EP REVIEW: Half Jacks - Half Jacks

Released near-on 2 years ago, the Half Jack's self-titled debut EP is probably the oldest release I've reviewed for this blog. They are currently recording new material, but this EP is a good starting point.

Punk cabaret may be a niche genre, but in a city with as wide music offerings as Glasgow, there's definitely got to be a crowd for this. I must admit that my interest was piqued by punk cabaret immediately.

The 5-track EP draws from wide influences, but has its own unique sound. The third track 'Reasons for The Unexplained' is a particular highlight, with the layering of strong lyrics, guitars and keys. Finding the right balance in these layers can be difficult but for a young band Half Jacks do this particularly well. 

Running just over 16 minutes this EP has definite replay-ability, featuring infectious guitars and great vocal work. It is definitely worth checking out.

You can listen to the EP via soundcloud and buy it for £3 on bandcamp.

GIG REVIEW: Brown Bear & The Bandit vs Miniature Dinosaurs at King Tut's Wah Wah Hut 26/04/2013

St. Vincent Street in Glasgow was home to an epic battle on Friday evening as DF concerts hosted the second date of the Brown Bear & The Bandits vs. Miniature Dinosaurs co-headline tour. 

Opening tonight's battle proceedings are Miniature Dinosaurs, and this is my first time seeing the band. In fact, it's taken me about 5 years to do so having seen Barry Maclean and Alban Dickson and a few friends perform as a one-off band 'Beautiful Tear Smiles' supporting Frightened Rabbit in early 2008 and even employed Barry's help for a university project about music. Major apologies to the band for it taking me so long, really. Glad I finally got round to it though. Miniature Dinosaurs provide Tut's with a strong set of indie pop goodness that gets the crowd bopping from the get go, and gets stronger as their set goes on. A good sign for the band is that their new song from their upcoming debut album goes down brilliantly on the evening, and is my highlight and their strongest track. It also has to be the first time I've been to a gig and been treated to a Richard O'Brien (of The Crystal Maze fame) impression, which was quite brilliant. The Dinosaurs indie-pop may not have lyrical genius of other Scots bands but they have a talent for getting a crowd bopping making them a popular live band with a chance to grow stronger.

 

Having the bar set for them, Brown Bear & the Bandits take to the stage and promptly get the crowd going with their fresh indie folk rock. The band have managed to pack out the main floor and every song is welcomed with loud cheers from the crowd, it's clear to see this band have got themselves a growing audience. The night features lots of infectious guitars and some good old jams, including 'Celtic Jam' which goes down a right treat and gets the best reaction of the night. The Bandits are also in the process of recording a first album, treating us to a few new tracks that will be on it including the heavier track 'Obsession', which is a definite highlight of mine. New single 'Olive Tree' takes on a new life live and gets a brilliant reaction from the full room. This band are going from strength to strength and their fresh sounding indie is certain to take them places. 

For my money, Brown Bear & The Bandits took this leg of the battle but it's definitely a fun one to watch. 

GIG REVIEW: Withered Hand at The Glad Cafe 25/04/2013

The dark yet cosy confines of The Glad Cafe in Shawlands was home to a special gig on Thursday evening, the return of Withered Hand with lots of new songs. The beautiful venue was well suited to the music and performers on the evening. 

Getting things going on the night was Marie Collins and her band who brought their folk-pop infusion to the brighten up the darkened cosy confines. Marie is a younger performer who was mentored by Dan of Withered Hand through The Fruit Tree Foundation and it's easy for all to see why she was chosen for this honour, as her songs are thoughtful and have an honesty to them. At only 18, there is a bright future ahead of Marie Collins and with the help from Dan, and the Scottish music community, she should grow into an accomplished singer-songwriter.

Next to take the stage was De Selby, who got my attention immediately as I spotted some brass and I am easily weakened by some good brass. They did not let me down. With a strong emphasis on the music, we are presented with beautiful instrumentals that tell well woven stories, and there's also poetry to put to their own music that makes a strong impact on the listener. Their music talent and strengths with melodies are clear for all to see and leave the stage having warmed the audience up nicely for the headliner.

At just after half past nine, Dan Wilson and Pam Berry are welcomed to the stage with the venue now packed and eager for the performance. There are lyric sheets and pieces of paper everywhere and we soon learn this is because we will be getting to hear lots of new material in its early forms, as Withered Hand will be recording a new album in Glasgow in June. The new songs are grown out of everything from touring and planes to 'New Gods', which Dan is terrified to play but was particularly brilliant. We also get treated to Dan's current favourite song, another new one called 'Horseshoe' and it's just beautiful. The new material has all the lyrical genius you expect from Withered Hand tunes, and it's still hard to believe a few years that we all had to fight via the social networks to get Dan to SXSW. Tonight is also the first time the new Withered Hand band have performed together and there's many a joke about how it will get slicker as the evening goes on, and it actually does. By the time 'Heart Heart' makes its appearance in the middle of the set, the band are hitting all the right notes and the crowd are in the palm of their hands. And a personal highlight for me was finally seeing 'Religious Songs' with the full band in tow, as it's my favourite WH track and suitably beautiful in the live full band form. 

Dan Wilson is one of the most honest and lovely musicians on the circuit and it was great to be able to witness his new material in early forms in such a lovely setting and on such a beautiful evening. This event was a brilliant way to spend a spring Thursday evening and has certainly been a highlight on my gig calendar.

EP REVIEW: Antipathy - GUMS!

Describing themselves as a tenuous super group with members from Orphans, Collar Up and The Plimptons (RIP), GUMS! return with a new free EP this month. 

The 6-track 'Antipathy' is loud and proud, and features many catchy hooks that could win over even the harshest critic. 

The EP showcases the band's ability to delicately balance the vocals, and put each of their vocal talents to right uses. All three vocalists are given a chance to shine and each song is backed with infectious guitars that will have the listener bopping along. 

'New Year' has particularly catchy hooks and is the early highlight of the EP. 'Function Suite' has a slow build before 30 seconds in, it becomes loud and proud and a big anthem. 'Luckless Days' gives the lone female vocal a chance to shine, with lyrics that we can all connect with. The finale 'Dancing in Your Room' leads to doing just that, making it the standout indie pop track on the EP. 

You can get 'Antipathy' for free now on bandcamp.

GIG REVIEW: Luke Sital-Singh at The Art School, 21/04/2013

Any rules I may have set when I started this blog are perhaps more like guidelines (if you get that reference, we'll be good friends) . Therefore since this gig took place in Scotland and featured a Scottish artist on the billing, it will get to feature. 

The underground Art School venue was home to a wonderful showcase of talent on Sunday night. They may have just been three guys wailing with guitars (not my words!) but they have a strong grasp of their craft and lots to offer. 

First to take the stage was young Sam Fender from Newcastle. For an 18-year old he already has amazing talent, and whilst still quite raw he's able to stun an audience with his performance. He's already got the on-stage banter of a well-toured musician which got the crowd on his side early on and his songs about love, life and politics are woven with lyrical genius and show that in the right hands a simple acoustic guitar can be a hugely versatile instrument. This kid is one to watch, he's definitely got something special.

Photo by Fiona McKinlay

Having to follow up young Sam would be a hard task for most but Michael Cassidy takes it all in stride. One of the most talked about upcoming Scottish singer-songwriters I was very excited to see Michael for the first time and he did not disappoint, giving a performance that shows his strong lyrical talent, as well as getting the crowd on side with in-between song banter. In a crowded field of folk musicians in Scotland these days, Michael manages to standout and make an impact with his emphasis on melody and incredible lyrical talent. He puts on a wonderful live show and will certainly be playing bigger shows himself soon.

All the way from London, tonight's show was headlined by Luke Sital-Singh. I hadn't heard of Luke prior to this show but I will happily count myself as one of his fans from here on out. His performance is powerful as he presents heartfelt songs that immediately make a connection with the audience. With songs from everything to his parents and whale love songs, we witness a full range of his abilities and the strong lyrical talent he has. Joking that he's brought a calorie counter on tour to show his parents that being a musician is really tough job are amongst the highlights of the night on the banter side, and here's hoping the Glasgow show did allow him to final break the 3000-a day calories burned target he'd set himself. Luke is on a upward trajectory and I am glad I was able to catch him in such an intimate setting because bigger shows are definitely in his future. 

I went to this gig on a whim after hearing some chatter via the social networks and I am so very glad that I did as I was able to three performers who are well on their way to being the 'Next Big Thing'. Getting to spend your Sunday night being awed by the musical talents of such lovely guys as these three was definitely a great choice in the end.

Photo by Fiona McKinlay.

LINEUP ANNOUNCEMENT: GoNorth Festival

Inverness is home to GoNorth Festival this June. The annual Creative Industries Festival features a broad range of music, screen, publishing, fashion and interactive content. Each year the event brings a wide programme of panels, workshops, film screenings, training opportunities, Q&A sessions, keynote interviews and live music showcases to the North of Scotland.

Now in its 13th year, today the music showcase lineup was announced. “We are delighted with the quality and range of acts invited to showcase at this year’s goNORTH,” said director for Music Shaun Arnold. “The A&R process to establish our 2013 list proved particularly challenging as we received a record number of high quality submissions. As goNORTH continues to develop, each year the music element becomes increasingly competitive. We would like to offer a huge thank you to all the acts that applied to play this year and look forward to delivering our most ambitious showcase programme to date.”

2013 SCOTTISH SHOWCASE LIST:
ALARM BELLS
ALGERNON DOLL
ARCHES
ATLAS:EMPIRE
BE LIKE PABLO
BEAR ARMS
BEHOLD THE OLD BEAR
BIRDHEAD
BLACK INTERNATIONAL
BOOK GROUP
CALL TO MIND
CAMPFIRES IN WINTER
CARNIVORES
CASUAL SEX
CLEAVERS
DAVEY HORNE
DONALD MACDONALD & THE ISLANDS
DUNCAN OVERMEER
DYLAN TIERNEY
EUGENE TWIST
FAKE MAJOR
FAT GOTH
FLUTES
FOREST FIRES
FRIENDS IN AMERICA
GALOSHINS
GARDEN OF ELKS
HECTOR BIZERK
HOMEWORK
JEMMA TWEEDIE
JO MANGO
KOBI
LIDH
LIONEL
LITTLE FIRE
MIKE NISBET
MINIATURE DINOSAURS
PINACT
PLASTIC ANIMALS
POOR THINGS
PRONTO MAMA
RED RONSON
ROMAN NOSE
SAINT MAX AND THE FANATICS
SHAMBLES MILLER
SO MANY ANIMAL CALLS
THE BOY WHO TRAPPED THE SUN
THE BROKEN RAVENS
THE DEADLINE SHAKES
THE IMAGINEERS
THE LAFONTAINES
THE MOUSE THAT ATE THE CAT
THE OK SOCIAL CLUB
THE OXIDES
THE RECOVERY
THE SEA ATLAS
THE VELVETEEN SAINTS
THE YAWNS
VASQUEZ
WILLIE CAMPBELL
WOODENBOX

GIG REVIEW: Amy Duncan at Stereo 20/04/2013

There are few better ways to end your Record Store Day than at a gig and Stereo was home to the Glasgow album launch of singer-songwriter Amy Duncan on Saturday evening for an acoustic affair. 

Taking the stage just after 9pm and joined by Fiona Rutherford on harp and Lawrie MacMillan on bass, Amy Duncan begins a set that will bring the crowd to a complete stop where you could hear a pin drop and shows a talent that has a full range and power. 

The set starts off slow, with songs performed in a way that whilst showing the promise of the act display a little need for nurturing to take full advantage of the talent on stage. By the third song of the set, the title track from her new album Cycles of Life, things take a turn for the better as the songs begin to come alive, through the layering of the music and the strong vocal talents of Duncan. The set goes from strength to strength, with a highlight being 'Song to Myself', also from the new album and choosing to end on a newer song with a completely solo performance is a very bold choice, that proves to go down very well. 

There are many choices on a Saturday night in Glasgow but those who chose to come to Stereo were greeted with a beautiful performance by Amy Duncan. The live performance showed off her incredible vocal talent, as well the ability to craft songs with great structure and melodies and left you wanting more by the end. 

You can buy 'Cycles of Life' now on Linn Records, including in Studio Master Format that my fellow blogger The Pop Cop covered recently.