Last Sunday, Ayr’s Ecko made their live debut in London at Camden’s Elephant’s Head, supporting Bless.
*image credit A Deeper Groove
To date, Ecko have built a reputation as one of the most exciting bands in the UK but, not really beyond the confines of the Shiiine On Weekender. A free gig in a pub with unexpecting punters and tourists posed pitfalls we’d not witnessed them experience. For the few Shiiine On faithful in attendance, it built a pre-gig tension. What if it was just the magic of the Shiiine On Weekender carrying them?
Step forward, the boys from Ecko!
Batting away the security guard who checked their ID with grace and humour and adorning killer casual clobber, the future of rock ‘n’ roll was here to allay all fears.
The heads of unexpecting punters in the pub craned like the Regan McNeil with increasing frequency throughout their set. The hooks, vocals, and solos were as good as we’d all remembered from their two Weekenders.
Many, if not all, fledgeling bands flock to Camden as a rite of passage. It becomes a “thing” for them, attaching the history of the mercurial road to their insignificant futures. Ecko, however, are the kid at school you always wanted to be. Cool, smart, and blaze, they roll out of town like Johnny Strabler, leaving everyone in their wake reeling.
Camden has gained another great origin story.