May, 2010

Tonight’s launch of Astral Planes new EP has something of an air of intrigue. The Planes are well known in Glasgow but the EP brings with it a raft of new songs.

The chosen location is Stereo and unfortunately for the spectacle a lukewarm crowd gives something of a lukewarm response. With its high stage and cavernous roof Stereo is a strange venue whose walls and corners always seem to do odd things with the sound. The result is that the crunching notes from guitarist Chad’s Vox Phantom get slightly squashed and dampened. On the plus side, however, Jen Paley’s vocals are the loudest thing on stage and the progress she has made is clear. The new songs showcase her talents and on ‘Sleep of Reason’ in particular it’s the voice that stands out.

A set that starts with four new tracks in a row is brave but the EP is allowed to speak for itself. ‘Rotten’ continues the Planes trademark sound giving tremolo guitar riffs and a pleasantly uneasy atmosphere. ‘Disguise’ and ‘Eddie’ are deceptively engaging and pull together punchy choruses whilst ‘Sleep of Reason’ has the bittersweet lyrics ‘You were so pretty and I was so mean’ at its heart.

Things perhaps come together most completely in ‘Shut the Door’ and the band sound wonderful. Chad’s deft guitar lines are enhanced by an echoing, evocative drum sound and the track is one of real quality. The night ends in familiar territory with the stomping ‘Doris Day’ but it’s the new songs rather than the night which will linger in the memory. The Planes give proof positive that they are capable of producing fantastic pop records and Sit Still Child is an exceptionally interesting EP. After a summer of festival appearances including T in the Park expect the profile to take a sharp rise.

Words: Alastair Mitchell
Pics/Video: Rokbun

It’s Friday, and Oran Mor’s turn to welcome Glasgow’s own Kassidy for a sell out gig. Hidden beneath thick locks and scraggy beards is a hoard of musical talent - and they’re not the slightest bit shy about it.

The Scottish outfit are hair, sorry, here launching their single ‘Stray Cat’. The four-piece boasts a collection of catchy choruses and silky harmonies, not to mention one of the best acoustic sets I’ve heard this year.

Signed to Vertigo Records and with ‘The Rubbergum E.P’ already to their name, Kassidy have quickly carved their way through Glasgow’s crowded music scene.

Kassidy, made up of Barrie-James O’Neil, Hamish Fingland, Andrew Lewis and Chris Potter, are recreating success experienced by the early Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young and strum out captivating tunes for the crowd to endure. Fusing together their individual influences, the depth of sound is uncomplicated and hugely inspiring with mixtures of 60’s and 70’s rock and indie along with small takes on blues. The overlapping plucks and riffs in ‘The Traveller’ and ‘Stray Cat’ are matched by vocals and harmonies, as slowly you find yourself beginning to nod your head to ‘’you’re everything, you’re everything, I always wanted’’.

The set involves regular role changes, from guitar to bass to drums, however, it’s when armed with a guitar each that Kassidy proceed to really profess. It’s a joy to watch such accomplished young artists doing nothing but play guitar - a naturally refreshing sound.

The songs generate from their commune-type lifestyle, similar to that prominent in California throughout the late 60’s. They eat, sleep, live and work all under the same roof, interestingly, in what was once a studio recording the likes of Altered Images and Simple Minds. Inevitable then is their common focus: simply to write music people enjoy.

On stage evolves the product of this. Bringing back memories of festivals like Woodstock and the acoustic guitars that dominated that era. Not surprisingly people still love that.

Concluding their set, which seemed to be over all too quickly, they treat an already grateful audience to a cover of ‘I’m a Believer’, which I found myself whistling for the rest of the night. It was then back to Kassidy’s house for an all night party that Hamish Fingland later described as ‘having most of the audience present!’

Kassidy tour the UK throughout June and are back in Scotland for T in The Park, if you add them on facebook you have a chance of winning 4 T in The Park tickets, a 4 man tent including flag and a private Kassidy gig, yaldi!

Words: Ashten Macdonald
Pics: Louise Henderson

It is a drab, overcast evening in Glasgow. Fortunately, the weather is the only thing tainted with mediocrity tonight. By 8pm, the downstairs bar in King Tut’s is already crackling with eager anticipation. When Simon Doherty takes to the stage alone, he splits the hubbub of the crowd with his exquisite guitar work and effortlessly enthralling crooning, instantly captivating the attention of everyone assembled.

Once the applause fades, bassist Nicholas Blythe joins him on stage to provide both deft accompaniment and delicate vocal harmony. The pair go on to enchant the audience with a number of intriguing songs that do justice to the intense, and often downright dark, themes they deal with. In short, Doherty’s impressive performance is difficult to criticise and is characterised by an endearing sense of genuineness and humility. While announcing the last song, Doherty latches on to some banter with the front few rows to speculate that headliners Villagers will end up “as big as AC/DC”.

It’s a good sign when you’re at a gig and a stranger feels moved to tell you how the band you’re about to see filled him with excitement after a single short, televised acoustic performance. Villagers frontman and creative engine room Conor J. O’Brien recently performed solo on Later Live with Jools Holland.

It seems that in doing so he managed to whet the musical appetite of not just Rob, the aforementioned enthusiast but the entire British public. Space in Tut’s becomes a truly scarce commodity as Glasgow anxiously awaits the arrival of the self-styled ‘alt-rock hobbits’ from the Emerald Isle.

A wistful, ambient chord spills out on the keys and ripples overhead as Villagers take to the stage. Honesty and angst are the two words that immediately spring to mind as the smart lyrics, spectral chanting and ethereal echo effects build to a raucous, howling crescendo as ‘The Meaning of the Ritual’ sends the crowd into raptures.The tone changes immediately as the heartfelt plea for unity that is ‘Home‘ rings out next with soulful yearning. The audience are then skilfully brought back to the boil with what is arguably the Dublin five-piece’s most recognisable tune, ‘Become a Jackal‘. Receiving a good few knowing cheers as the first chord sounds, the pulsating drumbeat perfectly reflects the song’s brazen and boisterous message.

Throughout the entire set, O’Brien revels in the praise of the crowd. He has a coy swagger and an endearing, youthful cheekiness about him. He is the beating heart of the band but his imposing personality neither dominates the overall output nor works to its detriment. Villagers are not afraid of being deliberately understated or subtle. The gorgeous, elegant keys in ‘To be Counted Among Men‘ command absolute silence from the crowd. They are equally capable of pounding out stout, rough-edged sounds.

The band’s versatility is perhaps no more evident than in ‘Pieces‘. Intricate keys and tender vocals explode into an almighty climax of unashamed muscle-flexing on the electric guitar and frenzied percussion. Villagers are impressively tight on the live stage and their charm is bolstered ten-fold by the sense of camaraderie they effortlessly exude. The acapella interlude in the final song of the encore, ‘On a Sunlit Stage‘, is the perfect example of their glorious unity.

Based on this performance, it is little wonder that the excitement surrounding them is so great.

Their debut album Becoming a Jackal was released on May 24th via Domino Records.

Words: Neale McDonald
Pics: Russell Forrester

This is a charity evening run Cold Blooded Clarity. Tickets are available here and you can read an article from the Evening Times about the night here.

Above is a picture of the crowd at Stag and Dagger last Saturday night at the Art School in Glasgow. The shot was taken by Alan Dunlop during Sleigh Bells awesome set.

If you are the girl on the right hand side holding a bottle of beer you have won two tickets to any gig of your choice at the O2 Academy in Glasgow. The gig you choose must take place anytime between July and December. Simply send an email to contact@rokbun.com with a link to your facebook or myspace to claim it.

If the person in the pic doesn’t claim the tickets by June 15th we will take another random crowd shot at a Glasgow gig and offer the prize again!!

Astral Planes (formerly Paper Planes) are having an ep launch this Saturday at Stereo. They have also just been confirmed for T in the Park alongside A Band Called Quinn, Alex Gardner, Billy Talent, Daisy Dares You, Eliza Doolittle, Lissie, Matthew P, Midnight Lion, Sparrow and the Workshop, Twisted Wheel and White Belt Yellow Tag.

Today’s announcement kicks off with a trio of debut performances for T in the Park 2010. Billy Talent have been electrifying festival audiences since their debut album in 2003. One of Canada’s biggest rock exports, their stirring live sets have seen the four-piece elevated to a must see festival band. They will play Balado for the first time on Sunday 11th July on the Radio 1/NME Stage. Future pop sensation Daisy Dares You will make her T in the Park debut on the final day of this year’s festival playing the King Tuts Wah Wah Tent. Subject of a full-scale record label bidding war, this youngster delivers giddy electro-pop hits with big hooks and killer choruses. American singer-songwriter Lissie will release her debut album ‘Catching A Tiger’ in late June. Ranging from bluesy-folk to unfettered pop, the tracks showcase her gutsy vocals and songwriting prowess. Lissie will perform on the Red Bull Bedroom Jam Futures Stage on Saturday 10th July.

Further to last week’s unveiling of the 16 unsigned Scottish bands selected by the T Break judging panel to perform at T in the Park this July, the T Break Stage takes further shape with nine more acts announced for the line-up. Joining the very best in fresh and exciting homegrown sounds on the stage on Friday 9th July are Matthew P and White Belt Yellow Tag. Saturday 10th July’s line-up expands with Astral Planes (above), Sparrow and the Workshop and Twisted Wheel added to the bill and the final day of T in the Park 2010’s proceedings, Sunday 11th July, will see A Band Called Quinn, Alex Gardner, Midnight Lion and Eliza Doolittle take to the T Break Stage.

T in the Park takes place in Balado, Kinross-shire from Friday 9th to Sunday 11th July. The cheers of 85,000 of the greatest music fans in the world generate the passionate heart beat of Scotland’s leading festival while the world’s greatest music artists bring the soul…and the rock and the roll! There are now just 42 days to go until T in the Park 2010.

With bands playing from 2pm Saturday afternoon until the early hours of Sunday Stag and Dagger rolled into town for it’s second year in Scotland’s largest city. With temperatures rising outside to highs not seen in some time in Glasgow it felt like the whole city had came out to party. Run by Glasgow promoters PCL Stag and Dagger took over venues as far afield as Stereo in the city centre to the The Captains Rest in the West End.

Always a hive of activity The Captains Rest, was so busy that many punters resorted to sitting out in the street taking in the sunshine between bands. Excellent Portland duo White Hinterland were well worth the trip into the shade.

Highlights down at Stereo included bands we’ve recently covered Chapel Club, Three Blind Wolves, and Jesca Hoop seen here busking outside Stereo on Saturday afternoon!

First on at the ABC are Brooklyn’s much hyped, but still relatively unknown, The Antlers, who deliver dream filled indie rock to a slowly growing crowd. The Antlers may have released a brilliant album in Hospice but tonight they seem slightly out of their depth in the huge ABC1.

Frontman Peter Silberman’s vocals are drowned out in early part of the set, but as the band build in confidence and the more accessible songs enter the fray the problems fade into obscurity. Latest single ‘Two’ provides the tonight’s standout but we look forward to seeing them play in more suitable surroundings in the near future.

Next up at the ABC were a band we caught at last years Hinterland in a half empty Stereo! With tracks such as ‘All The Kings Men’ and ‘Hooting and Howling’ from their outsatnding 2009 Domino release Two Dancers Wild Beasts rightly attract one of the largest crowds of the night.

A quick skip across the way and you’re in the Nice n’ Sleazy’s basement in plenty of time for a powerful set from noise punk trio Male Bonding. The London based trio keep the fast, noisy hooks commonly associated with punk rock but drop the unneeded sleaze. Tonight they deliver a short yet exhilarating set which leaves the audience eagerly awaiting their next visit north of the border. Male Bonding went under our radar when they supported Vivian Girls last May but with debut album Nothing Hurts out now on Subpop they’ll be turning more than our heads in 2010.

Staying on at Sleazy’s sees you catch Glasgow based, female fronted hardcore punk act Divorce, who pull out all the stops in keeping the crowd from dashing off to see the likes of We Were Promised Jetpacks who headline up at the ABC.

Meanwhile up at the Art School are XL Records signings Titus Andronicus. The bearded punks are on usual top form. Having earlier taken in Male Bonding at Nice and Sleazys Titus leader, Patrick Stickles, keeps up the energy ploughing through tracks from both their brilliant releases. Highlights included the impossible not to jump around to ‘Titus Andronicus‘ and songs form their excellent new album The Monitor ‘A More Perfect Union’ and ‘No Future Part Three’. Undoubtedly though the show stealer though was the epic 14 minute long ‘The Battle of Hampton Road’ which if renamed Hampden Road and live included bagpipes, might just become a rallying cry for our struggling national team! The large crowd are surely deserving of the band returning for another headline visit to Glasgow in the very near future.

Staying on at the Art School keeps your toes bouncing as we await our most eagerly anticipated set of the night and Sleigh Bells do not let down. The Brooklyn duo bombards us with waves of electronic attitude while Alexis Krauss’ infectious squeal drags the crowd into a mass of dancing.

Sleigh Bells have a lot of things on their side, despite not being everyone’s cup of tea, their music passes many genre barriers and some of their tracks would not look out of place in the charts. Album stand out ‘Crown on the Ground’ is possibly the best example of the duos cross over charms and is greeted with a joyous sing-along tonight, and some sexy dancing down the front!

Each track of a ridiculously energetic set is met with more and more enthusiasm by a crowd who may have just met their new favourite act of the moment. We certainly look forward to seeing them back in Glasgow, if you’ve not checked these guys out yet go get your hands on their debut album Treats, it’s bound to be up there in those end of year lists.

Those who joined members of We Were Promised Jetpacks and Wild Beasts later up at the Art School were treated to rising Glasgow dub star Taz Buckfaster.

Words: Iain Dawson
Pics: Alan Dunlop

Canadian four-piece Holy Fuck tonight’s headliners. Signed to XL Records the band are responsible for a wide range of ‘noise makers’ including a 35mm film synchroniser and toy phaser guns along with conventional instruments. Holy Fuck’s unique angle on electronic music is that they don’t use laptops or programmed backing tracks, hence the ‘non-instruments’.

After the band launch straight into their set and it’s not long before every head in the packed room is bobbing along in appreciation. The energy they put into their music is obvious from the start. The drumming is fast paced throughout but the drummer, Matt Schulz, makes it look easy and the thumping basslines are played with overwhelming enthusiasm.

Both keyboardists, Brian Borcherdt and Graham Walsh, juggle numerous instruments with ease, every so often shouting into distorted microphones giving a mysterious, otherworldly sound on top of the gritty electronica underneath. By the end the whole room is dancing, some more energetically than others but there is not a single unenthusiastic face.

Tonight’s set comes from the recently released and highly rated new album Latin, standout tracks are of course the lead single ‘Latin America‘ and Lovely Allen from their 2007 release LP Despite a lack of crowd interaction Holy Fuck have a definite connection through their music. Their ability to create dance music while by-passing the common techniques is incredibly impressive, and the raw feel of their music has led to the label ‘dance music for rock fans’. They are definitely worth checking out whatever your tastes.

Words: Katherine Haig
Pics: Alan Dunlop

The last time we saw Spencer Krug he was fronting his now established art rock side-project Sunset Rubdown at a half-full Stereo. This time the multi talented frontman brings what is widely regarded as his main project, Wolf Parade, for their first trip to Glasgow in a very long time. The atmosphere has upped a notch from that show, the larger Oran Mor is almost full and as the band take to the stage bathed in red light excitement is brewing.

Opening with ‘You Are A Runner and I Am My Father’s Son’ under the flicker of pink neon Krug and co look just at home. The song taken from 2005 standout Apologies to the Queen Mary forms a strong opener and indeed it is songs from this record that cause the biggest responses from the crowd.

‘Dear Sons and Daughters of Hungry Ghosts’ is easily one of the stand out songs of the set, lifting the crowd from its synth drenched daze to one of genuine clap along elation. The soaring ‘I’ll Believe in Anything’ quickly follows as the band builds up momentum.

Wolf Parade clearly know which songs will receive the best response but are also keen to air some of their new material. Upcoming album Expo 86 is due out at the end of June but early signs show promise, delicious electronic, almost space age promise. Still, Krug thanks the crowd for listening, calling us “sweethearts” before defending his drink: “This actually looks like piss but it’s just Scotch and water.”

It is important to note Wolf Parade is not just about Krug, in fact he shares vocals with guitarist Dan Boeckner also of Handsome Furs. It is Boeckner who brings the set to a brilliant end calling from ‘Apologies’ again for ‘Shine a Light’ before ending on the whimsical ‘Kissing a Beehive’.

Tonight’s set may have gone on a bit longer than many would have liked but how else are a band to showcase new material while cramming in the favourites. This Canadian four-piece certainly know what there are doing, so expect to hear a lot more about them when the new album hits shelves.

Words: Iain Dawson
Pic: Ingrid Mur

Scotland’s leading music scene social night, Born To Be Wide, is to co-host a weekend of new Scottish talent in Berlin on May 21-22. Five Scottish acts will take over a stage this Saturday at the city’s largest open air music event, Karneval Der Kulturen, which attracts over 1m people.

Several bands will also perform evening shows at the city’s White Trash Fast Food venue, beginning with the duo Panda Su on May 21 and then Aaron Wright, Foxgang and Woodenbox With A Fistful Of Fivers the following night.

The initiative came about after Born To Be Wide hosted a German night in Edinburgh, which included a seminar, live performance by Jeans Team and DJ sets by the Consul and Consul General . One of the seminar guests was Katja Lucker, the programme director of the Berlin Kulturbrauereie venues and a booker for Karneval.

“Katja was so impressed with what she saw and heard that she asked me to suggest bands which would fit into the Karneval programme,” explains Born to Be Wide co-organiser Olaf Furniss, who coordinated the British Music Week in Berlin four years ago.

“For the past two years [event manager] Thomas Traber and I have been planning to bring exciting new Scottish music to Germany and Katja’s offer was the perfect opportunity,” he adds.

The Karneval concerts, which also include Punch And The Apostles who moved from Scotland to Berlin, take place on the Eurasia stage on the corner of Blücherstraße and Zossenerstraße in the Kreuzberg district.

KARNEVAL DER KULTUREN: BORN TO BE WIDE/EURASIA STAGE

Saturday 22 May
14.45 Panda Su
16.15 Punch & the Apostles
17.45 Foxgang
19.15 Aaron Wright and the Aprils
20.30 Woodenbox With A Fistful Of Fivers

SCOTLAND AT WHITE TRASH [RESTAURANT]

Friday 21 May
2200 Panda Su

Saturday 22 May
2230 Foxgang
2330 Aaron Wright and the Aprils
0030 Woodenbox With A Fistful Of Fivers

The final acts set to play the T Break stage at  T in the Park 2010 have been announced.

T Break is TitP’s small band stage, running since 1996 it has helped the likes of Paolo Nutini, The View and Biffy Clyro find fame. Sponsored by Tennent’s Lager, the stage aims to showcase unsigned acts from around the country on a large scale at the T in the Park festival in Balado.

A number of Glasgow favourites made it through including Make Sparks, Ross Clark’s Three Blind Wolves,  Washington Irving and French Wives (above) who have recently completed a session for the BBC.

Bands playing T Break 2010:

Be Like Pablo
French Wives
Fridge Magnets
Kitty the Lion
Kobi Onyame
Light guides
Make Sparks
Mitchell Museum
Mopp
Night Noise Team
Stanley Odd
The Draymin
The Ray Summers
The Seventeenth Century
Three Blind Wolves
Washington Irving

Bart Photography:  Stag and Dagger 2009 ABC

Diesel UK encourage you to ‘Be Stupid’ as they announce they are curating a special interactive party at Glasgow Art School as part of this year’s Stag and Dagger Festival on Saturday 22 May. The multi-venue music extravaganza brings with it a stellar line up of new music talent and hot live acts and DJs, with Glasgow highlights this year including Wild Beasts, Chapel Club (new video below) Blood Red Shoes, Silver Columns, Django Django, We Were Promised Jet Packs, Male Bonding (full list below).

Working with Dublin’s creative tour de force the Synth Eastwood collective as part of their Be Stupid campaign, which asks you to stop worrying, take risks and follow your heart and not your head, Diesel UK will be transforming Glasgow Art School’s live music space into a ‘Being John Malkovich’-style room of narcissistic joy. Music fans at Stag and Dagger will become the subject of their own festival, as their faces are animated large scale in the space, alongside live performances by Egyptian Hip Hop, Joker and Gold Panda.

In the days leading up to Stag and Dagger Glasgow (which takes place across seven Glasgow venues – see below for venues and full line-up), Synth Eastwood will become a roaming photo studio, taking pictures of people across the City and from inside Diesel’s Buchanan Street store, where one of its changing rooms will become a pop-up portrait studio. The Diesel Store will also be exclusively selling a limited number of heavily reduced festival tickets, at only £10 (full price £18) so well worth dropping by!

The lively Synth Eastwood portraits will then be animated into a visual who’s who of Glasgow’s music fans, which will be projected as part of Synth Eastwood’s live set at the Art School on the night of the 22nd.

In addition, Synth Eastwood will be presenting the amazing Info Processor, aka Hugh Cooney’s one-man instant artwork machine, where the crowd controls the art. Here, your ideas for what you’d do with the impressive Diesel ‘Be Stupid’ competition prize of £50,000, will be turned into real life artistic impressions live via a large projection screen.

Everything will then come to life at the Diesel UK Facebook, where you will be able to find your photos, apply for the £50K prize and generally get your Stupid on. See more here.

If you cant make it to the Diesel store you can buy tickets online here. Below is this year’s line up and venues for Saturday 22 May:

ABC1:
We Were Promised Jetpacks
Wild Beasts
The Antlers

ABC2:
A Place to Bury Strangers
The Unwinding Hours
Erland and the Carnival
Jaguar Love
Wilder

Art School:
Synth Eastwood
Joker
Taz Buckfaster
Sleigh Bells
Titus Andronicus
Egyptian Hip Hop
Fun
Gold Panda

Captain’s Rest:
Blood Red Shoes
Kid Adrift
Crocodiles
Turbofruits
Copy Haho
Wax Fang
Tripwires
Islet
Sparrow & the Workshop
Olympic Swimmers

Vic Bar:
Silver Columns
White Hinterland
Esben and the Witch
Schnapps
Django Django
Javelin
Wilson Tan
Samuel and the Dragon

Stereo:
Men and Machines with- Serge Santiago
My Latest Novel
Chapel Club
Jesca Hoop
Yuck
Milk

Nice n Sleazy:
Hot Club
Kong
Divorce
Male Bonding
Sky Larkin
North Atlantic Oscillation
Bridezilla