When Rock and Roll forces meet
The Damn Truth (with Parker Barrow) – Oran Mor, Glasgow, 17th November 2025
The Damn Truth (with Parker Barrow) – Oran Mor, Glasgow, 17th November 2025
Outside of double headliner shows or tours, where there’s a clear musical design to pull in an audience that’s familiar with, or fans of, both bands, it’s usually a case of a support or special guest act being on board to help promote their recent wares or because of a similar, genre fitting style.
With Montreal’s The Damn Truth and Nashville based Parker Barrow as special guest, however, it’s harder to think of a better tour pairing in 2025 – both are female fronted, highly impacting rock and roll forces to be reckoned with, bolstered further by a high-energy, 100% performance ethic.
Those must-see credentials were reinforced by the fact that it was a healthy sized and vociferous Glasgow crowd that came out on a crisp and very cold Monday night in November (one of the hardest sell day & month combinations for any touring band) to support two bands that give everything they have on each and every show; something that was fully appreciated by the Oran Mor audience.
With Montreal’s The Damn Truth and Nashville based Parker Barrow as special guest, however, it’s harder to think of a better tour pairing in 2025 – both are female fronted, highly impacting rock and roll forces to be reckoned with, bolstered further by a high-energy, 100% performance ethic.
Those must-see credentials were reinforced by the fact that it was a healthy sized and vociferous Glasgow crowd that came out on a crisp and very cold Monday night in November (one of the hardest sell day & month combinations for any touring band) to support two bands that give everything they have on each and every show; something that was fully appreciated by the Oran Mor audience.
Given The Damn Truth’s rising stature, as built upon third album Now Or Nowhere (a title that tells an at-a-crossroads story) and pushed higher by this year’s excellent self-titled release, it’s no surprise "The Damn Truth family" were out in strength, but it was equally rewarding to see the crowd get behind Parker Barrow, with a similar passion.
The southern-hued rock 'n' roll band, fronted by the powerfully voiced Megan Kane, have made significant strides in a relatively short time.
2023’s debut album Jukebox Gypsies should have made an even bigger impact than it did on these shores, but armed with a brand new, well promoted EP, Hold The Mash, in tandem with The Damn Truth tour, presented the band with a great two-for-one opportunity to pick up a lot more fans (proven by the size of the queue at the merch desk after their seriously impressive, 40 minute set).
Kicking off with attention grabbing EP opener 'Make It' guaranteed the audience were engaged, and behind the band, right from the start.
Powered at the back by Megan Kane’s drumming husband Dylan Turner, the big beat raunch ‘n’ roll number was bolstered by some tasty bass work from Bo Howard and a vocal from Megan Kane that came from the boots up – and that’s no mean vocal feat, given Kane was a bouncing-to-the-beat energiser bunny for most of the set (the fact she also has some Janis J in her full belt hollers is no bad thing).
Unsurprisingly, the EP was the focus, with four of the five tracks featured, including latest single 'The Healer.'
A slightly funky, southern swaggering number, 'The Healer' also sported a groovy little organ solo from keys player Eric Safka.
Other Hold The Mash songs that got an airing were the bluesy, southern sway of 'Glass Eyes Cryin’' and the pulsating, 70s vibed heavy soul of 'Novocaine.'
Three other songs also made their mark.
2024’s standalone single 'Don't Tell Mama (What Mama Don't Know)' was a sass-fuelled highlight, while the slow and moody 'Throwin’ Stones,' from Jukebox Gypsies, was extended well beyond its album length to feature a dark, brooding, heavily slide affected instrumental section.
You could argue such a dramatic and lengthy mid-set change of pace would be better served in a Parker Barrow full show/ headline set, but it held the audience’s attention throughout. It also highlighted there’s a lot more to this band than their blues infused, southern rock ‘n’ roll.
Parker Barrow brought their set to a close with another album number, the hard hitting 'Count You Dollars,' culminating in the aforementioned rumble to the merch desk by the newly converted.
The southern-hued rock 'n' roll band, fronted by the powerfully voiced Megan Kane, have made significant strides in a relatively short time.
2023’s debut album Jukebox Gypsies should have made an even bigger impact than it did on these shores, but armed with a brand new, well promoted EP, Hold The Mash, in tandem with The Damn Truth tour, presented the band with a great two-for-one opportunity to pick up a lot more fans (proven by the size of the queue at the merch desk after their seriously impressive, 40 minute set).
Kicking off with attention grabbing EP opener 'Make It' guaranteed the audience were engaged, and behind the band, right from the start.
Powered at the back by Megan Kane’s drumming husband Dylan Turner, the big beat raunch ‘n’ roll number was bolstered by some tasty bass work from Bo Howard and a vocal from Megan Kane that came from the boots up – and that’s no mean vocal feat, given Kane was a bouncing-to-the-beat energiser bunny for most of the set (the fact she also has some Janis J in her full belt hollers is no bad thing).
Unsurprisingly, the EP was the focus, with four of the five tracks featured, including latest single 'The Healer.'
A slightly funky, southern swaggering number, 'The Healer' also sported a groovy little organ solo from keys player Eric Safka.
Other Hold The Mash songs that got an airing were the bluesy, southern sway of 'Glass Eyes Cryin’' and the pulsating, 70s vibed heavy soul of 'Novocaine.'
Three other songs also made their mark.
2024’s standalone single 'Don't Tell Mama (What Mama Don't Know)' was a sass-fuelled highlight, while the slow and moody 'Throwin’ Stones,' from Jukebox Gypsies, was extended well beyond its album length to feature a dark, brooding, heavily slide affected instrumental section.
You could argue such a dramatic and lengthy mid-set change of pace would be better served in a Parker Barrow full show/ headline set, but it held the audience’s attention throughout. It also highlighted there’s a lot more to this band than their blues infused, southern rock ‘n’ roll.
Parker Barrow brought their set to a close with another album number, the hard hitting 'Count You Dollars,' culminating in the aforementioned rumble to the merch desk by the newly converted.
The Damn Truth walking on to Jefferson Airplane’s 'White Rabbit' (and front gal Lee-La Baum having fun miming to it) was musically fitting, given the Airplane-esque psychedelic tinges to the band's retro rock and roll and Baum’s vocal similarities, in places, to a young Grace Slick.
The Airplane became Jet fuelled as the band took off with the up-tempo vibrancy of 'Be Somebody,' which sported some great harmonies from guitarist Tom Shemer (who also contributed the first of many spicey lead breaks) and bassist PY Letellier (the harmonies and backing vocals, which form a large part of The Damn Truth sound, were on point throughout).
The sharp-riffed and heavyweight 'Killer Whale,' with Lee-La Baum in full vibrato cry, then rocked the rock; it was followed by the insistent 'Love Outta Luck,' a smoking hot rock and roller that didn’t let up from PY Letellier’s bass-riff intro to its staccato sharp finish.
The ongoing promotion of the current album (eight of the first nine songs were lifted from The Damn Truth) continued with the sassy, funky and decidedly Aerosmith-esque 'Addicted.'
'The Willow,' by contrast, flitted from wistful, downtempo passages (think Led Zeppelin meets early Heart) to full-blown Zeppelin swing on the heavyweight sections.
A set and performance highlight.
Other new album nuggets making a significant mark were the celebratory (and ridiculously hooky) 'All Night Long,' the staccato-beat verses and driving rhythm of 'I Just Gotta Let You' and poignant, downtempo moment 'If I Don’t Make It Home.'
The latter, a southern shaded blues to the uncertainty of life, is, live, dedicated to those that come to the gigs and make the band feel at home.
Schmaltzy? Perhaps, but it’s genuine and came from the heart, as heard through Lee-La Baum’s on-the-edge of control vocal. Add in another great solo from Tom Shemer and rock solid rhythmic support from PY Letellier & Dave Traina, and you have one of The Damn Truth’s strongest songs to date.
Sitting between the octet of The Damn Truth numbers was the defiant rock cry of 'This Is Who We Are Now,' the Now Or Nowhere track that put them on the map this side of the pond and, one suspects, the song that will always will be the band’s calling card. And with good, rallying cry reason.
The Airplane became Jet fuelled as the band took off with the up-tempo vibrancy of 'Be Somebody,' which sported some great harmonies from guitarist Tom Shemer (who also contributed the first of many spicey lead breaks) and bassist PY Letellier (the harmonies and backing vocals, which form a large part of The Damn Truth sound, were on point throughout).
The sharp-riffed and heavyweight 'Killer Whale,' with Lee-La Baum in full vibrato cry, then rocked the rock; it was followed by the insistent 'Love Outta Luck,' a smoking hot rock and roller that didn’t let up from PY Letellier’s bass-riff intro to its staccato sharp finish.
The ongoing promotion of the current album (eight of the first nine songs were lifted from The Damn Truth) continued with the sassy, funky and decidedly Aerosmith-esque 'Addicted.'
'The Willow,' by contrast, flitted from wistful, downtempo passages (think Led Zeppelin meets early Heart) to full-blown Zeppelin swing on the heavyweight sections.
A set and performance highlight.
Other new album nuggets making a significant mark were the celebratory (and ridiculously hooky) 'All Night Long,' the staccato-beat verses and driving rhythm of 'I Just Gotta Let You' and poignant, downtempo moment 'If I Don’t Make It Home.'
The latter, a southern shaded blues to the uncertainty of life, is, live, dedicated to those that come to the gigs and make the band feel at home.
Schmaltzy? Perhaps, but it’s genuine and came from the heart, as heard through Lee-La Baum’s on-the-edge of control vocal. Add in another great solo from Tom Shemer and rock solid rhythmic support from PY Letellier & Dave Traina, and you have one of The Damn Truth’s strongest songs to date.
Sitting between the octet of The Damn Truth numbers was the defiant rock cry of 'This Is Who We Are Now,' the Now Or Nowhere track that put them on the map this side of the pond and, one suspects, the song that will always will be the band’s calling card. And with good, rallying cry reason.
Nor was it the only Now Or Nowhere number to be featured.
Helping to remind of just how good that album is was a three-in-a-row of 'Lonely' (a chant blues that allowed Lee-La Baum to commune A Cappella with her "brothers and sisters" in the audience), the melodic Americana rock of 'Only Love' (including short drum solo finale from Dave Traina) and slow 'n' bluesy dance number 'Look Innocent.'
The latter was extended to allow Lee-la Baum to tell the story of how she and Tom Shemer met at a music festival, which, for the uninitiated, was a case of love and jamming acoustic guitars at first sight (and sound).
Penultimate number, the beat driven and purposeful 'Get With You,' from the band's second album Devilish Folk, was also extended, this time to allow Tom Shemer to proudly declare that The Damn Truth album had been "nominated for Album of The Year in Canada."
"We didn’t win" (cue a huge Glaswegian chorus of boos), "but it does prove that rock and roll is coming back, baby!" (cue even louder cheers). Let’s hope so, my impassioned friend; let’s hope so.
The main set closed out on a guitar-led, raucous rendition of Now Or Nowhere earworm number 'Tomorrow,' before the band returned for an atmospheric two song encore of 'Love Is Blindness' and 'Devilish Folk.'
The former, a sensitive arrangement of the U2 song (originally recorded for a Yves Saint Laurent video ad) featured a passionate, and powerfully delivered, vocal from Lee-La Baum.
The latter, which builds from Jefferson Airplane beginnings to a heavyweight conclusion, has, live, grown to become a union between the band and their fans (the band & crowd A Cappella chant-a-long was a highlight of the entire show).
A powerful ending to a great night of double-barrelled rock and roll.
Helping to remind of just how good that album is was a three-in-a-row of 'Lonely' (a chant blues that allowed Lee-La Baum to commune A Cappella with her "brothers and sisters" in the audience), the melodic Americana rock of 'Only Love' (including short drum solo finale from Dave Traina) and slow 'n' bluesy dance number 'Look Innocent.'
The latter was extended to allow Lee-la Baum to tell the story of how she and Tom Shemer met at a music festival, which, for the uninitiated, was a case of love and jamming acoustic guitars at first sight (and sound).
Penultimate number, the beat driven and purposeful 'Get With You,' from the band's second album Devilish Folk, was also extended, this time to allow Tom Shemer to proudly declare that The Damn Truth album had been "nominated for Album of The Year in Canada."
"We didn’t win" (cue a huge Glaswegian chorus of boos), "but it does prove that rock and roll is coming back, baby!" (cue even louder cheers). Let’s hope so, my impassioned friend; let’s hope so.
The main set closed out on a guitar-led, raucous rendition of Now Or Nowhere earworm number 'Tomorrow,' before the band returned for an atmospheric two song encore of 'Love Is Blindness' and 'Devilish Folk.'
The former, a sensitive arrangement of the U2 song (originally recorded for a Yves Saint Laurent video ad) featured a passionate, and powerfully delivered, vocal from Lee-La Baum.
The latter, which builds from Jefferson Airplane beginnings to a heavyweight conclusion, has, live, grown to become a union between the band and their fans (the band & crowd A Cappella chant-a-long was a highlight of the entire show).
A powerful ending to a great night of double-barrelled rock and roll.
Parker Barrow may be snapping at their heels but The Damn Truth, in Glasgow, and across this whole tour, reinforced why Montreal’s finest are also the best little rock & roll band on the circuit, eh?
And that’s no damn lie.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Photo credits (all images): Scott Anderson/ Zeezee Digital Imaging
https://www.zeezeedigitalimaging.co.uk/
And that’s no damn lie.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Photo credits (all images): Scott Anderson/ Zeezee Digital Imaging
https://www.zeezeedigitalimaging.co.uk/