to adoring fans who really get them, and the fans loving the fact that they do! As the fans started to leave Slessor Gardens, everyone had a smile on their face!
It started to rain…and Scotland slumped to a 2-1 defeat!
Review & Photographs by John Love
