The Fresh & Onlys @ Nice n’ Sleazy 10/05/11

Brit pop’s back and it’s go a beard! Well maybe, those bouncy rhythms and effortless vocals that capture the attention quickly spills into 90s American indie rock stylings, fast powerful beats complimented by intentionally lackluster vocals.

This is all in the hands of a support, and Manchester’s Milk Maid deliver a set full of pop credentials, these guys could be very popular in the 90s, all they need is a hit and the kids would lap this up. However there’s no kids here, in fact there’s barely anyone here, surprising considering the clout of tonight’s headliners, Pitchfork love them and everything.

There’s next to no one here hen they take the stage too, Glasgow get your act together! It’s 20 to 10, maybe early for Sleazy’s but still. When The Fresh & Onlys take the stage that give that country kids vibe, covered in hair and plaid, but these guys hail from San Francisco, cool town, no?

Their songs carry you back to the 60s, live a pounding rhythm blasts them forward while vocalist Tim Cohen with eyes fixed to the ceiling. All dreary beauty that should fill a room but Sleazy’s is void of atmosphere tonight.

‘As the set approaches its mid point Waterfall’ captures all the best aspects of this band, lyrics that hit home immediately over inspired rhythm bringing the song home in splendid fashion.

It appears the band are finally getting into their stride after a slow start, ‘Fascinated’ brings in that 60s folk pop vibe and the band’s energy seems renewed as they power through ups and downs before introduction a new song, which impressively keeps up the momentum without having the familiarity, maybe something to look forward to.

That momentum continues as the band get further into their set, getting into their groove, finally everything seems to be running smoothly. Surely I’m not the only one digging this. These guys should have a bigger audience.

The last couple of songs bring a touch of movement from the crowd, ‘Until the End of Time‘ has an almost marching beat and a bouncing bassline which sets toes a tapping and the band into a powerful ending, before bowing out with ‘Peacock & Wing’ and a “thank you, I’ve never met a real Scottish person before” from Cohen.

Photos: Ka Man Hung

Oneohtrix Point Never @ Hung Up!, Sub Club 10/4/11

What can you really say about gigs at Sub Club? It’s dark, its dingey, the lighting isn’t great but damn does the sound hit you. Tonight’s sees Brooklyn based Daniel Lopatin, aka Oneohtrix Point Never, bring his synthy drone to blast the eardrums at the Optimo ran Hung Up! and there is no better setting for this type of music.

As soon as Lopatin starts playing you are hit by a pure wall of sound, there’s a reason why Sub Club is world famous, you’d struggle to find a sound system so perfect for the size of room anyway. It has to be said that OPN is not the most dazzling visually, he spends the set bobbing behind a desk but to his credit he doesn’t need to be, the sound blows you away.

Mentioning the last time he played in Glasgow at the Art School he sites mike troubles but we can’t really fault anything tonight. The sheer power of the noise takes what was already brilliant on latest album Returnal and takes it to the next level explosively.

As Lopatin thanks Jonnie (JG Wilkes) for booking him you are left in a captivated daze. Still, that’s nothing that Wilkes can’t drag you out of as one of half of Optimo gets everyone dancing ecstatically in what is nowhere near the last time.

Hung Up! may not yet have gained the same popularity of Optimo but there is no doubting the talent here. OPN is just one perfect example of the wide array of live talent they attract but the sound in Sub Club accompanied by the never doubted talents of both Wilkes and Twitch will always be up there with the best clubs to go to in Glasgow, the UK and even the world.

James Blake @ Nice n’ Sleazy 27/02/10

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

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

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

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

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

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

Cut Copy interview

Ben Browning, bassist in Cut Copy sat down with us shortly after the bands recent show at the Arches, Copy Copy’s new album Zonoscope is out now on Modular, the band return to the UK over summer for the festival season.

How is the tour going so far?

This tour has been great. There is some real excitement playing the new tunes, and we’ve been as far as Russia already. The cold weather has been only negative.

How have you enjoyed playing the UK with Holy Ghost!? Do you guys get on well?

Yeah of course. We’ve known those guys for years and we love their music. It’s great to see them as a live band. We’re about to do a heap of shows with them across the US. There could be some wild times ahead.

The Arches seemed like an ideal venue for you guys to play, how did you feel it compared to previous shows in Glasgow?

Yeah there was a great atmosphere in there. It was a very unique place. I think the last place we played in Glasgow was at one of Optimo’s nights, and I remember the stage in there being so tiny. I don’t we would have fit on that stage this time around.

This European tour has a lot of dates, do you get to see much of the cities you play in while on tour?

We aren’t getting much spare time on this particular tour. We often arrive in cities early in the morning and have time to grab a coffee and perhaps check out a few record stores. The best coffees we’ve had so far have been in Scandinavia.

Any interesting/amusing stories you’ve got to tell us about going on tour?

I threw a snowball at Mitchell our drummer in Oslo. And our tour bus left Tim and I behind in Copenhagen after our show. Seriously.

You’re playing a number of festivals over the summer, any you’re particularly looking forward to, acts you’re looking forward to seeing etc?

I haven’t had a chance to look at all the shows we are doing yet. Obviously we are looking forward to being in Europe and USA over summer. We are doing some shows in South America in June as well, that should amazing.

You’re albums are charting impressively back home in Australia, are you guys big celebrities over there, if so how is that?

We are not celebrities. My mum thinks I am cool though.

After another great album and a huge tour what is next for Cut Copy?

Lots more touring. After that we will start making our next record, which hopefully won’t take long to record and put out. I can’t wait to start it.

Finally, when are we likely to see you again in Glasgow, hopefully soon?

I’m sure we will be back this year.

Cut Copy w/ Holy Ghost @ The Arches 03/03/11

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

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

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

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

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

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

Words: Iain Dawson
Photos: Stewart Fullerton

Glasser @ The Captain’s Rest 20/2/11 + interview

Cameron Mesirow aka Glasser has been getting nothing but praise since her debut LP, Ring, came out in September. From before the album’s release she had been getting comparisons with a whole range of enviously talented female artists and since being thrown in at the deep end, supporting The xx on their UK tour as her first tour outside of California, she has done nothing but thrive.

Tonight she visits Glasgow for the first time on her own headline European tour and the prospect of a hot and sweaty Rest tonight has most people appetites wet.

The somewhat bizarre image of Glasser’s three-piece band emerging on stage in matching boiler suits is only topped when Mesirow takes the stage herself in rather kooky stage attire complete with helmet like headwear and garnished with pompoms.

The dress is eye catching to say the least but it is what has brought the crowd along tonight, it is the material from Ring, which gets full airing tonight. The almost tribal sounding, double drummer attack on album standout ‘Apply’ gets the set going and from then on Mesirow and co. look set to cruise.

Mesirow’s quirky almost trance driven dances fluctuate between instrumental sections only for her to regain focus from nowhere to fill the room with her angelic voice. Mesirow bobs, ducks and sways around the stage, amid glitchy synth croaks giving the occasional yelp drawing attention but it’s always a pleasant surprise when she draws back into her mesmorising vocals.

There is a touch of nerves kicking about this evening, the delicate beauty of the songs seems to have the crowd pushed a step away from the stage, almost as if they fear they might break it. This doesn’t seem to worry Mesirow as she banters about her grandfather being from Glasgow adding, “everybody thinks I’m Irish” before going into the delightful ode to her best friend, ‘T’.

Tracks like ‘Home’, ‘Glad’, ‘Tremel’ and ‘Mirrorage’ finish off the rest of the set each emphasising the talent Merisow has in putting together mystical elctropop gems.

As Merisow shyly reemerges, minus headwear, she explains she never intended to do an encores on this tour, stating they’ve played the whole album which receives a heckle of “play it again” that she giggles off before gaining composure.

She explains she is going to do an a’cappella performance of a folk song called ‘Let No Man Steal You Time’, which receives another shout of “can I steal you time?” which receives a blunt “no”. The song itself goes some way to justify that “no”, as the haunting splendor of her vocals silences the whole room, leaving everyone expects Mesirow herself breathless.

Before the show tonight we had caught up with the genius behind Glasser, Cameron Mesirow, to talk about the tour and what she thinks about all the comparisons and praise she has been getting.

Q: This is your first headline tour in Europe, how has it been so far?
A: The shows so far have been ok, I’m not going to rave about them but it’s been a pretty good tour in terms of how we’re all feeling. Hopefully Glasgow will show up those down in England, it seems like a good crowd down there already.

Q: This is your first time in Glasgow, have you had a chance to see much of Glasgow while you’ve been here?
A: Not really, we took a little walk to Òran Mór and tried a few different whiskeys’, we were told that is what they are famous for, that’s all we’ve seen just the walk from here to there. I’m kind of excited to be here anyway, my grandfather came from here, he wasn’t a performer like my parents but his name was Cameron like me.

Q: Could you give us a description of your sound for anyone unfamiliar with it?
A: It sounds just like The Rolling Stones basically! (laughs) No it’s really hard to know how to classify, it’s electronic music that doesn’t sound like electronic music.

Q: There have been a lot of comparisons being banded about with a lot of varying different female artists, what do you make of this?
A: I think what stands out the most is that the comparisons are female, I doesn’t seem to matter what the music is like as long as there’s a female vocalist

Q: How have you reacted about the across the board positive reviews Ring has been getting?
A: I have barely seen a review myself I try not to read too much about it.

Q: How did you enjoy making the album?
A: I think with anything you’ve wanted to do for a long time and feel intimidated about doing there’s a lot of brow beating and questioning, if you’re doing a good thing or not. I can’t say it was the happiest experience that I just skipped though but I do feel good about it.

Q: You’re playing Primavera in the May, the line up looks amazing, anyone you fancy seeing while you’re there?
A: I’m really curious to see Pulp, is Suicide playing? I think Suicide are playing and I’m really excited to see Echo and the Bunnymen, I think they’re playing Ocean Rain, which is my favourite.

Q: What sort of stuff do you listen to while you’re on tour?
A: We listen to all kinds of things in the van, today we listened to Micachu and the Shapes who I’d never heard before, Sam Cooke, Lil Wayne, some techno from Berlin, D’Angelo so lots of different stuff.

Q: Finally, are you going to get out in Glasgow after the show?
A: I can’t go out because I’ll loose my voice, I have to go home all the time after the shows, I’m trying to be a professional.

Photo: Stewart Fullerton

Twin Shadow @ Captain’s Rest 27/1/11

It’s rare you see someone appear as laid back as support act Chad Valley, last time he played in Glasgow he played to next to no one now he’s at a sold out Rest, so it’s a pleasant change for him, nice to see he’s put in the effort.

Banter flies comfortably back and forth exchanging comments surrounding his appearance in the Guardian, the G2 crossword being good and Sudoku not being cool, only to find Joe Strummer died while reading the Guardian and having to dedicate a song.

The music doesn’t let down either as his beautiful take on chillwave sets toes a tapping from the off. Dabbling through his sound experiments, throwing in a touch of disco here and there he provides a delightful start to the night.

Still, it is Twin Shadow people are here to see and the Dominican born artist, full band in tough, in not going to let down. George Lewis Jr., who adopted the persona Twin Shadow following a move to New York, exudes charm telling the crowd they are “exceptionally good looking” can’t go really go badly.

Twin Shadow has been receiving nothing but praise since last year’s debut, Forget. The album breaks down genres confidently and borrows brilliantly from a selection of different movements it’s easy to see why the show sold out way in advance tonight.

Early highlights like ‘Tyrant Destroyer’ capture the audience to perfection as Lewis and co. drag a packed Rest along for a new wave tinged ride as they take the record up a notch and unleash it on the crowd almost forcing everyone to get their dancing shoes on.

“What do they put in the water in Glasgow that they don’t in Manchester?” Lewis questions as he watches his captivated crowd, he even has the confidence to quip: “You have that here too? Annoying guy at the front” taunting a somewhat over eager fan.

‘Castles in the Snow’ is arguably the highlight of the night as he takes one of the most emotionally touching songs on the album and brings it into this upbeat live environment perfectly.

Lewis apologises for having no time to hang out after the show and as the encore approaches they come to the dilemma of leaving the stage. Lewis states: “I’m not going to lie to you, it’s physically difficult to leave the stage, emotionally yes! Physically no!”

They finish off the set with ‘Slow’ and ‘Tether Beat’ tying together an attention grabbing set that really hits the floor running for the new decade, leaving the crowd in the mood for some more dancing, whether they’ll find anything that matches this is very doubtful.

Photo: Euan Robertson

The Walkmen @ Oran Mor 19/1/11

The Walkmen are now into their second decade as a band and after years of consistently quality releases they are finally getting the spotlight they have earned. Tonight they play a packed Oran Mor in this Celtic Connections showcase, and although they don’t really fit in the traditional mould for the festival not one person is complaining.

Support this evening comes from Glasgow’s own Laki Mera, who performs a charming set of indie electronica that easily caught the ears of a few new fans tonight.

Tennessee’s Mona is some thing different altogether, the classic rock four piece has been hyped ridiculously at the start of this year. On first impressions they clearly think they’re better than they are and that impression sadly doesn’t let up.

They give that ‘we want to be stadium rockers’ vibe and I’m sure would be more at home supporting Bon Jovi, as they try to encourage the crowd to sing-along it becomes all too cringe worthy for my liking so I have to wander off.

Looking around the crowd tonight it’s clearly not cool to like The Walkmen, there’s not a scenster in sight instead a more mature audience fills the venue, surely a positive impression on the quality of the band if anything.

From the second the band hit into oldie ‘Everyone Who Pretended To Like Me Is Gone’ heads start a nodding and they pretty much don’t stop the entire set. Frontman Hamilton Leithauser snarls into the mike with entrancingly heartfelt enthusiasm throughout the early point of the set, which includes ‘In The New Year’ and newbie ‘Angela Surf City’.

Leithauser’s electrifying presence is easily the most enticing thing about The Walkmen’s live show, as you feel he means every word he sings. Announcing they are going to sing a song about a Harlem street where they all stayed together the set takes a more chilled turn, ‘138th Street’ is followed by arguably new album standout ‘Blue As Your Blood’.

‘Victory’ sees the pace boosted again, before Leithauser tells us a girl had told him “this place is very good for sex/drugs parties”, Oran Mor doesn’t seem the likely place but a guy in the crowd replies “some room in back” keeping up the illusion.

‘Juveniles’ closes the set before the band reemerge to perform a rip roaring rendition of possibly their most well known song ‘The Rat’ and ending on the heartfelt bliss of ‘We’ve Been Had’.

The Walkmen may not be the most euphoric live experience but they have that charm that has seem them build a loyal fanbase over the last decade and now, after all their consistency, they are just starting to see the fruits of their labour.

Photo: Ingrid Mur