Scottish Punk Christens Reopened 601 

By: Ben Bagley

 
 

It’s been a bad year for daytime television in the UK. Plagued with scandals and viewing figures at an all-time low, it’s a tough time to be a PR agent at any major British broadcaster.

The same can’t be said for Scottish indie-punk outfit Daytime TV, a band on the up. Fresh off supporting the likes of Kaiser Chiefs and Two Door Cinema Club, the four-piece are touring in support of their recently released E.P. Island. 

The appetite for live music is palpable in an albeit sparsely populated 601. Support band Raincheck grace the stage at half seven to enthusiastic applause from the night’s early-comers.

The student band have begun making a name for themselves in the Scottish music scene, having released their debut E.P. last year and now make regular appearances in Edinburgh and Glasgow.  

Their set features stripped back renditions of some of the band’s newer material. A song about the middle aisle of Aldi piques the interest of the audience, many of whom have travelled from far afield for this evening’s event. 

Following a short interlude and a quick trip to the Union bar with my photographer for the evening (Tate), the newly installed 601 lights dim and the headliners emerge from a sea of dry ice.

The set is energetic from the start and “Block Out the Noise” from the band’s latest release gets the crowd bobbing. Tate and I concur that the band have what might be described as ‘aura’. Lead singer Will Irvine’s sparkly Fender Telecaster particularly catches the eye.

Daytime TV are familiar with the big stage, having made appearances at British Summertime and Mad Cool Festival in Madrid. It would be easy for a band with this pedigree to take one look at a half empty student union on a Tuesday night and launch into some kind of Gallagher-esque drunken tirade. This was not the case and the band quickly won the crowd over with their energy and wit.

The hour-long set contains a satisfying mix of catchy melodies and big guitars, evoking peak sunglasses-and-leather-jacket-era Arctic Monkeys. Daytime TV promise to return to St Andrews on the condition that every audience member brings “eight to twelve friends” - a tough ask for many indie enthusiasts such as myself.

After the gig, I speak to Dougie, a fan who has been following Daytime TV since their inception under a different name. He recounts discovering the band in a pub in Ullapool. Despite his dedication to the group and passion for music, this is his first time at a gig in St Andrews, which underscores the town’s notable absence from the UK touring schedule.

It hasn’t always been this way. Pink Floyd appeared at the old Student Union in 1969 and other prominent bands regularly topped the bill in years gone by. Nowadays, artists opt for the bright lights of Dundee and Aberdeen over our admittedly small and club night-obsessed student town.

Event organisers Hi-Five Music are aiming to change that and have already secured another headline band for October with Nathan Evans and the St Phnx Band visiting on 18th October. Live music is back where it belongs. 


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