Tuesday, 5 April 2011

News & Bits - April 5th

Not a great deal to report this week, let's have a look and see what is out and what's generally going on.
Next week's news will, hopefully, have a fair chunk devoted to Record Store Day, so any bands, record shops or anyone else out there reading this - if you have something planned, send me the details!

New Releases:
Futuristic Retro Champions play their final gigs this weekend, and release the retrospective album Love and Lemonade. the 25 track album is available from iTunes, with a limited number of CDs on sale at the gigs on Friday and Saturday.
Glasvegas release their second album, EUPHORIC ///HEARTBREAK\\\. Haven't heard it, can I slag it just for the abuse of capital letters? Anyway, you can buy it from iTunes, Amazon
, HMV, yadda yadda yadda.
Member of the Wedding have a new double A-side single, Disorder/Rich Tapestry. Again, available from iTunes.
That seems to be it. There's a fair few things out in the next few weeks, including excellent albums from Le Reno Amps, Take a Worm For a Walk Week and You Already Know, but we'll get to them later.

A few of the charity things mentioned recently will be released fully next week, but I'll save that for the appropriate news round-up.

News & Other Stuff:
The Insider Festival have started announcing their line up for this year. Bands announced so far include The Last Battle, Bronto Skylift, French Wives, How To Swim, Let's Talk About Trees and loads more, along with bear baiting, cock fighting and badger wrestling, apparently. Tickets go on sale soon, full info on the website.
The Douglas Firs release their debut album Happy as a Windless Flag via our pals at Armellodie Records on May 16th, but you can order a copy now and get an immediate download here. Someone lend me a fiver to buy it? No? Sod you then.
The deadline for entering this year's TBreak contest is close. Entries close on Monday 11th April.
A quick plug for the competition - Favourite Son has weighed in with a few thoughts on the Kassidy debate. You should still read my gig guide instead of his though.

Bandcamp trawling hasn't thrown up much this week either, here's a few things I've found or been pointed to:
The Deadly Winters have a free download single available here. An self titled album follows on the 8th, with a launch gig at the One Below in Edinburgh.
The Spook School, who I meant to mention last week, have a couple of songs here. I like these.
Lyon Reve are from further afield, but include an online pal of mine, so get a wee plug. The tunes are good though, you can find them here.

Thank goodness for Chemikal Underground for sending out their latest newsletter today, giving me a few things to pinch for myself. You can, and should, sign up to the newsletter yourself here, but here's the basics...
FOUND's next single will be Anti Climb Paint. It will be released on a playable chocolate 7". Yes, you read that correctly, chocolate. Also, I need to get round to writing a Factorycraft review, don't I?
Aidan Moffat & Bill Wells release Everything's Getting Older on May 9th. The limited edition triple vinyl with loads of extra stuff is tempting me, even though I don't own a record player.

Finally, another wee plug for thing we like combining: Black International will be live in session on Ally McCrae's BBC Introducing show on Radio 1 at midnight this Sunday night/Monday morning.

That's about it for this week I reckon.
Posted by Jim Connick at 21:00
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Sunday, 3 April 2011

This Week's Gigs: 4th - 10th April

Despite having my grass cut by bigger branded gig guides I'm carrying on with my own for the time being. Support your local shop.
Recent weeks have been fairly quiet, this week is not even slightly quiet.

Monday:
Roddy Woomble. Paisley Arts Centre.

Tuesday:
Washington Irving are off on tour, launching their new single Abbey Gallop.
The Xcerts, The Barents Sea. The Doghouse, Dundee. (Tickets)

Wednesday:
Jonnie Common's DESKJOB: Album Launch. The Captain's Rest.
DESKJOB is an album of performances by Meursault, Panda Su, Conquering Animal Sound, eagleowl, Adam Beattie, Iona Marshall, Autistic Angus, The Oates Field, Adam P Gorman and Inspector Tapehead. Nine of them will be playing 2 songs each, in an intimate fashion, at the launch. More details can be found at the link above, as can tickets.
Secret CDs: Birdhead, Polly and the Billets Doux, Sparrahawk, Rosie Nimmo. The Voodoo Rooms, Edinburgh. £3.
The Xcerts, The Barents Sea. Drummonds, Aberdeen.

Thursday:
Wide Days - full info here.
Does anyone from Dundee read the blog? If you do then may I suggest going to this?
Vendor Defender, Young Aviators. The Captain's Rest.
Take A Worm... launch their really quite wonderful new album, with a little help from their friends.

Friday:
The final *sniff* Glasgow gig from FRC. Cheap tickets available from their link above.
Scrap Brain, Lady North, Jump: Press A, Hagana. Maggie's Chambers, Edinburgh.
Controversy causing Edinburgh noiseniks Scrap Brain launch their new single "Nal", with some ace support bands.
Supermarionation & others. Box.


Saturday:
Ah Saturday, it has been a wee while since you decided to have a laugh. Back to your old tricks I see.
Frankly looking at this line up I could easily believe it has been put on just for my benefit. It hasn't though, so you should come along.
Since No dancing finishes at 10pm, I'll be nicking along the road to this afterwards.
Oh You Dancer Vs Kaskrute, Bloc. 10pm kick off, free entry before 11.
Esperanza launch their debut album, Permanent Ska.

Sunday:
Words Per Minute 11. The Arches, 4pm.
As always find all the info over at the Words Per Minute website and the Facebook page above.
If memory serves me correctly this is only Trapped Mice's second Glasgow gig. The first one was put one by this really halfwitted guy that doesn't really know what he is doing.
Brain Burner: Wounded Knee, Muris, theapplesofenergy, Iliop. The Liquid Ship. Free.
The Late Call, The Japanese War Effort, The Wee Rogue. The Wee Red Bar, Edinburgh.

Remember you can submit a gig for inclusion on the guide by emailing details to gigs@ayetunes.org.uk, full details are on the Submissions page up the top.
Posted by Jim Connick at 19:45
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Friday, 1 April 2011

Gig Review: Bombay Bicycle Club, FOUND, The Seventeenth Century

Miller Filtered Music: Bombay Bicycle Club, FOUND, The Seventeenth Century.
Oran Mor, Glasgow.
30th March 2011


Due to public transport being rubbish, then getting stuck outside in a queue, we join The Seventeenth Century already in progress. Entering a room to the familiar swell of the band and Mark Farmer's distinctive vocals is no bad thing at all really, and thankfully I haven't missed much. Having seen The Seventeenth Century umpteen times before, and having hosted them at one of my own gigs, I know what to expect from them by now, but that doesn't make it any less thrilling. Their on stage energy is infections, and when everything, the almost military drumbeats, violin played as if Mark's life depends on it, blasts of brass, tender guitars and the soaring, sweeping vocals and harmonies - oh especially those harmonies - combine, most notably tonight on set closer, err, Notes a tingle runs down the spine and hair stands on end. This is a band that still gives me goosebumps when I hear them. A recent jaunt to Holland seems to have kept them sharp too, as they remain an incredibly tight band live.

Next up are FOUND, just a few weeks after the last time I saw them (also the first time I'd seen them) launching new album Factorycraft to a packed Captain's Rest. Over a short six song set we get edited highlights of that album, something that just flags out how good the album is. More straightforward than some of their previous material the songs from Factorycraft the "new" (FOUND have been playing these songs for so long that the tag doesn't really apply) material goes for smart, catchy indie-rock. FOUND are never a band short on ideas though, so just because the songs are more straightforward doesn't mean they are even close to dumbed down. Ziggy Campbell's voice has a homely, charming rough edge to it, which when wrapped round some of the cheeky, mischievous lyrics (a choice example being I'll Wake With A Seismic Head No More's "I only ever wanted to put my tongue in your dimples") can't fail to put a smile on my face. Coupled with guitar, bass, and all sorts of percussive and glitchy noises coming from Kev Sim's toys, FOUND make music that practically commands at least an involuntary bobbing of the head, it not a full on excursion into dancing like a loon. Nothing ever outstays it's welcome in the set, where some other bands would milk a song for all it is worth FOUND have a fun habit of coming to a stop on this material, keeping you on your toes. The Phil Spector-esque drums of recent single Machine Age Dancing make a play for being highlight of the night, but that honour falls to You're No Vincent Gallo, a song I've had stuck in my head for roughly 24 hours now without minding a bit. It took me long enough to catch FOUND live, now I find myself wondering how I'll cope without seeing them every few weeks.

They say that familiarity breeds contempt, but on this night the opposite is more appropriate.
Headliners Bombay Bicycle Club aren't well known to me, and unfortunately nothing they do makes me want to delve into their back catalogue to become better acquainted. Opening song Magnet, from debut album I Had The Blues But I Shook Them Loose, was bouncy and fun enough, but to my ears the rest of their set could have been the same song played repeatedly. Capable musicians, but it all got to feel a bit one dimensional and samey, very quickly.
The young and sizable audience seemed to be having a swell time of it, but this grumpy old man left not offended - Bombay Bicycle Club weren't awful - but unimpressed.

Photos by Claire Thomson

Posted by Jim Connick at 09:00
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