Late in their 70-minute set at Washington, DC’s DC9 club on Monday, Snuts frontman Jack Cochrane told the crowd they were witnessing four men falling apart. It was a running gag throughout the night – Cochrane complaining about the effects of jetlag on the Scottish quartet, back in the USA for a quick northeast jaunt in support of their soon-to-be-released fourth album.
Then, like Gilda Radnor channeling Candy Slice in the early SNL days, Cochrane miraculously revived from his stagger and blasted through a funky rendition of “Hallelujah Moment” from the band’s second album Burn the Empire.
The Snuts are built on first-rate modern rock songcraft and Cochrane’s charmingly offhand persona, engaging in constant banter bathed in a Scottish accent so thick he constantly checked in with the crowd to make sure they understood what he was saying. By my estimation, pretty much all of the 250 fans crammed into the DC9 space understood just fine.
Snuts return to the States for blast of indie power pop
With a new album – Joy in Short Moments – due out later this week, the Snuts continue to build on their small, loyal following on the left side of the Atlantic. Cochrane may complain about plenty of American customs – from the giant people mover buses that greet tired travelers at the airport to the amount of water in the toilet bowl (too much by half in his estimation) - but when the music begins, he delivers a refreshing blend of dream pop and jangle.
The band played all five of the songs that have already dropped from the new album. “In Motion” mimics the success of the hits from their last album, Millennials, but other tracks like “PTS” and “Motherlands” extend out in all directions to show a band that continues to grow without abandoning the formula that has taken them this far.
That formula has Cochrane running the show, while Joe McGillveray (guitar), Callum Wilson (bass), and Joko Mackay (drums) provide rock solid support and a wall of sound that helps their best songs soar.
“Glasgow,” an ode to their home (they actually hail from the suburbs between Glasgow and Edinburgh), is a perfect early encapsulation, beginning delicately and then building to anthemic proportions.
“Glasgow” initially appeared as a demo single before anchoring their first proper studio album W.L. in 2021 and its presence in the set list points to another aspect of Cochrane’s stage craft. About three quarters of the way through the set, he announced that some bands liked to keep their fans entertained by playing their old hits.
“We’re not that band,” he told the crowd. “We actually kind of enjoy disappointing you.”
That of course was a lead-in to an old favorite, “Maybe California,” also from W.L. Cochrane made it sound like a concession, but in fact they had already played three other cuts from their first album and would close, as they often do, with another – “Always," perhaps their best-know song.
So the set balanced cuts from all four albums, including the glorious “Gloria,” which opened the show and the equally buoyant “Millionaires,” both from 2024’s Millennials.
The Millennials tour marked the last time the Snuts were in DC, playing up the street at the Atlantis. When he wasn’t complaining, Cochrane repeatedly thanked the fans for allowing the band to journey to the USA with each of their four releases.
That isn’t necessarily the norm these days, especially with traveling expenses continuing to skyrocket. But they keep crafting indie gems like the Black Keys-ish “Juan Bemonte” from the first album to the swirling beauty of “Summer Rain,” from the newest one.
As Cochrane sings on “Always,” “I’m still falling for you.” That seems to still be true for their American fans as well.
DC’s Kinda Evil opened the set with a powerful 30 minutes ranging from a grungy “Mr. Witchy” to the bass-heavy workout “Teeth,” with a few detours into dreamier pop along the way.
The Snuts finish their sprint up the east coast of the USA with shows in Philadelphia, New York, and Boston before returning home next week for extended runs throughout the UK and continent. The new album, Joy in Short Moments, drops this Friday.
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