Aereogramme, Perth Twa Tams
"Shut up!" Craig B intones darkly. "Please?"
he adds, flashing a grin at the chattering classes.
However, for such a seemingly mild-mannered guy, Aereogramme's
singer loses patience as he adjusts the lyrics in 'Faster' to
address a heckler. "Fuck you". This time there's no
smile. Whether the background noise continues we'll never know
as the band decide sonic attack is the best form of defence. 'Zionist
Timing', a behemoth of a song, rips its way through the audience
at ear-splitting volume. Even the "quiet" ones - well,
according to the band - are loud. 'Meaningful Existence' may be
slow, reflective, but subdued it ain't; a runaway juggernaut of
a song, building to a climax and a sudden, eerie calm.
But it's not all quiet/LOUD, or even loud/LOUDER dynamics, oh
no - the band may listen to Slayer at home, there may be hints
of US alt.rock like Karate or Unwound in their make-up, but there's
so much more to them - the ambitious heights striven for on their
album 'A Story in White' are reached live via samples of tinkling
piano and shuddering synth. They're a band of contrasts for sure;
from the demented stop-start of 'Fuel to Burn' through the fragile
melodies of 'Hatred', to the closing 'Shouting for Joey' which
sees singer bellowing while squeezed between speaker stack and
ceiling, the rest of the band flailing at their instruments below
like men possessed. Everything about them is too big for intimate
venues like Tams, they're destined for greater things - like stadiums.
For now, this is a moment to treasure. In reverential silence.
Stuart McHugh
(originally from The Fly)
ROCK/POP
RADAR BROTHERS
West 13, Glasgow, Wed 29th May
*****
"Everyone got a drink okay? ... at 2.45 in the afternoon?"
Jim Puntam gently chides the matinee audience at this free gig
celebrating the 13th Note's rebirth/relocation. Of course, the
audience, a mix of musical types relocated from the old Note plus
the odd actual punter on a late liquid lunch, all have glasses
in hand. You'd think that a Breeders tour would have prepared
the band for such mild debauchery, but the Radar Brothers are
hardly rock'n'roll animals on the evidence of their laid-back
masterpiece '...And The Surrounding Mountains' - an album whose
chilledness suggests an afternoon pint might push them over the
edge. From the opening backmasking of 'Still Evil' to the Joy
Division-doing-alt.country that is 'Mothers', the set's a facsimile
of the recordings, but up close the interplay between the 5 musicians
is a joy to watch - near-instrumental 'Mountains' is a soundscape
worthy of the album's title. When all's done we raise our glasses
to the Brothers. What better tribute?
ROCK/POP
BEARSUIT/PURPLE MUNKIE/WE BECOME LESS
The Venue, Edinburgh, Fri 26th July
****
These days, pigeonholing good music almost always utilises two
little words - punk rock. Take We Become Less - predominantly
emo, but mixing in old-skool HM; mathematically-oriented stop/start
rhythms, and a grindcore/speedmetal closer.
Meanwhile, Purple Munkie's back-catalogue is anointed with the
joyous spirit of the Buzzocks. A mid-career metal phase seemingly
conquered, oldies like the bouncy 'Queens of...' shine brightest,
though with new material like 'Treat Yourself' it's clear that
they can still pen a tune.
Norwich's Bearsuit, put simply, are the punk rock Belle and Sebastian.
Led by a skinny bloke on guitar, with occasional wispy female
vocals, they shamble their way into gear, throwing their repertoire
of hooks at a range of instruments including accordion and a
mini-brass section which propels the giant grin-inducing choruses.
Who said punk couldn't be fun?
ROCK/POP
END OF THE MONTH CLUB
13th Note Cafe, Glasgow, Thu 30th May
****
It does what it says on the ad and much more - on tv it'd be a
'review' show, but here in the 13th Note it's a soundtrack for
'Have I Got News For You'; our hosts a Half Man Half Biscuit for
the internet generation, as snippets of current affairs are set
to a bewildering array of mixed-up messed-up sounds. Minor celebrities
are celebrated and pilloried as our hosts cook up a variety of
satirical tunes, like the Roy Keane saga set to music, and a soundclash
pitting Ozzy Ozbourne against 80's Scots popster Owen Paul. And
there's music too - taking centre stage tonight is Sean Dickson,
who arrives, Omnichord in lap, allowing TJ Boz to work the decks.
The High Fidelity / Bozilla marriage works a treat and prompts
a promise of collaborations in future. All this and audience participation
in the Felt-Tip Challenge, a display of 'awkward dancing', plus
a fine set from Bozilla themselves leaves us counting the days
until the 30th June.
ROCK/POP
MONICA QUEEN / BILL WELLS / TRANSELEMENT
King Tut's, Glasgow, Fri June 7th
****
A droning cello, looping back on itself as a sampler chews up
and spits out the sounds. That'll be tRANSELEMENt then? No, surprisingly
not, a running order change means that onstage is Bill Wells -
master of the freeform and whose name carries the mandatory suffix
'jazz maverick'. Stranger still, partnering him is one Isobel
Campbell - recently having departed Belle and Sebastian mid-US
tour. No breathy vocals, nor selections from her forthcoming album
(with Wells) of Billie Holiday standards. Instead, cello in hand,
she delivers a improvised sequence of scales and snippets of vaguely
familiar tunes, occasionally played pizzicato. Wells' sampler
provides the fortissimo with an often deafening wall of noise.
So, what more suitable outlet for all this than Glasgow's Creeping
Bent label, which epitomises the term 'eclectic'.
Perhaps unsurprisingly there are no Belle and Sebastian covers
on show; a theme continued by that band's occasional hired hand,
Monica Queen, who instead concentrates on her recent '10 Sorrowful
Mysteries' album. Performing in candlelit half-darkness, the stripped-down
set and Queen's plaintive vocal, from 'I'm Sorry Darling' through
to the sublime '77x', is a melange of bittersweet Americana.
Try and pigeonhole tRANSELEMENt, however and you have a job on
your hands. An all-seated 4-piece act with an array of samplers,
they're not all they seem. From the almost-medieval 'Wet Deck'
to the rather more contemporary stop-start rhythms of 'September
in June' they constantly change and confound - a touch of flamenco
here, some decidedly prog rock stylings there. Their mix of musical
genres from avant-garde to pop pretty much encapsulates the label.
Looks like Bent is the new straight.
Frank Black / Aereogramme, Edinburgh Liquid Room, 6th
August
You can usually tell a lot about a gig just by looking at the
audience. Not tonight, however. Sure, it's a sell-out, but whether
they're 30-somethings revisiting their Pixies albums isn't clear.
Aereogramme may have had this in mind - will they win over a crowd
whose last purchase may well have been 'Trompe le Monde' - on
vinyl? Well, it's clear that they will have made a few new friends
on this showing: the crowd - swelled by tourists in town for the
festival - are won over by their dynamic sound and a stage show
which exudes 110% commitment. From the lilting 'Hatred' to the
the full-on rock leanings of 'Zionist Timing', they are a band
reeking of confidence, and well they might as album 'A Story in
White' has the markings of a classic.
So, having established that if the audience weren't Aereogramme
fans, they are now, we can ask again, who have they really come
to see? Frank Black or the Pixies? Maybe even the Catholics? Surprisingly
the answer seems to be the latter. Obviously any Pixies material
aired is met with approval, but the calls for 'Debaser' are few
(and unanswered) while tunes from more recent solo albums such
as 'Pistolero' are welcomed like returning heroes. Even the memories
of the Pixies ex-members are erased, thanks in part to guitarist
Rich Gilbert. Resplendent in red linen suit and green loafers,
he takes guitar playing to a new art form, delivering Joey Santiago's
guitar licks in such a deadpan way that the term "guitar
anti-hero" requires to be coined. Something of a virtuoso,
he also delivers slide guitar and keyboard, though the arrangements
sometimes leave a lot to be desired - the crisp punchy sound that
Aereogramme had seems to have become lost somewhere, and the full
set - close to 2 hours - is starting to become an ordeal for the
Pixies-spotters in the audience. However, they seem to be in the
minority, and are temporarily sated by 'Monkey Gone to Heaven'.
Most of the Black anoraks are happy to singalong to anything,
be it a good if muffled 'All My Ghosts' - perhaps the best-known
Catholics song - or the apt closer 'If It Takes All Night'. The
rapturous reception means encores are inevitable, and, ever-unpredictable,
we're transported further back into 80's student bedsits with
a cover of 'Dirty Old Town'. 'Speedy Marie' and 'Where is My Mind'
further win back the old-timers in the audience, but for the majority
of tonight's crowd, the new Frank Black will do nicely.
Stuart McHugh
Half Man Half Biscuit - Cammell Laird Social Club (Probe Plus)
"Satisfaction"! "My Generation!" "`Trumpton
Riots!"
Perhaps uniquely, the Biscuit are one band whose back catalogue
is grows in stature with every release. Here, they attend a Beatles
tribute concert "as the bootleg Mark Chapman", run through
'The Referee's Alphabet' (U is for Umpire - "who's the bastard
in the hat"?) and heap righteous scorn on Great British institutions
like Aga-owning novelists, Turner Prize judges, and, er, Lisa
Riley. Musically they mix blues, raucous singalongs, and, on 'She's
in Broadstairs', steamroller yer White Rebel Trail of Strokes
indie also-rans. 16 years on, Nigel and co remain spokesmen for
a generation who can't be arsed.
Lapsus Linguae (*****)/ Moniack (****) / Hail Caesar (****)
Cafe Royal, Edinburgh, 14th December
It may be the season of goodwill to all, but some decidedly unfestive
vibes are floating around the Cafe Royale. Well, dedicating 'I
Will Cut You' to the audience hardly seems a charitable act from
Hail Caesar. But it's said with a cheeky grin by frontman Vic
Galloway, the band formerly known as Huckleberry playing a hometown
gig in frontof friends and family. Thus, they seem much more at
ease than in their recent Glasgow outing - perhaps it's that their
swirling garage rock works much better in front of a big excitable
crowd .
And it is a sizeable throng that greets Moniack, another bunch
of homecoming heroes. At this, their first Edinburgh gig in over
three years, band and audience connect and seem almost overjoyed
to be in each other's company. Mind you, via their 70s prog leanings
(as well as hair and shirts), the 5-piece are decidedly luvved
up. Sonically they're more aggressive - a steamrolling stop-start
set is punctuated by some intricate moments of guitar; think King
Crimson being bludgeoned by Motorhead.
Lapsus Linguae also have quiet contemplative passages in a multi-vehicle
pile-up of a set - their trademark tinkling piano is more in evidence
than in recemt gigs adding colour to their darkly gothic canon.
They launch headlong into the Liberace-does-death-metal of 'Parade'
and career through a set that mixes golden oldies with some nerve-jangling
new material, which, they announce, will be on an album next year.
"Buy it, you ****s" screeches an eerie disembodied voice
which may have come from the merchandise table. Could be an ideal
present for Xmas 2004.
Stuart McHugh
ROCK/POP
LAPSUS LINGUAE/BRUTAL GOOSE/CLOSER/SKAPPAH-FLO
Soundgarden@Starka, Motherwell, Thu June 14th
****
Despite a range of famous sons (largely co-opted into the Glasgow
'scene') it's still a surprise to see Lanarkshire appearing more
on the toilet-circuit tour listings.
Happily, Starka is more like a small comfy sitting-room - one
with a bar and a great big hi-fi, and a ready-made and appreciative
audience at least partly comprised of local musicians who've not
decamped west.
Like Skappah-flo, who are playing their second gig, but being
an offshoot of other bands are practised songwriters. At times
excessively loud - starting off like an instrumental Aereogramme
- they also have some slow quiet moves with well-worked harmonies.
Closer, meanwhile, have also been around a bit - having moved
from pop/rock via grunge they've settled what's often termed 'angular'
- jerky, fast and LOUD. There's a tune or 2 which could be honed
- is there a Mr Albini in the house?
Possibly - in fact the venue's soundman deserts his post to take
on vocal duties with local heroes Brutal Goose. Very metal, indeed
too metal for your reviewer, they're a shouty stoner take on
AC/DC / Iron Maiden-style rock. Either way, the audience love
them.
Harder to say how much they love Lapsus Linguae. Simply because
'banter' betwixt group and fans is integral to the show. Penelope
Collegefriend enters the crowd a mere 10 seconds into 'The Strang'
and remonstrates "this is supposed to be poignant!"
to the chatterers during one of their piano interludes, before
they explode into the massive punk-prog hybrid of 'Parade'. Unfortunately
equipment and ultimately their set begin to fall apart, meaning
that only some inter-band/punter wrestling and gratuitous nudity
are left in their bag of tricks.
Fortunately, the audience love them too. Motherwell, rock city?
Could be.
ROCK/POP
ALL THE MONGO'S PARTIES
A Flat in Glasgow's West End, 19th-21st April
****
Mud. Toilets. Muddy toilets. Yes, festival season approaches.Here's
a crazy idea - have your rock festival in a comfortable location
with all mod cons.
And then hold the thing on the south coast of England.
Rewind. Let's do the show right here - 'here' being a flat in
Glasgow. Day 3 encapsulates the festival spirit nicely. The Hector
Collectors are by definition top of the bill, having featured
on John Peel TWICE. Shambling, under-rehearsed, and pure entertainment.
Following this pattern,The Pendulums are doing their first gig
after 2 practice sessions. Treading a fine line between the Bonzo
Dog Band and Simon and Garfunkel, they have a bunch of tunes and
twice as many ideas. Yay us!, as their name suggests, endeavour
to be your new favourite band, and resplendent in uniform of blue
t-shirts they, as expected, produce punky 3-chord thrash. Which
is one chord more than Lifeform 281 - think the Stooges with Alex
Harvey on vocals. Still highly entertaining, however, the singer
even getting his shirt off. Leading us to the finale, which features
something of a supergroup in Lemons Are Lucky. With as many onstage
as in the audience, it's like The Fall doing post-rock for laughs
as everyone chips in with sundry instrumentation.
And the toilet is still working. Some day all festivals will be
like this.
Malcolm Middleton interviewed for The List
'It's easier - being behind a hairy guy with a beard.'
Always a plus point of playing in Arab Strap, Malcolm Middleton's
been happy enough to remain stage left. However, a solo album
5:14 fluoxytine seagull alcohol john nicotine - he declines
to break the title down for us, on the basis that it would be
less interesting - has rather forced the guitarist into the spotlight.
Well, almost - protected by the facade of Crappo the Clown, a
down-at-heel character whose image adorns the album sleeve and
whose persona entertains, like most clowns, via his ineptitude.
"It's not a concept album" he offers quickly. 'Crappo
is about being useless and stupid, but in a funny way.'
Ineptitude and (false) modesty is a theme that runs through the
album. Closing track Devil and Angels sees the evil half
of this pairing come to Malcolm and declare "your songs are
all shite".
Happily, the songs aren't shite; instead there's a simplicity
of arrangement harking back to Arab Strap's debut The Week
Never Starts Round Here, only with a songwriting craft clearly
developed over 4 albums. But given the nature of the music press,
is he just pre-empting the bad reviews?
'That's what Aidan (Moffat) said, pointing out that I was setting
myself up for people to slag it off, but that's fine... maybe
it'd be too easy'
The album is a mix of acoustic tracks, and a few beautifully-instrumented
band pieces which employ a few (in)famous names. Was there any
danger of this becoming a Reindeer-Section-style community? Middleton
laughs.
"No, that wasn't the idea. Not everyone realises that Aidan
drums on all the Arab Strap records so he was the obvious choice.
(Mogwai's) Barry Burns is an amazing piano player... and Jenny
from Eva, I love her voice and she's an amazing violin player...
oh, and I stole James Woods from The Delgados to play trumpet
on one song.'
Coincidentally, the aforementioned Reindeer Section gave Middleton
his live solo debut - and without a band rehearsed, it was a case
of being thrust in at the deep end.
'I wasn't that comfortable about singing live, but I've been doing
it myself at home for ages. People always said I should sing with
the Strap more - I sang 3 songs on the first album -but it was
never the right time or place.'
For Malcolm Middleton, the time is now.
ROCK/POP
RISINGSON/HUCKLEBERRY/AMATEUR ANTI-GUITAR HEROES
The Path, Kirkcaldy, Sat 9th March
·····
Kirkcaldy, Rock City. Doesn't quite trip off the tongue, but it's
but not for the want of trying. However, we're again gathered
in Fife to pay tribute to - at least locally - a legend, as The
Path Tavern is closing its doors to the gig circuit. And curiously
its 3-night closing party is something of a trawl through the
years - Singleskin can only be described as 'new-wave' while Motormark
cut'n'paste the Ramones and Go-gos to make dancefloor fillers.
The final night continues the theme - Local lads Amateur Guitar
Anti-Heroes do the punk crossover thing to great effect; shouty
with a Mary Chain vibe, though with a bit of surf guitar chucked
into the pot. Huckleberry are steeped further in the past, grungey
in a 60's kind of way - thrashy garage rock, with more than a
hint of prog in those time signatures, and of course their trademark
organ.
But it's fitting that Risingson should close the place in an emotionally
charged set, peaking in a tumultuous 'Evil TV' with John Hutchinson's
decks the only concession to their trip-hop punk rock epithet;
the band now producing full-on rock which could blow away today's
nu-metal acts. This would be a fitting end, but the band re-emerge
and reform Coffee, the high-school punk act who were first to
play the venue. However, this feels more like a private wake for
fans and family, so we make our excuses and leave The Path for
the last time.
Stuart McHugh
Spare Snare / Degrassi, Perth Twa Tams (from The Fly)
As big as Nirvana? That's what the promoter predicts for Degrassi.
Surely the tightest band never to have worked with Steve Albini,
they're a flurry of jerky rhythms and powerchords, their tearaway
tunes always coming to a halt just before they career into the
audience. Perhaps a bit (ahem) 'angular' to be pop stars, there
are hints of tunes that could prove the doubters wrong.
No such problems for Spare Snare - anyone that knows their album
Charm will be mystified why they're not big by now. Previously
lo-fi bedroom shamblers with a neat line in songwriting, they
still air 'SuperSlinky', but the new material, with the Delgados
production mark of quality, sees beautifully conceived tunes.
Live they're lively as ever, but tighter than before - 'Surrender'
and their stompin' cover of Destiny's Child's 'Say My Name' particular
high-points. With oldie 'Bugs' to finish as fine as ever you fell
there's maybe still time for the Snare to save pop.
ROCK/POP
Won Mississippi
Thee Underworld@Bannermans, Edinburgh, Thu 7th March
*****
"100?" How to describe... any band in so few
words?
Emo? No. Emotive? Certainly. Lyrics which evoke flashes of past
loves, of days long gone: "Sepia tone screen kisses / All
of this for show".
Hardcore? Make no mistake, Won Mississippi ROCK. Formidably aggressive
one moment, a chorus to kill for the next, twin vocals that scarcely
need miked in Bannermans' small cellar. Visceral? Intense? 'Freehand
Circles' has the rage of early Wire; 'Avoid Cameras' unexpectedly
shudders into waltz pace halfway through.
Diverse? Even 500 words wouldn't capture the soul of Won Mississippi
.
In short, best experience them for yourself. Go hear. Now.
Stuart McHugh