The Horrors @ King Tuts 28/05/09

In a city boasting its very own Clockwork Orange a capacity Tuts awaits a performance which is proper horrorshow. Paper Planes open the evening with a stellar set delivered in their trademark bravado –a perfect warm up for anything. The sound owes a lot to traditional punk, there’s certainly a kinship with the sound of Blondie with the elaborate fuzzy bass lines and reverby surf sound of the guitar, from songs ‘Studio 45′ to ‘Diamond Diner’, the band radiate energy and effortless cool and with the stomping riff from ‘Doris Day’ still resonating in our ears the anticipation for the main attraction is palpable.

The Horrors are an interesting proposition. Debut album Strange House might have divided opinion but the band got a certain celebrity status all the same and then disappeared from view. With their second album they appear to have stopped toying with their hair and started gazing at their shoes and their sound and mood have altered drastically.

‘Mirror’s Image’ represents this to perfection. It’s menacing and lopsided, an intense little something that sits uneasily but draws you in all the same; like watching someone that could snap at any moment. And current single ‘Who Can Say’ is a real standout with a soaring synth hook acting as the lynchpin to a frenzy of noise. The resulting sound is peculiar but undoubtedly engaging, midway between threatening and anthemic.

Towering singer Faris Badwan has a spot of trouble managing with the low ceilings but before long is swinging from the rafters. Literally. His presence provides a real focal point and as he ambles and shuffles towards the crowd there are surges to get near enough for some fleeting contact. Enough of an excitement level is boiling under to get the Tuts audience properly involved and with each passing song it becomes more and more clear that their enthusiasm is altogether warranted.

For a set mostly encompassing new songs it’s remarkably strong and is refined by a degree of maturity. It’s easy to ravage a guitar like My Bloody Valentine and throw in all sorts of synth sounds but the Horrors use their new tricks to hone their style and to embellish upon their prior successes. An encore brandishes the old favourites and ‘Count in Fives’ and ‘Sheena is a Parasite’ sound markedly different to that which preceded them. All that’s really new, however, is subtlety. A greater understanding of their own sound and leaner means of recognising it have emerged, and whilst we came for the visceral rawness of the earlier stuff we stayed for album number two. Impressive stuff from a band moving in the right direction and a set full of welcome surprises. You can catch The Horrors and Paper Planes at T in The Park in July.
 
Pics: Euan Anderson

Beerjacket @ Oran Mor Glasgow 17/06/09

The setting couldn’t be better for an album launch. Flickering candles light the tables and a single spotlight waits for Beerjacket to arrive. The setup is telling in its simplicity and it’s the toughest of musical challenges to face; alone with a guitar. All that you have to do to make it work is be wonderfully talented and Beerjacket happens to be just that.

‘Animosity’ is played in its entirety and enthrals the busy venue. At times it’s difficult to know where to focus, the deft guitar playing or the poised vocals, but the two are combined to perfection and present an impressive body of work.

‘Violent’ starts things off and evokes Elliott Smith at his most stripped back. There’s beautiful restraint, nothing fancy, nothing showy, just precisely what is required to let the soft vocals shine. Something in the lyrics feels heartfelt and lines like ‘What have I become these days’ rather set the tone.

It’s easy to fake melancholy, and insincerity always comes through in a song, thus the note of authenticity in songs like ‘Screaming Hallelujah’ is a joy to behold. A few stamps on the tambourine draw colour but there’s enough in the performance alone to make the song shine. Beerjacket teases light and shade from seemingly nowhere and can get toes tapping and heads nodding to something like ‘The Blues’ before carving out an air of sadness from Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Dancing in the Dark’ that I never knew existed.
The album sounds fantastic and the show ends with a run of old favourites which get the venue clapping along. A disarming display comes to a close with a rare encore and an audience reminded of this little known talent.

Pic: Bart Photography

The French Wives are back. They never went away of course, but guitarist Scott is back and the Wives are fully formed and writing once more. After some support slots and a successful jaunt to Rockness the band find themselves headlining in Glasgow again and a packed Captain’s Rest waits with bated breath.

Something is definitely added to the live sound in Scott’s return and seeing the band whole and with one of their main creative influences back is to see a band with a bit of a shot in the arm. Old favourites like ‘Your Friends and Mine’ have just a stab more conviction and there’s renewed vigour in the performance. Of course ‘Halloween’ and ‘Capilano’ are as entertaining as ever, but there’s something else afoot tonight.

At somewhere around the midpoint of the set there comes a moment which seasoned Wives-watchers have waited a long time for – a new song. ‘Dogfight’ fits right in. A stop start chorus and the usual glorious abundance of violin are more than enough to spark interest in more to come and the tune is well received.

We end the night in rather odd fashion with the Wives coming down into the audience and doing an acoustic rendition of Passion Pit’s ‘Sleepyhead’, a song first performed in a little caravan backstage at Rockness for the Vic Galloway BBC Radio 1 show only days earlier (listen to the full session here). Synths are replaced by the ensemble of voices, the striking motif over the chorus transposed to violin and the whole thing terribly ambitious. It works, performed with sufficient lightness of touch to let the venue go with it and provides a fine ending to the show. There are more songs on the way and, on tonight’s evidence, plenty of interested parties.

Pic: Fraser McFadzean

Bruce Springsteen @ Hampden Park Glasgow 14/07/09

Here at Rokbun we pride ourselves on being devoted to new music. We trawl tiny venues searching for hidden gems and get terribly excited about little known indie bands with barely and EP to their name. Thus it may seem out of place to review a fifty nine year old man playing to a stadium audience of seventy thousand people. Tonight normal rules don’t apply. Tonight is Bruce Springsteen and the amazing E Street Band.

The Boss hasn’t played in Scotland for thirteen years and steps out before a drizzly Hampden . It’s worth the ticket price alone just to feel the hairs stand on end as Nils Lofgren walks on stage playing Flower of Scotland on his accordion. There was also the sight of the ‘biggest Scotsman you ever did see’ saxophonist Clarence Clemons, inexplicably dressed as a priest for the evening. After shouts of ‘Is there anyone alive out there!’ that stir things up to fever pitch, ‘Badlands’ arrives as the first song in a truly enormous set.

As the sound reverberates around Hampden Park we are treated to a band that sound better by the song. Old favourites are interspersed with more obscure numbers and the balance is struck to perfection, allowing for some surprise highlights. ‘Outlaw Pete’, for example, being one of the most recent songs played and one of the best of the night.

Just like at Glastonbury, Springsteen spends ten minutes picking out banners with song titles from the crowd before sifting through them and playing four or five requests. The result is rare outings for tunes like ‘Pink Cadillac’ and ‘Cover Me’ to the backdrop of a delighted audience. Thereafter, and as the skies grow dark, the big hitters emerge and the gig shifts into another gear. ‘Born to Run’, ‘Thunder Road’ and ‘Dancing in the Dark’ are about as good as music can get and with ‘The River’ Springsteen achieves the rare feat of creating a moment of intimacy in such a big horrible venue!

What’s truly glorious about The Boss is that his mere presence is magnetic. I’ve never seen so many people smiling in one place and his every move, gesture and word are greeted with fervour. It might seem clichéd, cheesy and incredibly American to note songs like ‘American Land’, or the fact that the night closed with a cover of ‘Twist and Shout’, but whilst bathing in the communal love for the man on stage none of this mattered. He could have sang the phone book and the reaction would have been every bit as riotous.

Of course it had to end sometime but after twenty eight songs we were still crying out for more. Springsteen’s energy at fifty nine and his visceral love of playing live are staggering. The effort and industry of the man are a joy to behold and the gig feels truly memorable. Three hours, no support and barely a moment to draw breath. The band walk off stage to teh sound of Bruce announcing

‘We’ll be seeing you Scotland’. Don’t leave it so long next time!


Bruce Springsteen played:
Badlands
Out in the Street
My Lucky Day
She’s the One
Outlaw Pete
Working on the Highway
Working on a Dream
Seeds
Johnny 99
Atlantic City
Raise Your Hand (Instrumental Gathering Signs)
Incident on 57th Street
Pink Cadillac
Cover Me
Waitin’ on a Sunny Day
The Promised Land
The River
Kingdom of Days
Radio Nowhere
Lonesome Day
The Rising
Born to Run
Thunder Road
American Land
Bobby Jean
Dancing in the Dark
Twist & Shout

Paper Planes @ Studio Warehouse 04/07/09

If you’ve never been to Studio Warehouse then it might as well be in deepest Marrakesh. Near the Clyde, beside a ship, along a never ending street and under some railway arches is this gem of a venue, a centre for performance arts. It might appear unconventional but there’s a real atmosphere in the room and a wonderful setting for any band. After a flurry of confused text messages and people lost in taxis, a respectable crowd forms and Paper Planes take to the stage.

T in the Park is a week away and Paper Planes are warming up for their slot on the T Break stage. With the stars and stripes pinned to her jacket, New Jersey native Jen Paley brings her usual confidence and cool to the microphone and the Planes headline a night loosely in recognition of Independence Day.

The band have been gigging incessantly and there’s a growing momentum which flavours the performance. In stark contrast to that which preceded them, the Planes have an impeccable sense of the subtleties and nuances required to make songs work. You can throw as many gimmicks and unnecessary theatrics at something as you want, but ‘Permanent Marker’, two minutes, a blast of noise and a chorus you can shout at, is perfect because of it’s poise. Tunes speak for themselves. ‘The Sway’ doesn’t need dressing up and ‘Disconnected, I Know’ wouldn’t be improved upon by some on stage antics. Gimmicks merely show a lack of talent and confidence and it’s those latter aspects that the Planes have in abundance. The Scotsman have prominently listed them as ones to watch at T in the Park next week and on tonight’s evidence you’d be mad to miss them.

Pics: Alastair Mitchell

The Cribs - Ignore the Ignorant

So album number one gained you a glowing reputation and the difficult second album turned out to be a stormer. Number three only increased the momentum and wielded your biggest hit to date. What next then? Probably best to hire the guitarist from The Smiths I suppose. Such is the odd and wonderful tale of The Cribs and after two years spent growing accustomed to their new member ‘Ignore the Ignorant’ finally reaches the shelves.

The big question posed by the record is not hard to spot. At last years Glasgow gig, and I presume gigs worldwide, the audience formed a rather odd shape. All was as it should be apart from the incredibly busy spot of clamouring fans standing to the left of the stage and straining every fibre of their being to be a little closer to a legend. So is this an album overshadowed by new presence or simply more of the same?

Immediately, in classic Cribs fashion, any worries that this is a new direction or a new sound are allayed. We Were Aborted is a no-nonsense affair full of clattering guitars and a spiky chorus that get things off to an aggressive, confident start. The opener sets the tone for an album of punchy tracks that have lost nothing of the old the charm.

Marr’s integration into the band is certainly noticeable, but noticeable for all the right reasons. Every now and then a trademark flicker of guitar is quite unmistakably his however nothing has been compromised to integrate the new sound. Indeed the cleaner, sharper touches nestle beautifully amidst the standard Cribs melee of noise and serve only to draw character. Take forthcoming single ‘Cheat on Me‘; it has all the usual ingredients with straining vocals and that certain melancholy distinctive to the band, but things are topped off by a simplistic Marr solo that forms the icing on the cake.

The Cribs sound was always something of a barrage of everything they could throw at you and the addition of another snarly guitar to fight with everything else feels absolutely natural. ‘Emasculate Me‘ shows the band at their finest, wonderfully disjointed and just precisely as messy as it needs to be, whilst ‘Hari Kari ‘is a gloriously tuneful stramash that lives long in the memory.

Anyone expecting a sudden explosion into best band in the world territory will be disappointed but album number four is an undoubted step forward that bears some fantastic tracks. Noting a steady progression might not seem terribly exciting but it’s testament to theirs talent that The Cribs keep moving forward and Ignore the Ignorant is certainly an album to get excited about.

Bell Orchestre @ The Arches 07/09/09

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.

Pics: Bart Photography

Paper Planes - Doris Day

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!

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

Mumord & Sons @ King Tuts 12/09/09

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.

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 outcrowd 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.

Pics: Euan Anderson

Michael Feuerstack (Bell Orchestre) Interview

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.

Pics: Bart Photography

Fanfarlo @ King Tuts 30/09/09

I love Tuts. There I’ve said it. Tonight Glasgow’s best small venue plays hosts to three vastly different bands and blends them together with complete perfection. Woodenbox with a Fistful of Fivers, who take to the stage first, sound like, and in fact look like, a punch up at a truck stop in the Deep South; all John Deere and Jack Daniels. These are stomping country tinged numbers infused with blasts of trumpet from a makeshift brass section and they are enormous fun into the bargain. The difference is the deftness of touch in the song-writing and the sheer enjoyment that tonight’s band get from tearing up the stage for half an hour.

And then for something completely different. Hailing from Sweden, First Aid Kit consist of two female singers that look very young indeed to be standing in front of such a crowd. Talent, however, makes concerns like that irrelevant, and both voices are sublime. Beautiful harmonies waft over quiet folk songs and utterly compel Tuts to silence. Individual shuffles and breaths can be heard above the notes of the autoharp and the intriguing little duo leave smiles on the faces of all.

Fanfarlo are next, or at least half of them are. The set opens with an acoustic rendition of ‘Drowning Men’ and the first hint of the multitalented personnel on show. Banjos, violins and bells emerge and we are treated to the unique sight of someone attempting to mic up a saw. Yet none of this is for show. The Fanfarlo sound is something special and as songs like ‘Comets‘ or ‘I’m a Pilot’ swell to glorious conclusions the effect is astounding. Having six members on stage who are all doing so much only ever works if you are just this good.

The quality of self-released debut album Reservoir has recently earned the band major label status and it’s not difficult to see why. Every song is a standout and they move beautifully through the gears from the shouty chorus of ‘The Walls are Coming Down’ to the poppy wonder that is ‘Harold T Wilkins‘. ‘Luna’ (below) finishes the set and embodies all that is wonderful about the band – sweeping instrumentation, wonderful song-writing and a overpowering tone that is unavoidably uplifting. And as if that wasn’t enough – the new songs on display tonight point to a very exciting sophomore release.

Pic: Euan Anderson

The xx @ The Captain’s Rest Glasgow 05/10/09

A quick perusal of The xx's tour dates shows that tonight Glasgow is in for something of a privilege especially with. Tonight a mere one hundred souls squeeze into the sold out locker below The Captain’s Rest and the sweaty intimacy of the venue is the perfect backdrop for the performance that ensues.

Visually the band are an odd assortment of notably young folks whose look is entirely their own; or rather their lack of a look. Everywhere there is black and everywhere there is jewellery, yet this is fitting, for The xx aren’t about singles and magazine covers. This is a body of songs that have the potential to be about much more.

There’s barely a chord to be seen and the minimalist approach creates a distinctive and immediately intriguing result. The strict beat and staccato guitar stabs in ‘Basic Space’ demonstrate this beautifully and the swapped male/female vocals add a softer layer. ‘Islands’ continues in this mould and has heads nodding vigorously throughout the venue amidst the stripped back number.

Importantly though, the songs on show tonight all have a distinctly personal feel. Lyrics feel like whispered declarations of love and lines like ‘teach me gently how to breathe’ have an intense effect. It’s the marriage of this sentiment to the slow pound of the bass and the deceptively simple guitar lines that are all important. ‘Heart Skipped a Beat’ feels almost uncomfortable to watch in such close proximity; making eye contact with the band and watching the sweat form on their brows. Vocalist Oliver Sim declaring that ‘this is a bit cosy’ doesn’t quite cover it.

It’s only on their cover of ‘Teardrops’ that the tempo lifts beyond a rhythmic thrust and that constant restraint fuels The xx sound. This is their great strength, and they know it, finishing the night with ‘Stars’. At first glance it’s a subdued way to close a set but, like everything on show, the fact that you want more is all important. And everyone in The Captain’s Rest wants more.

Pics: Heidi Kuisma

Girls @ The Captains Rest 13/10/09

Dominic from Swanton Bombs was clearly born in the wrong decade. Waif thin with flowing locks and an enormous and complicated board of guitar pedals he fits firmly into the mould of a 70s guitarist just discovering distortion for the first time. From the word go we are treated to a series of outrageous licks and riffs that are the nights first full frontal assault on the ears.

Tonight’s openers create a searing noise for a mere duo and Brendan on the drums resembles Animal from The Muppets as he flails and sweats over some frantic stick action. The songs revels in excess and both members look visibly agitated during quieter segments, warily storing energy like a spring as they wait to explode into solos Rory Gallagher would have been proud of. Enough charm in their commitment to the cause then to please a quickly filling venue.

By the time Girls arrive on stage and we get to giggle childishly at their declaration ‘We’re Girls from San Francisco’ The Rest is full to the brim. The band arrives in Glasgow just as a bristle of hype and excitement is growing around them after their debut effort 'Album'. Girl’s songs are saturated with sunshine and ‘Lust for Life’ a sumptuous single that excels live. Its pure and unadulterated pop and the ultra laid back look of the guys on stage make it undeniably cool. The West coast feel is present throughout the set and they take the best aspects and sentiments of bands that pine for harmonies by the surf.

And then there’s the flipside. ‘Big Bad Mean Mother Fucker’ is a distorted blast of noise that I’m still recovering from. Still smiling and still delivering lines like Elvis Costello, the noise shakes the foundations of the building and leaves jangly guitar chords far behind. A band with plenty going on then, with ‘Hellhole Ratrace’ perhaps representing the middle ground in which they thrive. A simple start with honest lyrics moves and gathers pace towards a wall of fuzz and glorious noise. An impressive showing from a band to look out for – just keep the earplugs close at hand.

Pic: Euan Anderson

Blue Roses @ Captain’s Rest 08/11/09

The audience tonight in The Captain’s Rest provide something of a philosophical problem - either the venue is half full or its half empty. This depends on your point of view of course, but the intimacy this allows and the feeling of exclusiveness to those of us hidden away below ground make this something of a privilege.

A highlight for us at Glastonbury this year, far too few people will know the name of Blue Roses, or indeed Laura Groves, the diminutive Shipley lass and pixie like singer to whom the moniker refers. Released on XL Records her debut album of the same name fits neatly into the bracket whereby critical acclaim and public profile mismatch. Indeed other rokbun favourites Wild Beasts are already singing about ‘Girls from Shipley’. Yet to see her in the flesh is something very different and with a violin player and a sparsely used drummer a simple setup focuses all attention on the vocal talents of Ms Groves.

And boy are they special. Shuffling nervously towards the piano, and endearingly managing a barely audible hello, she sings and the hairs on the back of our collective necks stand rigidly to attention. Comparisons to Kate Bush or Joanna Newsom provide a ballpark but do an injustice. The lyrical, folksy, ‘I am Leaving‘ is the perfect example as Groves vocals rise and fall like a swelling tide and something in those soaring high notes is utterly compelling.

Every song is beautifully measured and striking in simplicity, something never more potent than when she performs solo. The opening portions of ‘Rebecca‘ are spellbinding and the venue hangs on her every word. Whilst the album is played in full this is less a recital and more a live interpretation in the best sense. Without the ability to create the sense of a choir of Blue Roses singing at any one time we have two voices and a violin, the deficit of big production filled with delicate exchanges and a wonderfully personal feel.

The night ends with ‘Moments Before Sleep‘, the most idiosyncratic of the songs of the lot. The voice is as high and prominent as ever but a bed of synths and thick strikes from the bass drum give an altogether more expansive and anthemic feel. So a perfect set, a perfect voice and a singer that everyone falls instantly in love with. What more can you ask for?

Pics: Bart Photography

Los Campesinos - Romance is Boring

New albums can often be a worry - have the band found an interest in Belgian jazz? Have they gone for one avant-garde hour length track? The first line of the third offering from Los Campesinos is ‘Let’s talk about you for a minute, with the vomit in your gullet’ and any such fears dissipate immediately. The band has typically declared this to be an album about ‘the death and decay of the human body, lost love, mental breakdown, and football.’

Such a synopsis might seem glib, but the chaotic nature of the songs allow for the four themes to intermingle quite happily within any given four minutes.

Take the title track. ‘Romance is Boring’ is Los Campesinos doing what they do best - a mixture of competing vocals, sudden changes and lyrics about disappointment and boredom that all sounding strangely uplifting. There’s an aggressive clatter not unlike the most recent Cribs material but only if the Cribs were more of an extended family than three brothers. The big soundscape is present throughout, seen at its boisterous best with ‘I Just Sighed’. I Just Sighed, Just So You Know. Countless layers of instruments are somehow corralled into something coherent and the resulting sound is fantastic, something done to similar effect later in ‘The Sea Is a Great Place To Think About The Future’.

On the other hand, ‘These are Listed Buildings’ is a cheery affair, infused with brass but every bit Los Campesinos and a joyous little pop song. Noticeably, this one is cleaner and perhaps more accessible than songs on the previous albums, but nothing has been lost in the process. Infectious guitar lines still crop up where you least expect them to and sudden crashes of noise punctuate the verses. Similarly, In Media Res meanders through scratchy noise, strange interludes and clattering crescendos but somehow retains the thread of being a standalone song. The restlessness is fascinating.

Romance is Boring is an album that does exactly what you want it to. Lurking amongst the many and varied tunes are still fantastically individual vocals which stray from the weird of ‘the frequent public displays of sisterly affection/They left her feeling safe/Left him with an erection’ to the wonderful ‘We are just two atheists in lust’. There’s something unexpected around every corner and plenty of memorable tunes to fall in love with. Los Campesinos are on strong form and this is a record well worth the wait.

Romance is Boring is released on the 1st February 2010

Fyfe Dangerfield @ O2 ABC Glasgow 20/01/10

Celtic Connections, as with all such festivals, provides a wonderful arena for odd combinations of music to be corralled together into one night. Tonight is a perfect example and, with the peculiar sight of chairs covering the dance floor, an assortment of devoted fans and interested neutrals come together under one roof.

We begin with Villagers, of whom tonight there is only one. Conor O’Brien shuffles below a single spotlight to one side of the stage and dons a guitar over his woolly jumper. Awkward greetings are made and a quite beautiful voice, lilting at times towards Celtic melodies, is a welcome arrival. The songs are nice enough but tend to run together and some clear talent gets a little wandered in the tedium. He finishes with an ill-advised version of Roy Orbison’s Crying and gets unintended guffaws by recreating a rather famous scene from Only Fools and Horses. You can catch Conor again solo at Stereo on the 1st of February.

And then there are Stornoway , who are not from Stornoway. The Oxford lads are a cheerier affair, brisk and poppy in their sensibilities, and raise smiles for more welcome reasons. The set is well received and an entirely different proposition to what preceded them or what was to come.

Fyfe Dangerfield, of Guillemots fame, headlines the night in support of his debut solo effort Fly Yellow Moon. His wiry frame has a lot of stage to fill without his band-mates but he lets the music make his presence felt. Opener ‘Livewire’ is quite at odds with the layered arrangements of his band and, with only an acoustic guitar for company, the strength of his voice shines through. The album is a pick and mix of styles and influences and lots of guitar changes and loop pedals are required to recreate this live, yet somehow it all comes together for a charming display.

Two violinists soon join proceedings and accompany Dangerfield’s vocals particularly well. Quieter songs like ‘High on the Tide’ benefit from the melancholic backing whilst upbeat tracks like Firebird find an anthemic edge to give them the necessary lift. Even a cover of Girls Aloud goes down well. The album might not be quite up there with his earlier work, and it’s true that the loudest cheer of the night is for an encore version of ‘Made Up Love Song’, but this was a confident performance and one that demonstrated wider talents. New Guillemots stuff is on the way, but for tonight we have an impressive end to a refreshingly varied show.

Pic: Euan Anderson

Fyfe Dangerfield Interview

What made you decide to do a solo album?

It just kind of happened really, I mean I’d always thought I’d do something at some point and I’d written a lot of songs in 2008. Some of them were just really acoustic and they didn’t seem like the kind of thing to do with the band anyway, so I just booked five days in the studio just before Christmas with my friend Adam. We thought let’s just try and record and let’s not try and get perfect versions, just demo them basically, and we really liked the sound of the demos and just thought ‘lets use these’.

So the album was all done in five days?

Well six tracks on the record we did in those first five days, and certainly half of them we just left as they were. For Barricade we did it that week but added the strings later, and yeah, it was really fun to work that quickly. On Red we recorded on and off for like nine months, not continuous I mean people were moving house and stuff, so it was really nice just doing something so quick, and this year I thought I’ll spend a couple of months and see if I can write some more songs, then did a bit more recording and then we had a record.

You recorded twenty-five songs – how do you whittle that down to an album?

It’s difficult. The idea was to do the whole thing quite acoustically and then it ended up becoming quite mixed. There were tracks like She Needs Me where it needed the kick, so it’s ended up a bit like Red in a way, an album that really flits around, but I don’t really see it that way. I know a lot of people are like ‘oh there lots of different styles’ but I just hear it as music. So it was really just about getting an order that, for me at least, works, and so there are songs on the bonus album that I’m probably a lot more fond of than on the record.

Is there anything you miss?

Yeah there’s one or two that I’ve been playing on the tour, but sometimes the ones I prefer I don’t perceive them as good songs, there’s just something about them that I really like. On this record I get to try and put forward the best songs, that’s what I was going for not the sound so much.

It must have been really different recording process for you?

Yeah very different, certainly a lot quicker that recording with The Guillemots, and it’s not that I’m down on the guys at all, they’re a few of my biggest musical interests in way. It’s just that it’s nice to say alright let’s call up Jamie, let’s call up Matt, you know it was very quick. It was definitely quite liberating.

And the touring must be different too?

Well this is my third gig and I don’t know if I’ll do that many. Not unless the record suddenly takes off for some reason. It’s just a fairly low-key thing, these may be the only gigs I really do and I’m generally just happy that the records out. I think that’s the main thing, and She Needs Me has been doing really well on the radio. I think it’s the only song on the record that would do well, but it’s nice that it has.

The album shows a different side to your vocals – was that a conscious decision?

That was partially conscious but it was partly just the way that it was recorded. A few people have said that there’s this really close vocal sound. I don’t remember really talking about doing that, I think it was just a combination of the mic we used and whatever the recording did to it. I like that about it because I love to drench my voice in reverb, and I was trying to push myself go differently about it. On Barricade especially I had a really reverb heavy vocal and Adam was like ‘it sounds much nicer without it’.

Do you get the ‘classically trained musican’ fact thrown at you a lot?

[laughs] Yeah that makes me sound really pretentious. But I mean yeah, I really love classical music but pop music is what I’ve always loved.

So is there a new Guillemots record on the way?

We’ve been writing loads but we haven’t started recording yet. You know I think we just need to take our time and really make sure we can dream something up. We’ve been largely just playing as a band and waiting for songs to come out of that but I’m trying to write apart from that too so we’ll just see what happens.

Does the solo work feed into that?

Yeah I think that what I want to do is changing. When I started this record I really wanted to do something acoustic and now I want to really do something, to make something really original. I’m in a funny position in my life, you know I’m proud of the stuff I’ve done but still I feel that I haven’t done anything like what I feel I’m capable of. I really want to just push myself a bit harder. It’s that thing where you’re not old, but I’m never going to be someone like, I don’t know, like Alex Turner, someone that just somehow connected with his generation. It’s just that thing where I feel like I’ve done so much already but I’ve probably missed that chance to really just have that big moment, so I feel like I’ve missed the boat on that. I get really worried sometimes, it really scares me you know, I mean even with this album some people have been slagging it off for being really straightforward, which is fair enough, but kind of missing the point. It’s not that I didn’t have any ideas it’s just that I wanted it to be quite stripped down. I mean it’s easy to start freaking out and thinking ‘what if they’re right, what if I’ve already used all my best ideas’ but all you can do is try harder and I think naturally as a creative person you go in ebbs and flows and you never quite know when you’re going to come into a golden stage. You just have to keep slogging away.

Pic: Euan Anderson

The Drums Interview

Last week we caught up with Jonathan from The Drums before they kicked off their stint on the NME Awards tour…

The Drums are touring the UK with NME - how do you feel about playing such a prestigious tour!?

It’s really incredible for us. We started this band just a year ago, so to be asked to be on the NME tour really is quite an honor, but more than that, it’s shocking!

Things all seem to have happened fairly quickly for you guys, what were you all doing this time last year!?

This time last year we were writing our first few songs and living in Florida. I was still working at a shoe shop and Jacob was some sort of a security guard. We were both also taking flying lessons.

How did you all meet?

I me Jacob years ago as a little boy at summer camp an we stayed in touch ever since. Adam grew up in my small town and Connor, we just met 8 months ago in NYC. We feel pretty lucky to all be in the same band. We share so many of the same interests. We share a strong vision of what a proper pop songs is.

Most famous person you’ve seen at one of your shows?

Debbie Harry came to our last NYC gig. That was pretty surreal.

You just played a sold out show at The Bowery Ballroom, how was that?

Well, it felt really great and somewhat reassuring. I mean, I think traditionally, America is a hard-rock loving country, and to see America open up, even slightly for a more delicate brand of rock n’ roll, well thats encouraging.

Where are you favourite hangouts in Brooklyn/Manhattan?

Tiffany and Jimmy’s apartment and Drew, Macky and Aimee’s apartment.

Is this your first time playing in Scotland?

Yes, and we are excited to see this beautiful country. Hypothetically, it has always been one of our favorite places.

Your myspace lists Orange Juice and The Wake among your influences, is there a place in your heart for Scottish bands?

Yes, absolutely. Any place that breeds such perfect songwriting is a place we hold in high regard. I love you, Scotland!

What should we expect from the album?

Its a bit more serious and a bit more personal than the Summertime! EP. Expect a darker side of The Drums.

Will we be seeing you at the festivals or back for a solo tour later this year!?

Festivals, yes. But, we are also touring with Florence and The Machine in May all over the UK, and then we will be back to tour solo sometime in October I think.

Jesca Hoop @ Nice n’ Sleazys 13/02/10

Tonight’s gig is something of a metaphor for Jesca Hoop's career so far; something truly wonderful that’s unfairly lost in the crowd. A local support band fills half the venue with what seems like an extended family and, after a chronically dire set, they hang around. So it is that when we get to the top of the bill there is an odd and strangely acrimonious atmosphere, a crowd polarised between the adoring and the uninterested.

Jesca Hoop arrives in a vast and wonderful green coat trimmed with white fur. Even as she sits cross-legged on the stage, tuning her guitar as the band set up, there’s something undeniably watchable about her. Tousled black locks drop before her face and a seductive voice greets the noisy crowd. Her darks eyes often find cameras and she poses easily. Remaining the unequivocal focus of attention amidst an arguing crowd is a real skill and one the Ms Hoop displays with grace.

Performed mostly from her second album Hunting My Dress, the set is sprawling and varied. Things move from the quirky, angular ‘Whispering Light’ to the quietly beautiful ‘Angel Mom‘. The setup is minimalist, departing from the polished sound of the album, with only another guitarist and a backing singer in attendance. It works perfectly, drawing the raw slaps and twangs required of a song like ‘Bed Across the Sea‘. The bare bones of the tracks are performed with such life and vigour that any other band members might seem superfluous.

The only problem tonight is that to appreciate that on stage one had to work rather hard. With such an odd tension splitting the crowd this never fully settles and a set that should have enraptured seemed stilted and forced. Those willing to listen would have found the haunting beauty of ‘Murder of Birds’ and got to savour the smoky, husky vocals that thrilled the devoted few. A strange night in all, but deep below the noise there was a fantastic set striving to get out.

Pics: Eilidh McMillan

Laura Marling – I Speak Because I Can

One need only look to the sleeve of Larua Marling's second album to grasp the sense of a maturing artist. Pretty flowers and whimsical drawings have been replaced by a statuesque image of a striking young woman, one who has always had ambitions beyond her years and the potential to produce something truly remarkable.

The confidence to eschew any pretence of standard pop songs is immediately apparent. ‘Devil’s Spoke‘, for example, is an unashamedly folksy number driven by minor chords and frantic banjo. None of these roots are airbrushed away for easy radio-play, rather they are embraced and refined. Lyrics like Eye to eye/nose to nose/ripping off each other’s clothes/in the most peculiar way are delivered in breathless gaps between the storm and make for an intense and wonderful track.

There is little by way of cheer and the sad refrain of ‘Do not tempt me’ in What He Wrote has an uneasy air, the mood dark but beautiful. The voice is that of a world weary and sombre girl, not that of a girl of barely twenty-one. There has always been some of the melancholy about Ms Marling, yet this seems to come more naturally than the cheery numbers on the first album. Made by Maid has all the shuffling uncertainty of Neil Young or Joni Mitchell and simple songs and a reliance on deft guitar playing work beautifully throughout. The wistful air of ‘The grey in this city is too much to bear’ in Alpha Swallows is a constant presence.

And then there’s that voice. Blackberry Stone is whispered in velvet tones and produced with a minimalist hand that draws character from every glorious line. The song-writing has developed to match the vocals and I Speak Before I Can is a song of such raw quality that one remembers how rare such talent truly is. There is no-one else producing music like this and the understated excellence of this album is immensely satisfying. Ms Marling has found what she wants to do and the results show why she is one of the best artists around.

The Drums @ Classic Grand 29/03/2010

On principle it would be mighty easy to hate The Drums. The New York youngsters are very much the hot young band of the moment, donning magazine covers and hyped from all quarters. When four well groomed chaps shuffle on stage first impressions suggest that this will be nothing more than poses and hair styles, an hour of style over substance. Opener ‘It Will All End In Tears’ is solid if unspectacular and begins to justify the worries, but this is not to be the story of the evening.

As the mic stand is discarded and space is found for some tambourine action ‘Best Friend’ kicks off and The Drums come to life. Gone are the nonchalant expressions, gone the hipster image, and an engaging live proposition emerges. Front man Jonathon Pierce is all theatrical movements and fey posturing whilst the band and audience are united in leaping around joyously. This is exciting music, songs that demand movement and pop in the best sense of the word.

There is little chatter between songs and the set is short. ‘I Felt Stupid’ swings between sultry bass lines and a chorus you can shout at whilst ‘Forever And Ever, Amen’ dares you not to dance. Pierce flits around stage with the angular dancing of a young Ian Curtis and looks to an adoring audience through deep-set, penetrating eyes. There’s atmosphere enough to forget that there isn’t even an album yet.

It’s notable that the act is well constructed. Rambunctious behaviour appears to come at designated cues whilst Pierce’s actions appear well-rehearsed, yet it matters little. The compulsion to entertain live mirrors the ethos of the songs and ‘Let’s Go Surfing’ is utterly simplistic and immensely satisfying. The laid-back surf sound to the record has a harder edge live and the venue erupts. After scratching the hyped surface of The Drums it’s wonderful to find that there’s substance below the style and a band to get excited about.

Full Setlist:

It Will All End In Tears
Best Friend
Submarine
Me and The Moon
I Felt Stupid
Make You Mine
Book Of Stories
Jerk
Skipping Town
Lets Go Surfing
Down By The River
Forever and Ever

Pics: Bart Photography

Hinterland @ The Arches 03/04/2010

Hinterland is a funny old festival that can’t seem to find its feet. Sized down from two nights to one and centred more towards a single venue attempts have been made this year to improve upon an uncertain debut. The same issues of the timing and legwork involved in catching bands are present but a stellar line-up offer some promise.

First up are British Sea Power, who draw a large crowd despite an early slot, whilst just up the street in Pivo Pivo are Panda Su. Fronted by singer Su Shaw they captivate the tiny room at just the same time as the The Spectrals from London are dazzling Macsorleys.

In Arch 2 The French Wives take to the stage and find a crowd that grows by the song. The Wives have the energy to fill such a big space and shaky-egg percussion from a moustachioed guitarist and layers of trombone gave them something different. With Siobhan Anderson in New York performing as part of Scotland Week there might have been a substitute violin player but the same quality remains. ‘Halloween’ has the power to command attention wherever it’s played whilst forthcoming single ‘Me v Me’ is the perfect end to a strong set from the locals.

Back in Arch 1 headliners The Mystery Jets arrive before an excited fan base and get things all wrong. The set begins with a new song and any atmosphere is killed off in seconds. New offerings are littered throughout the set and, whilst sounding interesting, this was the wrong night for such a venture. It’s only when they get back to favourites like ‘Hideaway’ that the audience are allowed the sing along they crave and, even with a song as wonderful as ‘Flakes’, it becomes clear that missing the end of the set New Yorker Jeffrey Lewis is the best bet.

And he doesn’t disappoint. The words ‘this is a gangsta rap I wrote about mosquitoes in Maine’ are surely the cure to any disappointment. Alone on the big stage, Lewis is as charming as ever as he switches between bittersweet folk songs and hand-drawn films which are projected behind him. The crowd are won-over and requests like ‘Don’t Be Upset’ show off his unique talents.

With the bulk of the action over there’s only time for the wonderful experience of Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs– one man in a dinosaur costume playing electro to an initially empty Arch. Last time he was in Glasgow there were just seventy people in The Captains Rest, but by the time he gets going the Arch is packed and doing what the Arches does best; dancing gloriously. DJ sets from Friendly Fires and Hot Chip keep the tempo up and end a mixed sophomore effort from the Hinterland festival on a high. Steady improvement then, and Hinterland looks like its here to stay.

Pics: Alan Dunlop