The Scottish five-piece band opened for Cassia, bringing energy and excitement to a grim wet night. Dancing on Tables struck me as a group of guys that loved every second on stage and their passion was infectious. They opened with ‘Colour Me Good’, their latest single which boasts a catchy chorus. Lead vocalists Robbie and Callum’s voices complimented each others well throughout, and I enjoyed the almost-novelty of a pop-rock band with two lead male vocalists.
They flowed into their next song, ‘Stereo’, which had a different vibe to the first with more of an emphasis on the vocals; Robbie abandoned the keys entirely to put his whole soul into singing. My notes simply read ‘banging beat’ so you’ll have to take my word for it. The band slowed it down for ‘Oh’, with Callum taking the lead on both guitar and vocals this time. This track has some of my favourite lyrics and understated instrumental that comes together beautifully to build to the chorus. If you’ve ever been in any type of long-distance relationship, the honest lyrics of “the distance isn’t easy and neither is the time” will strike a chord. All in all, one of my favourite tunes of theirs, and the shift in energy was welcome for a song this enjoyable.
Dancing on Tables picked up the energy again with ‘Body’, with Robbie taking the vocals back into his confident hands. It’s a fun tune that comes alive in front of the eager crowd who were quick to dance and get into it. If you want a celebration of youth, I’d say you’d find it here; I especially loved how Robbie played with the vocals compared to the recorded version, giving it a new dimension for me. More good vibes swiftly followed with ‘Missing’, one of their most played tracks on Spotify and for good reason. I may sound like a broken record, but this is just a band that has a lot of great songs that make you want to move. Despite battling a cold and feeling a little sorry for myself, I couldn’t help but dance along. This is one of my favourites from their EP and I suspect one of their favourites to play, judging by how into it and animated the whole band were whilst playing. They even got a clap going without too much effort, which you have to appreciate!
The tone switched again with Robbie introducing ‘Wonderland’, a song about not forgetting your roots and where you grew up. Although this song is clearly rooted in Dunfermline in Scotland, I feel like anyone could translate it to their hometown. I loved how they switched between Robbie and Callum singing, taking it in turns with the verses and chorus. You can feel their links to home despite being on tour with the assertion to “don’t let go, we don’t have to say goodbye”. Emotional stuff. After an intense musical interlude, the band kicked off ‘Twenty’. Loud and groovy with the room bouncing, you couldn’t argue with this one. I’m a huge fan of the backing “ohoh” between most of the lines, again bringing both the lead vocalists voices together.
Then, just as we thought it was over, the band confirmed they had time for one more song – a cover. I was intrigued as to what it would be, and was delighted when the distinct opening bars of Mika’s ‘Grace Kelly’ were heard. Robbie took the lead here and his voice suited the song well, capturing Mika’s tone easily. Honestly, he even looked a little like Mika and it was great. The band leaned into the playful riffs and demeanour of the song and even orchestrated the crowd going to the floor and then leaping up during the breakdown. The floor was shaking and everyone has loving it; such a good choice for a cover and a really fun way to end an energetic, brilliant gig. Dancing on Tables are a class pop-rock band with some catchy tunes and beats – watch this space.