FAEDA: GLASGOW, UK
FAEDA with support from Ellijai
at The Garage Attic in Glasgow, UK - 28/05/2026
words by Sarah Milligan
Though the Garage Attic may be small in size, they may need to check their ceilings after FAEDA’s sold-out show last Thursday, since the Thurso-based band did everything but bring the whole place crashing down with the sound of utter rock and roll.
Supporting the band’s latest gig in Glasgow was Ellijai – the very vision of a modern Cleopatra, wrought with heavy eyeliner and a voice that sailed over wailing guitars as she enchanted the crowd, early as it may have been in the evening. With a dark, passionate sound reminiscent of the punk rock Riot Grrls who came before (mixed with a little Blondie, or even Paramore) Ellijai is one to watch, and though her cover of The Cranberries’ 1994 hit ‘Zombie’ halfway through the set did not quite reach Dolores O’Riordan levels of transcendence (who ever could?), her glittering vocals in songs like ‘Smoke Away’ and ‘BAD TIMING’ and her Siousxie-esque stare were the perfect opener for a crowd hungry for something exciting, fierce, and brutally honest.
And then on – slowly – sauntered FAEDA, greeted by whistles and screams as they launched into ‘Too Wild To Last, Too Rare To Die’, one of their earlier singles, and turned the crowd almost as high as their blistering amps. With the band citing the 2000s indie-rock scene as one of their main inspirations sound-wise, their cocksure, almost sleazy attitude shone through during performances of ‘Look Me In The Eye’ – their latest, and perhaps their heaviest, single to date – and in ‘Chemtrails’, a relentless, angsty anthem that shook the walls and left the audience reeling.
The show was not without faults – what looked like minor technical problems halted the escalating atmosphere at times, but never enough to lose the crowd entirely. Barely a moment passed without music, with the band’s ever-faithful drummer Sam Cowan keeping their rhythms right and rattling the crooked lights above the crowd as he maintained a constant beat, meandering its way through guitar riff after riff (with the band even managing to sneak in the opening riff of Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Rhiannon’, just to see if anyone’s head snapped up at the familiar lick), and keeping the crowd on their toes – or stopping them from wandering to the bar between songs, that is.
Frontman Robbie McNicol was also his usual swaggering self from the onset, decorating the crowd with lashings of sweat and a staggering smile throughout, as they eased their way through their electrifying hit ‘ALL THORNS NO ROSES’; a definite crowd pleaser thanks to its thrumming bassline and grungy vocals – easy to remember, hard to forget.
It doesn’t take much to see that FAEDA were in fine form throughout the gig, even incorporating a brief bagpipes interlude (yes, you read that right) into their set; a strange but somewhat fitting rendition of ‘Loch Lomond’ came first, then they cruised into their own single ‘South Paw’ – truly unexpected, but not altogether unwanted or ill-received by any means.
They ended their set with another of their earlier singles ‘Play with my Ego’, a true masterpiece in rockstar-ism complete with thrashing guitars, fervent melodies and fiery lyricism, as they closed out the Garage Attic with a red-hot performance and brought a sweating crowd to the very brink of destruction.
The band have been touring across various Europe and UK venues for the past year, and their sound is only becoming tighter and their talent more skilled with exposure and experience – and with their amps turned high and their attitudes even higher, FAEDA are carving out their own way through the Glasgow indie-rock scene, and are sure to sell out many a venue in the years to come.
Sarah Milligan
★★★★