Kevin P. Gilday & The Glasgow Cross is a collaboration between award winning poet Kevin P. Gilday (Sonnet Youth, NTS, BBC) and multi-instrumentalist Ralph Hector (The Paperback Throne, Pelts, Iffy Folk Records). The Glaswegian two-piece have combined contemporary spoken word with a dynamic palette of aural textures to create a unique sound that has already led to support slots with the likes of Akala.
The music strides confidently between propulsive post-punk, off beat electro and epic arrangements – all oscillating on the singular delivery of Kevin P. Gilday’s spoken word compositions and powerful vocals. Lyrically inspired by the city of Glasgow, Gilday takes confessional sojourns into grief, toxic masculinity and the precarious nature of modern life – all imbued with his trademark dark wit.
Having released their first album, Experience Essential, in 2018 on Iffy Folk Records (Glasgow) and Nymphs & Thugs (London) the band has followed it up with an EP and limited edition single releases before embarking on the creation of their second album. Recorded between a remote cottage in the highlands and the famous Chem19 studios on the outskirts of Glasgow, Pure Concrete marks a massive leap forward for the band. What started as a one-off studio project to create music to accompany Gilday’s poems has turned into a fully-fledged live act who are building a formidable back catalogue of poetry-infused anthems.
Praise for Pure Concrete:
'The duo have crafted a unique sonic palette via the merging of contemporary spoken word and post-punk/electro instrumental arrangements, bringing to the surface each artist's individual musicality.'
★★★★
The List
'Pure Concrete is Glasgow in a nutshell; diverse, boozy, unshrinking, occasionally crude, and often hilarious.'
★★★★
The Wee Review
Praise for Experience Essential:
‘Experience Essential sees spoken word artist Gilday deliver a series of vocally driven and authoritative songs that are presented with powerful and inventive backing tracks. The album fully showcases the vitality of the poet’s words and presents a new and fresh way to experience spoken word poetry.’
The Wee Review
‘One of the strangest albums you’re ever likely to hear.’
Transistor
‘Hector’s musical contribution, unexpectedly euphoric at points, adds an exciting new dimension to Gilday’s already well-established down-in-the-gutter narratives: keep your ears pricked up for what The Glasgow Cross have to offer next.’
Ravechild
