Void Pleasantries - Live at the Orb

By Eli Andrew

As the title suggests, Live at The Orb is a live album from Scottish-rockers Void Pleasantries, performed at The Orb Bar Bellshill, North Lanarkshire (locally famed for hosting a scene in T2: Trainspotting, and which unfortunately has closed down as recently as February 2025).

Capturing their set from December 2024, the album chugs through nine tracks of raw 90s-style Grunge and Hard Rock. Opener ‘Tedious Lie’ is a raucous intro featuring shrieking wah guitars, clattering drum fills and Alice in Chains-style vocals. This pretty much sets the scene for the rest of the record; you can hear the sludgy influence of grunge heavyweights like Nirvana and Soundgarden in the dark, brooding melodies of ‘Animals’ and the heavy yet melodic sound of ‘The Meddler’. Particularly Bleach-era Nirvana, with the raw, distorted, punk-like grunge of ‘I Will Name It’ and ‘What You Want’. Lead singer John McKellar’s vocals alternate between 70s Ozzy Osbourne-style screeches (‘Be the Hunted’) and the deep, mournful, drawn-out growls of Layne Staley (‘More Than We Bargain For’). The recording quality does sometimes make McKellar sound distant (although this does add to the album’s raw live sound), but the influences are clear.

Guitarist (and John’s brother) Ross McKeller excels at deep, pummelling riffs and swirling lead guitar licks akin to the stoner-rock of Kyuss, but he mixes it up slightly on ‘How Can We Live’, which features a tamer, ‘Rockin’ All Over the World’-esque riff. The real standouts include ‘Give In’ and ‘Be the Hunted’, both a poignant break from the heavy fuzz of the rest of the album. The arpeggiated guitar intros are almost tender before the distortion kicks back in, lending a feel similar to Metallica’s ‘Nothing Else Matters’, or Nirvana’s ‘About A Girl’.

The album’s raw sound transports you to the venue. You can almost feel the sweat flying in the mosh pit and the stale smell of booze rising from the damp floor. Void Pleasantries display impressive endurance here with each track performed with as much intensity as the last, and turned right up to 11.