When post-rock was very much the in thing a few years ago, when being a student automatically meant you to listened to Explosions in the Sky, when even Hollywood movies mentioned GY!BE, not many bands took that lush atmosphere sound and added prominent vocals to much success. I Like Trains, then iLiKETRAiNS, emergence in 2005 then proved a blissful rarity as they produced this familiarly ambitious soundscape working superbly with vocalist Dave Martin’s moody emotive words. Tonight the Leeds based four-piece play to an appreciative Tut’s audience that has been brimming over with anticipation for the treat in store.
Support tonight comes in three very different forms: Firstly Glasgow duo Holy Mountain assault the ears of the crowd with their brand of high energy, hairy yet superbly entertaining hardcore. Then it is the turn of Norfolk’s indie pop darlings The Kabeebies who deliver delightful pop tunes which would not look out of place in a Los Campesinos! set. Last on before ILT, is Nottingham’s experimentalists Swimming who work through a set of very diverse tracks without nailing a specific sound that may take them a step further.
As ILT take the stage and the smoke rises around them there is an overwhelming awe coming from the crowd. ILT’s audience loves them and it hard to see how anyone could not as they watch gob smacked as the band drive through a set of strong yet emotively brilliant tracks. It is difficult to watch ILT without a quick mention of local boys The Twilight Sad who also produce that epically strong sound with outstanding, moving vocals and the audience reception ILT receive is comparable in so ways to that which you would find at a TS gig.
Almost an hour into the set, as ILT announces they are playing their last song, almost the first sound is heard from the silently admiring audience. You can safely say that not one person in that room wanted the show to end there. There’s quite possibly some poetic irony in the fact that no one cares that I Like Trains are actually responsible for people missing trains, me for one. Still the sets closer ‘Spencer Perceval’, the standout from 2007’s ‘Elegies to Lessons Learnt’, is a fittingly perfect end to an engrossing set from start to finish. Even the slightly gimmicky train conductor jackets do not matter as this band has earned their rights to any such eccentrics.
New single, ‘Sea of Regrets’ was available to buy from Monday, and by the sound of the new tracks on show tonight we have an unmissable album to look forward to.
Sunday, 18 October 2009
Thursday, 15 October 2009
Live Review: The Big Pink 14th October 09, King Tut's
This may make me sound slightly hypocritical considering the review I wrote for this show on a certain website, but that review is completely honest, however it does miss out some vital details regarding the show.
The Big Pink themselves do have an image that could see them breaking the mainstream, and they certainly have a song in ‘Dominoes’ that could well be a hit. It is true they can appeal to a vast spectrum of music fans, they have become somewhat darlings of Pitchfork while they have been shot into the mainstream through Guitar Hero adverts and being featured on the universal jukebox every chain bar seems to host.
I must clear up that the band’s sound is not shoegaze-y in any way, comparisons with My Bloody Valentine and M83 seem completely unjust. The band play a mass appealing kind of electro rock, which does carry some slightly dark and gothic undertones, but also comes with that Oasis-ish lad-y wanker swagger that could see this band out jump any contempories on popularity. The band have been compared to The Verve a fair bit, which I can see as just, they’re like The Verve before Richard Ashcroft became such an unbearable twat that even Wayne Coyne wanted to hit him.
Still the band is enjoyable, the set is solid and both ‘Velvet’ and ‘Dominoes’ are brilliant tracks. The latter in particular, inspires a massive buzz and full on sing-a-long from the capacity crowd on a scale that you only see rarely at gigs these days. ‘Dominoes’ is exactly the kind of song you can imagine some drunkard singing to themselves on a bus home, much like that incessant ‘der der der’ nonsense from the Fratellis ‘Chelsea Dagger’, only with much more charm and of course quality.
However despite the soon to be anthem, the stand out from tonight’s show is the support from Glasgow based outfit Findo Gask. This band are a shining light in the current Glasgow scene and their blissfully bleeping pop gems, from opener ‘One Eight Zero’ to closer ‘Go Faster Stripe’, could get any slightly open minded music fan dancing. For most people who will probably read this Findo don’t need any introduction but just incase let their music speak for itself: http://www.myspace.com/findogaskuk. Catch them at their monthly residency, Crufts at Nice ‘n Sleazy’s this Saturday. This month Findo are joined by Copy Haho and North Atlantic Oscillation, it’ll should be a treat! I’m sure all the bands will be thanked for their performance onstage on Saturday, which Findo rather ignorantly tonight were not.
The Big Pink themselves do have an image that could see them breaking the mainstream, and they certainly have a song in ‘Dominoes’ that could well be a hit. It is true they can appeal to a vast spectrum of music fans, they have become somewhat darlings of Pitchfork while they have been shot into the mainstream through Guitar Hero adverts and being featured on the universal jukebox every chain bar seems to host.
I must clear up that the band’s sound is not shoegaze-y in any way, comparisons with My Bloody Valentine and M83 seem completely unjust. The band play a mass appealing kind of electro rock, which does carry some slightly dark and gothic undertones, but also comes with that Oasis-ish lad-y wanker swagger that could see this band out jump any contempories on popularity. The band have been compared to The Verve a fair bit, which I can see as just, they’re like The Verve before Richard Ashcroft became such an unbearable twat that even Wayne Coyne wanted to hit him.
Still the band is enjoyable, the set is solid and both ‘Velvet’ and ‘Dominoes’ are brilliant tracks. The latter in particular, inspires a massive buzz and full on sing-a-long from the capacity crowd on a scale that you only see rarely at gigs these days. ‘Dominoes’ is exactly the kind of song you can imagine some drunkard singing to themselves on a bus home, much like that incessant ‘der der der’ nonsense from the Fratellis ‘Chelsea Dagger’, only with much more charm and of course quality.
However despite the soon to be anthem, the stand out from tonight’s show is the support from Glasgow based outfit Findo Gask. This band are a shining light in the current Glasgow scene and their blissfully bleeping pop gems, from opener ‘One Eight Zero’ to closer ‘Go Faster Stripe’, could get any slightly open minded music fan dancing. For most people who will probably read this Findo don’t need any introduction but just incase let their music speak for itself: http://www.myspace.com/findogaskuk. Catch them at their monthly residency, Crufts at Nice ‘n Sleazy’s this Saturday. This month Findo are joined by Copy Haho and North Atlantic Oscillation, it’ll should be a treat! I’m sure all the bands will be thanked for their performance onstage on Saturday, which Findo rather ignorantly tonight were not.
Friday, 2 October 2009
Live Review: Wild Beasts 29th September 09, Arches, Glasgow
Wild Beasts find themselves playing in Glasgow tonight as part of Topman CTRL music series, tonight’s event being curated by French electro-popsters Phoenix. The show has been cleverly grafted onto the front of a full UK tour that starts in Edinburgh tomorrow. However, this late addition to the tour has been detrimental to the turn out with many fans having purchased tickets to the Edinburgh that went on sale months before tonight’s announcement.
Support this evening comes from local art punk talent Paper Planes, who are visually increasing in confidence with every show they play.
Leeds based Wild Beasts come to Glasgow with praise being heaped on them from all angles following the release of highly acclaimed second album Two Dancers. The bands interchanging of vocals, from guitarist Hayden Thorpe’s unmistakable falsetto to the more classic indie rock vocals of bassist Tom Fleming, keeps the crowd more than interested as the band cruise through a set infectious indie rock tracks occasionally touching the edges of glam.
Last single Hooting & Howling is the set’s stand out, as the band continue a tradition of strong singles, the building anthem does not as Thorpe’s looping vocals digs deep into the listeners conscience.
On the whole tonight the band seem eager and raring to go on their new tour, but despite tonight not setting the tour alight it acts as a solid beginning and the Beasts do nothing to discredit themselves (well aside from Thorpe’s awful denim waistcoat!) Or Phoenix for that matter.
Support this evening comes from local art punk talent Paper Planes, who are visually increasing in confidence with every show they play.
Leeds based Wild Beasts come to Glasgow with praise being heaped on them from all angles following the release of highly acclaimed second album Two Dancers. The bands interchanging of vocals, from guitarist Hayden Thorpe’s unmistakable falsetto to the more classic indie rock vocals of bassist Tom Fleming, keeps the crowd more than interested as the band cruise through a set infectious indie rock tracks occasionally touching the edges of glam.
Last single Hooting & Howling is the set’s stand out, as the band continue a tradition of strong singles, the building anthem does not as Thorpe’s looping vocals digs deep into the listeners conscience.
On the whole tonight the band seem eager and raring to go on their new tour, but despite tonight not setting the tour alight it acts as a solid beginning and the Beasts do nothing to discredit themselves (well aside from Thorpe’s awful denim waistcoat!) Or Phoenix for that matter.
Saturday, 26 September 2009
Live Review: Fuck Buttons 24th September 09, Stereo, Glasgow
A couple of days before tonight I suffered a slightly awkward moment upon purchasing a friend’s ticket for this evening show. Uttering the words ‘Fuck Buttons’ drew a quizzical expression from the ticket agent along with embarrassed giggles from a group of young girls. However, if these people had experienced the music of Fuck Buttons I’m sure they’d reverse their reaction, either for that of absorbed amazement or sheer terror, as Fuck Buttons are one of the most complex sounding electronic acts to emerge from the UK in recent years.
The Bristol duo is not the most visually stimulating as they bop up and down in relative darkness, still the ear busting noise created more than makes up for the lack of visual entertainment. At time the sound is almost apocalyptic when they power through tracks from brutally brilliant debut album, Street Horrrsing, as they push the audience’s ears to the verge of self-destruct.
The show tonight also gives a preview of second album Tarot Sport, for those who have not already experienced it. Tarot Sport, released by ATP Recordings on 14th October, sees Fuck Buttons walk a much more accessible path than their previous work, but still the complex collage of sound remains only in less scary, yet not necessarily better, mould.
Benjamin John Power and Andrew Hung’s sound that holds a majority of a jam-packed Stereo crowd affixed in some sort of awestruck wonder. The band may not bring any real entertainment for the eyes, but are both physically as engrossed in their sound as their audience are. Once the show is finished it takes a good minute to remove yourself from the trancelike state forced open you by the sheer force of noise created, a force the duo should take a huge amount of credit for creating.
The Bristol duo is not the most visually stimulating as they bop up and down in relative darkness, still the ear busting noise created more than makes up for the lack of visual entertainment. At time the sound is almost apocalyptic when they power through tracks from brutally brilliant debut album, Street Horrrsing, as they push the audience’s ears to the verge of self-destruct.
The show tonight also gives a preview of second album Tarot Sport, for those who have not already experienced it. Tarot Sport, released by ATP Recordings on 14th October, sees Fuck Buttons walk a much more accessible path than their previous work, but still the complex collage of sound remains only in less scary, yet not necessarily better, mould.
Benjamin John Power and Andrew Hung’s sound that holds a majority of a jam-packed Stereo crowd affixed in some sort of awestruck wonder. The band may not bring any real entertainment for the eyes, but are both physically as engrossed in their sound as their audience are. Once the show is finished it takes a good minute to remove yourself from the trancelike state forced open you by the sheer force of noise created, a force the duo should take a huge amount of credit for creating.
Monday, 21 September 2009
Live Review: Times New Viking 17th September 09, Nice 'n Sleazy's, Glasgow
Thrashy alternative three piece Times New Viking return to Glasgow for the fourth time, their second headline slot, after audience raising support slots with No Age, Los Campesinos! and Crystal Antlers. The Ohio three-piece is thriving on tonight’s proceedings blasting through a set of minute and half lo-fi gems. Tonight’s show acts as a preview to the unreleased LP, Born Again Revisited, which is on sale tonight but not due for full release until next week.
The view from the side wall of the Sleazy’s basement obscures the vision of the full band, but does elevate somewhat so at least some vision is thrown in with the sonic experience. Still the tight setting the venue provides is ideal for TNV’s lo-fi sound. Despite the visual obstacles it is only guitarist, Jared Phillips who remains out of vision. Keyboardist and dual vocalist, Beth Murphy’s dream fuelled sway remains in full view creating an audience focal point, as she delivers the sweeter melodies coming from under the layers of fuzz the band project.
This fuzzy sound is now an ever present with TNV both live and on record. By others accounts the band used to hone a much cleaner sound, but their current output cannot be argued with on its quality alone.
The most vocally active member of the band comes in vocalist and drummer, Adam Elliott who throws chat at the crowd through out the set, some of which goes over the crowd’s head, some is amusing, most is about drugs. Elliott introduces a large amount of songs with reference to drugs: ‘this song is not about drugs’, ‘this song is about drugs’ and ‘this song is about taking drugs in a museum with your girlfriend’. Still every bit of the drummers stage banter is treated with warmth. Finishing the set, Elliott announces ‘we love your city’, a sentiment the crowd tonight would happily throw back on the band that have treated them with a set as superb as it is raw.
The view from the side wall of the Sleazy’s basement obscures the vision of the full band, but does elevate somewhat so at least some vision is thrown in with the sonic experience. Still the tight setting the venue provides is ideal for TNV’s lo-fi sound. Despite the visual obstacles it is only guitarist, Jared Phillips who remains out of vision. Keyboardist and dual vocalist, Beth Murphy’s dream fuelled sway remains in full view creating an audience focal point, as she delivers the sweeter melodies coming from under the layers of fuzz the band project.
This fuzzy sound is now an ever present with TNV both live and on record. By others accounts the band used to hone a much cleaner sound, but their current output cannot be argued with on its quality alone.
The most vocally active member of the band comes in vocalist and drummer, Adam Elliott who throws chat at the crowd through out the set, some of which goes over the crowd’s head, some is amusing, most is about drugs. Elliott introduces a large amount of songs with reference to drugs: ‘this song is not about drugs’, ‘this song is about drugs’ and ‘this song is about taking drugs in a museum with your girlfriend’. Still every bit of the drummers stage banter is treated with warmth. Finishing the set, Elliott announces ‘we love your city’, a sentiment the crowd tonight would happily throw back on the band that have treated them with a set as superb as it is raw.
Friday, 11 September 2009
Live Review: Sunset Rubdown 10th September 09, Stereo, Glasgow
The advertisement poster for tonight’s event reads ‘Sunset Rubdown featuring members of Swan Lake, Wolf Parade and Frog Eyes’, a fact that band leader Spencer Krug is clearly wary of pointing out that they are all him. Still it is obvious Krug is the leader of this Montreal five-piece, he strikes an imposingly confident figure as he confirms this is a Sunset Rubdown set and not any of his other alter egos. The frontman’s presence strikes a stark contrast with the rest of the band as they take step back and let Krug lead the show. Co-vocalist / keyboardist former Pony Up! Camilla Wayne Ingr is the only other member remaining in the constant spotlight cutting a rather more timid figure in comparison to the muscular flexes of Krug.
Sunset has been hailed as the outlet for most of Krug’s more adventurous outings, however by the strength of their records and tonight’s performance they can easily compete on quality terms with his more famous projects. The set starts on a atmospheric note as the band lay out a lush full sound before Krug crows into ‘The Empty Threats of Little Lord’ ending on a scratchier note as the singing hisses ‘you snake’ at the end each line of the last verse. From this point the band never drops in tempo, often jumping into bouts of double percussion, as they cut through a set featuring a heavily from the outstanding new record ‘Dragonslayer’ probably the most accessible to date under this alias.
The hugely talented Krug also proves he can inject a bit of humor into the proceedings as he shares amusing tales of their overnight ‘cruise’ from Amsterdam, before proving he isn’t perfect after all as he embarrassedly forgets the names of tonight’s support acts, local based Mitchell Museum and North Atlantic Oscillation. However they recover from this minor setback and end the set emphatically as they finish off with two tracks from 2006 stand out ‘Shut Up I Am Dreaming’, starting off with the triumphant ‘Stadiums and Shrines II’ before ending on a softer more ambient note with beautifully constructed ballad ‘Us Ones In Between. As the band leave the stage to an rousing reception it is clear that Sunset Rubdown have gone some way from just being a Wolf Parade side-project, and here’s hoping this their first visit to Glasgow wont be their last.
Sunset has been hailed as the outlet for most of Krug’s more adventurous outings, however by the strength of their records and tonight’s performance they can easily compete on quality terms with his more famous projects. The set starts on a atmospheric note as the band lay out a lush full sound before Krug crows into ‘The Empty Threats of Little Lord’ ending on a scratchier note as the singing hisses ‘you snake’ at the end each line of the last verse. From this point the band never drops in tempo, often jumping into bouts of double percussion, as they cut through a set featuring a heavily from the outstanding new record ‘Dragonslayer’ probably the most accessible to date under this alias.
The hugely talented Krug also proves he can inject a bit of humor into the proceedings as he shares amusing tales of their overnight ‘cruise’ from Amsterdam, before proving he isn’t perfect after all as he embarrassedly forgets the names of tonight’s support acts, local based Mitchell Museum and North Atlantic Oscillation. However they recover from this minor setback and end the set emphatically as they finish off with two tracks from 2006 stand out ‘Shut Up I Am Dreaming’, starting off with the triumphant ‘Stadiums and Shrines II’ before ending on a softer more ambient note with beautifully constructed ballad ‘Us Ones In Between. As the band leave the stage to an rousing reception it is clear that Sunset Rubdown have gone some way from just being a Wolf Parade side-project, and here’s hoping this their first visit to Glasgow wont be their last.
Friday, 14 August 2009
Live Review: Beerjacket 8th August 09, King Tuts, Glasgow
The task of writing a review for an artist, or many, that you are almost certainly going to see in the not to distant future can be a somewhat daunting one. Luckily very few negative words can be shed about tonight’s show taking all the guilt of having to write them away.
Tonight is Beerjacket’s birthday show and the man is clearly proud to be finally headlining the legendary King Tuts after around 45 support slots here spanning several years. Kicking off the nights feast of local talent are avant folk five-piece Seventeenth Century displaying a sort of distinctive awkwardness as they cringe through a set of emphatic room filling tracks.
Talking of room filling, next on the bill The Second Hand Marching Band could make a venue slightly smaller than Tuts appear full just with their own presence. Their sound does not let down either, matching their numbers (eighteen strong tonight, we think), as they produce an enthralling performance despite being crammed onto the Tuts stage. The bands live sets are slightly on the side of shambolic compared to other large musical collectives, but this only adds to the attraction of this radiant live experience.
As headliner Beerjacket takes the stage he maintains his usual vaguely nervous stage presence as he perches himself on his chair, however tonight he gleams with genuine disbelief. The singer-songwriter openly thanking the, much larger than he expected, crowd for coming on several occasions, clearly chuffed at the turn out as he finally gets his overdue headline slot.
Beerjacket has very recently found some sort of minor fame over the water featuring in recent issues of Rolling Stone, allegedly he just wishes it the spotlight would go away. He actively jokes about this following a minor hiccup in the intro to his cover of Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Dancing in the Dark’, (the track Rolling Stone had originally drawn attention to) embarrassedly stopping to claim that if he wasn’t going to write his ‘hit’ he may as well get it right. However at the second attempt the song is executed with the charm Beerjacket brings to his entire growing back catalogue of songs.
Tonight’s performance is not far off what you would get with most Beerjacket shows, the man seems remarkably consistent as he again delivers a delightful set which leaves the crowd as pleased as the man himself is with the evenings events.
Tonight is Beerjacket’s birthday show and the man is clearly proud to be finally headlining the legendary King Tuts after around 45 support slots here spanning several years. Kicking off the nights feast of local talent are avant folk five-piece Seventeenth Century displaying a sort of distinctive awkwardness as they cringe through a set of emphatic room filling tracks.
Talking of room filling, next on the bill The Second Hand Marching Band could make a venue slightly smaller than Tuts appear full just with their own presence. Their sound does not let down either, matching their numbers (eighteen strong tonight, we think), as they produce an enthralling performance despite being crammed onto the Tuts stage. The bands live sets are slightly on the side of shambolic compared to other large musical collectives, but this only adds to the attraction of this radiant live experience.
As headliner Beerjacket takes the stage he maintains his usual vaguely nervous stage presence as he perches himself on his chair, however tonight he gleams with genuine disbelief. The singer-songwriter openly thanking the, much larger than he expected, crowd for coming on several occasions, clearly chuffed at the turn out as he finally gets his overdue headline slot.
Beerjacket has very recently found some sort of minor fame over the water featuring in recent issues of Rolling Stone, allegedly he just wishes it the spotlight would go away. He actively jokes about this following a minor hiccup in the intro to his cover of Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Dancing in the Dark’, (the track Rolling Stone had originally drawn attention to) embarrassedly stopping to claim that if he wasn’t going to write his ‘hit’ he may as well get it right. However at the second attempt the song is executed with the charm Beerjacket brings to his entire growing back catalogue of songs.
Tonight’s performance is not far off what you would get with most Beerjacket shows, the man seems remarkably consistent as he again delivers a delightful set which leaves the crowd as pleased as the man himself is with the evenings events.
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