EP REVIEW: Bring Us Together - Mono Six

One of the many great bands on the A Quiet Night In - mini festival takeover that proved such a success earlier this month, Mono Six opened proceedings at the ABC2 and closed the after-party at Flat 0/1. Unfortunately I missed both performances but have since gotten hold of their debut EP, which is well worth a mention.

Based out of Falkirk, Mono Six are a loud and proud indie rock band who I suspect you will be hearing more of in the not too distant future. Their debut EP 'Bring Us Together' is a 6-track player with which the band make their mark. 

The EP features catchy hooks (particularly in 'We Were Electric' and 'God in Exile'), big guitars and a distinct style, that whilst it has clear influences from rock contemporaries, makes the band stand out in a crowded field. There's an energetic opener in 'Waiting to Fall' that makes an immediate impact on the listener and the two-part finale 'Records and Stories' is a slow builder in Part I displaying a different side of the band, whilst part II picks the pace right back up and closes the EP strongly.

This EP seems to have dropped fairly quietly in the latter part of last year and it's available via iTunes for under a fiver. I highly doubt this band's next release will be so under the radar, definitely ones to watch.

LINEUP ANNOUNCEMENT AND PREVIEW - Doune at the Rabbit Hole 2013

Back for its fourth year, Doune at the Rabbit Hole today announced its new location and full lineup to whet the appetites of festival goers everywhere.

Hoping to bring a psychedelic summer to Stirlingshire with a musical line up headlined by cult Liverpool band Clinic, Scottish folk-rock troubadour Alasdair Roberts & Friends and 60s psych heroes July. Glasgow indie legends The Pastels and punk-pop trio PAWS are also on the bill.

Also joining the festival at the new location of Cardross Estate, Port of Mentieth are Orkestra Del Sol who headline an extended Thursday evening bill with Machines In Heaven and Honey & The Herbs.

Friday sees headliner Alasdair Roberts & Friends on the main stage, along with The John Langan Band, Meursault and Haight Ashbury. The intimate Fruitstand stage welcomes Rick Redbeard, Steve Adey and Stanley Brinks and the Baino tent is headlined by PAWS as well as featuring Gallon Drunk, Arbouretum, Galoshins and The Cosmic Dead. A guest stage will be curated by Ten Tracks and features bands including Buriers.

Saturday’s main stage bill features Clinic, The Pastels, The Monochrome Set, Washington Irving and Panda Su among others. The Fruitstand line up includes Robyn Hitchcock, Rozi Plain and The Wellgreen. The Baino welcomes Zun Zun Egui, Bomskare and Stealing Sheep. A guest stage will be

curated by Edinburgh’s poetry and music fusion collective Neu Reekie and will feature among others The Sexual Objects and Teen Canteen.

Sunday’s headliner is 60s psych-rock legends July, the main stage also welcomes The Horndog Brass Band, Hidden Masters and Randolph’s Leap among others. The Fruitstand has Rachel Sermanni, The Banana Sessions, Jo Mango and Siobhan Wilson, while The Baino’s line up includes Z’s, Bo Ningen and Three Dimensional Tanx.

The popular Inspire Stage will run all weekend as well as the Low End Dance Stage – with guests including Rebecca Vasmant and The Line Of Best Fit DJs. Expect a cinema tent, art trail and lots of workshops suitable for the whole family.

“We’re thrilled with our new location,” said Jamie Murray, festival director. “Cardross Estate is on the boundary of Loch Lomond & the Trossachs National Park. It’s a beautiful site which has experience of hosting outdoor events meaning we can make the production better than ever, suffice to say it's a lovely flat, oak and beech-filled pasture!”

Doune The Rabbit Hole is a small-scale festival where music, art, spoken word performances, workshops and activities for a family audience are the focus.

Tickets for the festival, which takes place August 22-25 2013 are available now from Brown Paper Tickets via Dounetherabbithole.co.uk. Full adult weekend camping tickets cost £78, children under 12 go free and day tickets are available, (see http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/305937 for full

details).

REVIEW - Have Plenty of Fun - Fake Major

From the ashes of Endor (the Glasgow band, not the Star Wars planet), rises Fake Major and their debut EP. Made up of David McGinty and Richard Ferguson, this latest project launched in early February and has been steadily making waves in the Scottish scene. 'Have Plenty of Fun' is a 4-track player that is surely going to see them rise further.

The opening track is 'Little Researcher', which was released as the band launched and came with a brilliant music video (you can watch below). This track works as an excellent first taster of this new project and it's certainly pleasing but it's not the best that this EP has to offer.

The strongest songs on EP are the two middle tracks, 'Fiction' and 'Cotton and Ink', both of which are lyrically stunning and have the beautifully arranged, and mastered, layers of sound to match. They may be indie pop tunes but they pack a punch and it is these tracks specifically that I believe are give the best impression of what we can come to expect from Fake Major in the future. 'Cotton and Ink' is one of the best tracks I've heard this year so far, the lyrics shine through as the music becomes much more of a backdrop but as the track builds to its close, we are treated to layers of beautifully sonic guitars, pianos, drums and a violin and lyrics you'll be singing back in no time.

The closer 'Love in the Mundane' has some of my favourite lyrics on the EP and could certainly be a hit indie pop single. It is a toe-tapping folk tune but with the elements that maje Fake Major stand out, making it much more than just another song from another Glasgow indie-folk band. It is anything but mundane.

'Have Plenty of Fun' is a masterful debut EP, showing lots of promise and already establishes Fake Major as a band to watch out for. With this release they are not likely to stay a hidden gem for long.

'Have Plenty of Fun' will be released by Comets and Cartwheels, physically on April 20th and digitally on May 1st.

Fake Major will be playing in-stores in Dundee (Groucho's), Edinburgh (Avalanche) and Glasgow (Love Music) on April 20th to celebrate the EP's release. And they will be performing as a full band, with members from We Were Promised Jetpacks, Bear Arms and other Glasgow bands joining the duo, at the Comets and Cartwheels showcase on May 31st at Govanhill Swimming Baths for Quickbeam's album launch.

Fake Major - Little Researcher from Comets And Cartwheels on Vimeo.

GIG PREVIEW: Haddowfest Presents...Meursault and friends

After the critical and popular success of their third album 'Something for the Weakened' last year, Meursault make a return with a special gig in Edinburgh.

Haddowfest, the single day music festival in Edinburgh, is branching out in the monthly club night market and providing the capital with a new night of great music. The inaugural 'Haddowfest Presents....' gig is on April 26th at The Liquid Room. 

The night will be hosted by Radio 1's Ally McCrae, with Meursault taking the headline slot. The support acts were hand picked by Neil Pennycook and co., and will be Withered Hand (performing solo) and Lomond Campbell & River of Slime (of Edinburgh's Found). Certainly a night with some of Scotland's best.

Tickets are a mere £10 (plus booking fee) via Ticketweb and Tickets Scotland. 

'Haddowfest Presents' will continue to showcase some of Scotland's best upcoming talents and special guests in the coming months and if you're in the capital then it looks well worth checking out. 

GIG REVIEW - A Quiet Night In mini take-over festival at The Art School

Building on the success of other multiple venue events (such as the excellent Stag & Dagger), A Quiet Night In - mini take-over festival took place on Saturday and showcased some of the best alternate acts that Scotland has to offer. It also did so in venues all within a 5 minute walk of my flat, so that gets my vote.

As a lazy blogger, and person in general, and having weighed up the line-up I chose to stick my night out at The Art School. I walk past this place every day but it was my first time checking it out, nice and cosy confines. 

First up were Aberdeen's The Little Kicks, who played to a mostly quiet room but their indie pop tunes were well received by those in attendance. The two songs they played from their forthcoming album, due out later this year, were particularly promising. Ending on a little bit of self-promotion, they go out on a high note with 'Call of Youth', which is available for free via Bandcamp.

Next up The Art School was treated to an alternate rock show from Glasgow's Campfires in Winter.  With an adoring crowd filling out the room, the band put on a rousing show and bring the previously very quiet room to life. New single 'White Lights' goes down a particular treat and we can be sure there's a lot more to come from these guys in the future. 

It was then the turn of Edinburgh's Capitals, not to be confused with the hockey team of the same name. With some alcohol having flowed and the band providing the right pulsing beats, The Art School was for a short time turned into a dance floor and there were many happy people during this set. Bringing a more electronic flavour to the evening Capitals provide a strong view of the genre and leave the room with brilliant aurora of goodness as they depart.

Topping off the evening were Song of Return, a Glasgow band who have been on the rise and rise in the past year. The packed out room is treated to an extremely polished show from a band with dark and intense sounds, the sky is clearly not the limit for them. With something going at every level, from unsettling vocals to the quiet build-ups of bass and drums all put on an electronic backdrop and it's got a particularly powerful effect in live performance. They definitely left their mark on Glasgow last night.

Even though, I only attended one venue having heard from bands and punters who went around the others it's clear that A Quiet Night In - mini festival take-over was a brilliant success and I look forward to more in the future.

GIG REVIEW - Where We Lay Our Heads single launch, Brave Young Red & Shambles Miller at Broadcast 02/04/2013

The dark yet cosy confines of Broadcast was host to another launch night on Tuesday evening when the stage was graced by Where We Lay Our Heads to release new single 'Keanu Leaves' in style. 

The bar was set in the banter, and music, stakes as the night opened with Shambles Miller, who quickly got the crowd on side with his witty remarks and folk-pop tunes. It's hard to dislike a guy who carries only one t-shirt to sell at his gigs and has song entitled 'Chris Brown is a cunt (and Mike has some issues)'. Even when he messed up during his single 'Confessions', he saved it and the crowd went along with him. Few Glasgow acts can offer such witty reparte along with their live show and, for this reason, I'll certainly be attending more Shambles shows in the future.

Taking up the task of following Shambles and warming up the crowd for the headliners were Ayr's Brave Young Red. Fresh off their own EP release within the last month the majority of their setlist is made up of songs from 'Roots', the highlight of the set being when they slow things down for 'Footprints', which made this blogger thankful that they were sans an acoustic guitar for the set allowing them to dip into this track. The banter may not quite have reached Shambles' levels but there is certainly promise in this band, and I'd be fine if the acoustic guitar missed a few more gigs if we got performances like that of 'Footprints'.

The room has filled up and the crowd are settled in as our headliners take the stage just before half ten. Playing a balanced set of new and old, Where We Lay Our Heads bring in spring (finally!) with their folk-pop infused songs and keep Broadcast bopping through the full set. New single and the reason we were all there, 'Keanu Leaves' anchors the set and is the definitie highlight, whilst the new tracks played prove that there is much more to come from this band.  They may not be as good at the talking thing in between songs as their support acts but they can certainly claim to be an accomplished live act whose talent and promise is going to take them places.

REVIEW: Backyard Skulls EP - Frightened Rabbit

2013 may finally be The Year of the Rabbit. Following on from their career-high top ten (#9) fourth album, the FRabbits released the 'Backyard Skulls EP' earlier this week. 

The EP is made of up of 'Backyard Skulls', the second single from the acclaimed 'Pedestrian Verse', as well as alternate versions of previous single 'The Woodpile' and 'Holy', a live recording of 'Acts of Man' from the Barrowlands sellout gig in February and the pre-order exclusive and forthcoming Record Store Day release 'Norland Wind', which sees them team up with Lau.

The alternate versions of the album tracks give them a whole new breath of life and it could be argued that the alternate 'Holy' is better than the album version itself. The song is pulled right back to its bare bones and thusly has an even more powerful effect than its original incarnation. 

The live recording of 'Acts of Man' is a perfect teaser for any forthcoming performances and showcases the blistering live show they have perfected throughout years on the road. It's also a brilliant keepsake for anyone who was lucky enough to attend the Barrowlands show and witness this band at the top of their game.

The true gem of the EP is Norland Wind. A collaboration with friends Lau, this track has all the layers and majesty of a true Scottish anthem. It's unlikely you've heard anything like it this year and you probably won't for the rest of the year. It might just be one of the best songs Frightened Rabbit have produced in their nearly 10 years of existence, toweringly beautiful.

The 'Backyard Skulls EP' is a digital-only UK release and is available via iTunes for only £1.99. 'Norland Wind' will be released on Record Store Day, April 20th, on one-sided etched 7" and is limited to only 500 copies. Go support your local record store and Frightened Rabbit by picking one up.