Review: Hinds @ SWG3, Glasgow

BY MAISIE WILSON

It was approximately this time last year, while slaving away in the library, that my friend blessed me with a recommendation to Hinds. The all-girl Spanish quartet immediately stole my heart, and when I stumbled upon their YouTube channel, my hours of procrastination were fuelled by pure jealousy of their insanely cool life— just check out their tour diaries. Fortunately enough, my visit to my home university in Glasgow in the mid-semester break happened to coincide with the start of their headline tour.

The venue in which they were playing set the tone immediately. SWG3 is an old industrial factory kitted out with neon strip lighting and small stages. These girls are the epitome of cool. Walking on, beer in hand, they graced the stage and immediately launched into their new single “New for You” — and what a tune it is. Musically they were tight, especially for a first headline tour. Having produced this album with The Strokes, it’s easy to hear the intrinsically indie undertone that runs throughout their new album.

When addressing the crowd, lead vocalist Carlotta had us on our knees — embodying the classic frontwoman that everyone wants to be, with an air of I just don’t care, I’m enjoying myself. Her broken English, dripping in her Spanish accent, aided their international-cool aesthetic. I may not have known what she was saying, but I don’t think I necessarily minded. Glasgow was the first destination on their tour and they were absolutely fired up and on point. Having only been on the scene for a few years, they seem to have their live gigs already nailed. With a perfect mixture of songs from their previous two albums along with new ones from their recently released I Don’t Run, they had the crowd at their mercy.

The gig had a rather old school vibe to it — I was pleasantly surprised to see minimal phones being waved towards the stage to film them. People were just too engrossed in their stage presence — a sight I haven’t witnessed in quite some time — so much so that Carlotta successfully managed to crowd-surf like the new-wave indie rock icon she is.

Chancing our luck, my friends and I hung around at the end and managed to have a chat with them all. After eagerly praising their gig they asked us where we were heading later and Carlotta got me to write the name of the club on her arm. We headed over, and (surprisingly) they ended up coming too. They’re down to earth, their lyrics are relatable, their melodies are sick and they themselves are just the absolute dream. If you haven’t already – check them out. Get on the Hinds hype.

Hinds’ new album I Don’t Run is out now.