September, 2009

From the remnants of former band The Lonely Hearts came the Slow Club and are

“kind of a one man band. Only with two members”

This statement from label Moshi Moshi’s website gives some insight into how amazing the between song banter is, particularly from Rebecca, the girl half of the group.

She heralds this excellent patter, alongside an angelic voice, an ability to play guitar and drums and a face as pretty as button. I challenge any gent and a sizable percentage of females to have left that room not in love with her. The duo hail from the creditable music scene gathering members and pace in Sheffield and far from Alex Turner’s annoying drawl both hold accents that are more than slightly endearing.

When Charles and Rebecca emerge to play their first song, which they do in front of the stage and unplugged it’s a sight to behold, not least because the Saturday night Glasgow crowd stand in unparalleled and unexpected silence for the entire song. The only thing more deafening than the silence while they play is the reaction of the crowd when they finish. Rapturous doesn’t begin to come close.

The crowd is varied in sex and age, for a 14+ show there were a fair amount of over 40’s but what the crowd lacks in common age wise, it more than makes up for in sharing relationship status. I honestly think I was the only single person in that entire room, as tiresome couples entwined arms and swapped liquid DNA I felt suitably lonesome.

The warmth emanating from the stage, however, went some way to cheering me up and I was pleasantly surprised by the variety in the set. I was expecting the pair’s set to comprise of exclusively their Tilly and the Wall soundalike, but there were some real gems in there with such conviction and spite that they could have been written by No Age or The Germs.

Having just released their debut album Yeah So to generally favourable reviews this duo of Rebecca and Charles,  will not be playing in venues as small as the Classic Grand for very long.

It Doesnt have to be beautiful

Words: Christopher Panks
Pics: Christina Kinnear

What definition would you give of how Bell Orchestre sound? Have you
experienced any odd attempts by journalists?

Fortunately that’s not our job! We make the music, and we’re lucky
enough to have people help us tell people about it.
One thing that seems to come up a lot is that our music is cinematic. By
that, I assume that people mean to suggest that it is evocative of
images, which is a nice compliment. We never really think of it as film
music. In fact, we’ve worked on film music before, and it invariably
comes out very different from what we do on our own impulses.

How do the songs emerge – are they written about specific themes or are
they the result of experimenting with the band?

We write mainly through improvising with each other.
We record everything and piece together the parts that sound best to us.
It truly is collaborative, and as such quite painstaking and slow.
Improvisation is at the heart of what we do, although the pieces are
ultimately composed. I think there are themes, but that’s not something
we discuss very often.

All of the band appear to be multitalented on stage – were you all from
musical backgrounds?

We’re all from wildly different backgrounds. Sarah has played violin
since she could walk and talk. Richard has played every instrument in
every type of band. Pietro is highly trained, but he’s forgotten
everything. Stef is the merging of discipline and freedom. Kaveh lives
in the moment and plays music there too. I grew up on punk rock and I’m
really good at writing lyrics, so naturally I play lap steel. Colin
Stetson, our erstwhile woodwinds associate, is the Barack Obama of the
saxophone.

You’ve recorded songs in a tunnel in the past – are tunnels the future
of recording?

Not unless our first record was made in the future! I’d have to say
tunnels are the past of recording. We use whatever tools are available
to us to get our ideas across, regardless of the era to which they
belong. We just walk toward the light.

Are there any influences that stand out above the others that have been
crucial to the band?

There is some music that we all love, but mostly it’s a really wide
spectrum. We each bring our own inspirations and experiences to the table.
Further to that, we inspire each other. So, the more we do together -
and the more experiences we go through together - the more inspired we
become as a group.

What is it about Canada that is producing so many great bands at the moment?

Canada has always made great music, it’s just received some notice
lately. There’s good music everywhere.

How does the experience of touring with Bell Orchestre compare to
touring with Arcade Fire?

That would be one for Richard and Sarah. I think it is safe to say that
there are a lot of major differences. Our audience is much smaller, and
as such, more intimate maybe. Our music is well off the mainstream map.
While we’ve obviously benefited from some spill-over attention, the two
projects are really very separate.

What does the future hold for Bell Orchestre?

We are excited to get working on some new music, since we’ve mainly
spent our time touring in support of As Seen Through Windows. Now that
we are back home, we’ll take a short recuperative spell, and then get
back to what we love best: hanging out and making up music.

Montreal’s  Bell Orchestre release ‘As Seen Through Windows’, on October 5th 09 through the Arts and Crafts record label.

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Bell Orchestre is: Richard Reed Parry (Arcade Fire) - upright bass/keyboard/percussion; Sarah Neufeld (Arcade Fire) – violin; Stefan Schneider (The Luyas) - drums/percussion; Pietro Amato (Torngat, The Luyas) - French horn/electronics; Kaveh Nabatian - trumpet/melodica; and, Mike Feuerstack (Snailhouse) - lap steel guitar.

Interview: Alastair Mitchell
Pics: Bart Photography @ Arches Glasgow September 2009

A couple of days before tonight I suffered a slightly awkward moment upon purchasing a friend’s ticket for this evening show. Uttering the words ‘Fuck Buttons’ drew a quizzical expression from the ticket agent along with embarrassed giggles from a group of young girls. However, if these people had experienced the music of Fuck Buttons I’m sure they’d reverse their reaction, either for that of absorbed amazement or sheer terror, as Fuck Buttons are one of the most complex sounding electronic acts to emerge from the UK in recent years.

The Worcester duo mesmorise as they bop up and down in relative darkness, the ear busting noise created gently by opener ‘Surf Solar’. Songs merge together and build to euphoric climax and at times the sound is almost apocalyptic. The Buttons have drawn an unlikely fanbase from Top Gear fans as ‘Bright Tomorrow’ features regularly on the popular BBC show, the track live is epic and the Top Gear crew standing infront of me clearly approve! They power through tracks from brutally brilliant debut album, Street Horrsing and draw heavily on songs from second album Tarot Sport, the highlights being ‘Space Mountain’ and ‘Flight of the Feathered Serpent’ bold tracks that pushes the audience’s ears to the verge of self-destruct, even with ear plugs its still bloody loud! The new songs see Fuck Buttons walk a much more accessible path than their previous work, but still the complex collage of sound remains, only in less scary, mould. Encore ‘Sweet Love for Planet Earth‘ is a fitting end to a very impressive set.

Benjamin John Power and Andrew Hung’s sound holds a majority of a jam-packed Stereo crowd affixed in some sort of awestruck wonder. Once the show is finished it takes a good minute to remove yourself from the trancelike state forced open you by the sheer force of noise created, a force the duo should take a huge amount of credit for creating.

Their second album Tarot Sport produced and remixed by the legendary Andrew Weatherall will be released by ATP Recordings on 5th October. They then embark on a coast to coast US tour before arriving back in the UK to play at the 10 Years of ATP festival in December.

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Words: Iain Dawson
Pics: Sam Fenn

Q: Describe the sound of Wild Beasts for people unfamiliar with the band:

A: The way I always describe it… when we set ourselves up as a pop band with all the beauty that that can contain, with all the competitors that that can contain have kind of been forgotten… if you know what I mean

So whenever I’m asked to describe us to say someone queuing in an airport I always say that we are a pop band… but it turns out we’re a bit more left field than that but we still want to be a pop band…

Q: What do you mean by ‘pop’?

A: Umm… that’s a tough one…
Well the thing is that is what pop music is all about… money… I suppose I’m thinking of The Beatles template through to someone like the Dirty Projectors… sitting there but sitting uncomfortably I guess… if that makes sense

Q: Tell us about a new band that has had an impact on the band lately…

A: As in how that album was made and how we came about it?

Well there was a record we kind of had on the slow burn… there’s this duo called the Junior Boys and they released this record called ‘so this is goodbye’… and I think Hayden picked it up and listened to it once and said ‘hey I reckon you guys should really listen to this’… and it kind of kept bubbling with all of us… and it would be like ‘yeah its ok, yeah I like it, yeah I really like, yeah I’ve been listening to nothing else, yeah it’s my favourite record’… and it kind of went on like that… and that sort of sound… they kind of have a throb… It’s very electronic but quite erotic… and that has been very influential amongst us

But very much so and now we all rate them amongst our favourite artists. They’re just quietly going along making some really exciting stuff

I think so… their new album especially

Yeah, Haha…

Well a lot of the track was influence by dance and electronic music… like we try to play things in short phrases and short repeating phrases which lock in so its not like different parts, there’s like a texture.
And also I think we ran with the sexual tendencies we had as well… and the way that there is a melancholy in it as well… kind of late night music. That’s like Junior Boys to a T… I think we have unavoidably picked some of that up.

Q: Favourite things…

A: I think I would say Gin and sparkling water… and Brockton folding bicycles

I said Gin and sparkling water… not together… separately… at different times of the day!

Oh it’s a drink you have to respect. We’ve just come back from New York and nobody in New York really saw the attraction with Gin… and we were trying to explain… that there’s something quite post colonial about Gin… there’s some kind of remnant about Gin and it has this sort of English decadence… and it tastes great. You can really ruin yourself though…
I’ve never really had a bad night on it… I reckon that if you can….
If it ruins you, it is so distinctive that you’ll never go near it again.

Q: So, it’s the image of sitting on the veranda swatting flies and getting your quinine levels up…

A: Well its more kind of gin alley… its more sort of eighteenth century London… losing your teeth low life… it’s quite nice

Yeah that’s it

Yeah, yeah, yeah… is gin the fashionable one? It’s like… Everyone goes for sparkling water. You don’t want still water… no of course you don’t want still water… you can get that from the tap! You know what I mean?
It sort of became a badge of pride when we were in Europe that we were embracing the other cultures… you know what I mean?
‘Yeah we like sparkling water… you know what? We like it … and we’re well travelled’

No… Hendrick’s Gin and San Pellegrino water

Well you’ve got to be a bit of a decadent about this, you know? if you’re being asked about your favourite things. You can’t always get these things but when you can, you should!

Oh… Brockton folding bicycles…
Hayden used to ride one of those to where he worked every day and basically we lived in quite a rough part of Leeds and basically people would just shout at him ‘g** boy’, ‘d*** head’, ‘nice bike!’… that sort of thing… and throw things… and he would just ride through it… and now look at them now! They’re going through a renaissance.

At one time it literally just fell apart on him… it literally just split in half on him on the road. The bolt came loose and it just collapsed on him… and I’m not sure if you’ve ever seen those videos of people who are running and whose legs just dislocate? It was that sort of… and then they just look up at the sky… it was that sort of situation. He was just completely unprepared for that sort of thing

Q: Isn’t it just that it seems more acceptable to you now that you spend more time in London?

A: Hahaha… quite possibly yeah.
I think that they are fine in Europe. We’ve seen them all over. We spent some time in Sweden, and they were very popular there… and Amsterdam as well… we spent some time there and they were very popular there

I’m trying to answer for all of them….

Well I think that Brylcreem has played a part in our band… I wish I had something weighty but it is still early in my day… so…
Well there are loads of books that I could say… and records… but it’s just not quite as much fun

Well I would have done but I had quite curly hair… and because I’m from quite a small town I never really had too much guidance on what to do with curly hair. So I just tended to use straight hair products… and it tended to look a right mess. And these guys could pull it off and use it effectively and I just can’t…

You don’t really get that no…

Q: Musical Map..

Our musical map of the world?
I remember when we first came out there was an article published about Kendal… about British Sea Power and about us… about there being this new centre of music which was just unbelievably funny…
So Kendal… even if only for that beautifully misguided article alone

Q: Has that landscape been an influence though?

Unavoidably yeah… more in a practical way than it has been in an artistic way in just that you have to have your ears open… you’ve got to be hunting for everything. And be open minded because you don’t have a choice, you just get what you’re given… you know what I mean?

Q: Scarcity makes you more resourceful and what is available becomes that much more important…

Dead right yeah… absolutely right…
And you need to alive to new stuff too as well because you really have to hunt for it

Q: (I push him on the idea that isolation in beautiful landscapes breeds great music…)

The more I’ve asked about it the more I want to run with it. Because its very beautiful and very gothic… the skies are very heavy and it rains a lot… but there is a sense of ‘whoa… look at that’
I suppose there is something of that in our music… but I don’t know…

I don’t want to say whether… you know? But I’ve been told a few times that you can hear the sky in it… and I can see that.. I can understand

Yeah

I’d say Malmo in Sweden where we recorded our first album, which was very exciting. But it was a proper learning curve… we went there literally boys on holiday and we came away with an album in our hands so we really had to be kicked into shape. And the thing about Malmo is that there are something like 5 world-class studio-s within a radius of… around it… and it’s a town of around 200,000 people in like southern Sweden. It’s like Sweden’s third largest city.. And in a lot of ways it’s pretty unremarkable but for some reason it has become Sweden’s centre of music based around a few people who have done something good there… And its influence on our music has been immense. Like working with Tore Johansson… and getting good basically… like he really banged us into shape. So it was a huge influence on what we do.

I think that the Cardigans are the source of the big influx of recordings… I mean Tore helped write Love Fool which was the number one played song in America radio that year… and if you do that you pretty much set yourself up
Also Franz Ferdinand recorded some stuff over there…. And there’s a band called Little Dragon who have just released an album… they mixed their stuff in the same studios that we did. And I think that though The Knife are from Stockholm, they’ve had some stuff mixed in Malmo… So it’s a secret player

Haha… well I’ve been trying to Berlin and New York because they’ve had their time. They are amazing places but they don’t need advertising.

A third one… ok
Well this is the thing I’ve just got back from New York I was just trying to avoid saying it… ok lets say Austin. I know it has South by Southwest… but I had Austin described to me as a velvet rut… which is what musicians need

A velvet rut…

As in somewhere where… you might not be going somewhere but you are enjoying being there… if you know what I mean. And it has a huge array of music.
Take all the clichés of Texas and throw them out the window for Austin… it’s nothing like that. It is very bohemian and there are a lot of places for odd balls to kick… its also the second country music capital after Nashville… and Willy Nelson is from there… and all the studios around there are country studios which essentially just means that they are beautiful.

Yeah absolutely… and all sorts of records which you have never heard of but that other people have bought loads and loads of copies of have been recorded in those studios.
Country music just doesn’t translate to Britain I don’t think… but its fascinating non the less

Pretty much yeah…

Haha… I’ve just been to Williamsburg and its very cool and very silly. It’s a great place to be British.

Yeah… its fun. I like Williamsburg.

Q: Your dream CTRL line-up…

A: Oh man… do I have Carte Blanche… can I pick anyone?

Bloody hell!

Wow… ok well I’m going to pick Joanna Newsom which may or may not be fashionable but she’s one of my absolute favourite song writers and all that stuff about her being cutesy, stars and periwinkles and s*** is just not true. Her music is human and very forceful and very brave. I really, really like what she does… and she is just… unapologetic, it think, is the word.

Well that’s it. She just does what she does… unabashed… that’s really cool… that’s really good to see because she’s not much older than me… And I’ve seen her a couple of times and the first time I saw her I just thought, this girl is 2 years older than me and she’s doing things I couldn’t even imagine… and I just really needed to buck my act up once I’d seen her

Perhaps… I haven’t decided on the others yet but she should be high up..

Umm… I’m going to say Junior Boys again … but again… I haven’t even seen them live! Apparently they don’t use laptops at all like you would expect… they use old drum machines and old bass machines and sequences and stuff… and the good thing about that is that you’re not in control of that sort of thing and you are half expecting something to go wrong and you’re waiting for something to fall out of the chain. So that tends to excite me… its pretty good.
Also the fact that I want to see what they do… I want to see how they reproduce this sort of claustrophobicness they have…

Q: You share a label with them don’t you?

A: Yes they do… an EP just kind of falls into our ether and they’ve just finished a remix for it no less

I’ve just remember this but you’re right… I got an email yesterday and there is a remix I haven’t had a chance to listen to it yet… that’s what I’m doing when I finish this phone call…

Q: Any bands that you want to draw attention to?

A: God… when you can pick anything you just don’t know what to pick!
Do you mean a new band?

Q: Yes

A: Ok.. well I’m not sure they even count as a new band anymore… I have been to see The Invisible quite a few times… and they were obviously Mercury nominated which was an absolute bolt out of nowhere knowing the guys… but we have had to follow them before.
I don’t know if you have seen them play before but they are serious improvisers… used to be in the Fire Collective and used to play with Matthew Herbert and stuff and they are absolutely explosive.
But on top of that they have great songs… like great kind of Prince type pop songs… beautiful hooks… and yet they are all in 5/4 and 7/4… and the guy’s voice is just like butter… and it is just a wonderful, wonderful band!

Well I got the first Little Dragon record… these Swedish guys… which is exciting me greatly. And we’re taking a girl called Blue Rosie up with us on tour who is up from Bradford…

Yeah, we’re taking her on the whole lot. She’s something else… again it’s like you think its going to be sweet and sugary but its got some nasty stings in it… it’s very cool

Wild Beasts hit Glasgow Arches on September 29th for a rather exciting show curated by Phoenix. Support comes from uber-talented Blue Roses and the brilliant Paper Planes. One night later they pop over to Edinburgh’s Cabaret Voltaire.

Their highly rated album is out now on Domino.

Interview courtesy of Topman CTRL
Pic: Euan Anderson Wild Beasts @ Stereo: Hinterland May 09

“After the Planes it was time to race up Union Street to Stereo for Wild Beasts, we make it just in time to catch the last 3 songs. The effort was well worth it and Wild Beasts turn out to be a definite highlight of the evening. Recent signings to the illustrious Domino label, this sprightly group of Northerners will be on many a folks radar by the end of this year.” Rokbun May 09

Thrashy alternative three piece Times New Viking return to Glasgow for the fourth time, their second headline slot, after audience raising support slots with No Age, Los Campesinos! and Crystal Antlers. The Ohio three-piece is thriving on tonight’s proceedings blasting through a set of minute and half lo-fi gems. Tonight’s show acts as a preview to the unreleased LP, Born Again Revisited, which is on sale tonight but not due for full release until next week.

The view from the side wall of the Sleazy’s basement obscures the vision of the full band, but does elevate somewhat so at least some vision is thrown in with the sonic experience. Still the tight setting the venue provides is ideal for TNV’s lo-fi sound. Despite the visual obstacles it is only guitarist, Jared Phillips who remains out of vision. Keyboardist and dual vocalist, Beth Murphy’s dream fuelled sway remains in full view creating an audience focal point, as she delivers the sweeter melodies coming from under the layers of fuzz the band project.

This fuzzy sound is now an ever present with TNV both live and on record. By others accounts the band used to hone a much cleaner sound, but their current output cannot be argued with on its quality alone.

The most vocally active member of the band comes in vocalist and drummer, Adam Elliott who throws chat at the crowd through out the set, some of which goes over the crowd’s head, some is amusing, most is about drugs. Elliott introduces a large amount of songs with reference to drugs:

‘this song is not about drugs’, ‘this song is about drugs’ and ‘this song is about taking drugs in a museum with your girlfriend’.

Still every bit of the drummers stage banter is treated with warmth. Finishing the set, Elliott announces

‘we love your city’,

a sentiment the crowd tonight would happily throw back on the band who have treated them with a set as superb as it is raw.

Words: Iain Dawson
Pics: Sam Fenn

With Tuts stuffed to the rafters, and a palpable sense of excitement in the air, an empty stage waits for Mumford & Sons. All eyes are on the stage door and as it is teased open a huge cheer erupts, swells and then turns to disappointment and ironic boos when a sole roadie emerges. Glasgow, it seems, has fallen in love.

But let’s take a step back. A proportion of the credit for the high spirits in the crowd must go to support act King Charles. With bags of charisma and a glorious head of hair, Charles himself is an intriguing presence amidst a colourfully dressed band. The set they deliver as is near to perfect as a support set can be. Song after song of real quality sets Tuts toes tapping and draws a huge reaction, the two gorgeous girls in the band also help proceedings along nicely. A band to watch out for.

King Charles

Glasgow has tasted Mumford and Sons twice before in smaller venues and many of us have waited since April for this postponed gig to go ahead. Perhaps absence makes the heart grow stronger, but when the stage door opens for a second time and the band finally emerge the response is deafening. There’s noticeable surprise from a band who only have three limited edition, self-produced EPs under their belt. The crowd are silenced by the quiet opener, with the trademark four part harmonies a joy to behold, before things build to a bluegrass crescendo.

The straining, distinctive voice of frontman Marcus Mumford would be exciting enough on its own, with songs like ‘White Blank Page’ benefiting from his passionate delivery, however its the moments when all four voices combine that draws shivers of delight. Glorious harmonies with banjo and an upright bass might not seem an obvious recipe for success but the effect is spectacular and songs like ‘Little Lion Man’ draw boisterous singing with each passing chorus.

The performance is a real treat, and the SOLD OUT crowd may well have to make the leap to larger venues to catch the Sons in future. A near riot of noise meets Mumford’s question as to whether people are enjoying themselves before he rubs his ears and declares ‘yea we can kind of tell!’.

An encore is demanded more than it’s requested and a new song closes an almost euphoric evening.

Mumford and Sons release their debut album, ‘Sigh No More’ through Gentlemen Of The Road / Island Records on the 5th October 2009. It will be preceded by a new single, ‘Little Lion Man’, on the 28th September.

This week they are back in London for a sell out show at The Scala (17th) before heading all the way north again this weekend.

They hit Aberdeens Café Drummonds on the 18th before making their way to one of the best and final festivals of the summer; Loopalu Festival on the 19th.

Words: Alastair Mitchell
Pics: Euan Anderson

One part American, three parts Scottish, Paper Planes came together in January 09 born out of mutual respect of The late 70’s New York Punk scene, the upshot is Surf/Rockabilly guitars with Post Punk bass runs and beats, all played over East Coast American yelps and drawls. The single arrives from a band on top of their form and is every bit as good as their reputation would suggest. ‘Doris Day’ is the perfect embodiment of their sound – all the energy and impact of their live shows distilled into three glorious minutes. It’s a punchy and confident track with it’s foundations in a stomping riff.

Few bands can make the jump from being merely interesting and talented to being absolutely essential but the Planes have pulled it off. Paper Planes feature regularly on this site and will be releasing their first single ‘Doris Day’ on Lucky Number Nice Records on 7″ vinyl & Download on Monday 12th October with a show at Glasgow’s legendary Grand Ole Opry on the 8th of October!

Upcoming Shows:

17th September - Oran Mor, Glasgow w/ Cassidy tickets onsale 15th September at midnight
19th September - ABC1 - (OPENING FOR GANG OF FOUR)
8th October - Grand Ole Opry, Glasgow *SINGLE LAUNCH*

Pic: Takeshi Suga Paper Planes @ T in The Park 2009

Frightened Rabbit return with a brand new single ‘Swim Until You Can’t See Land’ released through FatCat on 16th November, a primer for the band’s forthcoming and as yet untitled abum, expected in Spring 2010. Boasting a stunning string arrangement from labelmate Hauschka, ‘Swim Until You Can’t See Land’ takes up where they left off, a hugely anthemic song that is perfect as a first indicator of the new album, it’s very upbeatness perhaps to be read as a subconscious riposte to the angst of the preceding, ‘The Midnight Organ Fight’ album. Scott expands,

“ ’Swim Until You Can’t See Land’ was the title I had in my mind before I even started writing the album; I was becoming more and more interested in the idea of a rejection of the habits and behaviour most people see as normal, and in turn embracing a certain madness. It’s about losing your mind in order to reset the mind and the body. Forget what’s gone before and wash it out. This is not necessarily a geographical journey, as the ‘swim’ can involve any activity in which you can lose yourself. It’s a good introduction to the record as the theme unravels therein.”

The band are in the USA, renewing their touring relationship with labelmates The Twilight Sad, returning to the UK to play a special show for the Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival on Wednesday 21st October Edinburgh at the HMV Picturehouse tickets are a fiver!

Pic: Euan Anderson Frightened Rabbit @ Edinburgh Liquid Room December 2008

The advertisement poster for tonight’s event reads:

‘Sunset Rubdown featuring members of Swan Lake, Wolf Parade and Frog Eyes‘,

a fact that front man Spencer Krug is clearly wary, pointing out that they are all actually himself. Still it is obvious Krug is the leader of this Montreal five-piece, he strikes an imposingly confident figure as he confirms this is a Sunset Rubdown set, not any of his other alter egos. The frontman’s presence strikes a stark contrast with the rest of the band as they take step back and let Krug lead the show. Co-vocalist / keyboardist former Pony Up! Camilla Wayne Ingr is the only other member remaining in the constant spotlight cutting a rather more timid figure in comparison to the muscular flexes of Krug.
Sunset have been hailed as the outlet for Krug’s more adventurous music, however by the strength of their records and tonight’s performance they can easily compete on quality terms with his more famous projects. The set starts on a atmospheric note as the band lay out a lush full sound before Krug crows into ‘The Empty Threats of Little Lord’ ending on a scratchier note as the singer hisses ‘you snake’ at the end each line of the last verse. From this point the band never drops in tempo, often jumping into bouts of double percussion, as they cut through a set featuring heavily from the outstanding new record ‘Dragonslayer’, probably the most accessible to date under this alias.

The hugely talented Krug also proves he can inject a bit of humor into  proceedings as he shares amusing tales of their overnight ‘cruise’ from Amsterdam, before proving he isn’t perfect after all as he embarrassedly forgets the names of tonight’s support acts, local based Mitchell Museum and North Atlantic Oscillation. However they recover from this minor setback and end the set emphatically as they finish off with two tracks from 2006 stand out ‘Shut Up I Am Dreaming’, starting off with the triumphant ‘Stadiums and Shrines II’, before ending on a softer more ambient note with beautifully constructed ballad ‘Us Ones In Between’. As the band leave the stage to an rousing reception it is clear that Sunset Rubdown have come some way from just being a Wolf Parade side-project.

You can hear ‘Idiot Heart’ from the 8.3 Pitchfork rated album Dragonslayer below.

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Words: Iain Dawson
Pics: Tomas Hermoso

Biffy Clyro, one of the foremost and influential rock bands in the UK right now, have announced that they will be releasing their new single, ‘The Captain’, on 26 October through 14th Floor Records.  The single is taken from their highly anticipated forthcoming new album ‘Only Revolutions’, to be released on 9 November 2009. ‘The Captain’ follows on from Biffy’s recent massive top 10 single ‘That Golden Rule’, which was put on the Radio 1 A list a full 5 weeks upfront; and ‘Mountains’, which was released in August 2008 and became their biggest single chart success to date, entering the UK chart in the top 5 and selling over 100,000 copies.

‘The Captain’ launches like a stomping military march before it descends into a euphoric explosion of gigantic riffs, powerful pop melodies and exhilarating horns. This coupled with one of their most anthemic chorus to date makes ‘The Captain’ a real statement of intent from the Killie trio.

In November 2009, Biffy will be playing a twelve-date tour of the UK.  The tour will see the band return to London’s Brixton Academy on 12 November after their triumphant sell-out gig at the venue last December, as well as two home-coming SOLD OUT shows at Glasgow’s Barrowlands on the 2 and 3 of November.  This will be the first series of live dates for Biffy Clyro after the release of their impending new album.  The album, the band’s fifth and second with 14th Floor Records, is being recorded in LA, once again with Puzzle’s producer GGGarth Richardson (Rage Against The Machine, Red Hot Chili Peppers), and mixed by Andy Wallace (Coldplay, Nirvana, Faith No More) and is set to be a vital and monumental record.

The video for Captain is being filmed right now and will be uploaded to the brand-new Biffy Clyro website on 23rd September, launched recently here.

Pic: Biffy @ Rockness June 2009: Euan Anderson Photography

I’ve learned a lesson tonight – never be late for a gig. After rushing through the labyrinth of ever-changing routes in The Arches I find that The Luyas are already half way through their set. Several of Bell Orchestre are also involved here but the main focal point is the diminutive singer who looks too small for her guitar. The sound is unique, some instruments homemade and the set beguiling and bizarre but after only four songs I’m majorly disappointed to watch them leave.

The Luyas are a good barometer of what else was to come. Bell Orchestre perform instrumental pieces and manage to create the sound of an orchestra with only six members, two of which (Richard Reed Parry and Sarah Neufeld) are also members of Arcade Fire. The sound of the latter band is present here but Bell Orchestre are working on another plain, creating beautiful soundscapes from horn sections, slide guitars and an upright bass. Their new album ‘As Seen Through Windows’ was recorded between a residency at the Banff Centre for the Arts, to the forests of Quebec and Vermont (made popular by Bon Iver), and back to their hometown of Montreal but tonight is their first show in Scotland.

This set is much a performance piece as it is a concert. All but the violinist are in suits and she stands at the heart of everything, a naked flame of intensity in a white dress. Barefoot, the horn players jump down from the stage to meander around the audience whilst three of the band drum the floor manically. Bells and loops and whistling and an astounding array of weird and wonderful instruments make for a memorable experience.

The secret to success is not difficult to explain – the band are simply ludicrously talented. Many a band will try and up the quirk factor by making all sorts of odd noises on stage and the result is invariably interminable. There needs to be a creative leap, an instinctual understanding of where to find melody and how to corral transient sounds into a structure. With Bell Orchestre at the helm segments flow beautifully into one another and haunting harmonies can change to an affront of horns in the blink of an eye.

And the climaxes are breathtaking. Never has my skin been so disturbed by goose-bumps quite so frequently in the space of a few hours. There are undulations more than steady builds with the expansive sound of all six together breaking down to allow for dramatic slide guitar sections or the dulcet tones of the upright bass when you least expect it, listen to ‘Air Lines - Land Lines’ below to hear for yourself.

The band take their bow and leave the stage after ‘Icicles’, a subdued piece that tends more towards the delicate than the wow. A fitting close, but one that feels rather tame until the six figures re-emerge for an encore. The final song of the night is a triumph, an embodiment of all they can be and a sound that knocks the wind from your sails.

Their second album ‘As Seen Through Windows’is released on 5th October via Arts & Crafts.

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Words: Alastair Mitchell
Pics: Bart Photography