RIP MJ

Michael Jackson 1958 - 2009

Tonight we mourn the almost merciful passing of a very very ill man.

And salute a true great.

RIP MJ.

Michael Jackson - Billie Jean (Mathematikal Re-Rub)

Go North

Mitchell Museum, The City Bar 11/06/09

Arriving early on Thursday afternoon, Inverness was already a hive of activity; lost-looking band types roamed the streets looking really quite lost, media and industry types sat drinking their diet Smirnoff Ices in the lobby of the delegates hotel (which doubled as one of the venues) looking smug and the city centre's woefully inadequate one-way system struggled to cope with the influx of vans and people carriers.

All of the participating venues (I say venues very loosely in regards to some of them!) were almost within spitting distance of each other, which really did create a kind of street party atmosphere, with bands running between venues to catch their mates bands after they had played and journalists running around in 15 minute intervals trying to catch as much as they could, however the only disappointment was that, for a free event, the local turnout could have been a lot stronger. I do remember thinking "I've never seen so many people from Glasgow in one place without actually being in Glasgow".

First up were the hotly-tipped Yahweh (**) in the City Bar, who, despite showing massive potential on record, suffered from a poor venue and an incompetent sound engineer (you know something is up when you tell you a local what venue you are headed to and they retort "oh, is it a hard-house thing you're going to then?"). A couple of tracks shone through, but it is difficult to gauge a sound as subtle as theirs in such a limiting environment. Verdict postponed. Next, and unfortunately still in the City Bar, were Mitchell Museum (****), a band who quietly get better every time I see them. Their set now bristles with perfect wonky pop hooks and crazy-man harmonies, and not even a still-woeful sound could dampen their energetic brilliance. If this band continue to build as they have done, the record companies will be knocking on the door for sure if they haven't begun to already. 

Faced with a dilemma, we chose to miss the excellent French Wives and Bronto Skylift this time around and opted instead for The Boy Who Trapped The Sun (****) aka Colin MacLeod, singer-songwriter extraordinaire from the Isle of Lewis. Recently signed to Geffen and having played next-to-everything on his forthcoming debut release The Home E.P, he possesses a music arsenal that most mere-mortals would kill for. Live (and performed solo on this occasion), the record's laid back, bluesy folk is delivered with amazing tenderness that you makes you feel like you should be watching this in some run-down barn out in the countryside, not a nondescript city centre hotel lobby. 

This is where things got a bit congested and we started running between venues to catch everything, so bear with me!

After 15 minutes of The Boy Who Trapped The Sun, we dived over to the first dedicated venue of the night (hurray!), Hootananny's, to catch Hey Enemy (***), who blew any romantic dreamings of lazing about on a summer evening in the country the hell away with some balls out riffing. Sinisterly stalking the stage, and then the floor and tables of the venue, the band blast out a frenetic set of raw punk that tips it's hat to 90s rockers The Jesus Lizard and Kyuss, and end their set in spectacular fashion, when in their epic closer, the didgeridoo wielding drummer manages to make a pint glass in the crowd spontaneously combust. awesome. After catching the tail-end of HE, it's upstairs for more rawk action with the super totally awesome United Fruit (*****). Probably the biggest surprise of the day, this unassuming four-piece crash through a massively impressive set of post-hardcore that, like the best of it's kind (At The Drive-In and the hugely underrated Welsh band Jarcrew spring to mind), manages to sound wild and unhinged yet tight and completely accessible. Definitely one to watch. 

Another 15 minutes is up and it's back over to the City Bar, where the eight members of We See Lights (****) are crammed into the smallest space i've ever seen any human being occupy before. The band however seem to revel in the cramped conditions and the proximity of the now-sizable crowd, who win the prize for the most enthusiastic crowd ever (which must be a good sign) and for the worst dancing ever (not so good but still highly amusing). After five tracks of excellent summery guitar-pop that sets us up perfectly for the weekend at Rockness, we're on the move again, by this point starting to get a little weary, and it's over to The Exchance (another pub really not equipped to host live music) to catch old friends Theatre Fall (***). Having recently undergone a major line-up change, and now sporting a female-fronted lineup, the band are finding their feet again as a live outfit, but a whole new set and a new edgier electro-driven sound, with synths and sequencers all over the place, shows a great deal of potential. 

With TF closing the day's showcases, it was over to The Ironworks for the official after show party, which, rather than featuring, as you might expect, DJs and a massive piss up, consisted of two live bands from, rather oddly, Scandanavia. We turned up in time to only catch the end of Tone's (**) set, they seemed to be trying to create lo-fi trip hop on a selection of old cassette machines and biscuit tin lids. It wasn't great. Casiokids (***) started off looking crazy and sounding horribly twee, however, just as we'd had about enough and left in disgust, the band suddenly launched into a Holy-Fuck-on-mad-Norwegian-8bit-infused-happy-pills dance fest. As the great Alan  Hanson is always quick to remind us, it is indeed a game of two halves, and this second half (which was more like 5/8s) was much more fun, musically interesting, engaging and just well...good. Kudos to them too for sticking to their guns and singing in their native tongue. Even if it does sound like mad bastard crazy babble. 

Due to the odd decision to stage the second day of Go North on the same day as the first night of Rockness (which it is affiliated with) and pit the bands against the heavyweight draw of The Flaming Lips, we are unable to review their sets. Because we weren't there. We will however guess and say that they were all amazing. Awesome. Five stars all round. Well done guys, great sets.

There is a review of Rockness to come, however our bodies are still reeling slightly from a weekend of extraordinary excess so that'll have to wait until tomorrow!

DW

Go North/Rockness Preview

This weekend bring the 9th annual Go North music showcase to the lucky people of Inverness, coinciding for the second consecutive year with the Rockness Festival just down the road on the shores of Loch Ness. Taking the form of a series of free entry showcases held over two days throughout the city in the style (if not the scale) of SXSW and Manchester's In The City, participating bands are then given the opportunity to play the Go North stage at Rockness over the weekend. As usual, this year's batch of bands comprise a mixture of the most talked about and less well known new artists from all over Scotland, here's our pick of the bunch.

Mitchell Museum

Like that crazy man that used to live in your town, who wore bin bag armour, shouted loudly and incoherently at passing post offices and that your mum would pull you away from when you passed him in the street, Mitchell Museum are massively intriguing and totally awesome. Sounding like a cross between a listenable Animal Collective and a Wolf Parade dripping with pop-hooks, the band have picked up a string of notable fans over the past year, including Marc Riley, Steve Lamacq and Rough Trade to name but a few. Go see them, if only to see what real crazies look like. 

Mitchell Museum - Extra Lives

Mitchell Museum play The City Bar on Thu 11th (9:15pm) and the Go North stage at Rockness on Sat 13th.

Nacional

Nacional is a name that you may or may not be familiar with yet, however the band have achieved a remarkable amount in a short space of time since forming in late 2006. Hailing from all round Scotland and Northern England, the band have had a successful year, having been part of the Scottish contingent at this year's SXSW, playing at Glastonbury and winning an army of fans including Radio 1's Huw Stephens and Vic Galloway. With a very British sound that draws heavily from early 80's post-punk, the band have just released the sublime "On T.V" through the excellent Art Goes Pop label. If this is the future for British guitar rock then the future looks pretty bright indeed. 

Nacional - Telephone

Nacional play the Ironworks on Thu 11th (11pm) and the Go North stage at Rockness on Fri 12th.

We See Lights

We See Lights make some of the nicest noises we've heard in a long time, and the prospect of catching their sunny, bittersweet folk-pop in a muddy field on the banks of Loch Ness is good one. Music for the summer outdoors in every sense, the band's forthcoming debut album Ghosts and Monsters was recorded in a cottage on the banks of Loch Linnhe and they have already notched up a host high profile festival appearances, including the Isle of Wight Festival, Wychwood and T in The Park. 

We See Lights play The City Bar on Thu 11th (11:15pm) and the Go North stage at Rockness on Sat 13th.

Also definitely worth checking out over the course of the festivities are Glasgow's Barn Owl, United Fruit and Yahweh, Edinburgh's Come On Gang and the excellent The Boy Who Trapped The Sun. Check www.gonorth.biz for full listings and programme. 

DW

The return of the miserablist!

Malcolm Middleton – Waxing Gibbous

You’ve got to hand it to ol’ Malky, at least he’s consistent with his world outlook. Always searching those introspective depths, always questioning the futility of life and love, and always, well, rather miserable. “We’re all listening, to downbeat shite” as he so eloquently put it on the excellent ‘Blue Plastic Bags’ from previous album, Sleight Of Heart. This follow up however, shares more in common musically with the big smash that was A Brighter Beat. A return to the bombastic electric arrangements of said record and the addition of far more electronic bleepery and epic vocal harmonies give Waxing Gibbous a grand, magnum opus feel. It won’t be considered ground breaking, but it certainly sounds like Middleton is throwing everything at this record, and considering his plans to semi-retire from solo work for a while, it makes sense.

Opener ‘Red Travellin’ Socks’ sums up this vibe, all thundering guitars and soaring chorus harmonies broken up by slow building verses. Small wonder Middleton has deemed it his Bohemian Rhapsody. ‘Kiss At The Station’ starts off in a familiar musical vein before a startling second half with some, dare I say it, funky beats and a call-and-response moment with what sounds like Fence records boys King Creosote and the Pictish Trail. ‘Carry Me’ could almost be confused for an Aidan Moffat solo track, considering the long spoken word segment regarding, how did you guess, utter despair. All that’s missing is the gratuitous ribaldry. ‘Box & Knife’ is a fantastic combination of Middleton’s acoustic guitar virtuosity and drum machine robotics, while ‘Made Up Your Mind’ is one of those fragile, yearning numbers that he does so well.

It’s the sheer scale of this album that lives long in the memory however, in both its length and grandiosity. The successful combination of the more extravagant arrangements with his gift for gently insistent guitar melodies and that famed melancholy is what makes Gibbous arguably his peak solo record. Although not as instant as A Brighter Beat, and missing something with the ability to catch national attention as much as ‘We’re All Going To Die’, Gibbous is one of those delightful growing records perfect for singing along to whilst getting pissed on cheap cider with good pals. Of that I’m sure Malcolm would approve.

FW

Ming Ming and The Ching Chings

Recently announced as one of the bands playing this year's t-break stage at T in The Park, and just about to release their chaotically brilliant debut single Show Off, we sent some questions to the band with the best name this year, Ming Ming and The Ching Chings, and they answered them. Just. 

Okay, starting from the beginning, how did the band come together?

 

Just a bunch o boys wantin to make some good music

 

At the risk of sounding predictable I've got to ask; the name, where did it come from? 

 

Cos wiggy (Ming Ming) looks like a panda and we like taking ching and it rhymes.

What are your main influences as individuals and as a band? 

 

As for me, Jesus Christ Superstar, David Bowie, Fingathing and The Cramps. I don't listen to much music. As for the band, I don't think there is any 'group' influences, none of us can agree on anything.

For those people not yet familiar with your music, how would you describe your sound?

 

Like all your favorite foods layered up into a big lasagne, chicken first, sticky toffee puddin and salt and vinegar squares on top,smothered in cheese! Should'nae taste good but i'd fuckin love it.

 

You are about to release your debut single Show Off, can you tell us a little about it? 

 

It's a big fuckin stomper o a dancefloor catfighting tune  and the b side's just as good in a totally instrumental found 'hingin in a wardrobe with my cock in a noose 'kill bill' sort of way...Ho -Down!!

 

You have just been announced in the T-Break line up to play T in The Park this year, looking forward to it?

 

Should be good, hopefully we'll get to play a bigger, worthier stage next year.

What are the plans for the rest of 2009? More singles? An album?

 

Another single in November then an album in the Spring/Summer of next year.

If you could collaborate with anyone in the world, who would it be?

Lux Interior and Bowie (Circa '73).

And finally...which member of the band would you choose to fight mano-a-mano with a cow? and do you think they would win?

Chet. If he couldnae beat it he'd fuckin eat it!

Cheers 

MMCC's

The band's debut single Show Off is released on 30th July.

For More Information on the band, check out www.myspace.com/mingmingthechingchings

Calories In Not Bad For You Shocker!

Okay, let's get one thing straight, Calories are good for you. Very, very good for you. And by Calories, you know we're talking about three men from Birmingham playing short bursts of epic guitar-pop, right? duh. 

The past year-or-so has seen the long overdue re-emergence of the dormant, often feared dead beast of the good British rock band (Remember Jetplane Landing? thisGirl? Rueben? Biffy Clyro? no thought not). Exciting new names like Johnny Foreigner and Glasgow's own Dananananaykroyd released blistering debut albums and blazed trails across the UK and Europe, taking their rawk to the people with good old fashioned hard work and touring. Calories are another band looking to continue this trend, forming only last year, they are made up of previous members of the excellent Dystophia, who's well-anticipated debut album Beat Dyslexia sadly never found a release due to label issues at the time.

That is all in the past now, and Calories released their brilliant debut album Adventuring in March this year through the increasingly prolific Smalltown America label.  Clocking in at just 23 minutes for ten whole tracks, the album certainly doesn't hang about in getting it's point across, and is over almost as quickly as it begun. It is, however a work a startling contrast; epic, soaring rock guitars are squeezed into two and three minute bursts, jagged post-hardcore rhythms are offset with dollops of vocal hooks and you are always left wanting more. There is an overall warmth to Adventuring which belies the album's rock roots and is a considerable achievement for a band so early in their career. We look forward to hearing a lot more from this bunch.

Calories - To Encounter a Deer

Check the band out at www.myspace.com/caloriesband

Fleetwood Mac UK Tour

This piece of news has been the single most anticipated since around five years ago, when I dusted off a 12" of Rumours, for sale in a charity shop for 50p, and re-fell-in-love-with Fleetwood Mac. One of the most universally loved, and comically self destructive bands in the world will tour the UK again in October for the first time in over 6 years, kicking off in Glasgow SECC on the 22nd.

Tickets went on sale this morning, and despite the absence of Christine McVie, four of the five from the Rumours-era (Lindsay Buckingham, Mick Fleetwood, Stevie Nicks and John McVie) i.e the best era, will perform and we've got ours already! Here's an awesome video from back in the day with Stevie Nicks in full on crazy, and a dark horse for their best track, Tusk.  

Fleetwood Mac - Tusk

Tickets are available from www.ticketsoup.com

T Break Announced

Brother Louis Collective

Wow, the T-break line-up has been announced, is it really that time of year already?! Chriiiist. Anyway, so for another year the best new talent that Scotland has to offer get the opportunity to showcase their awesome-ness to a load of pissed up bams in a field near Kinross. Awesome.

This year there are a few surprises in the line-up, infact, being totally honest I only recognise about half of the names announced (shame on me). There is, however, enough talent in there to keep you at the T-break stage for a large proportion of the weekend, notable inclusions being the excellent Brother Louis Collective and Punch and The Apostles (two of the best live bands we've seen in the last year), Ming Ming and the Ching Chings (who's music really is as good as their name) and My Cousin I Bid You Farewell who were excellent when we hosted them a couple of weeks ago, certainly beats going to see Lady Gaga and James Morrison.

The full line-up in alphabetised form is as follows, I would link each band individually but that would take ages, you're smart cookies, google it or something.

Barn Owl

Brother Louis Collective

Dead Boy Robotics

G1ft

Gong Fei

Homework

Little Eskimos

Maple Leaves

Mike Nisbet

Ming Ming and the Ching Chings

My Cousin I Bid You Farewell

Popolo

Punch and the Apostles

Tango in the Attic

The French Quarter

We Are Trapped in Kansas