Scotland’s leading music social club, Born To Be Wide, is to host a special celebration of Edinburgh’s music scene with live previews by local bands and DJs selecting their favourite four tracks by acts from the capital.

Taking place at the Electric Circus on Thursday 5 August, the night will feature ten-minute taster sets by acts performing at various music events taking place during the month. These include The Edge, Retreat, Acoustic Edinburgh, Forest Fringe and the Jazz Festival. Guests will also have the opportunity to win golden tickets in a capital music quiz.

“Edinburgh’s music scene is more vibrant than it has been for a generation, and in August musicians will be challenging the dominance of theatre, comedy and mingers squeezing into corsets in the name of burlesque,” says BTBW co-organiserOlaf Furniss. “This is an excellent opportunity for both visitors and locals to catch some of the great acts who make things happen throughout the year and get a taste of the music events being hosted during the Fringe.”

In addition to the live previews by artists including Meursault (pictured), Stanley Odd, Carrie Mac and Emily Scott – which will take place on the hour and half hour – key figures from the city’s scene will play their favourite records by Edinburgh bands.

DJs include the owners of venues Cabaret Voltaire, Sneaky Pete’s and Electric Circus, the BBC’s Vic Galloway, Avalanche Record shop owner Kevin Buckle and the promoters of many of the month’s big music events.

“The response has been amazing,” says Furniss. “All the musicians, event organisers and DJs invited to take part, said ‘yes.’ It is going to be great to have all these acts in one place and to hear what records end up being played.”

Members of the public posting their favourite four tracks by Edinburgh acts on the BTBW Facebook page will be given a place on the guest list.

LIVE PREVIEWS

On the hour and half hour
Fueldiva, Steve Heron, Carrie Mac, Haftor Medboe, Hidden Orchestra,
Holden, Meursault, Emily Scott, Stanley Odd, Enfant Bastard

CONFIRMED DJS

Muslim Alim [BBC], Tallah Brash [This Is Music / Lach’s Antihoot], Kevin Buckle [Avalanche Records], Jason Clarkson [Electric Circus], Dave Corbett [DF Concerts/The Edge Festival], Dave Cuming [Limbo], Sarah David [Cabaret Voltaire], Vic Galloway [BBC], Chris Knight [Astrojazz/Kelburn Garden Pary/Departure Lounge], John Paul Mason [Is This Music?], David Pollock [Journalist], Mark Robertson [Edinburgh International Festival], Colin Somerville [Broadcaster/Journalist], Ed Stack [Ten Tracks],
Nick Stewart [Sneaky Pete’s], Jonathan Tait [Academy Of Music And Sound], Kevin Willliamson [Author/Broadcaster], Matthew Young [Song By Toad]

Picture: Meursault @ Glastonbury 2010 (rokbun)

Calling all artists, bands, managers, agents and record labels interested in showcasing at SXSW or MIDEM

Creative Scotland, in partnership with SxSW, MIDEM and UKTI and the Cultural Enterprise Office are hosting an information session for artists, bands, managers, agents, record labels interested in showcasing at SXSW or MIDEM.

The session, which takes place on 31 August 2010 in Glasgow at the Glasgow ABC2 at 7pm, will cover WHY you’d want to showcase, WHEN the best time to do this is and HOW you go about planning and executing a successful showcasing campaign. We’ll cover how much it’ll cost, funding available, PR, visas, on the ground support and everything you’ll need to know about these events before deciding whether or when to apply.

Scottish artists and managers who have showcased in the past will talk about their experiences and there will be an opportunity to meet representatives from both events. Details of speakers will be announced shortly. The event is presented by Creative Scotland with SXSW, MIDEM and UKTI in partnership with Cultural Enterprise Office.

How to book: This event is free of charge but booking is essential. To reserve a place, please email events@culturalenterpriseoffice.co.uk or call 0844 544 999

The brief, self-penned descriptions of the Cancel the Astronauts band members on their Myspace are worryingly accurate, vocalist Matthew Riley somehow manages to pull off a rather fetching pair of red trackies.

Bassist Neil Davidson’s description simply reads ‘bass and height’ which is more than accurate as he ambles onstage, stooping out of necessity.

Guitarist Kieran McCaffrey and drummer Chris Kay look like they’re at the wrong gig. The position of McCaffrey’s guitar on his person (tickling his kneecaps) harks back to the short-lived golden era of embarrassing nu-metal circa 2000. Kay has boldly opted for the wifebeater vest and fingerless gloves combo.

Appearances aside, the Edinburgh five-piece are undoubtedly highly talented musicians with a confident, vibrant and frantic sound.

‘Intervention’, described by Riley as “a dancing song”, is a perfect example. McCaffrey’s spritely hammer-ons are aptly complemented by Kay’s impressive high hat work, a pounding bass line and Riley’s pomp and vigour on rhythm guitar. Synth player Michael Craig’s siren-like keys underpin the song and hold everything together.

‘Let’s Go Expo’ builds cleverly from a sombre, nostalgic intro to an energetic finish which is lapped up appreciatively by the crowd. The only possible negative to be found in the band’s repertoire is a tendency to employ “root-note Sally” bass lines.

On a visual level,  Astral Planes are wildly different. My eyes light up as I spy what looks like Reggae sensation and devout hacidic Jew Matisyahu shuffling onstage for an impromptu performance, turns out it’s just the Planes’ road manager checking the mics.

There was to be Jewish reggae tonight, as Planes take a completely different image from their manager, guitarist Chris “Chad” Haddow’s glorious locks and penchant for polo necks, wouldn’t be out of place on a Byrds album cover.

Planes fly out of the blocks and plunge straight into a rendition of ‘Shut the Door’ that’s as tight as a young nun. ‘Diamond Diner’ is the best showcase of their razor sharp yet delightfully unkempt and rough-edged sound. Jen Paley’s manic, Karen O-esque vocals sit rampantly astride an unashamedly rudimentary guitar riff, crashing cymbals and raucous full-band singing in unison.

The girl from the Garden State’s bewitching stage presence simply commands attention. She embodies the evident sense of enjoyment and enthusiasm within the band as Astral Planes saunter through their set with understandable swagger.

Fraser McFadzean’s engaging bass lines and Chad’s inventive licks leave the crowd unable to do anything except nod along with a coy smirk plaster on their faces. Planes have a unique surly, brooding vibe about them and are certainly one to keep watching out for.

Astral Planes are playing Belladrum on 6 August

Words: Neale McDonald
Pics: Simon Jones

The turn out for Tunng is pretty solid tonight; perhaps proving their longevity beyond the surge of US TV airplay that seemed to help the London folk collective cultivate somewhat of a ‘cult’ following a few years back. It also might be that this is the band’s first trip to Glasgow in four years, as their last Scottish visit, with Malian desert-wanderers Tinariwen early last year, favoured the capital.

Rejuvenated and inspired after this particularly unusual tour pairing, the band released their fourth full-length, ‘And Then We Saw Land’, earlier this year. This marked a shift in their previous creative
processes and personnel; bringing forward the role of vocalist/instrumentalist Becky Jacobs, while putting focus on the band as a whole unit.

It could be a case of personal preference but for all the album’s fullness and focus on songs as opposed to self-described “sketches”, tonight the tracks often sound stripped of their idiosyncratic charm.
Particularly recent single ‘Hustle‘, which sounds as normal as any other jaunty radio-friendly folk number, especially when compared to the brittle beauty of their earlier work.

However, ‘Don’t Look Down Or Back‘, from the same album - joined tonight by the supporting Hannah Peel on Trombone - triumphantly breaks the spell early on, while ‘Bullets‘ rustles up an unlikely
singalong with its unsettling-ly catchy chorus (’we’re catching bullets in our teeth’).

Gangly guitarist/vocalist, and founding member, Mike Lindsay also ushers in an unlikely antidote to any tedium when he dons a pair of ridiculous Bootsy Collins-esque shades mid-set and proceeds to let rip
with some fantastically over-the-top guitar shredding. Judging by his sheer glee it would appear there is a monitor-straddling rockstar casualty inside Lindsay desperate to escape.

There is a prominent feeling of playfulness to their work, despite the contrasting darkness of the lyrical content, and one that manages to shine through tonight. However, the real pleasure lies in the set’s
more stripped-down moments; songs such as the eerie, atmospheric ‘Tales From The Black‘ and enduring closer ‘Woodcat‘, which undoubtedly raises the most noise of the night.

Words: Ryan Drever

To celebrate the release of their live DVD and album on 23rd August, Mogwai will be hosting a very special screening of their live film ‘Burning‘ tonight at 8pm (GMT)

You can view and take part in the screening by going direct to here

This film, Burning, is just one of a thousand Mogwai concert films to have ever been made. No, in fact, tens of thousands. How many people have seen the Scots rock band play live since they formed in Glasgow in 1995? That many, anyway. From sci-fi dystopia to kitchen-sink drama, everyone who experiences this band in concert will make a brand new movie in their head every time.

Mogwai create their own instrumental soundtrack to the imagination, and it’s up to us what we do with it. This isn’t a band who tell us what to think, this is a band who show us how much we can feel.

For directors Vincent Moon and Nathanaël Le Scouarnec (REM: Supernatural Superserious; Take-Away Shows), the three night residency they recorded at Brooklyn’s Music Hall of Williamsburg in early 2009 presented itself as a modern urban noir thriller, a black-and-white journey which starts on the same electrifying New York streets Bernard Hermann scored for Martin Scorsese. Manholes his steam, taxi headlights flare in the camera lens and strangers wait in street corner shadows.

Behind it all, ‘A Precipice’ rises into life, which is as good a place as any to start. A Mogwai gig can often feel like climbing a mountain, or falling off one: whichever feels more likely to remind you that you’re alive.

In grainy black and white, the show unfolds. The band make their way through a rain-washed Manhattan as ‘I’m Jim Morrison, I’m Dead’ hovers like a commuter’s MP3 soundtrack in the background; louche New York hipsters congregate before the show as the familiar echoes of ‘Hunted By a Freak’ kick in; the beatific, nodding faces of the crowd inside are contrasted with the going-to-sleep streets outside.

Meanwhile, the finest moments of one of the most individual live bands of our time are perfectly captured in grainy close-up: ‘Like Herod’s wall of noise; the dreamy ‘New Paths to Helicon pt 1’; ‘Mogwai Fear Satan’ (speaking of Bernard Hermann, there’s a shock worthy of Psycho in this song); the funereal ‘Scotland’s Shame’; strident finale ‘Batcat’.

In the words of Mogwai’s Stuart Braithwaite, “I don’t think we’re a very ‘Greatest Hits’ kind of band, but if we ever did release one, we’ve already decided to call it ‘The Sh*test P*sh’. I think that fact alone means we can never go through with it.” Which means, in other words, that Special Moves is probably the closest we’ll get to a ‘best of’ from them.

Moon and Le Scouarnec call their film an “experience of the senses… a lifetime of feelings in just one night.” You may prefer the quote which opens the band’s debut album Mogwai Young Team and which appears during the film as an intro to Batcat, a recording of a Norwegian fan reading a review of the band: “this music is bigger than words, wider than pictures; if the stars had a sound, they would sound like this.”

Or the words of an excitable young English woman speaking over the closing credits: “it’s like acid, but there’s no comedown.” Yes. It’s exactly like that.

Pic: Tomas Hermoso Edinburgh Corn Exchange October 2008

Wild Nothing was Inspired by a longtime love affair with nostalgia. His debut full- length album, Gemini, out now on Captured Tracks, is full of dreamy, carefree synth-pop songs that linger with an inexplicable sense of regret.

Prior to embarking on this recent solo-project Tatum sang and played guitar with the Abe Vigoda-ish tropical punk band Facepaint and the singer/songwriter project Jack and The Whale. In the summer of 2009 The Virginia tech-college student decided to embark on his first creative-solo project playing bass, guitar, synthesizer and drums while recording in his home-studio. He soon emerged with a unique brand of dreamy pop-songs influenced by bands like,My Bloody Valentine, Shop Assistants, Go-Betweens andCocteau Twins. In 2009 he delivered a memorable cover of the Kate Bush song Cloudbusting, making it clear that Wild Nothing transcended the lo-fi pop-mold.

On his debut album, Gemini, Tatumʼs frail vocals come warped in an oozing neon haze. Carefully orchestrated synth-pop arrangements, trebly guitar riffs and tattered drum machines blend together to create an intriguing, texturally rich glo-pop album that could come only from the young at heart.
Wild Nothing will play with his full band (including Jeff Haley (bass), Nathan Goodman (guitar and synthesizer) and Max Brooks (drums)

You can catch Wild Nothing at the Captains Rest in Glasgow on the 28th of July, tickets are here.

With one week to go until Wickerman, organisers of Scotland’s leading alternative music festival have named The Go! Team and I Blame Coco as the final acts to complete the bill on Wickerman’s Summerisle Main Stage next weekend (Friday 23 and Saturday 24 July).

This comes fast on the news earlier this week that I Am Arrows, Little Comets and Alan Pownall would also be taking a trip to Dumfries & Galloway to appear at Scotland’s friendliest music festival. The ninth Wickerman boasts the most diverse list of bands at any festival featuring such names as The Charlatans, Ocean Colour Scene, Teenage Fanclub, The Saw Doctors, The Futureheads, Tony Christie, Sons & Daughters, Buzzcocks, The Undertones, Goldie Lookin Chain, Fenech Soler, Erland & The Carnival, Unicorn Kid, Django Django and many more.

Following a break after the release of the critically acclaimed album Proof of Youth, The Go! Team promise festival goers a gleeful and exhilarating performance. Incorporating two drummers and a mixture of 1970s car chase themes, double dutch chants, old hip hop and loud guitars, The Go! Team will undoubtedly be one of the hits of the weekend.

I Blame Coco is fronted by 19-year-old Coco Sumner who takes her musical inspiration from Kraftwerk, Depeche Mode and The Cure. Debut single Caesar, featuring pop pixie Robyn, was released in February this year and new single Self Machine was released July 12. The daughter of Sting and Trudie Styler, Coco signed a six album deal with Island and is gearing up for the September release of debut long player The Constant.

The festival is once more supported by EventScotland who awarded Wickerman £20k in funding, for which organisers are extremely grateful.

Jamie Gilroy, land owner and director, commented: “It’s fantastic to be able to complete our line up with such exciting names. The Go! Team are one of the most fun, joyous and exuberant bands in the country and are sure to be offer an amazing performance. Likewise, Wickerman has always been about discovery of emerging talent and I Blame Coco is sure to not disappoint.”

Think of Glastonbury and the first thing that pops to mind is probably welly boots and rain. Not since 1992 has there been an entirely dry Glastonbury weekend. This year, Glastonbury turned 40 and that all changed with temperatures soaring across each of the 4 day festival well into the late 20s. Started way back in 1970 the day after Jimi Hendrix died tickets cost £1 and the 1500 strong crowd were treated to free milk and a set from Marc Bolan. In 2010 that figure was closer to 170000 with a hugely diverse lineup across not one but 45 stages. Glastonbury has grown into something bigger than a music festival, a sprawling tented town packed tight like Manhattan a fusion of cultures from across the world. Alongside music the festival attracts performers from theatre, film, the arts and even boasts its own circus. Like every forward thinking modern town you can eat some of the healthiest food on the planet, drink wonderfully tasty spicy chai at 4am or get a massage to relax in the healing field. That’s the beauty of this place, not only can you party all night long but you can recover in style and have an experience to wash away all the stresses of the modern world. The atmosphere at Glastonbury is unbelievably friendly with music fans from newborn babies (2 onsite births this year) to folks in their 80’s all united by the common factor of a love of music arts and having fun.

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Arriving on site everyone is gifted a Glastonbury canvas bag part of the festivals drive to lower the human footprint left on site and a neat way to encourage people to stop using plastic bags post festival. With a big effort on recycling and the recent installation of solar panels on the roof of organiser Michael Eavis cow shed (Mootel) it’s clear being kind to the environment is at the forefront of the organisers minds. A mechanical bin that spits out rubbish at passers by is a thought provoking art work that landed its creator two free tickets.

After some tea and scones in a tented tearoom it’s time to catch the first live music of the weekend, Beardyman. If you’ve ever waited round the edges of Bryant Park in NYC to watch one of their free summer movies then you know the chaos that ensued when they eventually opened the tent for Beardyman’s Thursday afternoon set. From empty to beyond capacity in seconds many were left to sit outside and soak up the glorious sunshine. For those inside Beardymans Stevie Wonder number went down especially well.

The second treat of the day involves a band from California and a rammed out Queens Head Stage. Local Natives are creating lots of buzz and the packed out tent know it. Every word of every song echoes round the circus like tent, the uplifting harmonies of songs like ‘World News‘, ‘Airplanes’, ‘Sun Hands’ and ‘Warning Sign’ let everyone know the weekend has arrived! The set even produces the first celebraty spot of the weekend, none other than Emma Watson form Harry Potter jumping around backstage.

Glasgow legends Optimo round off the energetic part of the night in the Stonebridge Bar. If all the dancing and load music gets too much then theirs the peaceful Stone Circle, perched on the hill above the vast site. This magical area is perfect for building fires and meeting lifelong friends to watch the sunrise emerge form the lantern lit night sky. It doenst get more surreal than this especially while listening to birds singing over balloons whistling to the sound of half the hill inhaling nitrous oxide! With so much diverse entertainment on offer the only problem with Glastonbury 2010 is remembering to go to get some sleep!

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Friday kicks off the festival proper with 80 year old Rolf Harris opening in front of a packed Pyramid audiance. Their is much affection for the painter entertainer and many are dressed as Rolf or sporting Kangaroos on their heads. Some festivals have to bribe the crowd with a chance of free tickets to dress up, at Glastonbury it somehow comes naturally. Some of the strangest outfits include 5 full size penguins, a frog, some rather sinister stilted angels and a Victorian gentleman being pushed towards the stone circle perched on a rather large piano.

Over a breakfast of hot granola suffocated with milk rumours are starting to circulate concerning the special guest on The Park Stage. Contenders include Arctic Monkeys, Arcade Fire, Jay Z and even Radiohead. I decided to take a walk up and get the scoop. The Park Stage is way up on the hill close to the Stone Circle and is overlooked by a vast tower with streamers that flutter in the wind and twinkle at night. For anyone prepared to line up for at least 10 minutes the tower gives some breathtaking panoramic views of the enormous festival. The Park Stage is curated by none other than Emily Eavis and for anyone interested in new music has arguably the best line up of any stage on the festival. The walk turns out to be more than worth the trip, it may be early but backstage I spot Thom Yorke, Emily and Michael Eavis in conversation with a reporter and photographer from The Guardian. So its confirmed Radiohead, or at the very least Thom Yorke will be the special guest on the Park Stage. Unable to contain my excitement I rush down to catch Frank Turner in a rammed Queens Head Stage. Before his set Frank confesses his favourite dressing room in the world can be found in the Oran Mor in Glasgow, he also lets slip he’ll be playing a secret acoustic slot at the Strummervill Stage late into the night.

‘I’ love coming to Glastonbury , I’ve been loads of times and usually get completely fucked up, but this year I’m going to stay sober and for the first time might even get a proper shower at my friends house’

Reports from Strummerville Stage suggests Frank was being overly optimistic on the staying sober front! Frank has tent bulging and a crowd who seem infatuated by the solo set, ‘The Road’ going down particularly well.

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Pheonix at the Other Stage excite before its time to run over to watch Snoop Dog at the Pyramid Stage. With no neds at Glastonbury Snoops bouncers turn out to be the scariest part of the weekend, dressed in suits looking like they’ve been plucked straight from an LA nightclub their intimating aura is certainly huge contrast to the chilled vibe of the rest of the festival! Snoop is followed on the Pyramid by the preppy sounds of Vampire Weekend who look slightly out of place on such a big stage, nevertheless with tunes like ‘A Punk’, ‘Run’ and ‘California English’ they just about carry it off.

Before Mumford and Sons at John Peel Stage there’s time to catch rising Scottish band Meursault over at the BBC Introducing Stage. Always a man in the know for many things but especially new music, Chris Cain from We Are Scientists said ‘I just got their new album and I really love it’. They opened with their epic ‘Crank Resolutions’ from said album All Creatures Will Make Merry. Further on in the chat with Chris he lets slip he is looking forward to seeing Frightened Rabbit,

‘Gary from Snow Patrol took us to Nice N Sleazys in Glasgow a few years back to see this band he was raving about, that was Frightened Rabbit and I been a fan ever since!’.

Safe in the knowlage that the Park stage special guest will not be Will Young (who is thankfully ligging not playing) it’s an easy choice to forgo Dizzie Rascal and the Gorillaz. As rumours circle that it might actually be Radiohead there’s no need to think and the half hour hike to the Park Stage begins. The Park is rammed and the anticipation of something really special is building. Thom Yorke emerges on stage to ‘The Eraser’ before the crowd is treated to several solo tracks. It than gets really exciting as Johnny Greenwood comes on for Idioteque.

‘Karma Police’ follows and the crowd refuse to let it finish as a mass singalong of ‘I Lost Myself’ stretches for several minutes before Thom Yorke joins back in!  With the Glastonbury 40 sign above and views of the whole sight beyond the stage this really is something of a treat. The element of surprise make this the highlight of the entire weekend, closing with ‘Street Spirit’ the crowd really cant believe their luck in witnessing such an intimate Radiohead performance. At Michael Eavis traditional Sunday morning press conference he hinted almost in the same breath when asked about U2 headlining in 2011 that Radiohead made a great headliner this year. The full set is below:

The Eraser
Harrowdown Hill
Negroid Swan
Cymbal Rush
Weird Fishes/Arpeggi
Monument Song
Idioteque
Karma Police
Street Spirit (Fade Out)

Theres not many festival where you’d see Thom Yorke strolling round in a straw hat with his top off but throught the weekend thats exactly the sight on several occasions as he patrolled the area around the Park stage, maybe he was taking in the atmosphere in preparation to headline the Pyramid in 2011!

Next up in this hectic day of back to back quality bands are the Flaming Lips. Earlier in the day singer Wayne Coyne was stomping round the backstage area with his son. Wayne is responsible for the funniest line of the weekend as I overheard him say to his kid in his OKLAHOMA accent

“look I told you already, you cant smoke pot until your 12!”

what an awesome dude! Sky full of confetti, a choir dressed completely as orange Munchkins and a front man emerging from a pulsating vagina in a huge inflatable balloon. Apparently the feeling of complete happiness all this produces is all par for the course at a Flaming Lips show! Its not easy taking pictures when there are what feel like hundreds of massive balloons emerging form a vagina landing on you! This memorable set confirms why the Flaming Lips are such a draw and are a excellent way to close the Other Stage for the night.

You might expect with such a ridiculously good line up that the evenings bands are all done already. Think again, because up at The Park Stage Label mates to Radiohead and one of the hottest emerging bands of the last year The XX are providing the conclusion to Fridays proceedings (on the big stages at least). Their Glasto debut at The Park Stage show is decidedly low key compared to their Saturday set at the John Peel STage where they were joined by FLorence and The Machine. With a full moon as a backdrop to the sublime beats of tunes such as ‘Heart Skipped a Beat‘, ‘VCR’ and ‘Crystalised‘ their set makes you wonder if all this is a dream, or if a festival really can be this good!?

The XX then head over to the Stonebridge Bar to dj with Micachu and the shapes, Jamie Klaxons (more on him later) and a very wasted Guillaume from the Golden Silvers!

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Saturday its back to the Park to catch the perfectly scheduled Beach House, sitting on the hill taking in the atmospheric rhythms of ‘10 Mile STereo’, ‘Norway’, ‘Used to Be’ and of course ‘Walk in The Park’, Beach House are the perfect tonic to many a fuzzy head!

The quiet serenity of the Park though has to be traded for a run down to the Other Stage to catch Brooklyn’s finest The National. The hit packed set includes ‘Anyone’s Ghost’, ‘Bloodbuzz Ohio’, ‘I’m Afraid Of Everyone’, ‘Conversation 16‘ and the rather appropriate ‘England‘ from their glorious new album High violet. Classics such as ‘Mistaken For Strangers’ and ‘Abel‘ follow before closing with ‘Fake Empire‘ and the rousing ‘Mr November’. The National are responsible for one of the albums of 2010 and have an equally impressive back catalogue.They are back n the UK for a full tour including Glasgow in November.

Saturday night also has a Secret Special Guest at the Park Stage. Tonight though the secret is not so secret with Biffy Clyro flags everywhere stating they are indeed tonight’s special guest. On arrival at The Park gates the hill already look rammed and shortly after security close the gates as the field is running beyond capacity! In broad daylight this feels strangely like a headline set in front of a crowd peppered with Scottish flags and stretching solid all the way up to the Glastonbury 40 Years sign on top of the hill. To cries of ‘moan the Biff’ (apparently a phrase started by Frank Mcdonald an early supporter and college friend of the band) orange trousered Neil runs round teh stage like a man possessed. Biffy rocked out with

That Golden Rule’
‘Living Is A Problem Because Everything Dies’
‘Glitter And Trauma’
‘Bubbles’
‘Who’s Got A Match?’
‘Mountains’
‘Many Of Horror’
‘The Captain’

The last time I caught Biffy was at Glasgow’s 13th Note way back in 1999, Neil and Ben were carrying their own gear onstage and selling tickets after for their upcoming King Tuts show, personally seeing them play to so many adoring fans was surreal. They headline 2 Sold Out nights at Glasgow’s SECC later this year.

Slightly stunned from the Biff, it was time to head down to The Pyramid and watch the Scissor Sistors and very special guest Kylie.

Searching for something more intimate the decision is made to go watch fellow New Yorkers the Phenomenal Handclap Band up at the Queens Head Stage. Tunes as good as ‘Dim the Lights’ and ‘15 to 20′ make this a trip well worth the effort.

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With Muse restricting photographers allowed into the Pyramid pit (to big publications) I decide to kick back and enjoy their set. The same happened last year with Bruce and the clamour to get a shot resulted in a panic attack, this year it would be inappropriate to get stressed at Glastonbury! The huge production of lights was overshadowed by the special atmosphere created from two flares set of during the set. Muse even roll out The Edge for the encore with a cover of ‘Where the Streets have no Name.‘  Apparently after the set the Edge asked Michael Eavis (not clear if he was joking or not) if he was getting paid for this. Eavis replied ‘I honestly don’t know but I thought you were doing it for fun!’. He also hinted in will be at least another 3 years before U2 will headline the festival. Eavis went on to say ‘We finally got a headliner in MUSE’ maybe a reference to the fact many belive Gorillaz slightly bombed on the Friday having being upstaged my a man who continually exposed himself during their set! Muse played:

Uprising
Supermassive Black Hole
New Born
Map of the Problematique
Guiding Light
Citizen Erased
Nishe
United States Of Eurasia
Feeling Good
Undisclosed Desires
Resistance
Interlude
Hysteria
Time Is Running Out
Starlight
Stockholm Syndrome

Where The Streets Have No Name (U2 cover) (with The Edge)
Plug In Baby
Knights of Cydonia

At this point lesser festivals send everyone back to their tent (you know the ones), at Glastonbury though The night is still young. From the Pyramid the next destination is the Rabbit Hole. The Rabbit Hole is an area featuring secret tunnels and requiring a special password to get in. The vibe is very Alice in Wonderland! Such a strange enchanting area is exciting enough but throw in Jarvis Cocker to the mix doing a surprise DJ set and it all starts to feel too good to be true! That’s the magic of Glastonbury, 4 days in a surreal world where anything seems possible.

On route though a random bespectacled man is asking people for their opinion on The Edge ‘did he suck or not!?’ this random bespectacled man turns out to be none other than Chris Cain from We Are Scientists. We decided to stroll together to the Park where him and Keith were heading to party with Keith Allan, Lilly Allen, Alexa Chung, Alex Turner, Jarvis Coker and Jamie from the Klaxons. Jamie was apparently setting the record for longest continuous boozing session without sleep of anyone at the festival - every time over the weekend we stopped by the backstage Park Stage bar Jamie was holding rolly polly competitions with anyone who was game including several members of The Big Pink and Local Natives, although it cant be confirmed if he asked Thom Yorke to join in or not!

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In a blink Sunday arrives and Frightened Rabbit kick off the action on the Other Stage. Their first time at Glastonbury draws a large crowd considering the very early slot! Scott Hutchinson announces

“we were lucky to make it hear we broke down in our van in Switzerland on Thursday and it looked touch and go for a while’

he then proceeded to have a chat with a crowd member before launching into to the uplifting ‘Modern Leper’ and tugging the heartstring with the glorious ‘Good Arms Versus Bad’.

Meanwhile Dublin group Villagers were treating the Park Stage to highlights form their debut album Becoming a Jackal. Next on the Other Stage and kicking off the Sunday Brooklyn takeover (Grizzly Bear, We Are Scienetists, MGMT and LCD Soundsystem) were Springsteen esk rockers the Hold Steady. One of the best live bands on the circuit their passion and energy set the crowd up nicely for the England Germany game (we all know how that turned out)!

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Back up to the Park stage there was a treat in the upcoming Californian band Avi Buffalo, haling from Long Beach and with tunes as good as ‘Whats it in For?’ and ‘Where’s Your Dirty Mind’, you’ll be seeing more of this lot in the coming years. While Avi Buffalo charm the chilled out crowd there are many strange goings on to explore nearby. You can get a Mother Love tattoo in support of The White Ribbon Alliance or you can make a poster at the arts and crafts tent. If that all sounds a little too energetic you can get some shade drinking home made Chai or even get married. Yes get married, in a caravan above the park stage matchmaking was the order of the day. Pick someone from the crowd and if it all goes well you have a 10 minute relationship and get married at the end. My bride ran the caravan and after signing I realised I might very well now be married! In 2010 Glastonbury also has its very own University on site and a Speakers Forum tent hosting discussions as diverse as the proposed shut down of BBC 6 music to proposed Action on Climate Change.

The party atmosphere that surrounds Glastonbury peaked on Sunday evening with founder Michael Eavis joining legendary performer Stevie Wonder on stage for the most special of ‘Happy Birthday’ send-offs. We can all be very thankful that 40 years ago Eavis decided to start a festival and not pursue singing career!

Tonight’s gig at King Tuts headlined by Liverpool’s very own Hot club de Paris was a welcomed musical island among the sea of world cup fever.

As soon as the venue was open I headed upstairs to catch the support acts. First on the bill was The Banter Thiefs, who are a cheeky four piece from Motherwell. Notwithstanding this bands blatant disregard for band name grammar, they are an honest and no nonsense act with guitar pop songs about their lives in north Lanarkshire. Second up was Glasgow’s own Shimmer who surprisingly for a support act drew the largest crowd of the night. The reason for this soon became clear as the band announced that it was their last gig ever. And with closer inspection of the audience, it was apparent that it was busy because it was filled mainly by the band member’s extended family. By the end of Shimmer’s set I was glad it was their last gig. The world does not need another vacuous navel gazing carbon copy of Matchbox 20. No thanks; you can keep it.

It wasn’t until a quarter to eleven that HCDP took to the stage. The Tut’s crowd had dwindled from the heady heights of Shimmer, but there was a buzz about the place and a sense of expectation that this band better be good. This three-piece scouser outfit didn’t disappoint. Straightaway they sounded a class above what had come before. They are band that are pop rock personified but yet don’t fall into the formulaic meritocracy that so often befalls most British bands.

There were no skinny jeans or trilbies here; just three irreverent lads playing out of their skins and treating the audience to some rock n’ roll. Songs such as ‘Fuck You, The Truth’ personified this band’s attitude and ‘I’m Not In love And Neither Are You’ paid homage to the influence of Big Country on their music.

Currently, HCDP are touring their two EP’s released in 2010, ‘With Days Like This As Cheap As Chewing Gum, Why Would Anyone Want To Work’ and ‘The Rise And Inevitable Fall Of The High School Suicide Cluster Band’.

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Words/Pics: Alan Dunlop

It was that time of year once again where Glaswegians get to use the term Mardi Gras with a straight face. Admittedly, the West End Festival is well…, in the west end where that sort of thing is encouraged. But there were no floats or Celtic drummers tonight gig at the Captains Rest. Just three of the most captivating live bands I’ve seen in over a year.

First up were The Organs of Love, a surprise addition to the bill who are an offshoot of Wilson Tan and comprise Jim McKiven (keys) and Alicia Mathews (vocals). This act really set the tone for the night with three avant-garde songs that left the audience ponderous and entertained. Alicia’s ethereal vocals, accompanied by Jim’s organ and drum machine created seductive and surreal performance. Their final track, Le Chien et Moi typified their intellectual and cheeky sides. Having said that, I’m not quite sure about the intentions of this pre Wilson Tan act; whether it was meant to be tongue-in-cheek or originality verging towards pretension, you just have to see it to believe it.

Three or so songs into the show both members of the band stripped off their black outfits and blue tape and were joined by the three other members of Wilson Tan. They kicked into their set and dived banjo first into some psychedelic country rock. Think Gram Parsons meets Primal Scream. Highlights were Harry’s Theme and The Ungentlemanly Gentleman.

Second up was another of El Rancho Records acts, Schnapps. This four piece reminded me of what it is I love about Iggy Pop and The Stooges; primal energy and a fuck you attitude. Crossdresser had high tempo drumming and uncomplicated guitar riffs that left many heads bopping and toes tapping. Schnapps slowed things down relatively with More To Life Than Peach that reeked of the influence of Primal Scream’s Riot City Blues. No bad thing of course, but that thought stuck with me for the rest of the gig. Overall a great live performance and surely one to watch.

Last on the bill were Milk, a band that before the gig I knew relatively little of. A pre-gig Google search revealed nothing. I was genuinely none the wiser. But as soon as their drummer Michael Marshall took to the stage in his multicoloured Lycra body suit, I knew I was in for a treat. My fears that no man could upstage an attention-seeking drummer were unfounded as Pablo Clark’s front man performance was nothing short of visceral grit. Not since Alexis Krauss (Sleigh Bells) performed at the Art School in May have I stood and paid attention to a new band. They take the best of The Doors and Franz Ferdinand and produce a sound that is greater than the two. Keep an eye out of these guys in August.

Words/ Pic: Alan Dunlop

Scotland’s leading music scene social night, Born To Be Wide , is set to host a booking agent seminar on Thursday 1 July at Edinburgh’s Electric Ballroom. The panel is geared to explaining what the job involves, what musicians should look for in an agent and what they need to be aware of if they decide to book their own gigs. It will also aim to provide an insight into what is involved in getting festival slots and tour dates.

“With the live sector becoming increasingly important, getting a good booking agent can often be harder than getting a record deal,” says Born To Be Wide co-organiser, Olaf Furniss. “Finding the right person is one of the most important decisions an artist will have to make.”

The panel includes Jason Edwards, who has been running his Glasgow-based The Art Of and is set to move to Brighton based 13 Arists (Radiohead, Arctic Monkeys), Lisa Whytock, founder of the largest agency in Scotland, Active Events. She will be joined by Joanna Ashmore from ITB agency (Guns N Roses, Aerosmith, Biffy Clyro, Aaron Wright, Mitchell Museum.) and Alex Lloyd from Mainstage Artists, who are both based in London but represent Scottish acts. An additional guest will be announced later this week.

The agent seminar will be Born To Be Wide’s second event at its new home the Electric Circus. May’s Music PR panel attracted over 100 paying guests (watch a video above), while the discussions hosted by BTBW organisers at the Go North conference in Inverness drew capacity audiences.

Video: Benjamin Cowie on Vimeo

Being dragged away from the sun during summer to see a band, it had better be a good one.
Dance-funk group, !!!, played The Arches as part of the Sailor Jerry Presents… tour circling
the UK; show casing live music, film and art, and quite frankly they blew the lid right off it.
Chk Chk Chk (the preferred pronunciation) protest against anyone just standing at their gigs,
and instead they promise music in return for the dancing. The reaction from the crowd, for
them, is as much a part of the gig as the band themselves. Whether you’re listening to them
in a club or live, efforts should be the same.

No strangers at all to Glasgow, they’ve already left a very distinguished mark
at Oran Mor, and tonight was more of the same. Touring with !!!, and appropriately sporting a
sailor’s hat, is Shannon Funchess helping stir up the crowd, and together with lead carnage
creator Nic Offer they manage to blast out the vocals nearly forcing you to spill your drink!

Leading from the front, and at times from the crowd, Nic single handily ignites the gathering
of supporters. With enough energy to give a Red Bull wings, he dances about The Arches’
generous stage, never cornered – even at the edge of the stage the crowd forms no obstacle
as he leaps right in like a fish to water. The rap verses in ‘Must be the moon’ off the album
Myth Takes are a declaration to the extent of Nic’s ability and there’s catchiness in the title’s
repetition throughout the track re-defining talent simply as !!!.

They treat all present to a preview of the fourth coming new album Strange Weather, Isn’t
it? - due out August 23rd - beginning their set with the new eighties style dance tune ‘AM/
FM’. The drum beat builds up to what sounds like a throbbing didgeridoo before the vocal
range hits, prompting a series of drops. Nic’s mic boom’s out over routines of some of the
most electric dance shapes ever witnessed – a definite party starter.
Their new album marks the unveiling of the group’s new line-up after many setbacks over
the years. The album was recorded in Berlin and fuses together distinctly simple 80’s dance
with the accelerating beat bashing growls of drum and bass, with a little punk – not exactly
hard to find in Berlin. There’s no sign of any slip in standards or corners being cut; just a
simple kiss on the cheek and nothing wishy-washy.

“The name is three !s and you make it up.’’ Nic explains. On the back of tonight’s display,
how about Wow! Wow! Wow!

Words: Ashten Macdonald
Pics: Alan Dunlop