December, 2008

On a cold wet December’s night, on the street outside Camden’s Barfly, we caught up with London’s folktronica ‘Synther-Songwriter’ James Yuill.

How would you describe your tunes and the folktronica scene?

Singer song writey stuff with dance over it, kinda like Nick Drake with Chemical Brothers beats, yea the scene, I don’t really think I’m part of any scene, (James friend comes over for a chat) “I got an interview at the moment actually”,

JY friend: when you on?

1am…..yea I like to think of myself as a harder Postal Service, they’re fantastic. I guess loads of people now get laptops and do music in their bedroom, I reckon its just an ever growing thing, there’s a guy called Cajita, whos really good, he’s in Bristol but he does a similar thing to what I do, bit more tongue production not as heavy as my stuff but very similar.

How do you prepare for a show?

I get very nervous, then go on stage, no rituals. The feeling’s not so bad on tour as you get into a thing, turn up go onto autopilot. With one off shows like tonight, I build them up a lot.

Describe your best and worst gig?

Tonight is a reunion gig for the Festibelly Festival in the summer, the festival would be the best, with a  load of my friends in the crowd, really good sound, big audience.

The worst was down off Old Street at the Troy Bar when I was simply doing the singer songwriter stuff, there was me and the 3 other male artists playing, during the set a guy came round selling DVD’s, he offered me one mid-song. I then recall the sound guy getting up and taking a call so I had to get up and help out on the sound, this was like a year and a half ago, before started using the laptop. That was one of many nights where your just playing to other musicians and no ones there to see you, it can be really depressing, you get to the state that you view the shows as practice so you can relax and experiment.

If you could be stuck in a lift with anybody who’d you choose and why?

Could be someone that I dislike so I could beat them up, oh who? I guess Tom Yorke, well actually maybe Johnny Greenwood as I hear he’s much better to get on with! I’d ask him how he does various things live, he uses loads of mini controllers that he designs. Your heads going to swell if your Tom Yorke!

Are Radiohead a big influence on your music?

Yea definitely, I’m more a fan of Amnesia than Kid A, it flows as an album a lot better. I’ve been into them since Pablo Honey but I like Hail to the Thief more than any, it mixes the rock of Ok Computer with the production of Kid A.

Would you distribute music in the way Radiohead pioneered last year?

You mean pay what you want? Yea I would but I’d rather set a price myself! Even friends who are massive fans download it for free. I heard even before the album was mixed it was available as a bit torrent download. That’s pretty cool as it means someone can be arsed to put it up, so I’m quite pleased. But the other side of that is lots of people are getting it for free while I’m not really making any money.

You looking forward to playing any cities?

Glasgow: everyone raves about the crowds, lot of people came over from there when I played recently in Edinburgh. Edinburgh was highlight of last tour but I’d love to play in Glasgow. I lost my voice in Aberdeen and literally couldn’t sing, but everyone was really nice.

Your impression of Glasgow?

There are loads of bands/labels from there I like, De Rosa, Chemical Undergroud, Mogwai, I played recently with Errors and have been enjoying their their album recently.

If you have a lady over for dinner what would you cook for her and what movie would you pop on?

A lady, ooh, First time I cooked for girlfriend I made pasta which was a bit of a cop out but the second time she just gave blood so she wanted something with meat and cheese so I did a Stilton sauce, I can definitely recommend it. Get some Stilton and melt it down with a bit of butter and red wine, it goes so well with steak, just the best combination of meat and cheese in a dish! My favourite movie would be Total Recall, seen it like 10 times, but we watched Pan’s Labyrinth the other day, or maybe happy Gilmore.

Anything exciting in the pipeline for 2009?

Just singed a distribution deal for America, Japan and Australia, my manager speaks Japanese and I really want to go out there. I get way more hits from Japan than from America, they obviously know their music!

James’s debut album “Turning Down Water For Air” is out now on Moshi Moshi you can download some remix tracks here and you can download Cajita’s ep for free here!!

Cant decide what to do on Hogmanay? well this list will confuse you even more!

FLYING DUCK: Pin-Up Nights - Mogwai, Errors, Twilight Sad dj sets (9pm – 4am) entry – £12 in advance, £14 on the night there is also live music from POP UP, the best named band ever MING MING AND THE CHING CHINGS and hotly tipped and well worth a mention POOCH tickets here!

MONO: Hogmanay Party featuring DIVORCE & TAKE A WORM FOR A WALK WEEK (8pm to 1am) £5 tickets on the door, you’ll need a house party after this one!

ART SCHOOL: Fancy a Spook and Sleepless Crew, with DJs Boom Monk Ben, A La Fu, Andrew Divine and Chris ‘Beans’ Geddes (Belle and Sebastian) (10pm to 3am) tickets £13 on door.

STEREO: Errors, Ben Butler and Mouse PAd, Congregation, David Barbarossa, Huntley and Palmers (9am - 4am) tickets £15 here!

CAPTAIN’s REST NYE party w/ Woodenbox and a fist full of Fivers / Paper Planes / DJs tickets here! My night will start here, Chad be nice!

NICE N SLEAZYS: Midi Hi Fi presents NYE PARTY featuring Phantom Band & Triple School £5 SOLD OUT dam those B&T people!

ABC: Dananananaykroyd, We Were Promised Jetpacks £12.50 till 4am tickets here unless the B&T people have bought them all already, with Sleazys sold out this looks like a good option if your on Sauchiehall Street.

OPTIMO @ Fruitmarket SOLD OUT

CLUB NOIR BACKSTAGE @ Winchester Club (10pm to 4am) Burlesque acts and LOU HICKEY moonlighting as hostess with the mostess, dressed as a giant Clock, now that is something special!

Edinburgh Street Party: Glasvegas, Attic Lights, Peatbog Faeries. Tickets are still here.

The Caves Edinburgh (10pm-5am) Orkestra del Sol and Edinburgh Samba School. tickets are here

See more here!

The Twilight Sad’s gig was a veritable homecoming, as they played to a packed King Tuts on the eve of Christmas Eve. The four piece played mostly songs from their 2007 album release “Fourteen Autumns and Fifteen Winters” and they also set songs from their new EP beside the familiarity of songs like “And she would darken the memory” and “Walking for two hours”.

Despite playing a relatively short gig, their live performance really drew in the crowd with the accompanying lights and long drawn out guitar loops further adding to the epic feel. The new songs have so far revealed a continuation of the swoopy Mogwai esque dynamics and more layering of guitar parts, yet this time it is all combined with a much darker noise that seems fitting in light of the Sonic Youth Goo parody on the new EP “The Twilight Sad Hit The Road and Killed my Parents”. This darkness can be seen on songs like ‘24 hours’ where you can’t help but feel that Joy Division’s haunting sound is evoked.

Glasgow DIY purveyors Plaaydoh warmed up the crowd, with their noisy bass, ringing keyboard and shouty vocals, and even a song about working in Farmfoods no less. You can download Plaaydoh EPs here for free.

You can cheer in the New Year with the Twilight Sad as all four of them will be doing a DJ set at the Flying Duck on Hogmanay, oh all four indeed, could that mean they are actually giging!?

They played:

That Summer At Home I Had Become the invisible boy
Untitled no. 28
Talking with fireworks / Here, it never snowed
Untitled no. 27
Walking for two hours
Cold Days from the birdhouse
And She Would darken the memory
24 hours
I am taking the train home

Words: Emily Macintosh

It is with great sadness that we announce that the Liquidroom is no more….for the time being. After the horrendous fire that ripped through Khushis on Friday night, we have unfortunately been the victim of severe water damage and internal structure collapse. As you can imagine we are all in shock and deeply saddened by the loss of an Edinburgh institution , especially at this time of year, however, we are looking to the future and will be back in 2009 bigger and better than before. We want to thank everyone in the industry for their overwhelming support at this time. It really means a lot. We will have an office up and running in the new year where all emails and phone calls will be directed to. Contacts details will be the same, but please be patient while we get back on our feet.

Are your feeling the pinch of Christmas, endless nights of boozing, maxed out credit cars, counting the days until the student loan cheque arrives? Well for a mere suggested donation of £1, last night you should have been down at the Captains Rest watching Remember Remember as part of the Green Door Studio in Glasgow’s first birthday party.

On entry everyone recieved a free CD of artists that having used the studio. Also on the bill was Alastair Roberts, Tut Vu Vu and Punch and the Apostles. With Biffy playing over at the SECC and the Lofi night on down at the Barfly it was a hard call but this short set from the highly rated band was the perfect “headache soother”. Remember Remember are off to Japan to support Mogwai in January, their wonderful debut album is available to buy here!

The medical mishaps of the Velcro Quartet were the French Wives gain last night at the first ever MUSIC NEVER DIES night in aid of Cancer Research UK.

The French Wives stepped in to save the day after the Velcro Quartet had to cancel due to singer Joe receiving an unfortunate hand injury. The French Wives definitely win the prize for the tallest band in Glasgow and their height is certainly not an over compensation for the quality of their music. Only forming little less than a year ago, the five piece have already made their mark playing regular gigs around Glasgow and they even appeared at this years Connect.

They played a tight performance, with all the different parts intertwining naturally to produce songs like stand out number ‘Your Friends and Mine’ and ‘Capilano’. A violin and a trombone complete the line up, adding to the full sound of their live performance. The band finished with the brilliant ‘Me vs Me’.

And any young band can’t be doing too badly when they end up appearing after the mystery performer who turned out to be none other than Frightened Rabbit’s Scott Hutchison! He seemed to be full of festive merriment, but any excessive mulled wine at dinner didn’t affect his merry acoustic set including the rather appropriate ‘Its Christmas So We’ll Stop’.

The French Wives play the Captains Rest on the 23rd of December.

Words: Emily Macintosh
Pics: Heidi Kuisma

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Frightened Rabbit played their biggest Scottish show to date last night at Edinburgh’s packed out Liquid Room. Dedicating songs to their friends ‘maw’ the group were on fine form, joking with the crowd, taking requests, tearing up the set list and stoking some friendly Glasgow v ‘The Proud home heart of Midlothian’ banter. The boys might have been out and about boozing in their adopted Glasgow in the last few days but looking fresh and embracing the larger space, there was no sign of any hangover. Their live show brings alive the ferocious passion of their highly rated second record, where most of the evening’s set (below) was drawn.

The Modern Leper
I Feel Better
Old Old Fashioned
Good Arms Vs. Bad Arms
The Twist
Fast blood
Behave
Head Rolls Off
My Backwards Walk
Square 9
Snake
Xmas
Keep Yourself Warm

Upcoming Gigs:
Thu 11 Dec Aberdeen Moshulu
Sat 13 Dec Glasgow SECRET Show (Acoustic)
Sat 20 Dec Glasgow SECC [with Biffy Clyro]

Their Xmas single ‘It’s Christmas So We’ll Stop’ is released 15th December, and a live album ‘Liver! Lung! Fr!’ is out on 30th March 2009. In the meantime, the band have recorded a new song entitled ‘Last Tango in Brooklyn’ for Australian ‘zine The Lifted Brow, along with Modern Leper available to listen to below!

They have also announced a Captians Rest acoustic show for March 31st 2009, tickets here.

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Pics: Euan Anderson

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Franz

Fear not if you missed out on Franz tickets for the Picture House,  they have just announced a date at Glasgow’s Barrowland on 4th March 2009.

Tickets are £20adv (subject to booking fee) and are limited to 2 per person. You can buy them online from HERE and are on sale Friday 12th.

Secrets and FRENCH WIVES

This Saturday there is a rather special evening going down at the Classic Grand, MUSIC NEVER DIES, the inventive new platform for CANCER RESEARCH UK to raise money and awareness among the achingly cool muso boys and girls of glasgow are putting on an exciting line-up of local artists.

THE BAD NEWS - Joe from The Velcro Quartet has injured his hand and unfortunately they have had to pull out of the gig.

THE GOOD NEWS - The French Wives have stepped in at the last minute thus providing a fantastic headliner and also saving the proverbial butt of MUSIC NEVER DIES. but then there is also…….

THE GREAT NEWS - There is a secret performance from a fabulous artist, and believe me, if you come, it will be well worth it, so get a ticket!!

also playing are Gdansk, Palace Ballet and The Child Echo, there is also FREE ENTRY TO THE CLUB AFTERWARDS.

Tickets on the door or if your organised HERE!

….well almost

Morrissey has announced some rare and rather exciting Scottish dates,

Stirling Albert Hall 4th May
Dundee Caird Hall 5th May
Glasgow Barrowlands 7th May

tickets will be here from 10 am today but will sell out immediately.

Cribs are always a bit of a riot and now with Johnny Marr, what an intriguing prospect, they play the ABC on the 4th of February,

Tickets here from 9.30 am.

Brooklyn’s Vivian Girls dropped by the Captains Rest the other night for a highly anticipated first ever Scottish performance. The three piece are surfing on shed loads of attention back home and the hype is spreading to the UK with this show completely Sold Out.

They have released several EP’s and a debut album at a mere 22 minutes long, the only worry pre gig was that the show would be over before it got going. Any doubts were soon blown away as they ripped into “All the Time” and the tiny venue went pretty wild with photographers jostling for space with the slightly merry crowd!

The group play raw punk/garage, super tight and fast. They have drawn comparisons to the likes of The Ramones, Jesus and Mary Chain, Electrelane and unsurprisingly Crystal Stilts, whose Frankie Rose was the founding member of the Vivian Girls.

Not content with music the girls also do telepathic magic onstage. A member of the crowd whispered an American celebrities name into the ear of singer Cassie Ramone. Some finger snapping later, bassist Kickball Katy, much to the surprise of the whispering audience member got the name.

The set included mostly songs from the debut album and a cover of the Beach Boys ‘Girl Don’t Tell Me’. The highlight of the set though, was closer ‘Damaged’ with the filthiest guitar solo’s on the record. The Crystal Stilts hit the Captains’s Rest in February. The Vivian girls will be back in Scotland next May.

The Full set list below,

All The Time
Such A Joke
Walkin
I Can’t Stay
Surfin Away
Never See Me Again
When I’m
End
I Have
Wild Eyes
Second Date
Lake House
Tell The World
Girl Don’t Tell Me (Beach Boys Cover)
Damaged

Pics: Euan Anderson

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Mono played host to it’s 4th annual Gimme Shelter gig yesterday, a day long event with all proceeds going to Shelter, one of Scotland’s leading housing and homelessness charities. Cunningly scheduled to coincide with St Andrew’s day, the day was an exhibition of the cream of Scotland’s up and coming musical talents.

Those who braved the cold had any lingering hangovers from their Saturday nights gently soothed by the acoustic folk of the likes of Panda Su and Richie Gallacher and the music of Catherine Ireton. This all changed, though, when The Second Hand Marching Band took to the stage, captivating the audience with their near-orchestral arrangements and choral like refrains – think Beirut with Scottish accents!

Woodenbox with a Fistful of Fiver took the day down a more gritty, rock and roll route with their testosterone fuelled set, before Moth and the Mirror took to the stage with their magical, Mogwai-esque music.

By now Mono was pushing maximum capacity, with the majority of people there to hear an acoustic set by Scott Hutchison of Frightened Rabbit, fresh from their sold out King Tuts performance the night before. Presumably, they weren’t disappointed, with a set list that featured such hits as Modern Leper, Keep Yourself Warm and Be Less Rude.

While the crowd noticeably diminished as the day progressed, those who left early missed such highly rated acts such as De Rosa and the energetic sets of Juno and Manda Rin, not to mention a raucous, down and dirty half hour with Ross Clark and The Scarfs Go Missing. The evening was rounded off with some upbeat electronica were Findo Gask, before Down the Tiny Steps closed the show with their unique blend of folk tinged electric pop.

All in, a excellent celebration of some of Scotland’s newest music on a very appropriate day and for a very worthwhile cause.

Words: Ross McLachlan
Pics: Tomas Hermoso *except Manda Rin and Findo Gask by Heidi Kuisma

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