Having picked up a pre-release copy of Playground For Life, and spending most of the weeks leading up to Christmas wearing it out on the CD player, I was desperate to hear Glyder play their new material live. Knowing that the official album launch was in January, a rush of blood to the head along with some internet browsing saw me secure a ticket for the gig, a hotel reasonably close to the venue and some unbelievably cheap flights to Dublin - 1p either way + taxes would you believe - all in the space of 15mins. Mind you value for money was the last thing on my mind as the plane bobbed around the turbulent skies and it was obvious that it was going to be a heavy landing, there was even total silence on the packed plane as it approached the airport. Having said that it was all good preparation for the manic rush hour traffic in Dublin.

As the audience entered the venue the band had organized a nice touch for everyone was they were greeted by a number of the characters featured in the wonderful artwork by Mark Wilkinson on the new album, even more so as a copy of the album was included in the ticket price. With a couple of pints of the local brew in hand (it really does taste better in Ireland) Glyder hit the stage straight into a powerful version of Gambler’s Blues. The transitions in this song working superbly as it built to the guitar driven climax. There was not time for anyone to catch their breath however as Sweets kept the tempo moving and the twin guitars of Pete Fisher and Bat Kinane really lifted things up another gear towards the end of the track at which point Tony Cullen let slip the secret of the set list – Glyder were going to play the whole of the new album start to finish.

With that in mind it was no surprise that Puppet Queen was next and it was all going well and until suddenly Bat lost all power on his side of the stage leaving Cullen to joke that the band were becoming a three piece. But there was a serious power issue, luckily in front of a crowd of die hard fans it wasn't a problem, a 10 minute break to sort it out allowing just enough time to head to the bar another pint. With power restored a crashing power chord marked the return of Bat’s guitar as the band launched into the highlight of the night, the title track of the new album Playground For Life. 

Given that the whole album was to be played, there was a possibility that some of the songs wouldn't prove to be as strong in the live environment as others. it's not often that bands have the material to deliver an entire album in on go but this is where Glyder have really moved on with the new material. There is a real level of versatility and strength in the new numbers and For Your Skin, Walking My Own Ground, Dark Meets Light and the haunting Sleeping Gun were all met with growing appreciation and applause. Rounding out the main set with a driving version of Over and Over and then The Merrygoround, a clever song with a serious message, it was clear that the crowd want more and Glyder duly obliged returning to the stage for an encore of tracks taken from the debut album. 

A classy version of Die or Dance opened up the encore with the band really looking as if they were enjoying the whole experience and from there it was a smooth journey through PUP, Stargazer, You Won’t Bring Me Down before finally bringing the curtain down on the evening with Colour Of Money. Apart from the slight technical glitch, Glyder really did put on a  great show and showed themselves to be on top of their game. With a strong new album deserving to be a success and the endorsement of none other than Philomena Lynott stating at the end that Glyder "have the material and the talent to go with it", 2008 could well end up being Glyder’s year.

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