March, 2011

Already making noise on the American front, Admiral Fallow played a knock-out set at Mercury Lounge this past Sunday to promote their album Boots Meet My Face. The venue that launched The Strokes, Mercury can be hit or miss; but along with the Bowery Ballroom it is a well-worth it stop for up-and-coming new bands, that is, if you can pull off an intimate setting. Intimacy, it turns out, is a band like Admiral Fallow’s strong suit.

On the tail end of their first ever US tour, tucked between Austin’s South by Southwest festival and a show in Boston, Admiral considered the show at Mercury a pit stop before making their way home back to Glasgow. Shocked at the turnout, singer and lead guitarist Louis Abott, lost in his own travel- weathered thoughts, played with his hat and talked about his misconceptions of Americans just before the show. “I can’t say I didn’t have preconceptions, but every one here is very nice; sometimes too nice,” he said while laughing, adding how much he loved, Texas. When pressed as to why he preferred Texas he said with a sigh, “I just spent all of my money on a tattoo. You know. When in Rome…”

With Numbers And Letters setting the tone for the night with their raw alt-country set, singer Katie Hasty flattened the audience with her vocals. The crowd already could hardly hold on to their beer cups by the time Admiral took to the stage.

The first few rows of the crowd were dancing before the music even began, matching the energy of the band as they tinkered with microphones. With such a small amount of standing room coupled with a low stage, guitar tuning became a quiet conversation with the audience. “I hear this guy sings with a Scottish accent,“ was occasionally heard above the din before the band breaks into ‘Delivered‘:

Got metal in your arteries,/
cameras in your bloodstream,/
heartbeats from your battery’s limited reserve;/
this is your end, this is your end.”

After some jokes about “not being able to not do an American accent,” the group launched in to the harmonic vocals of ‘Taste the Coast’, Sarah Hayes (flute and backup vocals) and Louis playing off one another’s talents, all light and catchy.

‘Subbteo’, Louis’s tribute to his home town, sounded out beautifully as he slammed the body of his guitar with his hands, mimicking the drummer’s movements as they played in lue of one another. After an extended moment of silence, the vocals kicked back in in absolute unison, Louis and Sarah’s voices matching one another perfectly. Cracking drums and heavy bass framed the nostalgic lyricism of the piece, with each word paced in such a way that every sentence could be clearly understood by the crowd, whether one knows the lyrics or not.

The band played a flawless set, broken up by the occasional joke about being the dirtiest, greasiest man alive from Louis or about David living in his old room with his parents.

When the band came to the front of the stage to sing Four Bulbs, immediately the piece is the highlight of the show. “We only play this song at small venues,“ they told the audience as they stepped away from the microphones, with only Louis brandishing his guitar. The audience grew dead silent at the heart-tugging song, written about moving out of your parent’s house for the first time. Goosebumps surely traveled across the arms of every audience member the song was so heartfelt, somehow made even more touching with the Scottish accent Louis can undoubtedly hold to any lyric.

‘Squealing Pigs’, the song that seemed to be the audience’s favorite, became the dance party of the night; the front of the crowd letting loose before the band died down into ‘Old Balloons‘.

After two encore songs, a dark acoustic cover of Elbow’s ‘Switching Off’ and a song so new it didn’t yet have a name (dubbed, Gum On My Shoe by a cheeky audience member), Admiral clearly made a lasting and fond impression on folks already fans and those new to the group.

Words: Ryan Elwood
Pics: Jamaalah Brown

It’s shaping up to be this year’s most exciting festival line up and today things just got hotter with the news that RockNess DAY TICKETS ARE NOW ON SALE. Demand for the day tickets is expected to be sky high and organisers are advising customers to secure the must-have briefs early.

Kicking things off on Friday, and for a DAY TICKET PRICE OF £59, is one of the best live bands on the planet, the mighty KASABIAN who headline the Main Stage. They are joined by Northern Ireland’s music-mad trio TWO DOOR CINEMA CLUB and masters of reinvention GROOVE ARMADA who bring a brand new and exciting performance concept to the glorious backdrop of Loch Ness with GROOVE ARMADA PRESENTS RED LIGHT. Joining them are DJ SHADOW, BBC Radio 1s ANNIE MAC, electro super producer & DJ EROL ALKAN, the ever exuberant ZANE LOWE as well as the excellent BROTHER. The newly announced SUB CLUB SOUND SYSTEM begins the weekend as it will continue with some seriously tasty talent in the form of MODESELEKTOR, JACKMASTER, CLOUDS, BOOM MONK BEN and HAHAHA.

The legendary CHEMICAL BROTHERS headline Saturday’s Main Stage at RockNess and for a DAY TICKET PRICE OF £64 festival fans can enjoy that tantalizing prospect along with sets from cult indie band THE CRIBS and the downright fantastic FRIGHTENED RABBIT. Also bringing their ground breaking LIVE show to Ness on Saturday are dubstep pioneers MAGNETIC MAN plus an act guaranteed to blow up Ness; EXAMPLE, and a man described by the Daily Mail as ‘the most sophisticated drugs baron of all time’, HOWARD MARKS. SUB CLUB SOUND SYSTEM will be suitably bouncing with an outstanding back to back soundtrack from MAGDA, RARESH, SUBCULTURE and SENSU.

Sunday Main Stage headliner PAOLO NUTINI is joined by Scotland’s GLASVEGAS. For a DAY TICKET PRICE OF £64 they can be savoured along with the unashamedly cheery THE WOMBATS and brilliant US indie rockers WE ARE SCIENTISTS. BOYS NOIZE makes a welcome return to satisfy even the most addicted-to-electro fiends and representing the ladies is the sublime LISSIE and the indomitable KATY B. Also confirmed so far for Sunday and both performing LIVE is electronic duo SIMIAN MOBILE DISCO and FAKE BLOOD. AV pioneer DJ YODA is joined by BBC Radio 1’s enigmatic ROB DA BANK who promises to be “playing the best in left field, right field and any bloomin’ field we can lay our hands on” as well as favourites THE CUBAN BROTHERS. And if exceptional electro is your passion there can be no finer way to round up RockNess 2011 than the SUB CLUB SOUND SYSTEM proposition which includes JAMIE XX, a rare LIVE set from MATTHEW DEAR, OPTIMO, PRO VINYLIST KARIM and disco legend DAVID BARBAROSSA.

What’s more, for those who fancy a special treat, a limited number of VIP DAY TICKETS also go on sale today at £85. This year’s RockNess VIP experience sees some fantastic new additions including an unbeatable new hill top location right in the thick of all the festival action and with a unique vantage point to savour the views of The Most Beautiful Festival in the World!

Also included in the VIP DAY TICKET are exclusive DJ sets – watch this space for more details, stylish indoor and outdoor seating, a wider range of food and drinks with less queues and the ultimate luxury that tops every festival goers wish list…posh toilets! The VIP DAY TICKET - ideal for those who want to Rock the Ness whilst enjoying a more exclusive festival experience.

RockNess 2011 takes place 10-12 June, 2011 in the village of Dores, close to Inverness in the Scottish Highlands.

Doune The Rabbit Hole Festival is a three day tea party taking place on the 10th, 11th and 12th of June situated in the beautiful countryside surrounding Doune Castle, Stirlingshire. Held for the first time in July 2010 the festival featured a blend of the finest psychedelic music complimented with a dash of folk brewed to perfection in a big pot of sunshine.

And we mustn’t forget the cakes; a delicious array of freshly baked delights comprising of poetry, dancing, philosophy, forests, stories, lights, trees, cows, theatre, comedy, dressing up boxes, whisky, games, face-painting, giant mushrooms, local ale and cider and lovely organic food. If you want to experience the beating heart of Glastonbury rite here in Scotland, then this festival is for you!

Headlining the festival this year and playing live are Glasgow dance lords, Mungos Hifi, lo-fi legends The Vaselines, electric folk band Trembling Bells and finally The Incredible String Band member Mike Heron.

Other acts announced so far are Alasdair Roberts, Rise Kagona, Quack Quack, Dam Mantle, Conquering Animal Sound, Colorama, Nick Garrie, Remember Remember, The Hidden Masters, Blurt (Ted Milton), Ben Butler and Mousepad, Frank Farfield, James Yorkston, Broadcast 2000, BMX Bandits, RM Hubbert and The Real Tuesday Weld.

Tickets £18.00 - £58.00 adv HERE!

Stag & Dagger is returning to Glasgow on 21 May, the fourth edition of the multi-venue festival that has established a reputation for championing new music and finding upcoming talent.

As well as an impressive roster of home-grown up and coming talent including Admiral Fallow, Broken Records, and Rachel Sermanni, the much-hyped LA based Warpaint will join Sons and Daughters for the new music extravaganza.

Many more acts still to be announced between now and May for tickets and updates on line-up go to www.pclpresents.com.

NY DJ duo Holy Ghost! appear in a jolly mood this evening as they kick off a UK tour supporting Cut Copy. With Alex Frankel acting as frontman drenched in blue light, Holy Ghost! in their full band format launch a drum driven assault on this Glasgow crowd. The crowd is more than in the mood for tonight and you couldn’t ask for a more suited venue for tonight’s events, except possibly the Subclub although you’d struggle to fit this many people in, the DFA duo clearly have high views of the the place: “We usually play Subclub which is our favourite place to play in the world, as DJ’s.”

As a support act Holy Ghost! don’t let down, they may not be in their most comfortable surroundings as a live band but they do more than enough to enlighten the taste buds for what Cut Copy have to offer.

With new album Zonoscope gaining just as favourable reviews as In Ghost Colours did a couple of years back Cut Copy find themselves in that position where people have caught a glimpse of them near the mainstream. Certainly the band’s new wave and disco tinged electronica has it’s eyes on a more popy corner of the market.

As the heat from a brimming Arches hits boiling point the Aussie four-piece cruise through the early portion of there set including track like ‘Nobody Lost, Nobody Found‘ and ‘So Haunted‘ before the tempo is upped with ‘Lights and Music’ as the crowd join in on mass to provide backing vocals.

A quick birthday wish for bass/guitarist Tim Hoey gives the band a quick breather before hitting back into a set of every growing tempo. Vocalist Dan Whitford is visibly drenched in sweat by the time they hit into the bleepy, cowbell adorned house brilliance of ‘Pharaohs & Pyramids‘.

As debut album classic ‘Hearts on Fire’ reaches for the ceiling and the crowd now in full on dance mode it appears tonight can’t get too much better. Unfortunately the band have to be off, a quick encore of ‘Out There On The Ice’ lift every once more and sends them off into the night to find someplace else to dance, sadly there’s no afterparty which is shame as both acts are just as good, if not better, in DJ surrondings.

Words: Iain Dawson
Photos: Stewart Fullerton

Today Tennent’s Lager launch T Break 2011; giving unsigned musicians and bands a chance to play on the biggest platform for emerging new music at T in the Park.

Tennent’s has supported Scotland’s grassroots music scene over the last 15 years through T Break, giving 16 chosen acts each year the experience of playing in front of the most passionate music fans in the world on the T Break Stage at T in the Park.

Some of the most influential music industry experts in Scotland sit on the T Break Judging Panel including DF Concerts and PRS for Music.

Dave McGeachan of DF Concerts said: “I’m always incredibly excited about being part of the T Break judging panel and the quality of entries gets better year-on-year. Some of the acts who have come through the process have gone on to be globally successful (Biffy Clyro and Snow Patrol) and acts from 2011’s selection could follow in their footsteps. In the past, there has been simply too much talent to narrow down and I’m sure this year will be no different!”

If you’re over 18, live in Scotland, are currently unsigned and have recorded demos of original music then head to www.tennents.com/tbreak for full details on how to submit your demos. Any genre of music can be submitted before the deadline on Monday 11th April 2011. You could be sharing the bill with The Arctic Monkeys, Foo Fighters, Coldplay and many more T in the Park acts that have still to be announced.

The T Break Stage is the place to catch the best emerging new talent Scotland has on offer. 2010 saw the likes of French Wives, Kobi Onyame, Washington Irving, Make Sparks, Mitchell Museum and The Seventeenth Century perform at T in the Park.

Kobi Onyame said: “A highlight of 2010 was definitely being picked to play the
T Break Stage at T in the Park. It felt good to know that my music was enjoyed by the industry panel and I was thankful for the opportunity to showcase my material to the T Break crowd….. Performing at T Break opened my live show to other people and I have since gained interest from a very reputable touring agent, lawyer and management company”

In 2011, Tennent’s have also formed a brand new Partnership with STOW College in Glasgow to provide one student from the Music Business Course an exclusive internship within the T Break team, working directly on the delivery of T Break from March to August:

David Hughes, Head of Dept, School of Creative Industries said: “STOW College are proud to be working with T Break on this exciting initiative. Projects of this kind nurture local talent and demonstrate T Break’s commitment to the development of a dynamic Creative Industry in Scotland”

The 16 bands who are invited to play on the T Break Stage at T in the Park will be announced in May.

The submission window for showcasing slots at goNORTH 2011 will close on March 28. goNORTH recently announced some exciting changes to this year’s event by introducing the goNORTH Festival Tour, which will see a goNORTH Stage at three of the best independent festivals in the country, Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival, Wickerman Festival and Loopallu.

‘We have received a fantastic response to our submission call so far, and are looking forward to a strong closing month’, said Festival Director Shaun Arnold. ‘We feel goNORTH is an excellent showcasing platform, and the introduction of the goNORTH Festival Tour is a great opportunity for emerging artists to reach a wider audience.’

For your opportunity to showcase to industry, the chance to get one of your tracks on the goNORTH Music Week Album and play some fantastic Scottish festivals: register @ www.sonicbids.com/gonorth

goNorth features acts across all contemporary music genres, with the line-up split equally between artists from the Highlands and Islands, other parts of Scotland, the UK and the rest of the world. In recent years, the event has brought acts from the USA, Russia, Scandinavia, Australia and the Basque Country to the north of Scotland. The goNorth 2011 compilation featuring a selection of showcasing artists will be released directly to industry via MUSICWEEK.

Picture: Alan Dunlop / go north 2010

New Maiden born singer/songwriter Jamie Woon plays Tut’s tonight entertaining a crowd who are more than ecstatic at the idea to see him, some have been waiting for this moment since his video to ‘Wayfaring Stranger‘ appeared way back in 2007. Nevertheless it was the 2010 release of Night Air that earned him number 4 on BBC’s sound of 2011 pol and propelled the soulful singer back into the limelight.

A hugely varied crowd in terms of age has turned out to catch Woon’s ambient rhythms and high quality vocals all set back against a backdrop on rnb and soul. Woon entertains everyone including himself successfully playing keys, guitar and singing along while also finding time to provide a few dance moves to the altogether groovy and funky beat of highlight ‘Night Air‘.

New tune Lady Luck‘ in particular is also lapped up by an adoring audience. The set is very neat and Woon refreshingly polite taking the time to introduce his band, thanking everyone for coming and all in a very respectful way.

We are sure this man has a very bright future in front of him, later this month Jamie is off to play SXSW and some shows in NYC, he will return to Glasgow for a show at the ABC on May 26th, >tickets HERE.

His debut album Mirrorwriting will be released on 4 April 2011 via Polydor Records.

Words/Pic: Amandine Eap

The beauty of King Tut’s is you never know who you’re turning up to see. It’s Monday night in Glasgow and for all we know this could be the next TITP headliner! Tut’s oozes music – the knock of the closing doors are tuned to the distinct beats of a five piece kick drum – and have a history of providing up and coming bands with a platform for promotion. Some of the biggest names in music cover the stairs up to the stage a goal for any new band to have their name walked all over – a privilege in this case.

We try not to compare bands with other bands, there are always similarities; after all it’s a group playing music, luckily Dutch Uncles are a little harder to put a finger on. They hail from Manchester, as did many of the UK’s great performers; they’ve been mates since school, heard that one before; but these guys are a little different.

The style of music they play is nothing new but the way they play it is. The band portrays a sort of late 80’s ‘math-rock’ that comes through in more than just the rhythmic complexities (you ought to see some of the shirts being worn). These mathematicians are focused on the job at hand and breeze through a set of angular melodies and irregularity as easy as the circulating vocals and moments of silence. That sentence alone sounds inconsistent.

They are everything the orthodox rock group until the first round of looping repetition. ‘Face In’ from their debut album is as catchy as repetition can be. This carries on through the new single ‘Fragrant’ and just as you memorise the pattern their music stops and starts like a child flicking channels on a remote control.

‘The Ink’ holds complexities matching the unsynchronised popping shoulders of front man Duncan Paton Wallis. With the lyrics not the main focus Wallis seizes the opportunity to slide around stage in between versus momentarily stealing the limelight.

The band announce their new album entitled Cadenza is due out 25th of April, and treat us to a taste of what’s to come. A refreshing sigh of relief is felt to see that their intricate take on obscure genres isn’t lost in their new album. It’s tracks like ‘Twelfth’ and ‘Steadycam’ from their debut that has built this groups reputation.

On stage they leave nothing to waste and even find room to fit in a clapping solo by Robin Richards on bass. The set goes uninterrupted, not bad for the final gig of the tour. Although it’s not all over yet, I expect this to be a busy year for the “DU”.

Words: Ashten Macdonald
Photos: Stewart Fullerton

There’s surely nothing more befitting of the Glasgow Film Festival than a film about T in the Park? You Instead, from Hallom Foe director David Mackenzie, was entirely filmed during the 2010 festival and follows rock star Adam and punk singer Morello as they are brought together during the festival in a very literal way. The pair are hand-cuffed together and must deal with jealous partners, portaloos and their changing feelings for each other as they search for the key.

Despite the filming being unique the premise of the film is fairly straightforward. The odd-couple handcuffed together idea goes back to the oldest version of The 39 Steps whilst the story arc can be found in any given romcom. This should hamper the film, but there’s more than enough warmth in the performances and life in the location to render the clichéd aspects of the film unimportant. Films like this live or die on the strength of the central couple and Luke Treadaway and Natalia Tena do well here. Their move from bickering strangers to the realisation of their true feelings is enjoyable and their rapport fun to watch.

Matthew Baynton (Gavin and Stacey) and Gavin Mitchell (Still Game) provide the comic subplot as they get venture out into the night as manager and performer and are scuppered by alcohol and mud. The performances of the two bands are strong too. Getting fictional bands to sound believable onscreen is a difficult job but the task here is admirably met, having Eugene Kelly and Brian MacAlpine involved in the music certainly helps! The Make have an MGMT vibe and look the part whilst the post-punk girl band sound just about right.

Yet the festival itself is very much a central character. Amidst the action we see performances from Biffy Clyro and The Proclaimers, whilst musicians pop up for brief cameos throughout. David Mackenzie has brought us big films in the past but here his skill is in showing the minutiae of the event. It’s beautifully shot and recreates the chaotic atmosphere to great effect. It’s a love letter to T in the Park that just happens to have a romance at its heart and hopefully it’s summer release well get people in the festival spirit.

Alastair Mitchell

Two dates at Nice n’ Sleazy’s separated by a month for James Blake is very surprising, firstly considering the small gap between the shows and also considering the stature and hype the London composer has been receiving. As a result all pre sale tickets for both dates went in no time at all, but the lucky few that got down early grabbed the last few on the door.

Tonight’s gig is surprisingly early too, with Blake taking the stage at half nine and finishing way before a headliner has usually taken the stage at Sleazy’s. Despite the venue’s sold out status there is plenty of room to move at the back of the room but seeing Blake as he sits low over his keyboard proves difficult for anyone past the first couple of rows.

Still, what Blake doesn’t have in stage show he more than makes up for in his music as he plays out an almost perfect set of glitchy electronic gems, with vocals reminiscant of Antony Hegarty. His self-titled album released just earlier this month sees a full airing tonight and it’s easy to see why it is getting the praise it has been receiving.

For the full set there is barely a movement from the crowd, as they all stand transfixed at the sounds on offer. His first single and brilliant cover of Feist’s ‘Limit to Your Love’ is easily the highlight of the set, as the bass seems to be lifted to an extraordinary level almost dragging you backwards with sheer power.

Another cover forms the other end of Blake’s musical spectrum tonight as he plays a version of Joni Mitchell’s ‘A Case of You‘ in the most stripped down song of the set. The performance plays the most on his accent and is played over a straightforward piano sound, almost abandoning his usual stylings both musically and vocally.

James Blake plays Sleazy’s again on the 27th March, all the ticket are sold out but there will be limited availability on the door so if you’ve not got a ticket yet get yourself along early, this is the last chance you will get to see him at such a small venue.

Words: Iain Dawson