Part I

Enter Shikari - 'A Flash Flood Of Colour' 8/10

2012-01-17T13:12:00.000-08:00

If you're anything like me, you can never take politically themed music particularly seriously. Sure it was great in the 60s when Dylan penned songwriting masterpieces about civil rights and the basic freedom of citizens. Yes Rage Against The Machine were the voice of young, rebellious America, beaten down by totalitarian cops. However these days it seems all we have to complain (and occasionally riot) about is increases in tuition fees and those darned Tories. At a time when The King Blues are as political as music gets, a band like Enter Shikari are just what the modern protester needs. You can practically hear their group vocals being chanted from Zucotti Park.

'A Flash Flood Of Colour' is Enter Shikari's third album and takes the basic thematic ideas from 2009’s ‘Common Dreads’ – unity within humanity, solidarity with those less fortunate than us and a basic refusal to accept the 21st century’s mindset of greed and wealth – and expands them in a record which questions everything from climate change and nuclear warfare and holds our nation’s leaders to account. Heavy stuff. When Rou Reynolds isn’t screaming lines like “This is gonna change everything” or “We’ll take you down, stand your ground” he’s half rapping in Mike Skinner fashion. Enter Shikari’s trademark group vocals, heavy riffs, hardcore drums and dubstep influenced breakdowns are all present, correct and angrier than ever.

It seems this is the “no messing around” album. Their debut record ‘Take To The Skies’ was ringing with Rou’s furious screaming and trance music interludes while ‘Common Grounds’ included spoken word rhetoric and the occasional euphoric synth line. ‘A Flash Flood Of Colour’ has no funny voices, no wall to wall synthesizers and certainly no comically timed clap alongs their rise to fame single ‘Sorry You’re Not A Winner’ included. In fact the only moment even closely resembling these previous lapses appears on lead single ‘Gandhi Mate, Gandhi’. When Rou threatens the world’s leaders ‘When tomorrow comes / we’re gonna stamp on your head!’ his band seemingly down instruments and can be heard mock calming the over excitable vocalist – “Woah, calm down mate… Gandhi, remember Gandhi”.

Musically the band have discovered their ability to write an excellent chorus. As the album goes on they dig deeper into their more hardcore punk tendencies. ‘Warm Smiles Do Not Make You Welcome Here’ is about as close to a radio friendly track the band are ever likely to release – low on Rou’s trademark growl and with only a final few seconds of violent guitar riffery. ‘Pack Of Thieves’ has a brilliant drive to it. There’s a pace and formation about it we haven’t heard from the band at since ‘Take To The Skies’ and their unmistakable group vocals are brilliantly formed and likely to be screamed out in sweaty mosh pits across the world.

So musically the album stands up. However this album is driven by the themes Rou is so angry about. Do these hold up? It’s interesting to read the lyric sheets on this record, there are a lot of one line chants and phrases that sound good but don’t really have much system changing advice. As if in answer to this the band have added a link to a website promoting activism like the Occupy Wall Street protests to the album artwork. In the end it’s all very well and good having four lads from St. Albans shouting catchy lines about a new world order but Dylan this ain’t. Good job the music is as solid as it is, making this the band’s most exciting and genre defying release yet.

Death Cab For Cutie - Glasgow Academy

2011-11-21T13:48:00.001-08:00

Watching Death Cab's frontman Ben Gibbard, the unashamed flag bearer of heart on the sleeve indie rock, you'd never know that little more than a week ago he and his true love (everyone's favourite indie actress Zooey Deschanel - see Elf and 500 Days of Summer) announced that they were divorcing. Or "like, totally splitting up" as one excitable, 'geek chic' bespectacled, side fringed hipster tells another in The Academy's foyer. Although Gibbard's seemingly upbeat front is convincing enough, a few song selections lend themselves to the thought that he's likely wallowing in heartbreak.

Death Cab are currently on tour in the UK promoting their newest record (the band's seventh) 'Codes And Keys', however looking at tonight's setlist it'd be understandable to think it was something of a Greatest Hits tour.
As an avid fan of the band since their breakthrough album 'Transatlanticism' I've travelled far and wide to watch them - Inverness to London is not a trip I'd readily make to see just any band - and older tracks like 'Why You'd Want To Live Here' and 'Company Calls' get every back catalogue owning fan singing along to every word. However it seems that the capacity crowd in Glasgow's historic Academy are here to see the Washington stalwarts of catchy, emotionally charged alt. rock play tracks from the past three, relatively commercially successful albums. There are very few bands who have a back catalogue quite as extensive before gaining commercial success as Death Cab; Elbow are the only one who spring to mind. In a recent interview with 6Music Gibbard told Lauren Laverne that he felt the band, now in their fourteenth year together, are at a point in their career where they can afford to dip into older albums. This understandably means some of the better known tracks must be cut.

The most noticeable omission from tonight's set is the summery 'Sound of Settling', one of the band's few tracks NOT about breakups or death. 'You Are A Tourist' provides ample cheery guitar lines though and the track grows into something almost anthemic as guitarist (and Tegan And Sara's producer) Chris Walla mashes his guitar strings between stints on the keyboard. 'What Sarah Said' sees Gibbard hop onto a piano to recount a tale of "An I.C.U that reeked of piss" and how "Each descending peak on the LCD took you a little farther away from me..." Romantic stuff it ain't. Full blown multi-instrumentalism ensues as 'We Looked Like Giants' kicks into life, Walla and bassist Nick Harmer swap instruments and the five minute jam that follows sees Ben Gibbard jump onto a second drum kit and match full time drummer Jason McGerr's technical skills behind a kit. The band's biggest "hit" (it feels wrong to call it that as they are just so not mainstream) 'I Will Follow You Into The Dark' is somewhat clumsily thrown in mid-set and the rest of the band exit right while Gibbard sings the Romeo and Juliet inspired line "If there's no one beside you when your soul embarks / Then I'll follow you into the dark." It's all mobile phones in the air and tuneless singalongs but the delicate tone of the song still manages to come across. It should have perhaps been left to the encore.

When it did arrive the encore was particularly strong. With Ben taking stage on his own again to perform 'A Lack Of Colour' the sentiment of the song is given a far greater meaning given his own personal troubles at the moment. When he sings "On your machine I slur a plea for you to come home / But i know it's too late / I should have given you a reason to stay" you can't help but imagine a love lost Gibbard calling his beloved Zooey. Ending the set with the frankly epic title track from their breakthrough 'Transatlanticism' the repetition of the line "I need you so much closer" seems to go on forever, and yet ends all too soon. As they take their bows and tell us "We'll see you sometime down the line" I just hope next time we do see them on a Greatest Hits tour they make their intentions a little more clear. Still, their crown of kings of alt. rock is still worn proudly, even if it is on less doe-eyed and more heartbroken heads.

Coldplay - Mylo Xyloto

2011-10-31T14:54:00.000-07:00

As Coldplay opened this year's Saturday night headline slot at Glastonbury with the new album's opener 'Hurts Like Heaven', Chris Martin apologetically quipped, "sorry we're playing a lot of songs you don't know but we hope one day they'll be your favourites." Well Mr Martin, that day has come. 'Mylo Xyloto' is Coldplay's 5th release and sees the band confirm what we all (even the non believers) knew - that they're one of the best bands on the planet right now.

Where they have previously been unashamedly anthemic (as on Fix You and Viva La Vida), MX adds a subtlety to their stadium filling sound. 'Hurts Like Heaven' and 'Charlie Brown' are both stomping tracks, the former a brilliant, up beat opener which sets the bar for the rest of the album. One frantic verse down and Mylo Xyloto is off and running. But don't be tricked by a catchy chorus ("you use your heart as a weapon/and it hurts like heaven") and the first "Woah-oh" group vocal of the album., this isn't quite Coldplay as we know them. The backing keyboard sound Asian, like somebody's hacked into a Sega Megadrive, and behind Chris Martin's voice is an almost auto tuned backing vocal. If you're wondering who might be behind all this trickery, look no further than the master of expansive electronic rock music Brian Eno, who produced and added effects to the album.

Eno's keyboards, synths and other electronic effects are what make this Coldplay album stand out from the rest. 'Paradise''s layered chorus takes a "regular" Coldplay song, for want of a better word, and expands it into something far more spacious. 'Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall' is a brilliant piece of electronic rock, capable of filling floors everywhere from the world's biggest stadia to Ibiza clubs.

As on every Coldplay album there are a couple of acoustic tracks. 'Us Against The World' is a nice preamble to the euro synths of 'Every Teardrop...'. Chris Martin and an acoustic guitar lull you into a sense of security before the single of the year blasts into life. A soaring chorus, excellent guitar riff and those giant synths, matched with Martin's upbeat lyrics makes a wonderful summer anthem and one of Coldplay's best songs (even if I can't keep a straight face when he sings "I'd rather be a comma, than a full stop"... eurgh).

On first look at the tracklisting the song which sticks out most is 'Princess of China' which features Rihanna. Initially you'd think this is just some industry gimmic in order to "shift more units" (apparently that's what the suits call selling records). You can just imagine the call from one industry head to another: "We need a female voice for the new Coldplay album. How about Katy Perry? No? Rihanna?" However the end product is surprisingly good. It sounds more like a Rihanna song than a Coldplay one, but this is a good thing - a female voice is a welcome change at the midway point in the album and Eno's keys lend themselves to the Queen of pop's musical comfort zone.

As Coldplay's Glasto encore came to a close, the giant 'Teardrop...' synths chimed out from the hallowed Pyramid stage and for the first time in the festival's history a band used the actual Pyramid as part of the performance (multi coloured lasers on the sides). You couldn't help but think that, after U2's dissapointing appearance the night before that it was time for the Irishmen to step aside, their 21st century succesors have taken their place as the best band on the planet.

Blink-182 - Neighborhoods

2011-09-22T06:09:00.000-07:00

After six long years apart, four side projects, a lot of backhanded comments about other members, bad blooded interviews, pain killer addictions, the loss of their musical mentor, cancer scares, a near fatal plane crash, and a worldwide reunion tour, we are at a point where Blink-182 are just a week away from releasing their comeback album 'Neighborhoods'. A lot has changed since 2003's self titled album, but 'Neighborhoods' finds Blink back and bigger than ever, with a wealth of new influences and experiences. Singer/guitarist Tom DeLonge has his space-rock side project Angels and Airwaves to draw influence from, singer/bassist Mark Hoppus has newfound knowledge in album production and iconic drummer Travis Barker has become the go to guy for rap's biggest hitters looking for that perfect beat.
'Neighborhoods' picks up where 'Blink-182' (the album) left off. Although lyrically more somber than previous feel good, pop punk outings like 'Enema of the State' and 'Take Off Your Pants and Jacket', it still has its moments of frantic 90s punk ('Natives' could easily be a B-side from 'Enema').'Neighborhoods' is a collaboration of all that's gone before with the Blink members. It has the spacious feel of an Angels and Airwaves record ('Ghost On The Dancefloor', 'Love Is Dangerous' and closer 'Even If She Falls') the occasional punk outburst present on early Blink records and Travis and Tom's side project Boxcar Racer ('Natives', 'Heart's All Gone') and the electronics of Mark and Travis' post Blink band +44 ('Up All Night', 'Snake Charmer'). The album does of course have its smattering of classic Blink songwriting style - the back and forth vocals between Mark and Tom on 'Up All Night', the downright catchy guitar riffs on 'This Is Home' and 'Wishing Well', Mark Hoppus' ability to write great choruses on 'After Midnight' and 'Heart's All Gone' and Travis Barker's drumming which makes you wonder just how he does it. Album opener 'Ghost On The Dancefloor' won't fail to put an ear to ear smile on any long time Blink fan who's waited all these years to hear some new material and it's hard not to be caught up in the excitement that the three people who changed the face of modern pop punk have a new release. Put in the context of previous albums 'Neighborhoods' stands with the best, perhaps above them in its maturity, and textured depth.
The trio now wear their hearts on their sleeves - it's the only thing to do after going through the ordeals they have in the past 6 years. 'Neighborhoods' confirms that the Mark, Tom and Travis Show is back in business.

Leeds Festival 2011 - Friday

2011-09-05T14:28:00.000-07:00

Across the August Bank Holiday weekend 75,000 rockers, ravers, punks, moshers and everything in between descend on Bramham Park and Reading city centre for one of the biggest festivals of the year, and one final send off for the festival season - Reading And Leeds.
Kicking off proceedings on the NME/Radio 1 tent were Scottish 'fight pop' six piece Dananananaykroyd (the name's a blend of the actor Dan Aykroyd and the Batman theme tune). Blasting through tracks from the outstanding debut 'Hey Everyone', including the FIFA 2010 endorsed 'Black Wax' they end on 'Infinity Milk', with heavy peaks and delicate, chiming guitar riffs. Onstage antics include two vocalists spinning microphones around their heads, throwing themselves into the crowd and generally flailing around while they blast through songs which are as ear shatteringly heavy as they are tentitavely formed.
A rather damp Main Stage is a suitable place for aging post-punkers Taking Back Sunday. Although they show signs of their past glory ('Makedamnsure' ends the set well), the rock veterans' attempts to wow the crowd with average new tracks and half hearted renditions of old classics aren't helped by singer Adam Lazzara's statement that "we are the greatest band on the planet." However I must admit his mic swinging skills are second to none.
English singer/songwriter and ex Million Dead frontman Frank Turner does well to liven spirits in the cold rain. His songs about punk rock, British society and ex girlfriends make for good singalongs, but the typical Northern English weather makes his set tricky to enjoy.
It's a similar story for post-hardcore band Enter Shikari. There's plenty of energy on the stage and in the mosh pits, but you can't help but feel glorious sunshine and blue sky are the only things missing to make their set a great one. 'Sorry You're Not a Winner' keeps the hands warm, with its almost comical audience clap-along fill, however their musical interludes which dabble with dub-step are about as effective as damp gunpowder. Perhaps the NME/Radio1 tent would've been a better place for a band more suited to dark, cramped spaces - for best effect see them out of the elements.
Twin Atlantic bring out a second dose of Scottish pride for me - it's great to see a band from north of the border be so well received in England. Tracks from this year's album 'Free' and mini-album 'Vivarium' gel brilliantly in a flurry of Scot-rock, and no Twin Atlantic show would be complete if it didn't include singer Sam McTrusty stage diving and his guitar somehow malfunctioning (this time his strap went during set closer 'Time For You to Stand Up').
From the first chimes of Death From Above 1979's set in the NME/Radio1 tent it was clear they were taking no prisoners. 'Turn It Out' opens up a 20 foot mosh pit and the newly reformed Canadian duo play as if they haven't been away. The simplistic brilliance of drums and bass guitar being mashed as loudly and heavily as possible is the key to DFA's success - with the odd chorus thrown in for good measure. It's too easy to say they're heavy metal - there are no face shredding electric guitar riffs - and it'd be a disgrace to the genre to call them blues, however they somehow fit into a niche between the two never before heard. Imagine The Black Keys covering Metallica and you've got something that sounds a little similar to DFA, and my God it rocks.
In about as stark a contrast as experienced all weekend, a quick dash across to the Main Stage finds me watching Elbow. The Guy Garvey lead five piece are perfect for an early evening set. With the sky cleared up and the sun setting, Elbow's atmospheric, slow burning music is a beautiful experience. Each song is perfectly formed, their set is peppered with both delicate musical instrumentals and those uplifting anthems they're famous for. 'Open Arms', 'One Day Like This', and 'Grounds For Divorce' are all brilliant sing along choruses and Guy Garvey is a wonderful frontman.
And then the main event of the evening. Muse were reason most people bought tickets for Reading and Leeds this year. Marking the ten year anniversary of the release of 'Origin of Symmetry', the band first appear in silhouette form before the opening keys of 'Newborn' confirm the rumours that they were playing 'Origin' it its entirety and in order. 40 foot graphics on the big screen behind the band compliment 'Origin''s spaced out themes. Every rock cliché in the book is used; fireworks, lazers, balloons that explode into confetti, even walls of fire in front of the stage. 'Newborn', 'Feeling Good' and the guitar riff-tastic 'Plugin Baby' provide some familiarity for those here to hear tracks from the Wembley filling album 'The Resistence' and Matt Bellamy is the ultimate show man. In a sparkling suit jacket even Barney Stinson would be proud of, his Freddie Mercury inspired piano instrumentals and whining vocals provide a brilliant contrast to his all out rock side. Be it sliding on his knees playing a guitar solo, throwing one guitar at the ground or launching another at drummer Dom Howard, forcing him to duck out the way, Bellamy is the perfect modern day showman. After 'Origin' is played from front to back, an encore mid-set gives way to a greatest hits set which is sublime in its familiarity. From second half opener 'Uprising', through 'Supermassive Black Hole', 'Time Is Running Out' and 'Knights of Cydonia', the band are obviously far more comfortable in their more modern tracks, the ones which helped them sell out the world's football stadiums. However it's the tracks from the first half of their headline set which made the band what they are today. The band who played undoubtedly the best set in Reading and Leeds' recent history.

Rockness Festival - Saturday 12th June

2011-06-20T04:33:00.000-07:00

Saturday seemed the weakest day for Rockness this year, as far as lineup was concerned. With the main stage booked wall to wall with DJs (Laidback Luke, Annie Mac, Magnetic Man and of course headliners The Chemical Brothers) the onus fell on the Goldenvoice Arena (or "the big blue tent") to bring the best of new bands and established rock and indie acts to the festival.

Well and truly situated in the "up and coming" bracket of acts, I kicked my day of band watching off with a wonderful set from Dog Is Dead, whose Maccabees type bouncing guitars and swelling group vocals are the perfect cure for the post-Kasabian hangover. It's hard not to draw comparisons to the likes of Mumford & Sons and Fleet Foxes during a few quieter numbers. However it'd be too easy to play 'spot the influence' with these guys and when it comes down to it Dog Is Dead are soaring, sax infused jazz-indie - and a great live band.

Before taking to the stage for their early evening set, Jack Steadman of Bombay Bicycle Club promised me a new album (called 'A Different Kind Of Fix) by the end of August, and that they were putting the acoustic guitars of 'Flaws' away and plugging in amps once again. Bombay step on stage to find a packed out tent (the fact it was pouring with rain probably helped) and open with 'Magnet' - Jack and the lads doing what appears to be as close to moshing as a group of quite posh London boys can pull off without straining anything. With the crowd effectively acting as backup singers (it seems everyone in the tent knows every word) the four piece blast through most of the tracks from 2009's 'I Had The Blues But I Shook Them Loose' and throw in a couple of new tracks for good measure - 'Lights Out, Words Gone' is the best of three new outings. Album tracks like 'Cancel On Me', 'Dust On The Ground' and 'Evening/Morning' confirm Bombay as one of the best live acts playing their genre of music in the country. Ending on the double header of 'Always Like This' and 'What If' is a stroke of genius. During 'Always Like This' it's almost impossible not to cut some shapes and the crowd do just that while singing along to the guitar riff everyone was whistling and humming all weekend. The intense, driving rythm of 'What If' proves a great climax to a solid set. The end of August can't come soon enough.

A real favourite of mine, Frightened Rabbit could have quite easily closed the Goldenvoice Arena on Saturday night. Drawing an even bigger crowd than Bombay, the Selkirk five piece seem to be the ultimate Scottish festival band. Backstage, singer Scott told me, "It's 9PM and the crowd are probably pretty drunk so I think we're gonna play a pretty up beat set. Scottish people at festivals seem to love singing along to sweary choruses and we've got quite a few of those!" And so they step onstage to a rapturous welcome from a few thousand sozzled Scots and blast into 'The Modern Leper'. In a set which proved to be a "greatest hits" with no new tracks for people to stand and listen awkwardly, FRabbits cement their place in the upper echelons of Scottish live music. Scott Hutchinson's raw emotion shines through in songs which cover all the usual suspects of songwriting subjects (breakups, makeups, God.. the usual). 'The Lonliness And The Scream' is a joy to watch live - the "oh-woah oh woah" chorus is like something from a Coldplay gig. Equally the stomping 'Living In Colour' and 'Nothing Like You' has everyone in the packed tent bouncing up and down. 'Keep Yourself Warm' closes the set, a song as perfectly Scottish as a warm, metallic tasting can of Tennent's at a rainy festival... and it has a sweary sing along!

Closing the tent on Sunday night are straight up guitar rockers The Cribs. One Smiths member down now that Johnny Marr has left the band (one less Smith is always a good thing in my book), the Jarman brothers can return to their traditonal three piece set up. After opening with 'Cheat On Me' - the main single from fourth (and "sensible") album 'Ignore The Ignorant) - a leather jacketed Ryan Jarman jokes in his twangy Wakefield accent, "We're called Cribs. We're not Chemical Brothers, we're Jarman brothers" before launching into 'I'm A Realist'. A second light-hearted side swipe at the main stage headline Brothers, Ryan sings "Hey girls, hey boys, superstar DJs, here we go!" in a cloud of dry ice and feedback until the unmistakeable guitar riff of the band's breakthrough single 'Hey Scenesters' sends the crowd (though more modest in size than when Frightened Rabbit graced the stage) into a frenzy. Though less anarchaic than Cribs gigs of old (Ryan was once kicked out his own gig for crowdsurfing and famously punctured his liver after falling on a table of glass bottles at the NME Awards) the Wakefield trio still hold a sense of mischief onstage - Gary plays bass lying flat on his back for a while and Ryan ends the set with his guitar the worse for wear, while drummer Ross frequently stands on his kit. The set of course includes "the classics" - 'Our Bovine Public' 'Men's Needs' and 'We Were Aborted' go down a storm with those still in the tent and not watching the Chemical Brothers with their electronics and fancy light show. All in all The Cribs prove a highlight of the weekend; their guitar rock is a definite hit with those less inclined to watch a couple of guys play with laptops. And for the rest of the year? Ryan tells me, over a post show drink outside the tour bus, "We've got some stuff for a new album. We're just playing some shows now Johnny [Marr]'s left and we'll go into a studio after that, there's no pressure." After playing a set such as this, there really is no pressure on The Cribs as they look to album number five.

Rockness Festival - Friday 11th June

2011-06-15T07:58:00.000-07:00

Rockness is the second biggest music festival in Scotland (apparently some weekend on an airfield in Balado is slightly bigger) and easily lives up to its claim by organizers that it's "the most beautiful festival in the world."

Due to a late arrival on site and a couple of catch-up cans of lager (which were still cool at this point) the first act of my weekend were Nero, or at least the one half of the duo that decided to turn up. The member of the dubstep/drum and bass DJs in attendance dropped tracks from the forthcoming debut album, remixes and reworks created in the past couple of years and ended on a raucous note with System of A Down and Rage Against The Machine before his time on stage ran out and his equipment was swarmed by roadies midway through current single 'Innocence'.

In their parka jackets and John Lennon sunglasses you could mistake Brother for an Oasis tribute band and, although I am a fan of their recorded material, they seemed to have more swagger than skill... Not unlike Oasis!

Two Door Cinema Club prove a highlight of the weekend. Their early evening set made for dramatic views down the Loch and the last blast of the day's sunshine added to their upbeat, perfectly formed, danceable indie-pop. The timid Northern Irish lads look like they've just left school but they seem to be able to work a fairly sizeable crowd like they've been at it for years.

Mark Ronson played a surprisingly good DJ set, proving pop music can indeed still be cool. His mix of ultra famous singles (Valerie, Ooh Wee et al) and lesser known mixes from across genres worked well and his years of experience behind the decks were obvious.

And so onto Friday night headliners Kasabian, the band most made the trip for (whether it be a 20 minute drive from Inverness or 12 hours in a bus from London). Opening with 'Club Foot' from their self titled debut, it was tricky to keep two feet on the ground even from my viewpoint beside the sound desk. A quick look around at the masses of people who had stumbled out of the campsite to see the band shows just how popular they are. The set consisted of classics (L.S.F, Empire and Shoot The Runner stood out as crowd favourites) and only two tracks from the forthcoming new album, Velociraptor!, including first single 'Switchblade Smiles' which was released on the eve of the festival. On stage guitarist/vocalist Serge resembles a modern day Slash and has his trademark Rambo style head scarf completed the ultimate rock band member look. Singer Tom Meighan parades back and forth on stage, occasionally throwing his arms open in a "let's be 'avin ya" style. Closing Friday night's headline set with 'Fire' - arguably the best festival sing along of the modern era - Kasabian seem to be at the height of their fame and it'll take Muse's Reading and Leeds performance to win back the status as ultimate British live rock and roll band. With flares, flags and crowdsurfers, for the first time in the few years I've been coming to Rockness it felt like a proper festival, worthy of challenging T In The Park's grasp on Scottish music festivals.

Twin Atlantic - Inverness Ironworks

2011-05-03T13:04:00.000-07:00

Twin Atlantic have experienced a rapid rise to fame most Scottish bands can only dream of, and only a handful have actually achieved. The Glasgow quartet first stormed to my attention after supporting Biffy Clyro at their sold out show at this exact venue three years ago. They must have realised at that point that supporting some of the biggest bands in the world (Blink-182, Angels and Airwaves, My Chemical Romance et al) would no doubt boost their popularity, and this is confirmed no end with the Ironworks packed out to capacity (a later tweet from the band confirmed all tickets kept back on the door had sold).
However it hasn't exactly been an easy road to travel for the band to make such gains. In a recent interview singer Sam Mctrusty (the most trustable name in the business) voiced his frustrations at playing 30 minute sets every night. On the eve of releasing "debut" album 'Free' (apparently 2009's 'Vivarium' was a "mini-album") Twin Atlantic have stepped out from the torture of watching bigger bands from the wings and into the spotlight, playing in front of packed houses most nights and indeed selling out tonight's show.
Taking stage are four far less hairy Scots than on each of the many occasions I have seen Twin previously, it would seem a slightly more approachable look perhaps helps on the road to success. Opening with the double header of new album singles 'Free' and 'Edit Me' it is plain to see the power pop rockers have honed their live show in recent months. Where before they seemed to throw songs together on a setlist before coming on stage in a "we've written 8 or so good songs, here they are" sort of way, there is a feeling of consideration for both new album tracks and older songs which this crowd recognise instantly.
Although the album is not out for another few hours, many at the gig seem guilty of internet misbehaviour (I don't condone any illegal downloading) as they sing along to tracks like 'Time For You To Stand Up' and 'The Ghost of Eddie' - a personal favourite of mine from the album, if Dave Grohl had grown up in Glasgow the Foo Fighters would sound a lot like this track.
Of course "the classics" are received with more enthusiasm than this venue's seen in a long time. 'Lightspeed' 'Audience and Audio' and 'What Is Light, Where Is Laughter' all have great cases to the title of 'Best Live Scottish Song' and the band's unmistakable nationalism is clear when Sam Mctrusty asks for a Scotland flag to be passed to the stage. As a chant of 'Scotland! Scotland!' goes up and it all very nearly becomes extremely cringeworthy Sam exclaims "This is turning into something from a f**king Runrig concert!"
Ending a triumphant night with the anti-American 'You're Turning Into John Wayne' Twin Atlantic exit the stage safe in the thought that a new chapter of the band's life has begun. They have taken the first steps to real stardom with this new air they seem to have about them, a serious approach to making music their full time occupation. And anyway, I'm sure even Biffy Clyro played more than their fair share of support slots.
9/10

'Free' is out now on Red Bull Records

Glasvegas, The Loft, Forres

2011-01-09T13:32:00.000-08:00

Remember Glasvegas? I know with the untamable amounts of music available these days it's tricky not to forget bands after one album but Glasvegas seem to have a resonance with me (probably because I have a 6 foot poster of their debut album's artwork on my bedroom wall, but that's besides the point). Back with an almost finished second album entitled 'Euphoric Heartbreak' and new Swedish drummer, Glasvegas have hit the road once again. However rather than playing Wembley, Hampden and the Millenium Stadium like their last U.K tour, this time they're playing off the beaten track with intimate gigs in places like Orkney, Dunoon, Troon and tonight - The Loft, Forres.
James Allan steps onstage all in white, a welcome change from his usual funeralesque 'man in black' image, and immediately the Glasgow (of course) quartet blast into a track from the forthcoming album, 'The World Is Yours' - a frenzy of their classic wall-of-noise guitar effect used so much in the self titled debut but with an additional newfound technicality.
It's impossible not to notice James on stage. He has all the swagger of Liam Gallagher (except not with the same cockiness and a whole lot more talent) and seems lost in the songs as he stoops and bends around the microphone. His new look does not, thankfully, include a new pair of sunglasses as his jet black Ray Bans stay on throughout the set - very rock 'n' roll. As the gig goes on he strips to a white tank top (or "wife-beater" as they're known) to complete the East End of Glasgow look. After he stands on his monitor and stares around the room, as if sizing up the crowd before downing his beer during the opening riff of 'Geraldine' - soundtrack to winter 2008 and BBC's Sportscene. It is, of course, a true man-off-the-street anthem written from the point of view of a Glaswegian social worker. Along with 'Daddy's Gone' and 'It's My Own Cheating Heart That Makes Me Cry' it is Scottish songwriting at it's very best.
So what's different about the new material? The addition of drummer Jonna Löfgren (okay, i copied and pasted her surname, you got me!) is a vast improvement. Don't get me wrong, Caroline McKay's caveman beats helped make some of the aforementioned alternative Scottish national anthems perfectly simple, however a change was needed for album number two. Nowhere is this more clear than mid-way through the show as 'Shine Like Stars' makes it's tentative first steps out of the rehersal/recording studio and onto the stage. Featuring a brilliant, up tempo beat from the Swede (it's easier if i call her 'The Swede', it saves more pasting) it is clear Glasvegas have decided to take their music to a catchier level - keeping from plodding along like 'Glasvegas' - the album - did at times.
The Glaswegians end with a quadruple of first album tracks that sees 'Flowers and Football Tops' join the others in becoming rightful national treasures. The ultimate fighting song 'Go Square Go' is gloriously fiesty and gets a chant along and the heart wrenching 'Daddy's Gone' features the band stop playing for two choruses as the mostly intoxicated crowd sing about how James' Dad left when he was a kid - it can't be good for his self esteem, having 500 people singing "he's gone, he's gone, he's gone" over and over at him. After a couple of minutes of mostly incoherent chat to the crowd (my East End dialect isn't very good) James gets the sound guy to come on for a cameo appearance ("he's aw-weys bin wi' us, right fae the start"). They finish with the debut's closer 'Ice Cream Van' which would usually have been rather a dull last song had it not been for one last burst from all members.
Gallantly leaving the stage to beery cheers and applauds, the band can finish the album knowing it stands the live test in intimate surroundings. I for one am extremely excited for 'Euphoric Heartbreak ' and a second Mercury nomination may be on its way. Now come on, all together now - "A WON'T BE THE LONELAY WAN, SITTIN OAN MA OWN UN SAD"

Kris Drever, John McCusker + Roddy Woomble

2010-11-05T12:17:00.001-07:00

The Holy Trinity of modern day traditional Scottish music (Kris Drever, John McCusker and Roddy Woomble) are currently on a mini tour, the last of their performances coming off the back of their debut album together, 2008’s ‘Before The Ruin’. Tonight’s attempt by The Ironworks to change their venue from the cavernous space it is to a moody, dimly lit folk club is well appreciated: tables and candles make a nice addition to the vast venue.
Hailing from the Orkney Isles, Kris Drever is a man whose voice betrays his years. To listen to his gruff, baritone voice would lead you to think he is one of last century’s traditional folk singers; however he is more of a contemporary, with his music branching out with a more Americana and occasionally Bluesy tinge. He opens tonight with ‘Steel and Stone (Black Water)’ from his solo debut ‘Black Water’ with John McCusker accompanying him on fiddle and Roddy Woomble doing what he does best on stage: looking around awkwardly and (probably) regretting he never took up an instrument so he could join in. Drever's intricate guitar work is made to look effortless and he is obviously a man who knows his trade. It’s not until ‘Into The Blue’ from the trio’s album that Roddy Woomble (best known for being the singer in Idlewild, arguably the most consistent Scottish indie band of the last fifteen years) displays his dulcet tones. His songwriting is almost poetic at times, and the one constant within it is his great ability to write the perfect chorus. With Idlewild I am certain there is not one bad chorus written and his transition to Scottish folk is seamless. What follows is a set of songs built up over the last five years or so under various projects and solo albums. ‘My Secret Is My Silence’ and ‘Waverly Steps’ from Roddy Woomble’s first venture into folk music fit in perfectly between a selection of songs from both of Drever’s albums.
Even John McCusker, more suited to backing bands up and guest starring on albums, gets his moment in the spotlight as the Idlewild man makes his way to the side of a stage. Drever and McCusker are left to show off their musical talents and the chemistry between them is evident as they blast their way through a number of “wee tunes” that John has written for various people over the past few years. However before the tables are thrown aside and The Ironworks turns into a full blown ceilidh Roddy comes back on stage to “bring the mood back down”. He is the ultimate shy, composed (some would say awkward) artist. He sits with his legs crossed in the middle of the stage, staring at the ground or playing with his hair. He is renowned for standing side stage when he plays with Idlewild when an instrumental section is in full swing, although there is none of that mid-song wandering tonight.
Ending the expertly chosen set with my personal favourite of the trio’s ‘Moments Last Forever’, Drever’s Pogues inspired ‘Poor Man’s Son’ and the delicate ‘Stuck In Time’, the three slide off stage with the promise of Woomble returning in January with a solo show and a new album. One must hope they return all together in the near future with a new album of their own.
8/10

The Xcerts - Scatterbrain

2010-10-07T07:39:00.001-07:00

Sometimes an album is not just a group of people’s musical talent organized into 12 tracks. Sometimes the production process takes over a band’s creative flair and curves it into the producer’s own idea of what makes a good album. The Xcerts’ second full length ‘Scatterbrain’ is one of these albums. Thankfully however the producer in question, Mike Sapone, is one of modern rock music’s greats. From everything Brand New have released to the classic Taking Back Sunday album ‘Where You Want To Be’, via Public Enemy and The Early November, Sapone can be accredited to some of the decade’s finest rock albums. And now for the next decade; who knows what the next ten years will bring to rock music. However with albums like ‘Scatterbrain’ to kick us off it’s evident the next ten will be as good as the last.
The ‘proper’ opening/title track (prior to 'Scatterbrain' there is a minute of warped feedback, loud-hailer vocals and general haphazard noise) can be interpreted in two ways. Firstly it could be that one of Sapone’s last albums - Brand New’s 'Daisy' left behind a couple of demos and a load of equipment especially for the British trio to pick up where they left off… it seems unlikely but the sound is uncanny. Secondly this could be a sign of things to come: The Xcerts have ‘matured’. As singer Murray Macleod says in the press release “The first album was – as for most new bands – something of a 'greatest hits' from the band's early years” – a perfect blend of teenage angst, catchy melodies and most importantly a selection of great choruses whilst still retaining an edgier side. ‘Scatterbrain’ has done well do move on from ‘In The Cold Wind We Smile’. However where ‘In The Cold Wind…’ got the mixture of bassy riffs and melody spot on within each song ‘Scatterbrain’ struggles to hold the two as close together. Tracks like ‘Scatterbrain’, ‘Distant Memory’ and ‘Hurt With Me’ are fast paced, scuzzy and slightly all over the place, whereas ‘He sinks. He Sleeps’ and closer ‘Lament’ are shoe gazingly melodic. Both singles ‘Slackerpop’ and ‘Young (Belane)’ would have fit in well on ‘In The Cold Wind…’. Easily the catchiest and most likely song to get stuck in your head ‘Slackerpop’ will have you singing “I’ll be your man, I’ll be your mannequin” for hours.
Murray sums the album up pretty well: “This is an album lover’s album for the fans of the band. It’s not about a particular track or single and should be listened too as an entire body of work with an open mind. We hope everyone falls in love with it like we have.” I always knew The Xcerts had an album like this in them ever since the first time I saw them in a dingy local venue in front of about 50 people. Their live performances always did have an edge to them, a sort of sinister addition that when recording the band just couldn't seem to capture … until this album. ‘Scatterbrain’ – a brooding album album which patchily combines restless, angsty break downs with melancholic melodies.

Laura Marling - I Speak Because I Can

2010-03-25T15:59:00.000-07:00

Laura Marling is part of the indie-folk revolution that has gripped new music for the last couple of years. It started when a small group of friends started helping each other out with their music; giving each other support slots at their gigs and playing various weird and wonderful instruments on their albums. This group of friends from Wimbledon now make up the majority of some of the best albums from the last three or four years. It consists of Laura Marling, Mumford & Sons, Jamie T, Noah and the Whale and Johnny Flynn.

Laura Marling’s second album ‘I Speak Because I Can’ is the deepest, darkest and most mysterious of the lot. Complete with new “take me seriously” hair (her once pixie-like blonde locks have been dyed pitch black) this brooding masterpiece is like taking the darker tracks from Mumford & Sons’ outstanding ‘Sigh No More’ and adding the deepest Joni Mitchell vocals over it. Marling describes it as being based on “responsibility, particularly the responsibility of womanhood.” There are no real light hearted tracks, unlike her outstanding debut ‘Alas, I Cannot Swim’ which was scattered with cheery acoustic folk, although ‘the mature album’ seems too petty a judgement for such a good album, but it does sum it up plainly.

Produced by Ethan Johns (Kings of Leon, Ray LaMontagne, and sadly THAT abomination of a Paolo Nuitini album – it still puts shivers down my spine) and with arguably the best new band of 2009 as her backing band (Mumford & Sons) it was destined to be a hit. If she wrote ‘Alas, I Cannot Swim’ when she was 16 and, for want of a better word, ‘immature’ in her songwriting then this was always going to be ‘the mature album’ and with the added load of a break up with Noah and the Whale singer (the band Marling started out with) it was destined to gloom… however Marling seems to do gloomy better than she does content!

Live ‘I Speak…’ is outstanding. Real hairs on the neck stuff. She is a true modern troubadour and her haunting voice and her solo guitar is fantastic. Highlights include the title track, the downright spooky ‘Devil’s Spoke’, ‘Goodbye England (Covered in Snow)’ which is probably as close to cheery as the album gets, and ‘Rambling Man’

With Mumford & Sons beginning work on their new album, Laura Marling trying to get another album out by September and Jamie T back on the gigging scene, all I can say is viva la indie-folk-revoloution!

'I Speak Because I Can' is out now on Virgin Records.

NME Awards Tour 2010 - Glasgow Barrowlands

2010-02-09T14:49:00.000-08:00

The NME has been at the forefront of new music for the last 60 years, but with new music becoming so readily available online, the magazine has kind of taken a back seat in the past decade or so. However the NME Awards Tour has always been an opportunity for NME to prove its worth in taste in new music and this year’s lineup is no different. The tour usually comprises of three of the best new artists around at the moment, and one fairly established band that NME have supported for a while.

New York quartet The Drums get the opening slot, playing tracks from both their outstanding ‘Summertime!’ E.P and their forthcoming album. They’ve been described by most people as “like Joy Division covering The Beach Boys” and this description pretty much sums them up perfectly. Their Cure-esque guitar and synth lines go strangely well with their surf tinged melodies and singer Jonathan Pierce’s Ian Curtis impression is extremely convincing – he’s even got the dance down to a tee. If he was 15 years older he’d be an embarrassing dad at a wedding, however the music makes up for it. Highlights of their set include their super catchy single ‘Let’s Go Surfing’ and the 1950s influenced ‘Don’t Be a Jerk, Johnny’, at which point they’re joined on stage by two members of Glasgow indie pop band Camera Obscura on backing vocals.

The Big Pink are up next, the band I’m least excited to see as I’ve only heard their less than average one hit wonder ‘Dominos’. In an over the top, dry ice and laser show they arrive on stage. They trudge through a six song set filled with dreary, distortion filled tracks, coming to one great anti-climax in the form of ‘Dominos’. Definitely the low point of the evening and the best is definitely yet to come.

Bombay Bicycle Club prove with their 2009 debut that they are one of the most exciting new bands in Britain right now. They won the Road to V Festival in 2006 and, after two E.Ps, their debut album ‘I Had the Blues But I Shook Them Loose’ received critical acclaim from all corners of the music press. As they walk on stage it feels as is if they could easily be the headline act. Opening with the leading track from their album, the instrumental ‘Emergency Contraception Blues’, they work their way through a stellar set, playing the best songs from the album and one new song. The now capacity crowd seem to know all the words to possibly the catchiest song of last year ‘Always Like This’ and they close their set with the anthemic ‘Cancel On Me’.

On release of their second album, ‘Wall of Arms’, The Maccabees turned from relatively unknown composers of fast paced yet romantic indie anthems to a genuinely heavyweight band, acquiring main stage slots at most of the major festivals last summer. They open their set with ‘William Powers’, one of the lesser known but better tracks from ‘Wall of Arms’. The three layered guitars and chanting vocals make for an extremely impressive opener. It’d be extremely hard to play every great song from both their albums… because there really is no filler in either of them. ‘X-Ray’ has probably the catchiest guitar line since most of Arctic Monkeys’ debut album; ‘Precious Time’ is one great big singalong and ‘No Kind Words’ is an eerie track, climaxing with yet another amazing guitar riff. A questionable cover of the 1983 Orange Juice hit ‘Rip It Up’ is really the only low-ish point in the set but they make up for it by playing a one song encore and highlight of the amazing second album, ‘Love You Better’. Definitely one of the best live sets I’ve seen in a long time, and with outstanding support (minus The Big Pink) this was definitely a night to remember.

Bloc Party - Inverness Ironworks

2009-10-05T15:25:00.000-07:00

It’s hard to write about a band that I’ve loved so much for so long. Bloc Party have been my favourite band since I unwrapped 2005’s Silent Alarm on my 11th birthday and the impact of that album, 2007’s A Weekend In The City, and 2008’s Intimacy have been huge. To me, Bloc Party are the Beatles of Indie, the Stones of 21st century alternative rock. The impact of their music can be seen in the likes of Foals, Klaxons and The Cribs. They embark on yet another huge U.K tour this October, starting on the 2nd and playing a different town every night until the 31st. In recent interviews, lead singer Kele Okereke has said that this may be the last we see of Bloc Party for a couple of years, however if they play anything like they played last night at the Ironworks, their fans will want them back immediately.
Surprisingly they open with Trojan Horse, an electric song with huge guitars that just seems to get more intense and as it builds into a crescendo, the crowd really got moving and by the end of even the first song they’re already a sweaty mess.
The similarly massive Like Eating Glass makes for a huge sing along of “It’s so cold in this house!” They mix old with less old by merging Song For Clay: Disappear Here with arguably the best guitar fuelled indie song ever written, Banquet. A slightly faster paced version of the glockenspiel lead Signs goes down well, with a cool drum beat added by one of the most technical drummers of this decade. Talons is as powerful as it is recorded, Mercury is fantastic live, even if I did hate it when they released it. Hunting For Witches goes off like a bomb, however Bloc Party are not the sort of band who only play crowd pleasers, for example they play Compliments, an eerie art rock masterpiece which was a hidden classic on Silent Alarm and a treat, which was, as Kele put it, “For anyone who wanted to see us back in 2005.”
Talk about a powerful encore. The quartet come back on stage to play Flux, one of the biggest dance songs of last year and Ares, the hugely violent opener of Intimacy. Kele states “This is a song for fighting to… We hear you Highlanders love a fight, have you got any fight left in you!?” As a bottle is hurled past his head he dives into the crowd as Ares bursts into life and Kele shows off his excellent singing whilst crowdsurfing skills. As Ares sputters out of life he takes a breath and says “wow… if that last song was for fighting then this song is definitely for dancing to.” And after a blast of feedback from languid guitarist Russell Lissack he grins at Kele from behind his triangular block of fringe and blasts into the anthem of 2005, Helicopter, which is up there with Banquet for best indie guitar song of the decade. The drummer, Matt Tong plays an extended solo at the end and the sweaty band take their bows and leave the stage to huge cheers from the crowd, by this point a drenched mess of sticky t-shirts and shower hair.
Hopefully Kele will go against his word about taking a year or two out from Bloc Party and they’ll get straight back into the studio again, I’m looking forward to seeing them live again already.

Paramore - brand new eyes

2009-09-28T15:11:00.000-07:00

Paramore haven’t just been milking the huge success of 2007’s Riot! for the past two years, they almost split up due to the pressures of a huge world tour (and the fact that front woman Hayley Williams and guitarist Josh Farro’s secret relationship came to an end but shh… it’s a secret.) brand new eyes is physical proof that whatever doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger. This almost break up seems to have made Paramore even angstier and angrier, if that’s even possible.
From the first few seconds of opening track Careful you can tell that Paramore definitely haven’t changed the old Tennessee quintet’s formula of big drums, fast riffs and fills that make you go, “woah that was cool!”
The first single Ignorance explodes into life with one of those amazing riffs that Paramore have used on almost every track since their 2005 debut All We Know Is Falling. It’s a fast paced, fuming track with various key changes and one wonders if it’s possible for Hayley Williams strain her voice any more. And it ends as suddenly as it starts.
Playing God is their attempt at a Jimmy Eat World style, mid tempo pop rock song with the threat of “Next time you point the finger/I might have to break it off” as the chorus.
The psychological centrepiece of the record, Brick By Boring Brick, gives the huge, angry guitars a rest with a bass fuelled verse but a huge chant along chorus that sees the men of the band getting a shot in the vocal limelight.
Looking Up takes a much less angry approach to the almost break up of the band with the lines “God knows the world doesn’t need another band/can’t believe we almost hung it up/we’re just getting started.” Paramore fans the world over can breathe a collective sigh of relief that their favourite band aren’t going anywhere soon.
They return for one last massive head bang on the closing track All I Wanted which starts as a mellow love song and ends up with a wailing Hayley Williams with some Whitney Huston/Dianna Ross style epic yelps of “All I wanted was you.”
Paramore really have gone from strength to strength, with this third “mature” album adding to the back catalogue of fantastic albums. Hopefully they really are just getting started.

brand new eyes by Paramore is out now on Fuelled By Ramen.
You can listen to the whole album for free at www.paramore.net

New Music / What I've Been Listening To: September 09

2009-09-20T14:28:00.000-07:00

We Have Band –

This London threesome infuse catchy synth lines, techno beats and compressed guitars with female vocals reminiscent of Yeah Yeah Yeahs to create some of the best band techno music since L.C.D Soundsystem. With a huge touring schedule covering all corners of the globe, I’m sure they’ll be appearing in Britain soon. They also boast one of the best names I’ve seen in a while.
For fans of Hot Chip, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Passion Pit.
www.myspace.com/wehaveband

Good Old War –

It’s official: I love Good Old War. The bearded Philly lads, who have fans like The Gaslight Anthem, Blink-182 and Circa Survive, sound like they should hail from the beaches of California instead of the cold north east of America. Drum brushes and acoustic guitars galore added to the soothing melodies of singer Keith Goodwin.
For fans of Death Cab For Cutie and Dashboard Confessional
www.myspace.com/goodoldwar

mewithoutyou –

Okay so they might not exactly be “new music” and I might’ve been oblivious to their music for a while – seven years to be exact – on hearing their 2009 album ‘It's All Crazy! It's All False! It's All A Dream It's Alright’ I instantly adored this band. Although their peers are much heavier (three of their close friends are Manchester Orchestra, Sparta and Brand New) they produce clever acoustic music. Formed from two brothers and two best friends, singer Aaron Weiss’ songs tell stories of nature, a highlight of their newest album being ‘The Fox, The Crow And The Cookie.’
For fans of Tokyo Police Club and Fun.
www.myspace.com/mewithoutyou

Jay-Z + Coldplay - Hampden Park

2009-09-18T17:17:00.000-07:00

Now I’m about as far from a big hip-hop fan as you can get, but even I love the music of probably the most influential and consistent rappers of all time. Swaggering on stage to the horns of his session band, Jay-Z kicks straight into ‘D.O.A (Death of Autotune) - the first single from his new album ‘The Blueprint 3.’
The Brooklyn born king of hip hop, dressed entirely in Rocawear clothing (his own clothing brand), patrols up and down the stage rolling out modern day rap classics like ‘99 Problems’, ‘Izzo’, ‘Public Service Announcement’ and ‘Dirt Off Your Shoulder.’
Taking this support slot must have been a tough decision for the Jigga man as Coldplay fans aren’t exactly renowned for their love of gangsta rap and songs like ‘Big Pimpin’’ don’t go down quite as well as they probably should. His current No.1 single ‘Run This Town’ makes for a good climax to the set, even without Rhianna and Kanye West’s input. He leaves the stage to probably not the loudest cheer he’s ever had, but does it really matter to an icon like Jay? With eleven number one albums and a half a billion dollar industry under his particularly low slung belt, probably not.
As the sun sets on the home of Scottish football The Blue Danube Waltz drifts through the stadium and the lights go out. The four members of Coldplay emerge with sparklers swinging around their heads. Immediately they start the set with the instrumental ‘Life In Technicolour’, the first song from the most recent album ‘Viva La Vida.’ The thudding beat of ‘Violet Hill’ really gets the crowd going for the first time and it is followed up by three back to back classics in ‘Clocks’, ‘In My Place’ and ‘Yellow’, at which point hundreds of, obviously, yellow balloons are bounced around the crowd. The little known ‘Glass of Water’, which was on the recent ‘Prospekt’s March E.P’, fits in well with such classics and I feel it may have been up there with them if it had made it onto Viva La Vida. The graphics on the huge screen behind the band are phenomenal, with a 3.D rollercoaster style trip through the planets in space, ending with a solitary picture of an eye.
Epic doesn’t do ‘Fix You’ justice. Its anthemic climax sees singer Chris Martin jumping and sprinting across the stage with his arms held outstretched. By the end of the song he is lying at the end of one of the extended arms of the stage looking into the clear sky and having the crowd sing the last few lines for him. The rest of the band then troop out to join him for a few songs, with the Phil Collins look-alike drummer using a drum machine and a keyboard for techno renditions of ‘Talk’ and ‘God Put a Smile on Your Face.’ Then the band leave Chris on his own with the keyboard and go for a breather as he shows off his excellently delicate piano playing skills. A beautifully intimate version of ‘The Hardest Part’ is followed by around a minute of tinkling away. The sole spotlight goes out but after a moment of silence and darkness you can make out Martin’s figure gesturing frantically back to the stage, clearly something’s gone wrong. “We’re very sorry,” he says into the microphone, “but we’ve just had the biggest technical f*ck up we’ve ever had! Let’s rewind a minute or so…” Another moment of tinkling piano and this time it’s followed by the correct amount of silence and darkness before the pounding kettle drum of “Viva La Vida” is blasted out from the caveman/Phil Collins look-alike. Chris Martin just about makes it back to his spot behind the microphone as the vocals kick in and the band play one of the best songs they’ve written since ‘Fix You.’ The haunting chants echo around the stadium for a good minute after the song is finished and it’s probably the loudest any crowd’s been since the last time Scotland scored at this sacred ground… whenever that was.
Jay-Z makes a quick appearance for his verse on ‘Lost+’ before leaving again as quickly as he came, probably to the delight of some of the older fans.
The lights go out and the band can be seen making their way off the side of the stage, followed by an isolated cheer as the people in certain sections realise that they’re standing just feet away as Coldplay run past to go to the small stage set up in the middle of the crowd. Once safely on the mini stage Phil Colli- I mean Will, the drummer takes control of the microphone and an acoustic guitar for a very campfire-esque song called ‘Death Will Never Conquer’ followed by a strangely catchy cover of Michael Jackson’s ‘Beat It.’
After about 5 minutes of battling through the crowd it’s back to serious music making time as the strobe light infused ‘Politik’ bursts into life. An encore of ‘The Scientist’ and the final song ‘Life in Technicolour ii’ (a version of the instrumental opener but with words) makes for an epic ending, with fireworks, confetti and all. “Epic” is a major theme for the Coldplay boys’ stadium shows, excellent choice of support act too.

Jay-Z's new album 'The Blueprint 3' is out now.
You can listen to an hour of Coldplay's set at Hampden on Radio 1 (www.bbc.co.uk/radio1)

Brand New - Daisy

2009-09-04T18:21:00.000-07:00

Daisy – Brand New
It’s been three long years since Brand New released an album, with the monumental ‘The Devil and God Are Raging Inside Me’ and it’s time once again for the New York five piece to take the alternative rock scene by storm with the release of ‘Daisy’ at the end of the month.
Brand New’s story is the stuff of music fairytale. Formed in 2000 by Jesse Lacey, who at the time played bass in Taking Back Sunday, they were signed after their second ever gig to Triple Crown Records. Their debut, ‘Your Favourite Weapon’ was a pop-punk masterpiece. The follow up, ‘Deja Entendu’ was received with critical acclaim that put Brand New in a new spotlight. More meaningful than the debut, ‘Deja Entendu’ remains one of the best alternative rock albums to be released in the last decade. However there was a three and a half year gap until anything else was released by the band. This release came in the form of ‘The Devil and God…’ which is possibly their best work to date. It added a whole deeper level to their music that seems unrecognisable compared to ‘Your Favourite Weapon.’
And now, almost three years after that groundbreaking record, comes ‘Daisy.’ Brand New have become renowned for reinventing themselves on each record they produce and ‘Daisy’ is no different. Sounding far looser and less methodical than The Devil And God, they have created a record that sounds half improvised at times and raw throughout.
Opening track ‘Vices’ starts off with a haunting female opera singer’s voice floating through the speakers. Real Brand New fans will know not to be lulled into a false sense of security, after TDAG’s ‘Luca’, which seemed a simple eerie acoustic track until near the end where Jesse Lacey’s blood curdling scream turns the track into a full blown rock out. And they’ve done it again with 'Vices'. Just as the last note on the tinkling piano is played, all hell breaks loose and the full force of Brand New’s rage is felt for the first time… well, in three years. Kurt Cobain will be moshing in his grave. It left me asking, “is this really Brand New?” I didn’t know they had that much noise in them.
After you get over the initial shock of ‘Vices’ and change into clean underwear, the grungy ‘Bed’ floats along with a laid back Nirvana sort of style. The first single, ‘At the Bottom’ is one of the obvious high points of the record, with Jesse’s voice layered over itself like in ‘Degausser’ from TDAG, and the chorus is one big sing along, the only one to be found on the album. Midway through it sounds like all the instruments simultaneously break the whole song falls to pieces, however they pull it all together again for a couple more choruses. ‘Gasoline’ is a rough, ragged and slightly awkward song, followed by ‘You Stole’ which is a lot like a track that could’ve been on ‘Deja Entendu.’ An interlude titled ‘Be Gone’ is very strange, some country guitars sound like a Texan hoe down, and Jesse’s lyrics come through distorted, as if a child is putting the volume up and down on the C.D player as fast as they can. ‘Sink’ is a thumping beast of a song, with the screaming guitars and vocals making up the loud part of the loud/quiet style of The Devil And God…
One of the jems of the album comes in the form of the first title track Brand New have ever made. ‘Daisy’ reintroduces electric drums, not used by the band in almost ten years. They fit perfectly with Jesse’s delicate vocals. There are samples from a minister asking the congregation to turn to a hymn page and a child talking. Overall these background effects work perfectly to make one of the best songs on the album. And it’s over as suddenly as it started, last track ‘In A Jar’ ends with no real bang, it just fades out. However there is a line where Jesse sings “Now it has to end” and this Is probably aimed at the fact that he’s stated that “Brand New is no more” and that this is, sadly, likely to be their last album. At least they’ve had a good run and if they do decide to call it a day, they can say they were fantastic right up until the end; they are still as c-c-c-c-controversial as ever.

Daisy is out on September 22nd on Interscope Records.

Pearl & The Puppets - Loch Ness

2009-09-04T17:09:00.000-07:00

Situated in the heart of the Scottish Highlands is possibly the most famous body of water in the world: Loch Ness. Tonight however, the centre of attention is not on the mythological monster beneath the surface, it is instead on a small boat steadily making its way down the loch. The “Bella-boat” is, for one night only, the location for a very intimate gig from two of Scotland’s best female acoustic artists.

Starting the night is local girl Rachel Sermanni who, with just her voice and acoustic guitar, creates beautiful music with the depth of a songwriter twice her age. She grins nervously around the cramped little on-board bar and confesses that she’s left her set list in her car. “Don’t worry though,” she adds, “I’m good at awkward moments so I’ll just try and remember what I was going to play.” New song ‘Ever Since the Chocolate’ fits in well with the delicate ‘Little White Dove’ and the country tinged ‘Lighting Candles.’ An acoustic version of the Jackson 5’s ‘Want You Back’ goes down nicely and Midway through her set Pearl slips her way through the crowd to sit, with her band, cross legged on the floor, likely to make the slightly uncomfortable youngster a little more at ease.
As the boat stops in the middle of the water parallel to the extremely picturesque Urquhart Castle, Pearl and her Puppets once again make their way through the cramped bar area to play. Pearl swings her guitar strap over her head tentatively so as not to hurt her bandaged wrist as her Puppets climb behind their instruments and sit or stand on various objects, such as the emergency stairs and the lifejacket cupboard, alongside the heavy amps already sitting on the top of the cupboard. I’m sure health and safety would have something to say about that!
‘Mango Tree’ is the opener and with it’s catchy drums and quick guitars it makes you think more of the Pacific than Loch Ness but it’s still an excellently laid out song. A beautiful rendition of ‘Use Somebody’ by Kings of Leon allows the Puppets a break and Pearl to seemingly make deep eye contact with everyone in the bar. A slightly faster version of possibly her most famous song ‘Because I Do’ (which featured in a Vodafone advert in Australia) comes midway through the set with cheers and applause from the crowd and a lot of “bah baw, badda bow”-ing. The extremely catchy ‘Make Me Smile’ (which is also my favourite song) finishes off an amazing set from the most exciting female acoustic artist since Kate Nash and Laura Marling, definitely one to watch.

Pearl and the Puppets are on Myspace at: www.myspace.com/pearlandthepuppets
The debut album is due out next year.