Everything you need to know about Bourgie Bourgie can be found over at The Punk Rock Hotel. It's free to check-in and well worth visit....even if you've already been before.
Never played on television by The Smiths, Johnny Marr did perform an acoustic version with Sandie Shaw on the Charlie's Bus segment of TVAM's Saturday morning children's programme Splat! in April 1984
John McGeoch was my favourite post-punk, new wave guitarist.
He played with five really great bands - Magazine, Visage, Siouxsie & The Banshees, Armoury Show and PiL (and yes, I regard Visage as a great band as I will shortly demonstrate on this very blog!!)
Born in 1955 in Greenock, a shipbuilding town on the banks of the Clyde some 20-odd miles west of Glasgow, he moved to Manchester as an art student in 1975 and soon found himself sharing a flat with Malcolm Garrett whose superb designs would find prominence with Buzzcocks and later in many others. Through this connection he got to know Howard Devoto and he became a founding member of Magazine.
He died suddenly in March 2004. His obituary in The Guardian, penned by Dave Simpson, recalled a tremendous talent:-
John McGeoch, one of the most innovative rock guitarists of the past 30 years, has died in his sleep aged 48. The Scotsman - once described by the Smiths' drummer Mike Joyce as "one of the true good guys" - unleashed his unmistakable, dextrous guitar sounds within some of the most revered bands of the post-punk era.
He was in Howard Devoto's massively influential Magazine; he spent an enormously productive three years in Siouxsie and the Banshees before going on to join ex-Sex Pistol John Lydon in PIL.
While McGeoch's back catalogue is matched by few British guitarists of his generation, his influence continues to reverberate. A host of young bands - from The Strokes to The Rapture - owes something to the myriad of sounds McGeoch pioneered.
Equally, he has been credited as an inspiration by U2 and most of the world's biggest rock bands. The Red Hot Chili Peppers' John Frusciante recently said that he taught himself to play "learning all John McGeoch's stuff in Magazine and Siouxsie and the Banshees".
McGeoch was born in Greenock, Strathclyde, but moved in his teens to Manchester, where he immersed himself into the fledgling punk scene. In April 1977, an advert led to a meeting with Devoto, who had just left Buzzocks and was looking to explore new forms of music beyond three-chord punk.
McGeoch proved the perfect foil. The young guitarist's memorable riff - a sound like an elastic band building to snap - fuelled the band's classic debut single, Shot By Both Sides, an outsider anthem which reached Number 41 in January 1978 and ushered in the post-punk era.
McGeoch featured on the band's first three classic albums, Real Life (1978), Secondhand Daylight (1979) and The Correct Use Of Soap (1980), developing his trade mark of getting guitars to make unusual but powerful sounds. However, he quit the band in 1980, disappointed by the lack of commercial success to match critical acclaim.
McGeoch had already guested with bands such as the Skids and Generation X, but now began moonlighting with Magazine colleagues, the bass player Barry Adamson and the keyboard player Dave Formula in clubland guru Steve Strange's synthesiser band, Visage, formed with members of Ultravox.
Although McGeoch saw the band as a joke, smash hits such as Fade To Grey signposted the era of Duran Duran and Spandau Ballet. His next projects would prove equally creatively and commercially rewarding.
After being asked to join the Banshees, McGeoch featured on, arguably, their most enduring albums, Kaleidoscope (1980), JuJu (1981) and A Kiss In The Dreamhouse (1982). The hit singles of the period - particularly 1980s Happy House and Israel - featured some of McGeoch's most spellbinding work, hypnotic circular rhythms conjured from icy guitar notes and echo. However, eventually the stresses of touring and drinking led to a nervous breakdown, and McGeoch found himself in hospital and out of the band.
An unsuccessful tie-in with Skids' Richard Jobson (1984-86) in The Armoury Show was followed by another largely glorious spell with Lydon's PIL, a band he admired greatly - largely because of Lydon's lyrics - and was reputed to have been first asked to join in 1984.
Eventually clambering onboard in 1986, he transformed PIL from a left-field, experimental outfit into a provocative, marauding rock band. McGeoch moved to Los Angeles and went on to become PIL's longest-serving member bar Lydon, staying until the band dissipated in 1992.
After his return to England, work on more dance-oriented material with Heaven 17's Glenn Gregory and a projected band, Pacific, with Spandau Ballet's John Keeble, came to nothing.
For the first time, the pioneer found himself stranded in another era. He qualified as a nurse in 1995, but had lately been writing music for television as subsequent generations of guitarists hailed him. Siouxsie Sioux once described McGeoch as "my favourite guitarist of all time". He is survived by his partner Sophie and daughter Emily.
· John McGeoch, guitarist, born May 28 1955; died March 4 2004
It was with Magazine that I fell under the spell of this great guitarist, and here's an example of why from each of those 3 albums that he featured on:-
mp3 : Magazine - Shot By Both Sides
mp3 : Magazine - Rhythm Of Cruelty
mp3 : Magazine - Because You're Frightened
Just when you thought it was safe to leave the water.........part 3 of 4:-
mp3 : Jesse Malin - Death Or Glory
mp3 : Billy Bragg & The Neurotics - Garageland
mp3 : Sparks - We Are The Clash
mp3 : Adam Masterson - Gates Of The West
mp3 : Nouvelle Vague - The Guns Of Brixton
mp3 : The National - Clampdown
mp3 : Cracker - White Riot
mp3 : The Waco Brothers - I Fought The Law
Was sitting in a cafe having a bite to eat the other day. One of the staff was mucking about on a laptop creating a mix of music for the patrons to enjoy or endure. All of a sudden, amidst the non-descript singer-songwriters with their whimsical ballads with a twist of indie-folk, this came blaring out:-
mp3 : Radiohead - Bones
It's the fourth track on the 1995 LP The Bends. In some ways it is a sort of forgotten Radiohead classic. It is squeezed onto the album right after two hit singles - High And Dry and Fake Plastic Trees, and right before one of their best loved songs and another hit - (Nice Dream) and Just. But there's no way that Bones should ever be regarded as a filler track.
Great tune. Killer chorus. And an ambiguous enough lyric to spark a debate. Is it merely about growing old or is it about the physical pain that a mental breakdown brings? Who knows? And who really cares?? Just turn the volume up and enjoy the music. It's rock, it's pop, it's indie all at once. It's also magnificent.
REVIEW OF VIC GODARD& SUBWAY SECT/SEXUAL OBJECTS : VOODOO ROOM, EDINBURGH, 24 MARCH 2012
This was a very late call.
The original plan had been to head to see the same line-up in Glasgow the previous night, but I got caught up in a leaving-do for a number of ex-colleagues taking early retirement from the cooncil. It was a gig being promoted by Alan Hendry under his Sounds In The Suburbs banner and I felt really bad about not getting along. So I put in a quick call to Jacques the Kipper....asked if he fancied going along to see them in Edinburgh....and to my delight he said yes.
This was a first visit to the Voodoo Rooms for me, and it really is a superb little venue in a tremendous location in the heart of Edinburgh very close to both the rail and bus stations. It's a highly stylish place as well...nothing the least bit sweaty, sticky or grotty about it, and quite different I imagine from the sorts of places that the headline act has spent much of his career playing.
Just seven days fays previously, I had been just about the oldest person at the Wu Lyf gig in Glasgow. This was a total contrast. Just about everyone was in the mid 40s and upwards range...loads of old punks and new wavers who were wanting to turn the clock back 30 and more years. But without the energetic pogoing of our youth.
Lots of people were quite drunk as well. They must all be well off for the price of the booze was on the steep side, albeit the choices on offer were top-quality. The Voodoo Rooms is the sort of place I could very happily set myself up in for an entire evening...assuming I had save up for it!!!!
And so to the gig.
The venue was quite full for the support act which was no real surprise given is was Sexual Objects. This is the latest band to feature the genius and talent of Davy Henderson, probably the most unique, influential, highly-regarded but enigmatic musicians to come out of Edinburgh over the past 30 years. He's been part of Fire Engines, Win and Nectarine No.9....as well as collaborating with loads of other bands and singers over the years. All the while he has been a man who doesn't give a fuck.
He maintained this reputation through this blistering short set. There were times when Davy didn't seem to know or care what the rest of the band were doing...even down to what the next song on the set was going to be. It threatened at times to descend into a shambles but that it never did was down to the quality of the songs, the superb playing of the band (particularly Douglas McIntyre on bass) but above all else the sheer charisma and magnetism that Davy Henderson radiates when he's on stage.
mp3 : Sexual Objects - Midnight Boycott
And so to the headliners.
There's probably a few folk turned up to see the bloke playing drums as it's none other than Paul Cook of the Sex Pistols. But there's many more turned up to see the main man himself whose career has lasted 35 years and counting.
Vic Godard & Subway Sect toured with The Clash in 1977 and for a while were managed by Bernie Rhodes who of course had a huge role to play in the career of Strummer, Jones, Simonon and Headon and Chimes, so there's no doubting Vic's punk credentials. But before too long, the songs he was writing and his band were recording were more poppy than punk. If that was a surprise, then the early 80s material, which was jazz, soul and easy listening bewildered and astonished and divided everyone, fans and critics alike.
By the mid 80s, Vic Godard was out of the music business altogether, but came back in the early 90s working with Edwyn Collins and releasing on material on the revived Postcard Records. There's since been a smattering of singles and re-released material but in recent years he's become more active than ever, re-forming Subway Sect and releasing the LP We Come As Aliens back in 2010.
The line-up that took to the stage at the Voodoo Rooms consisted of the afore-mentioned Godard and Cook, Paul Myers (Subway Sect member away back in the days) on bass, Mark Braby on guitar and Kevin Younger on keys and additional guitar.
For not far short of 80 minutes they delivered a hugely enjoyable set of 16 songs, covering all 35 years from the late 70s to some as yet unreleased songs. It was a night of many highlights and not a single low. Orange Juice/Edwyn fans would have been delighted that Holiday Hymn and Won't Turn Back were part of the set - I certainly was - but the newer stuff such as Best Album and Back in The Community from the 2010 LP as well as the unreleased songs - Caught In Mid-stream and You Bring Out The Demon In Me - left equally deep impressions.
This was also a night that made me realise - again - that I'm not getting any younger. Vic took to the stage wearing his glasses but removed them for the performance until the moment he had to adjust an amp when he had to put them back on to see what he was doing...and having no time to put them back safely in their case he held on to them tightly all the way through the next song. It wasn't like that in the punk days....
Special word of thanks to the promoter Alan Hendry.
For years he has been putting on small and intimate gigs mostly in a couple of small venues in the West End of Glasgow, but as a fan of Vic Godard & Subway Sect he has been bringing them to more mainstream venues in recent years. I'd have missed on this unforgettable night if he hadn't spread his wings to Edinburgh and he was rewarded for his ambition with an excellent turnout and an audience that to a man and woman will have gone away very happy indeed. Well, maybe one or two people had their faces tripping them...there was someone who asked for a refund after taking offence at remarks made between-songs during the Sexual Objects set having considered them homophobic. Quite obviously they don't know Davy....his remarks were a genuinely warm tribute to friends and colleagues from years back...and I'm just sorry they weren't taken that way.
At the ends of the gig I was able to go onto the stage and rescue the set-list that had sat at the side of Paul Cook's drumkit, so here's the performance in full:-
Best Album Empty Shell Stop That Girl Rhododendron Town Back In The Community If We'd've Caught In Mid-Stream Ambition Music Of A Werewolf Watching The Devil You Brink Out The Devil In Me Holiday Hymn Won't Turn Bak Nobody's Scared Chainsmokin' Stool Pigeon
Nothwithstanding one person being unhappy, this yet another night to remember courtesy of Sounds In The Suburbs. I might not have got home until after 2am thanks to having to wait for a taxi once back in Glasgow and the clocks going forward by one hour. But it was well worth it.
Botany 5. consisting of Gordon Kerr, Steve Christie and Jason Robertson entered into the studio with the Blue Nile's Callum Malcolm. The resulting 'Into The Night' (1991) was preceded by two well-received singles, 'Love Bomb' and 'Nature Boy', the group's mellow meditative soundscapes bearing comparisons with the likes of Talk Talk, The Orb and Animal Nightlife. Before being lost forever to the music business jungle, the Botany 5 trio completed a series of acclaimed live shows aided and abetted by former Orange Juice drummer Zeke Manyika
I've one piece of vinyl in the cupboard. It's a 7" promotional single consisting of these:-
Other than that, I can't really tell you all that much about this lot. But I've a vague feeling that I caught them live as a support act in Edinburgh in the early 90s.
Filmed at Derby Assembly Rooms (7/12/83) a live version of 'Hand In Glove' was first broadcast on 9 December 1983 as part of BBC2's Old Grey Whistle Test's Sight and Sound special. Three months later, promoting The Smiths, another live rendition was recorded in the Newcastle studios of Channel 4's The Tube on Friday 16 March 1984 along with 'Still Ill' and the yet to be recorded 'Barbarism Beguis At Home'.
The third, and best, televised performance of the song was again on The Tube. Filmed in concert at Glasgow Barrowlands (25/9/85) as part of a lengthy feature on The Smiths' autumn Scottish tour broadcast the following month, 'Hand In Glove' was shown in its entirety capturing the audience hysteria (impulsive stage invaders and swarthy bouncers dragging asphyxiated fans out of the scrum) and on-stage electricity to a tee.
mp3 : The Smiths - Hand In Glove (live, Brixton Ace, London : 29 June 1983)*
*as made available years later on There Is A Light That Never Goes Out single
With New Order being back in the limelight and about to tour once again (albeit with no Gillian Gilbert or Peter Hook on stage it's only 50% of the proper line-up), I thought I'd re-read a biography originally bought on its release back in 2007.
David Nolan has written a number of books dealing with the Manchester music scene. This bio of Bernard Sumner is an excellent rock biography. It's the work of a fan but not someone who has put the subject matter on a pedestal and it reveals in a highly informative and enjoyable way, a great deal about the subject matter and helps the reader understand just what it is that drives and motivates the singer, musician and producer.
It's not a perfect work by any means. There's quite a number of typos, spelling mistakes and bad grammar (a bit like a typical TVV posting then!!!) which will annoy some folk. But having said that, the research that has gone into this book to reveal all sorts of details and facts about a notoriously shy front-man who never wanted the job in the first place more than makes up for it.
The author, in his introduction, makes it clear that while it not an authorised biography, his approach was to give a copy of the manuscript to its subject matter to allow him to respond to some of the issues raised. This means that every so often, Bernard's commentary appears mid-page and it's said/written in a style that is quite different from David Nolan's. This only adds to the enjoyment factor.
Bernard Sumner's career has been astonishing and it's easy to overlook much of it and think of him simply as the singer with New Order. He's had chart success and enjoyed critical acclaim with three of the UK's most influential bands of the late 20th Century as well as being the often un-named producer behind many of the acts that were on Factory. He's co-written and/or played on tracks by Paul Haig, Chemical Brothers and Primal Scream among others. As this book demonstrates, he has been hugely influential, far more than the much more revered Ian Curtis, and yet without the suicide of the Joy Division singer it is by no means certain that he would ever have been given the space to display these talents. Although late and great Anthony H Wilson certainly believes Bernard would have been a success - his contribution to this book via what must have been one of the last in-depth interviews he gave to anyone is worth the cover price alone.
Five years on however, this book is now seemingly out of print. Certainly on Amazon, it's only available second-hand and folk are asking for silly money for it - £27 and upwards. It's the same at ebay. I'm not saying you should fork out such daft sums, but if you happen to come across a copy in a charity shop, car boot sale or the like then pick up a copy and have a read. You won't regret it.
mp3 : Joy Division - Love Will Tear Us Apart (Pennine)
mp3 : New Order - Krafty
mp3 : Electronic - Idiot Country
mp3 : Sub Sub - This Time I'm Not Wrong (edit)
As mentioned last time out, 50 Shades of Blue flopped on release in October 1989. It would be fully five years before Edwyn Collins released his next single.
Between times however, there were 2 LPs unleashed on the world. Hellbent On Compromise appeared in October 1990 to little fanfare and brought an end to his association with Demon Records. It's a fine piece of work if a little patchy in places. It features the last song that he wrote in conjunction with Paul Quinn as well as a couple of covers - one originally by Smokey Robinson & The Miracles and the other by Willie Nelson - which sort of encapsulates perfectly the music that has had most influence on Edwyn.
He spent most of the next few years producing a range of acts, some of who were on the then little-known London-based indie label Setanta Records. Edwyn himself inked a deal with the label in the early 90s and it was August 1994 when the LP Gorgeous George was released.
There was a surprising amount of critical acclaim for the LP, albeit it didn't sell all that well - initially that is. It's re-release a year later was totally different.....
One of the real poppy songs began to pick up a bit of airplay on late evening radio. And so two months after the LP was released it was decided to put out the Expressly EP featuring said poppy track, some tracks that hadn't made the final cut of the LP and some remixes across 2 x CD singles:-
CD1
mp3 : Edwyn Collins - A Girl Like You
mp3 : Edwyn Collins - A Girl Like You (Macrame remix by Youth)
mp3 : Edwyn Collins - Out Of This World (I Hear A New World) (remixed by St Etienne)
mp3 : Edwyn Collins - Occupy Your Mind
CD2
A Girl Like You, plus:-
mp3 : Edwyn Collins - Don't Shilly Shally (spotter's '86 demo version)
mp3 : Edwyn Collins - Something's Brewing
mp3 : Edwyn Collins - Bring It On Back
The EP climbed to #42 in the charts. Close but no cigar. That would come, along with a very fine claret, around a year later as will be told in Part 7. There's another flop tale before then next time around.
Not sure if you want reader reviews but i thought i might mention Saturday night's gig.
ABC Sauchiehall Street - The Felice Brothers supported by Craig Finn
Been a fan of America's finest the Hold Steady for a number of years so couldn't pass up the opportunity to see front man Craig Finn perform a solo set at the ABC. With the Hold Steady being on a bit of a break Craig's gone and done a solo album. Clear Heart Full Eyes is, well lets be honest, not a patch on the Hold Steady but it's a solid enough debut in a quiet and affecting way and most of it gets an airing tonight. Backed by some check shirts with guitar, bass, drums and slide guitar/guitarist the band were pretty good especially as things start to speed up towards the end with the single Honolulu Blues and New Friend Jesus where Mr Finn helpfully informs us he's got a new friend and his new friend's name is Jesus.
The Felice Brothers I knew little of but they were a wee bit of a revelation to these ears. Lining up in a row from left to right we had violin/box of tricks, accordion/keyboards/vocals, guitar/vocals, bass/vocals, drummer. This is a band that looks like they're doing everything they can to avoid pigeon-holing we had everything from folk to hip-hop to country to old fashioned hoe-downs. The busy crowd seemed to be enjoying all of this and I didn't catch too many song titles but Whisky In My Whisky will have you singing along on first listen. I'm thinking my wallet's going to regret me going to this one.
As picked up for £2.99 in a charity shop the other week. One of the few songs of theirs that I truly like. It's the 1989 reissue of their single from two years earlier.
mp3 : The Stone Roses - Sally Cinnamon
mp3 : The Stone Roses - Here It Comes
mp3 : The Stone Roses - All Across The Sands
Seemingly this particular version of this 12" single contains a different longer version of the title track than the original 12" released back in 1987 and also contains an alternate recording of All Across The Sands.
One week later, part 2 of this particular extravaganza.
mp3 : Mr David Viner - Should I Stay Or Should I Go?
mp3 : Thea Gilmore - I'm Not Down
mp3 : Jeff Klein - The Guns Of Brixton
mp3 : The Caravans - Know Your Rights
mp3 : Asian Dub Foundation & Zebda - Police On My Back
mp3 : Terry Edwards & The Scapegoats - Version City
mp3 : Edwyn Collins - 1977
mp3 : The Fiery Furnaces - One More Time
Last month I wrote these words about the group who had been bottom of the bill at a gig at King Tut's on 15 February:-
"First up is Father Sculptor who get the night off to a very entertaining start with a short but varied five-song 20 minute set. It begins and ends with bog-standard 80s indie-pop enlivened by excellent playing – Drew thought the drummer was great, while I was impressed by the guitarist. But the second song of the night was one that caught my attention – very reminiscent of the Sire-era James...i.e the time when they were really struggling commercially but making great music. It’s after this song they announce it is their first ever gig which does make the performance all the more impressive. They’re worth keeping an eye on and hopefully I’ll come across them over the course of the next 12 months - it will be interesting to get Aldo’s take on them."
Not long after I got a nice email from the band thanking me for the kind words and then not long after, this:-
JC,
That Sire-era James song ('Ember') is up via,
http://fathersculptor.bandcamp.com/
Ta ra.
It really is every bit as good as I remember:-
It's going to be released on 16 April. I'll certainly be buying a copy. And here;s hoping Father Sculptor will have a live gig to support the promotional activities.
REVIEW OF WU LYF/HOLY ESQUE : SWG3, GLASGOW - 17 MARCH 2012
I'm posting the review sharpish as Aldo might just want to totally contradict everything I'm about to say.
This was a gig my sidekick had been looking forward to for ages with Wu Lyf releasing his favourite LP of 2011. Me? I went along deliberately not giving them a listen in advance. But I was intrigued a fair bit by them.
Wu Lyf is short for 'World Unite Lucifer Youth Foundation'. They've been going for around four years but have maintained an aura of mystery thanks to an unwillingness to do much in the way of media promotion. They also describe their music as 'heavy pop' More on them later....
Support came from Holy Esque, a young unsigned four-piece from Glasgow who have been gradually been picking up a fair bit of positive coverage through the internet.
They had just taken to the stage when the three of us arrived - we were accompanied this time Jondo, a music buff originally from London but long resident north of the border. Jondo is marginally older than me and we were easily the two oldest folk at the venue. First impressions were that Holy Esque were just a racket, but within a few minutes, drinks in hand, we had wriggled our way down to the front centre for a better look and listen.
For someone who grew up watching all sorts of inexperienced support bands in the new wave era take to the stage and subject listeners to some awful messes, I never fail to be impressed by the talent and ability so many young musicians display nowadays. Holy Esque were very good at what they do. Only problem was that on this showing there was nothing much to make me remember them all that much afterwards. They weren't helped by the stage lights leaving them in darkness for much of the time along with what appeared to be a random use of the strobe. If I had to pick out an act they reminded me of it would have been Killing Joke but with shouty rough at the edges vocals.
And so to the main act.
It's an over 14s gig which means it is a totally different audience than any other gig so far this year. At almost 49, I really feel ancient but not out of place.
Wu Lyf get the crowd going from the opening few seconds. I'm immediately trying to work out what I'm listening to. It's not indie. It's not pop. It's not exactly rock.....well not to begin with anyway.
Aldo is right down the front in with the throng who are singing, jumping about and clapping along to the tunes. I'm just at the back edge of what is not quite a mosh pit but still relatively close to the stage. And I soon find myself wondering what all the fuss is about.
Don't think I'm alone though as there's an incredible amount of chit-chat in between and during the songs which really becomes evident during a quiet intro to the fourth song of the set. It was almost impossible to hear anything about the excited yakking all around me.
Fifth song into the set....it hits me. This lot are anthemic. The 2012 equivalent of Glasvegas in that they've perfectly captured the mood of the 14-18 year old crowd who have turned their backs on the bubblegum manufactured pop that dominates the airwaves. Wu Lyf really have the potential to be massive...but maybe for 3 years tops and then their audience will move on. Good luck to them.
By now the 20% of the crowd who are going for it really are at full tilt. It takes me back to a Spear of Destiny gig at Strathclyde Uni in the early 80s when a big chunk of the crowd stripped to the waist and went nuts for the band - including my wee brother - while the rest of us stood back and enjoyed the vitality on and off stage and how these aspects were feeding off one another.
So....atmosphere wise it was charged. But musically????????
There was nothing at all that stood out. It's a cliche, but I've seen and heard it all before.
This is rock music that in the hands of older musicians would even be described as mainstream. I swear at one point I could hear a guitar solo that was straight of Tin Machine. Choruses that go 'oh oh oh' to get maximum sing and clap-a-long...oh that's what Queen championed back in the days. And what's this....oh the lead singer has leaped off the stage and into the audience who, having initially mobbed him then put him up on their shoulders and crowd surf him back to the stage. Yawn.
And then the encore...so much confidence and ability that it could have been Wet Wet Wet when they started out, except that where Clydebanks' finest gave us plastic soul, Wu Lyf gave us plastic rock.
Remember kids....it's only an opinion. No need to get too angry
It was meant to be The Bluebells this week. But when I went to the cupboard, I found it was bare. I was sure I had at least one bit of Bluebells vinyl that was a single. Instead, all I could find was a 5-track mini-LP. And that doesn't count. Next up is a band with 5 singles/EPs in the collection.
From wiki:-
BMX Bandits are a Scottish 1960s-influenced guitar pop band who have been making music from 1986 to the present day. They have shared members with other Bellshill bands Teenage Fanclub and The Soup Dragons.
BMX Bandits were formed by songwriter and lead vocalist Duglas T. Stewart out of the ashes of The Pretty Flowers, a group that featured Stewart alongside Frances McKee (later of The Vaselines), Sean Dickson and Norman Blake. The group have had many line up changes throughout the years.
Their songs mix melodic qualities and humour with, at times, raw and heartbreaking pathos. Stewart has written many of the group's works solo including "Your Class", "The Sailor's Song" and "Doorways" but also has collaborated with many of the other members. Stewart's most regular songwriting partners have been Francis MacDonald, Norman Blake and, more recently, David Scott.
The group's most celebrated song is the autobiographical "Serious Drugs" recorded in 1991 but not released until 1993. The song featured in the movie This Year's Love and was covered by American stadium power pop group Gigolo Aunts. Oasis did their first UK tour dates supporting the Bandits as a favour from Stewart to Creation label boss Alan McGee. BMX Bandits admirers included Kurt Cobain, who was photographed wearing a BMX Bandits T shirt. Cobain claimed on a New York radio show that if he could be in any band it would be BMX Bandits.
Stewart split with long term musical partner Francis MacDonald in 2005 but 2006 saw a new wave of live concert activity and the release of My Chain. Stewart's writing on the album was compared to Brian Wilson, Michel Legrand, Ennio Morricone and even Alan Bennett. The line up was expanded by the arrival of Stewart's friend David Scott and new female vocalist Rachel Mackenzie (now Rachel Allison).
The follow-up, 2007's Bee Stings, was influenced by classic girl group pop plus the mellow A & M sound of the late 1960s and early 70s. Bee Stings features Allison singing lead on half the tracks including "Our Secret Life" co-written by Allison and former band member Norman Blake.
Discogs lists 17 singles/EPs by BMX Bandits, going back to 1986 right through to 2009, released on nine different labels. It was eeny-meeny-miny-mo for which one was selected today. In the end, it was the one which once inspired Jacques the Kipper to gift me a one-off t-shirt which commemorated my infatuation with the Aussie minx:-
mp3 : BMX Bandits - Kylie's Got A Crush On Us
mp3 : BMX Bandits - Thinkin' 'Bout You Baby
mp3 : BMX Bandits - Hole In My Heart (demo)
mp3 : BMX Bandits - My Generation
Released in July 1993 on Creation Records, it didn't trouble the charts. It also contains, in My Generation, what I think is the most atypical BMX Bandit record ever....
Oh and Teenage Fanclub did a fantastic cover version that was released one a cassette given away free with a UK music magazine back in the early 90s. I've a copy of that tape in a box somewhere. But in the meantime....have a listen via this:-
The words will come from the book Songs That Saved Your Life by Simon Goddard.
And assuming the clips can be found on youtube, they will appear in the post. Oh and I'll then throw in an mp3. Sometimes by the band, sometimes it will be a cover. The order of the songs will be in chronological release.
First up:-
Despite the current tabloid furore over its lyrical content, 'Handsome Devil' was broadcast uncensored by BBC2 on 9 December 1983 as the opening number of a gig recorded at Derby Assembly Rooms two days earlier for Sight and Sound, the Old Grey Whistle Test's spin-off series of concert programmes
Afterwards Marr would famously denounce the episode as one of the most regrettable instances in their career, listing it in 1985's Meat Is Murder tour booklet as his 'greatest embarrassment'. Not surprisingly, when BBC subsidiary label Strange Fruit records attempted to release the show as a live DVD in the late nineties, Marr vetoed the project (even Morrissey had allegedly given it the green light). Though not a bad performance by any means, Marr's main beef seems to have been the audience, many of whom appeared to have only been there because of the BBC cameras eager to grab their fifteen minutes of fame.
mp3 : The Smiths - Handsome Devil (Troy Tate version)
REVIEW OF VERONICA FALLS/NOVELLA/PALMS : STEREO, GLASGOW - 10 MARCH 2012
Passing up JC's late offer to be bored to tears for free by Laura Marling (an experience I was already familar with), I stuck with the original plan and headed off to Stereo.
I was accompanied for the evening by my better half, who was attending her first gig of the year. Arriving at the venue we got talking to an acquaintance who works behind the bar, and he advised us to get downstairs to see the first support band Palms, which we duly did.
The name didn't ring any bells until we saw the group on stage and I was reminded that this was the new band of the former lead singer of Glasgow noise terrorists Divorce. The three girl lineup went on to provide us with and enjoyable half hour of Dum Dums/Vivian Girls style sounds, with the lead singers vocal style adding an appealing quirkiness. The only negative from my notes is that they were a tad one-paced at times, however, they were definitely interesting enough that I'd hope to get the opportunity to see them again.
The next support band Novella then took to the stage, again three girls, this time augmented by a male drummer. In all honesty they didn't really grab me, there was nothing particularly bad about them, but I kept finding myself losing interest midway through songs. My impression was that they'd come around fifteen years or so too late, as almost all of their tracks would've fitted nicely towards the arse end of any 90's Britpop compilation.
Then following a brief interval it was time for Veronica Falls. I'd first caught a bit of them supporting Teenage Fanclub a couple of years back, and keen to see a full set I headed along to the Captain's Rest towards the end of last year where I thoroughly enjoyed them. Kicking off with three tracks from last year's self-titled debut album, including single Beachy Head, it was a reassuringly familiar opening. The introduction of new track Bury Me Alive, was given a good reception by the crowd, and followed up with another couple of tracks, Bad Feeling and The Box from the album. The closest they got to singalong, more a mumbling shuffle given the number of fey indie kids in attendance, was first single Found Love In A Graveyard. A couple of other newies and oldies completed the set, returning for what now seems to be their standard encore of Starry Eyes.
So a very enjoyable evening in their company, however, for whatever reason it seemed to lack the energy and excitment of the Captain's Rest gig a couple of months back. The evening also brought to me the realisation that they aren't quite as jingle-jangle as they appear in my head, there's certainly a bit more weight to their sound in a live environment.
PS : I think the above may be the first ever review of Veronica Falls without a mention of C86.
From 1991. A cracking wee bit of pop from Julian Cope. In reaching #32 in the UK singles charts, this remains one of his best-performing solo efforts.
At this point in time, Julian was fond of writing wonderfully entertaining an but often obtuse sleeve notes for all his songs. Here's what he said on this 12":-
mp3 : Julian Cope - Beautiful Love
Is a campfire song written to the elements and sung to the 4 corners of the world, enthusiastically and in a bad dialect. "Beauty-full love, where have you gone?" Aaf Verkade provides the White Man's Trumpet as hauntingly innocent as watching Charles and Di clapping ON the beat at the Nelson Mandela concert earlier this year. From the forthcoming album "Peggy Suicide".
mp3 : Julian Cope - Port Of Saints
Is self-explanatory. Balfe and Bill Drummond now exist only in mu unconscious, but I shall always be paranoid of their desire to do me wrong. Quite a timely slag-off really, as Drummond has just seen fit to release all kinds of old material without asking anyone's permission. That poor guy - ever the entrepreneur - torn between '80s W.A.S.P. intellectual KAKA and a superb organisational ability.
mp3 : Julian Cope - Love L.U.V.
Hugoth Nicolson took this poor innocent song and introduced it to a weekend in the big city. The obvious results are clear to see like Rita Tushingham and Lynn Redgrave in 'Smashing Time'. 'Beautiful Love' got laid, got drunl and got hungover and hoping to die. Remix engineers? I shit 'em.
mp3 : Julian Cope - Unisex Cathedral
"Where the bitches stand in line." Previously released in April 1990 on the Texas-only LP 'DROOLIAN'.
For once the songs match the notes. It's mostly good stuff.
REVIEW OF LAURA MARLING, GLASGOW ACADEMY - SATURDAY 10 MARCH 2011
This was a gig that I only sorted out a matter of hours beforehand. A text came through from a friend which said "Have several free tix for Laura Marling at Academy tonight if you're looking for a gig."
Given that this year is about trying things, I said yes. Mrs Villain came along as well for her debut gig of the year. Aldo however said no thank you....he's seem Ms Marling before and besides, Veronica Falls were in town.
The Carling Academy is my least favourite venue in Glasgow, mainly due to the appalling sound that bedevils most acts. I can now add a severe dislike of their bar prices (£12 for a cider, glass of wine and a vodka/diet coke) and the uselessness of their staff.
The tickets were gratis, so in a sense I shouldn't really grumble. They were for the unreserved balcony area waaaaay up high in this converted cinema. The seats we took were central just behind an area where folk would come upstairs from the bar with its ridiculous prices. Why such seats were empty soon became apparent as folk would just stand there blocking the views of those of us right behind them. Most of them maybe hung around for a few moments but there was one bloke who stood motionless for the whole gig, oblivious to the fact he was pissing folk off but free to do as he liked as the yellow-shirted staff acted as if he was invisible.
So to the gig.
We got there at 8pm just in time to see a solo singer say thank you and good night. So much for making the support act. Turns out that whoever he was, he was an additional support on the night. Just 5 minutes later, Canadian singer-songwriter Timber Timbre took to the stage. He bored me for the next 30 minutes. Yes he can sing, and yes he can play his guitar. But so can dozens of others whose only stage is a pitch in an tunnel in the London Underground system.
The main act came on around 9pm. She seemed tiny on the far away stage and she was surrounded by a group of musicians on pedestals, although it was so dark it was hard to make out how many - but I was soon able to count five other musos on stage.
All I knew beforehand about Laura Marling was that she had released three highly thought-off albums by the age of 22 that had many critics saying she was the lovechild of Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen. But what always put me off was her being bracketed with Mumford & Sons who I really cannot abide....this gig would be the first time I knowingly heard any of her songs.
It was a gig that started and ended with 5 or 6 songs played with the full band but had a middle section when it was just Laura and her guitar.
The middle part of the gig did give an indication what all the fuss was about. Particularly this track which was magnificent and had me clapping loudly:-
But when she was surrounded by the band, I was bored rigid. The sound didn't help....the double bass was inaudible and the cello was too far back in the mix. But even if it had been perfect I don;t think it would have mattered. It sounded like Keane.....really dull and nondescript and ideal as background for dinner parties. Soulless.
I've no idea why those behind Laura Marling want her to record and tour with a band of musos. Her voice and songwriting ability on their own should be more than good enough to have her hold the attention of a capacity audience, even in the cavernous space of the Academy.
REVIEW OF LOCH LOMOND/CHASING OWLS - CAPTAIN'S REST, GLASGOW - FRIDAY 9 MARCH
This was one I was really looking forward to. Sadly, regular sidekick Aldo was otherwise engaged but I did have MG his brother and his sister-in-law as excellent company.
Loch Lomond, despite their name, are from Portland, Oregon. They've long been championed by Matthewfrom Song By Toad and more recently have been signed for UK and European purposes by Chemikal Underground Records - and that alone says it all as far as I'm concerned.
Support on the night came from Chasing Owls, a four-piece alt-folk band from Edinburgh who have been getting a fair bit of attention across blogworld and the mainstream media in recent months. They made a pleasant enough sound, but they weren't unique enough to really excite me. But hey...as I've said before....that's just an opinion and in no way fact. I know they make music that a fair number of you will more than appreciate, so I am happy to ask you to give them a listen via this jolly wee promo (see....the sun sometimes does shine in Scotland!!!):-
And there's a few more things like that available at this webpage.
The headline act began life as a solo project of Ritchie Young in 2003. It wasn't until 2007 that they got a settled line-up and the following year they found themselves supporting The Decemberists (a band who I sometimes find hugely enjoyable while at other times I find them awfully tedious).
Since then, they've released a handful of albums which were full of excellent alt-indie-folk tunes way before it came back into fashion this past couple of years. The current tour, which came to an end with this Glasgow gig and one the following night in Edinburgh, was to promote the latest LP Little Me Will Start A Storm, d now thanks to the link with Chemikal Underground (whose boss Stewart Henderson was among a packed audience in Glasgow) a brand new EP called White Dresses.
I won't disagree with the promo words on the Chemikal website.
"This LP is a beguilingly subtle piece of work which showcases not only the writing talents of predominantly Ritchie Young, but the assured arrangements of a tremendously gifted group of musicians. Loch Lomond’s strength very often lies in their restraint, their ability to know when to do less rather than more, a skill perfectly highlighted with the close harmonies of ‘Egg Song’ and the languidly shimmering instrumental ‘Water Bells’. It would be impossible however to appraise this album without making special mention of Ritchie Young’s extraordinary voice: one minute a strident tenor (Blood Bank), the next a gossamer-light falsetto (Earth Has Moved Again), his vocals add an extra dimension to proceedings and help elevate the collection of songs to an altogether more satisfying level."
Richie Young is a special singer. He won't be to everyone's taste....but if you're a fan of Jonathan Donahue, the lead singer of Mercury Rev, then you will love Richie's vocals. On the night of this gig, he was in tremendous voice, but so too were the entire band. The six-part harmonies were a joy to listen to...but so too was the playing. It always seemed to be just the right mood and tempo.
The really magical moment came at the encore. The band, as a few others have done over the years, left the stage and came down into the heart of the audience to perform without any amplification. Richie was at the front....and he came to a halt right by my side. And as the audience he hushed he began to strum his acoustic guitar and sing. The other five band members, who were by now in a tight circle and none of them further than 3 feet away, joined in. Genuine hairs on the back of the neck stuff to be so close to something so lovely.
mp3 : Loch Lomond - Kicking With Your Feet
The mp3 is taken from the new EP which can be obtained here. Please support the band and record label by making a purchase.....
A couple of weeks ago JC and I were talking about nothing in particular between bands at the Spector gig at the Wah Wah hut, when he mentioned the Dorian Lynskey book, 33 Revolutions Per Minute and in particular the Frankie Goes To Hollywood chapter and we were both in agreement that it was a very unsettling time with a lot of scary shit going on.
I really don't want to sound like some old codger with the "you had to be there at the time" kind of shit but I'm not sure that anybody under the age of thirty can really grasp how close we came. Not as close as in October 1962 when it really can down to the wire. But a couple of times during the 70s/80s not least when the USSR invaded Afghanistan it looked as though we could be heading for a nuclear showdown.
I remember asking my uncle Jimmy if he remembered where he was when Kennedy was killed to which he replied, " Aye and I also remember where I was when he nearly bloody killed us all!" referring to the Cuban missile crisis. I can't say that I could pin point a time in the 80s that was just as serious as that.
I 'm not sure if I became obsessed with nuclear annihilation but I spent a lot of my youth with a pessimistic outlook which made me think that the world didn't have a a cat in hell's chance of reaching the year 2000. That may sound over dramatic but you watch The War Game and Threads and see if you can keep up your sunny disposition.
At the time we had an American President that thought of the USSR as the "evil empire" and himself as the good guy in some Western who was going to save the world. Over here a Prime Minister that would bend over backwards to do Ronnie's bidding and in Russia, christ we didn't even know if the President we saw on the news footage was even alive. These factors did not lead to a rosy world overview.
Being involved in the Youth CND movement didn't help either all those figures about how many times over we could blow up the planet, facts about nuclear winters and EMPs. Finding out that just outside Lanark there was a Royal Observer Corps Bunker, that the race course which had fallen into disrepair was the location of the mass burial ground after an attack and also reading the Government's Protect and Survive pamphlet didn't give much hope for the future.
Living in Lanark, at the time we had a part time fire service and also the State Mental Hospital seven miles away from town. What the hell has that got to do with any of this, I here you asking? Well it's simple, any time there was a fire within the jurisdiction of the local fire station or every second Thursday at one o'clock the siren would go off, the same siren that would go off in the case of a nuclear strike. Not many, if any of my peer group realised this fact and if in the same class as me first thing after lunch on every second Thursday looked at me rather strangely as I would stiffen in my seat as soon as I heard that horrible sound. I used to try and rationalise it to myself, saying that it was just the test for the Penni siren but there was always that, "what if it isn't, what if it's just a coincidence that it's going off at 1 o'clock on a Thursday?"
I spent the early to mid eighties going to demos in Barrow In Furness, Coulport, Greenham Common and RAF Mildenhall amongst many other lovely locations surrounded by razor wire and patrolled by men with guns with live ammunition and nothing I had seen at any of these places gave me a great hope for the future. It seemed to be inevitable that we were going to come to a sticky end before we even got a chance to get into the nineties.
Which brings me to the main point of this ramble, at this time we had loads of bringing the concept of Mutually Assured Destruction to the masses. Who can forget Duran Duran with their hard hitting protest diatribe Rio. or Spandau Ballet with their critique of the sheer stupidity of the arms race "True". Bands as diverse as Gillan with M.A.D and Timezone's frightening World Destruction took up the cause but it took Paul Morley, Trevor Horn and the demo from a band from Liverpool to produce the ultimate anti war track of the 80's which in equal measures scared the shit out of you but also made you want to dance.
With it's myriad of remixes and formats it is also responsible for the rise in bands having the sole intent of bankrupting their fans by releasing their singles and albums in multiple formats and mixes. Which in turn would lead to the chart authorities putting limitations on the amount of different formats which would be counted when calculating your chart position.
From the Dorian Lynskey book:-
ZTT scattered several remixes across various remixes across various formats with impressionist Chris Barrie hired to lend his (slightly ropey) Reagan impersonation to the Annihilation Mix. When ZTT approached CND for statistics, the organisation showed them an illegally obtained copy of a 'Protect and Survive' film clip, featuring a voiceover by the actor Patrick Allen. ZTT hired Allen to reprise his role on the remixes and the actor kept remembering scripted lines that had been too bleak for the final film. 'If your grandmother or any other member of the family should die whilst in the shelter, put them outside but remember to tag them first for identification purposes.
Two Tribes sold an extraordinary 1.5 million copies and topped the chart for nine weeks.
mp3 : Frankie Goes To Hollywood - Two Tribes (annihilation)
mp3 : Frankie Goes To Hollywood - War (hide yourself)
mp3 : Frankie Goes To Hollywood - One February Friday
mp3 : Frankie Goes To Hollywood - Two Tribes (surrender)
mp3 : Frankie Goes To Hollywood - Two Tribes (spoken outro)
Chris Thompson is one of the great lesser-known talents of the Scottish music scene. He first came to attention via Friends Again and has made a number of very different albums under the guise of The Bathers.
Back in 1990, he took time to form Bloomsday. This was a very talented group indeed. As well as Chris, you'd find Neil Clark on guitars and Stephen Irvine on drums - both had been part of Lloyd Cole & the Commotions. All songs on the one LP the band released in 1990 - Fortuny - are joint compositions. Oh and for good measure, the bassist on all the records was Mark Bedford of Madness.
It's a very fine record, albeit parts of it have dated a wee bit. One day I'll get round to featuring it on this blog. In the meantime here's the one 7" they released. It was on a major label too - Island Records:-
REVIEW OF WET NUNS/CATCHER - ROXY 171, GLASGOW - SATURDAY 3 MARCH 2012
Aldo writes............
I met up with JC at Buchanan Street Bus Station, both having been to watch our respective football teams that afternoon. JC emerged beaming, his side having recorded a rare high scoring victory, mine's hadn't fared so well, but by the end of the evening I was to be found grinning from ear to ear as well having witnessed this week's gig.
Tonight's event first caught my eye due to recognising the name of the support band, Catcher, who's lead singer Mike I had met at a mutual friends stag do and wedding last year, and I vowed to try and see them live at some point. The headline act, Wet Nuns, I knew nothing of, apart from reading pre-gig that the NME had chosen the band as one of their Ones to Watch for 2012.
The gig had been due to take place in the Berkeley Suite (where JC had seen his beloved Butcher Boy a couple of weeks back), however, it was moved at the last minute to the Roxy 171 in Glasgow's west end. Previously an upmarket boozer, the new owners had opened up the basement to serve as a venue/function suite, so this was yet another new venue for the Vinyl Villain and myself.
We headed to the venue fairly sharp, aware that Catcher were due on around 7.45, and had a quick drink upstairs before descending down to the cellar where, behind the velvet curtain, we were faced with a space not much bigger than JC's kitchen. I spotted Mike at the bar and went up to say hello, and to introduce JC, shortly before Catcher took the stage.
I should point out, that the crowd at this point was barely into double figures, and a fair percentage of those appeared to know members of the band. Knowing Mike's musical tastes I was perhaps expecting them to be more punky/new wave, but I felt it was more straightforward rock, with a few influences creeping in here and there. Catcher's half hour slot went by enjoyably, and as we'd witnessed already this year, these were guys who were talented musicians, who clearly just enjoy getting together to play live music.
Mike said his goodbyes, and headed of to see The Stranglers who were playing elsewhere in town, but not before flogging me a couple of Catcher albums to allow me to acquaint myself with their sound at my leisure.....oh and it is worth mentioning that Catcher have, over the years, made a record 41 appearances at King Tut's.....
Over a beer in between the bands JC made a good point - namely that in a paralel universe a band like Catcher would be playing stadiums, and certain stadium rock acts would be playing to ten folk in the basement of a Glasgow pub.
And then Wet Nuns.....
A two-piece outfit, one drummer, one guitarist and one hell of a glorious racket. The first indication of the aural assault to follow was when the thundering guitar chords during tune-up reverberated through to the toilets next door. The next half hour was just phenomenal, only broken up halfway through by the need to replace broken guitar strings. Rarely can I recall watching a band having quite so much fun, and the exchanges with the small but appreciative audience gave the venue a great atmosphere.
JC's comparison of it being like hearing a two-piece Nirvana was on the money.
Both of us were in agreement that, Twilight Sad aside, this so far had been the most genuinely exciting moment of the year. I definitely hope to catch them again soon, and am sure that the next time they return to Glasgow the crowd will number slightly more than this evening's attendance. It just goes to show that the NME still gets it right on occasion.
The night ended brilliantly in that with it being such a small venue and turn-out, it was really easy to talk to the band afterwards and so we bought them a couple of lagers and had a good blether for about 15 minutes. Then it was off next door to the Captain's Rest for more alcohol and put in motion the plans for week 10 and beyond.
Here's the remainder of the band's tour. Well worth catching:-
09th Mar – LIVERPOOL – Shipping Forecast
10th Mar – HULL – Fruit
16th Mar – MILTON KEYNES – Sno! Bar
17th Mar – BEDFORD – Esquires
21st Mar – BRISTOL – Start The Bus
22nd Mar – BATH – Moles
23rd Mar – TRURO – Bunters
24th Mar – ALDERSHOT – West End Centre
27th Mar – YORK – Fibbers
29th Mar – LONDON – Blues Kitchen
Been chasing it for a while. Landed it on e-bay a couple of weeks back. Paid more than I've ever paid for any 7" single in the collection. I'm not saying it's the most valuable bit of plastic that I own, but it's currently the most expensive. Cost me £18. I'm counting that as a bargain - even though most of the tracks are not among their best.
As you can see, it was issued on Domino Records. Limited edition of 1,500.
The first two tracks are otherwise unavailable.
Track three is in fact a different and wonderful version of the song Her, while the final effort is a very bizarre cover version of a David Bowie song. I'm really not sure if it's a tribute or a piss-take. Or if Stuart Staples is sober while singing.....
Anyways. It's one of the few bits of plastic I've been chasing for a while. Now....how about that even more elusive copy of Falling & Laughing on Postcard falling into my lap....................
The first single on Swamplands, the new label run by Alan Horne, had been a joint effort by Paul Quinn & Edwyn Collins - a cover version of Pale Blue Eyes, released in August 1984. Despite being a stunning bit of vinyl, it had flopped and left everyone involved, including those at parent major company London Records, scratching their heads.
Subsequent 45s from James King & the Lone Wolves and Memphis had also flopped and by now the panic button had been pressed. March 1985 saw the latest throw of the dice.
Despite this being every bit as much a Quinn/Collins combined effort, with Edwyn not only producing but playing on the record, it was released as the debut solo single by Paul Quinn. As it turned out, it was to be the only solo single under his own name.....
Yet again, the single bombed. By now, it was clear that Alan Horne wasn't going to be able to convince the wider record-buying public of the undoubted merits of the latest bunch of Scottish talent he was unleashing on the world:-
mp3 : Paul Quinn - Ain't That Always The Way
mp3 : Paul Quinn - Punk Rock Hotel
mp3 : Paul Quinn - Corrina Corinna
Identical versions of the first two tracks are on the 7" and 12", while the third tracks was only made available on the 12". Here's the rarely seen promo...as the bloke who originally posted in on you tube says, the quality may mot be great but hey.....it's a real rarity:-
Edwyn would, as highlighted yesterday, release his own version of the single a few years later as a b-side on the 12" of 50 Shades Of Blue.
Oh and Punk Rock Hotel is the name of one of the finest web sites devoted to any musician. Check in here and spend some time browsing.
Just three months after Coffee Table Song had sunk without trace, Edwyn and his record label made another valiant attempt to swim against the tide, and in October 1989 shoved out a single on 7", 12" and CD. A cracking little pop number that was sadly doomed to failure from the outset. The fact that it was an old song, an acoustic version of which that had previously appeared on the b-side of the limited edition box-set of 1987 flop single My Beloved Girl is neither here not there....nor the fact that the b-side was also not a new song - a version of it had been on the b-side of Don't Silly Shally, a different 1987 flop single.
7"
mp3 : Edwyn Collins - 50 Shades Of Blue
mp3 : Edwyn Collins - If Ever You're Ready
12"
mp3 : Edwyn Collins - 50 Shades Of Blue (extended version)
mp3 : Edwyn Collins - Kindred Spirit
mp3 : Edwyn Collins - Just Call Her Name
mp3 : Edwyn Collins - Ain't That Always The Way
And yup, that is Edwyn recycling an old song on the 12" b-side (tune in tomorrow for the original)
1989 was a year when only if your tunes were booming out at raves or were the product of Manchester would they receive any notice. Edwyn Collins was very much, in most folks eyes, the day before yesterday's man and just a footnote in pop history. A one-hit wonder with his old band. Oh how little did they know. Talent and genius has a way of shining through. Although it took a few more years to do so in this particular case......
Two volumes given away free with Uncut magazine back in 2003. Plan is to let you listen to all the tracks over the coming days.
mp3 : Stiff Little Fingers - Strummerville
mp3 : Songdog - Janie Jones
mp3 : Hammell On Trial - White Riot/Hitsville UK
mp3 : Matthew Ryan - Somebody Got Murdered
mp3 : Hawksley Workman - Bankrobber
mp3 : Marc Carroll - London Calling
mp3 : Josh Rouse - Straight To Hell
mp3 : Kealer - Train In Vain
REVIEW OF DJANGO, DJANGO/OMNIVORE DEMON - STEREO, GLASGOW - WEDNESDAY 29 FEBRUARY 2012
This was a gig originally scheduled for 10 days earlier but postponed due to illness. It was one I was talked into going along to by MG - a friend from waaaaaaaaaayyyyyy back in the mid 80s who I don't see all that often nowadays and who this year is re-discovering his love for music and going out to gigs after a long absence mainly due to his duties and responsibilities as a dad (and a really good one he is too!!).
I kind of felt guilty going along. I wasn't all that sure about it as Django Django are a band who've been getting a load of good press and I thought it would be another night like the much-hyped Spector which if you recall had been a bit of a let-down. The guilt wasn't helped by the fact that poor Aldo desperately wanted to go along but had got no joy trying to pick up a last minute ticket, even allowing for the fact it was a re-arranged date.
We arrived at Stereo around 8pm meeting up with Andy, another of MG's mates. While Stereo is one of my favourite venues in the city, it's not one Andy had been to all that often and it was new one for MG. It's a basement brick-walled venue, capacity of maybe 250-300, with a lowish ceiling but a high stage so you always get a great view of the band. When it's packed a it is tonight, it's always very hot....
As we go downstairs we can hear that the support act is on the stage. But there's a concern they can't be any good as there's a swarm of folk leaving to go back to the main bar upstairs. We go in....and spot that on stage are three men in masks making an amazing racket. They are using equipment that seems to belong to The Phantom Band. I'm totally intrigued and drag MG and Andy right down to the front.
This must be what being caught outside in a warzone is like. It is loud, it is scary and you have absolutely no fucking idea what is going on or what is happening next. And yet it is compelling viewing and listening. It's a 30 minute instrumental and what appears to be mostly improvisational set in which hard rock, electro, indie, techo and the blues all blast out at some point in time.
It's only after their performance is over do I see a sign behind the bar which gives the times when the acts will be on stage and I see that their name was Omnivore Demon. It's only when I get home later and google the name do I discover they are an off-shoot of The Phantom Band but tend more often to play one-off gigs and events such as art shows rather than tours of this nature. It was far from easy listening and it was incredibly loud but it is something I was chuffed to catch. Whether I could do it again soon I don't know.....I reckon I need a month to recover, but after that I'd be willing to dive in again and give it a try.
And so the main act....
I went into the gig never having listened to any songs by Django Django. MG tells me though that I better have brought my dancing shoes. Four men in very strange and certainly as far as the bass player is concerned, ill-fitting t-shirts. The lead singer looks a bit like Dougall from Father Ted. As the show goes on his style of playing and how he holds on to the mic and even his dancing all highly reminiscent of a young Bernard Sumner. At times I do want to laugh, not at him, but at the idea of Father Dougall as the lead singer of New Order. It is distracting trying to get the thought out of my head....
The music was dominated by the drums and percussion and keys to the extent that the guitar and bass were inaudible for a lot of the time and the vocals were way back in the mix. Whether this was a problem caused by the venue or whether it is how the band like to play live I really can't say for sure....all I know is that coming home afterwards and checking out video clips on you tube gave me a much different listening experience than I'd had live. And the live experience was better.....
MG was right. It was music to dance to. It was upbeat and had a pounding beat but without ever being formulaic or boring. I detected some elements of Magazine, PiL, Giorgio Moroder, Gang Of Four and Cabaret Voltaire in there...and thinking back now a couple of days later it is the 80s sounds of Sheffield such as the Cabs and their Sheffield contemporaries that spring most to mind.
All in all, a thoroughly enjoyable night and a fine way to round off the first two months of the live music experience in 2012. Nine weeks in.....thirteen gigs and twenty-eight performances**. Who knows what lies ahead on the particular road????
mp3 : Django Django - Default
Oh and a big thanks to the two sites where I pinched the photos from.
**
5 January - Erin Friel/The Jakeybyttez
13 January - From Our Hearts/Miss The Occupier/Fat Janitor
20 January - Cornershop/1990s
21 January - Butcher Boy/Darren Hayman
24 January - Malcolm Middleton/FOUND/Rick Redbeard
29 January - Bonnie Prince Billy
9 February - The Twilight Sad/Let's Wrestle
10 February - Butcher Boy (instrumental set)
15 February - Spector/David's Lyre/Father Sculptor
16 February - Sweet Sweet Lies/The Wellgreen/Ten Gallon Bratz/Bad Bad Men
25 February - Human Don't Be Angry/Bill Wells & Malcolm Middleton
25 February - Adam Stafford
29 February - Django Django/Omnivore Demon
