Tragedy of young star who died while playing ‘Subcrawl’ game
SPECIAL REPORT
BY HELEN McARDLE
HE was tipped as “the next big thing” in Scotland’s indie music scene, but tragically died while taking part in Glasgow’s infamous “Subcrawl” – a game which sees young party-goers and students downing at least one drink at a pub near each of the city’s 15 subway stops. The Lapelles’ frontman Gary Watson, from East Kilbride, was partying with friends and bandmates last Saturday night on the eve of his 22nd birthday. The Subcrawl game has become a rite of passage for students and an increasingly popular sport for stag and hen party revellers.
Many of his friends told the Sunday Herald they understood that Watson died while taking part in the game.
Tragically, what should have been ordinary, youthful fun turned to disaster as the group made its way across Glasgow Bridge, between the St Enoch and Bridge Street subway stops, at around 10pm.
In what has been described as a “tragic accident”, Watson lost his footing and plunged into the River Clyde below, later dying from his injuries. The bridge has a substantial waist-high parapet, raising questions about how the accident could have occurred.
Watson’s death has sparked an outpouring of grief, admiration and warmth, with big-name bands including Franz Ferdinand and The Kooks tweeting tributes to a “lovely, talented man” and NME magazine reporting that the “void Watson leaves in [the Scottish indie] scene will be strongly felt”.
The consensus is that singer-guitarist Watson and The Lapelles were on the cusp of fame and success with the energy of their gigs drawing comparisons with the early days of Teenage Fanclub and Franz Ferdinand.
Harvey Russell, a friend and performer in indie band The Rockalls said: “My fondest memories of Gary were the countless times he would jump up on stage with us during a gig and join us in singing his personal favourite song of ours, Egoville, which we as a band loved doing with him. Gary will be sorely missed in the world and there was no doubt about it he was on a path to being the next big thing.”
The Lapelles had four singles under their belt, a debut performance at T in the Park, a sold-out show at Glasgow’s indie hotspot King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut last month, and were poised to embark on their first nationwide UK tour in October.
Watson’s sudden passing has sent shockwaves through the Scottish music scene. “The folk I know who were pals with him and who are of that same age group where you feel quite invincible – it has really struck a chord with them,” said Calum Morton, a music writer who had rated Watson and his band as “one to watch”.
Morton added: “As a performer Gary was really respected. He had a stage presence and an energy for live gigs, but he came off as a naturally outgoing person – Gary was easy to chat to but not full of himself either. If you listen to a lot of their stuff, it’s hard to define but some bands just seem to have a consistency in their sound that makes them seem more professional. They seemed quite a mature band for their age.”
Friends also praised the musician for having a “heart of gold”. As a pupil at Calderglen High he was among the first to volunteer for a befriending service for the elderly.
His former headteacher Liz White recalled Watson’s “passionate love and talent for music” and as a “kind, considerate, charming” young man.
CONNOR Knox, guitarist with The Rockalls, said “there was never a dull moment” with Watson, adding: “Not once did I ever see Gary with a frown on his face, he was always smiling. “He is without a doubt one of the most talented people I have ever met. Gary Watson is the definition of 110 per cent, he put so much into everything he did, with a heart of gold.”
Hadyn Park-Patterson, of band Ninth Wave, said Watson loved “anything old or vintage” so much that he used to bash out song lyrics on a typewriter.
One night, after Park-Patterson had just had his vintage VW Beetle restored, the pair took it for a spin in Glasgow.
“We got in the car – me, my girlfriend Nicole and Gary – and as soon as we got in he asked if I would put on All My Friends by LCD Soundsystem. At the time the car had a full-on boy racer sound system in the back.
“We started driving and when we were passing through the west end he started pointing out the most obvious landmarks – ‘there’s the Kelvingrove Museum, and that’s the bar BrewDog’ and so on. We obviously knew these places, but anyone who knew Gary well will know the way he would get sometimes – staring up at places with a half smile and an excited energy around him, with a total passion for whatever he was doing.”