From the tides of the Atlantic came the sounds of Scotland, blessing our weary souls with We Were Promised Jetpacks’ first Dallas performance in years. Setting Dallas ablaze with dreamy Scottish accents, classic guitar-heavy rhythms, and virtuously danceable, yet staggeringly straightforward percussions – this show did not disappoint. Let me start by saying that if anyone reading this goes from enduring 6 months of chemotherapy, battling Lymphoma, to hitting the road with their band and absolutely dominating his/her corner of the stage in the same lifetime as Michael Palmer (guitarist) of We Were Promised Jetpacks, you have my utmost respect and adulation. His contribution to the set, while alternating between minimal and maniacal, was consistently entertaining and I could not be more impressed. Vocalist/guitarist Adam Thompson led his enraptured audience into the night with ‘Safety in Numbers’, the opening track off their latest album, Unravelling.
His soft-spoken banter between songs was always juxtaposed by his booming vocals in high-volume anthems like ‘Quiet Little Voices’ and ‘Ships With Holes Will Sink’, while still mingling with the audiences enthusiastic chants of choruses and verses alike. Drummer Darren Lackie, especially impressed with his charismatic showmanship, bringing a unique flare to the stage that was seldom unnoticeable even from behind the four other Scotsmen standing in the foreground.
Closing the performance with a crowd favorite, ‘It’s Thunder And It’s Lightening’, we were left begging for an encore. And an epic encore we received. I am certain I do not stand alone when I say that I cannot wait for We Were Promised Jetpacks to return for another dose of rock’n’roll euphoria.
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