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.

REVIEW: Keanu Leaves - Where We Lay Our Heads

Glasgow's Where We Lay Our Heads return with a new single this week. 

'Keanu Leaves' is a rousing folk-rock tune that will have your toe-tapping for its entire four minute and forty seven second running time. 

The track is beautifully layered, with a perfect balance of sounds making it one of the better produced songs to be released this year. 

The single showcases all this band have to offer and leaves you wanting more so we can only hope that they've got more coming soon.

The band launch the single at Broadcast in Glasgow this Tuesday (2nd April), with support from Shambles Miller and Brave Young Red for a mere £5, and advance tickets get a free download of the single. Details can be found at the Facebook event.

'Keanu Leaves' will be released 1st April through Common Records.

REVIEW: Now That You Are A Dancer - Kid Canaveral

The self-released 'Shouting at Wildlife' was 2010's much acclaimed indie-pop debut album from Fife's Kid Canaveral and now they're back with their sophomore album, 'Now That You Are A Dancer', on Fence Records. 

Not only have the band dodged the dreaded sophomore slump, they've successfully defeated the big boss and achieved victory by producing an album that's stronger and bolder than their debut. 

The 10-track player showcases the songwriting talent of David MacGregor and proves he is one of the best lyricists Scotland currently has to offer. Album closers 'So Sad, So Young' and 'A Compromise' are of particular note for exhibiting the strength in the songwriting that this band have to offer.

There's also a lot to be said for the fact that one of the album's standout tracks is a contribution from fellow band member Kate Lazda, 'Skeletons', which is darker than most KC! tracks and stylistically departed from what we expect from them but still very fitting within their model. If you need proof that KC! are much more than just indie-pop singles then this track will set you straight.

'Now That You Are A Dancer' features the indie-pop goodness we have come to expect from Kid Canaveral in spades whilst also displaying the growth in the band since their self-released debut. It may only be March but we have one of our contenders for Album of the Year.

You can purchase 'Now That You Are A Dancer' via Fence Records on CD and LP. It was released on March 4th 2013.

REVIEW: A Kite, A Key and A Storm - The Darien Venture

Almost 2 years since the release of the 'Indications' EP, The Darien Venture are back and stronger than before.

'A Kite, A Key and A Storm' is a 7-track player which showcases the catchy hooks and lyrical talent that this band have to offer. It's an EP from a maturing band and contains some of their best work to date.

Opener 'Bones' is anthemic, with the infectious guitars that The Darien Venture are known for as well as the masterful balancing of the vocal melodies from Dave Martin, Kyle Shields and Liam Rutherford.

'Ho! Criminal Face' is one more to add to the pile of tracks The Darien Venture have produced with massively catchy hooks and big guitars.

The EP strongest from the middle onwards where we get the best master and mix of the hit single '1.21 Gigawatts', with the perfect balance of the guitars and catchy lyrics. This is song is math-rock at its best and the mix on 'A Kite, A Key and A Storm' is the best that it has sounded.

'Catapult' is a song for anyone in their 20s, it builds from an opening showcasing Dave Martin's strong vocal and lyrics to a big chorus where the vocal melodies of his bandmates are once again utilised and Jonny Beveridge's drumming holds the entire track together.

'Thinks/Thoks' is another one full of catchy hooks and has some more standout drumming from Beveridge.

'Tonight Matthew' is the lyrically strong track on the EP and its coupled with infectious guitars and a perfect marrying of vocals. The final third of the song is an epic build bringing together everything that makes this band great - the strong bassline, big guitars and drums with the catchy lyrical hooks.

'Clock' is the darkest Darien Venture track to date and proves the lyrical talent of this band better than anything else. The big guitars take a backdrop which allows the vocals and lyrics to shine through stronger than on any other track on the EP, and in the band's previous work.

The Darien Venture have grown over the recent years but they are still a band who can provide catchy math-rock songs, they've always had the lyrical talent but it is on show more on 'A Kite, A Key and A Storm' than previous efforts. I believe this band are not only one of Glasgow and Scotland's best but one of the best bands in Britain right now and they deserve to be much bigger than they are.

'A Kite, A Key and A Storm' was released March 9th via Overlook Records and can be purchased via Bandcamp.