Indie

National Pop League

17 Jul 2008

‘The Woodside’s such a strange place,’ says John Hunt, promoter of the soon-to-be-no-more National Pop League, of the venue which has housed his indie club for seven years. ‘There’s no air conditioning, and it’s so hot that, at about one o’clock in the…

Liam Finn - I'll Be Lightning

17 Jul 2008

Like father like son, New Zealand-born Liam (offspring of Crowded House’s Neil Finn), finally comes-of-age courtesy of his long-awaited debut set. Now 23, and several years on from his initial live workouts in London (where he’s based), the man highly…

Kid Canaveral

3 Jul 2008

INDIE Henry’s Cellar Bar, Fri 20 Jun Henry’s, for all its charms, is hardly the most sparkly place in town. However, bringing a solid dose of summer to the venue’s dimly lit confines, St Andrews four-piece Kid Canaveral’s lively guitar pop does the…

Come on Gang!

3 Jul 2008

INDIE Voodoo Rooms, Edinburgh, Thu 10 Jul ‘I’m a nightmare on a train,’ says Sarah Tanat Jones, drummer and lead singer of Come on Gang! ‘I’m that annoying person who can’t help tapping a beat with my feet or hands. Or both.’ She wanted to channel her…

A Band Called Quinn - Sun Moon Stars

3 Jul 2008

INDIE POP (Tromolo) Boasting a guest guitarist spot from Echo and the Bunnymen’s Gordy Goudie, a chrome and polish from Parisian producer Kid Loco and delightful artwork care of Bruno Gallagher, this industrious Glasgow trio’s latest offering is an…

Dirty Pretty Things - Romance at Short Notice

3 Jul 2008

INDIE (Vertigo) This fiery London bunch have always seemed very much like a Carl Barât-centred, post-Libertines offshoot but with their second full-length release, Dirty Pretty Things take one step closer to being a proper band. More polished than…

Extra Golden

3 Jul 2008

Described as ‘an incendiary union of Kenyan benga and Stateside rock’ there’s a soft side to these cross-continental superstars. Their track ‘Obama’ is dedicated to the Presidential front runner, not for political reasons, but as a thank you for helping…

Infadels - Universe in Reverse

3 Jul 2008

INDIE (Wall of Sound) Indie festive season is in full swing and the Infadels’ reinvention proves they’re wise to it. On Universe in Reverse, producer Youth turns their sound upside down, taking them out of the rave fields and into the main arena.

XX Teens - Welcome to Goon Island

3 Jul 2008

INDIE (Mute) Musical eccentricity in new acts is a marvellous quality, but only if they have the songwriting prowess to back it up. This debut offering by XX Teens is a diverse bag of aforementioned oddity and thrillingly experimental attitudes to…

My Bloody Valentine

19 Jun 2008

SHOEGAZE COMEBACK Barrowlands, Glasgow, Wed 2 & Thu 3 Jul There are some musical reunions the whole world wants to happen, and others that start out and then fall away without the populace paying the slightest bit of attention. Then there are…

The Sauchiehall Crawl

19 Jun 2008

INDIE Various venues, Glasgow, Sun 1 Jun One night, 11 bands, three venues in one street. Two options. One: settle down with a pint at the venue of your choice and given that the ABC has How to Swim (pictured), Broken Records and The Twilight Sad this…

Fleet Foxes

5 Jun 2008

Seattle five-piece Fleet Foxes are signed to one of the city’s most legendary labels Sub Pop (as well as Bella Union). But it’s as far from grunge as you could get, except for their gorgeous, ramshackle nature. Despite a few shaggy rock outs the band…

Jens Lekman - live music review

5 Jun 2008

INDIE POP Oran Mor, Glasgow, Thu 15 May Modern pop is rarely as smart, affecting or plain funny as when it’s in the hands of Jens Lekman. Nor as succinct. ‘No encore, 11 songs, all hits,’ proclaimed the Swede at the start of his set, tongue lodged…

Black Kids

22 May 2008

INDIE King Tut’s, Glasgow, Wed 4 Jun They’re not going to teach your boyfriend how to dance with you, but tipped-for-greatness combo Black Kids are hellbent on entertaining the Tut’s crowd as part of their UK and Europe-wide tour. Speaking from…

Drive-By Argument - Drive-By Argument

22 May 2008

INDIE (Lizard King) Who says you don’t get anything out of further education these days? This quintet formed as part of a college course and rather than that eternal sound of compromise, they came up with this: throbbing Altern-8 keyboard riffs…

The Hazy Janes

22 May 2008

So we get ten minutes of sunshine and everyone’s out in their undies setting disposable barbecues aflame on any spare patch of grass around. Rely then, on The Hazy Janes to provide a soundtrack for such clement weather and general hedonism. New single…

Various - Chamber Music: James Joyce (1907)

22 May 2008

INDIE (Fire Records) As it says on the double-CD, this is a collection of 36 James Joyce love poems from 1907 interpreted by underground rock artists, some familiar – Mercury Rev, Mike Watt, Ed Harcourt or Willy Mason – others still on the fringes.

We Are the Physics

22 May 2008

Modesty rarely prevails in the braggadocio-strewn world of rock music so when this frisky quartet named their debut album We Are the Physics are OK at Music it seemed for a minute that being demure and was going to overtake skinny jeans on the fashion…

White Rabbits

22 May 2008

INDIE Nice’n’Sleazy, Glasgow, Fri 2 May Frightened Rabbit, Fleet Foxes, Sam Sparro – there’s a veritable woodland of new bands and artists out there at the moment, so what sets New Yorkers White Rabbits apart? The fact that they subscribe to the…

The Vaselines and Emma Pollock

8 May 2008

INDIE Mono, Glasgow, Thu 24 Apr ‘We’re The Vaselines,’ chirps Eugene Kelly by way of introduction. And perhaps, given that he and Frances McKee are backed by four members of Belle and Sebastian, this is as much to prevent any confusion. The…

The Xcerts

24 Apr 2008

INDIE Barfly, Glasgow, Tue 6 May Indie rock is the musical opiate of the masses. Recapture that first hit ecstasy with The Xcerts, a fresh-faced three-piece from Aberdeen and Exeter. Get Cape Wear Cape Fly liked their fully-formed, captivatingly…

Frightened Rabbit - The Midnight Organ Fight

24 Apr 2008

INDIE (FatCat Records) Graduating from underground heroes to a mainstream proposition often, unfortunately, requires a little softening around the edges. No signs of this where Frightened Rabbit are concerned, however. While the Glasgow-based foursome…

The Duke Spirit

24 Apr 2008

INDIE King Tut’s, Glasgow, Wed 2 Apr They should be well practiced at this. Following their well-received 2005 debut Cuts Across the Land, London’s Duke Spirit flew across the pond to play the odd gig or 285. Their follow-up, Neptune, is consequently…

Wake the President

Glasgow School of Art, Saturday 5 May

10 Apr 2008

There seems to be two video cameras and – at least – three photographers trained on the stage throughout Wake the President’s set. Such fastidious attention would typically be seen as overzealous outwith the upper echelons of Glasgow’s musical…

Paul Haig

10 Apr 2008

INDIE Voodoo Rooms, Edinburgh, Sun 13 Apr When Josef K named their solitary album The Only Fun in Town in 1981, it was as dry a statement on Edinburgh nightlife as a band named after a Franz Kafka character could muster. Almost 30 years on, ex-Josef K…

Crystal Castles - Culture Castles

10 Apr 2008

INDIE/RAVE/GRIME/PUNK/ELECTRO The so-called new rave scene has been responsible for spewing out a load of old meaningless tosh since it was coined by desperate music journalists two years ago, but its latest wrong comes in the form of the debut album…

Eagleowl

10 Apr 2008

INDIE Liquid Room, Edinburgh, Thu 20 Mar Not to be confused with the vicious bird world nasty they’re named after (who loves a bit of dog eating and deer biting), the Eagleowl live experience is a very gentle thing, like watching clouds dragged at a…

Exposure - Pete and the Pirates

10 Apr 2008

A rag tag band of five Reading songwriters press-ganged into service as a functioning indie pop group after a gig down their local, Pete and the Pirates are presently leading a stealthy campaign to become your new favourite band. Melodic, upbeat…

Hadouken! - Music for an Accelerated Culture

10 Apr 2008

INDIE/RAVE/GRIME/PUNK/ELECTRO (Atlantic) The so-called new rave scene has been responsible for spewing out a load of old meaningless tosh since it was coined by desperate music journalists two years ago, but its latest wrong comes in the form of the…

Isosceles

10 Apr 2008

After being spotted by Alex Kapranos, Isosceles scored a coveted support slot with Scottish indie pop royalty Franz Ferdinand. The band are about to launch the latest single, ‘Kitch Bitch/Watertight’, from their debut album Get Your Hands Off, which…

Make Model

10 Apr 2008

Shimmering indie that doesn’t quail at the thought of massed harmonies, tinkling piano refrains and crunchy guitars; Make Model are a Scottish talent to watch as they launch new single ‘LSB’ through EMI. Catch them in a venue of this modest size while…

Dananananaykroyd and Copy Haho

27 Mar 2008

INDIE Nice’n’Sleazy, Glasgow, Tue 18 Mar ‘We’re from Stonehaven,’ pointed out Copy Haho (‘hah-ho’, not ‘hey-ho’). ‘That’s in Scotland.’ ‘Darren Mackie!’ comes a bellowed reply, and the Scottish Cup shock happening along the road at Parkhead allows for…

Frightened Rabbit

27 Mar 2008

INDIE Cabaret Voltaire, Edinburgh, Thu 27 Mar; Barfly, Glasgow, Sat 29 Mar Returning the conquering heroes from equipment trashing gigs at SXSW, Frightened Rabbit are playing a series of Scottish shows to mark the imminent release of their follow up…

The Long Blondes - Couples

27 Mar 2008

INDIE (Rough Trade) This Sheffield fivesome have always seemed rather clinical, their debut Someone to Drive You Home sounding a little too self-aware and over-thought at times. However, with this Erol Alkan-produced second effort they have got the…

Adam Green - Sixes and Sevens

13 Mar 2008

INDIE (Rough Trade) This quirky troubadour’s fifth offering should carry a health warning, because it’s ridiculously addictive. When you first stick on Sixes and Sevens, the golden vocals and smooth production complete with horn sections, Brooklyn…

The Superimposers - Harpsichord Treacle

13 Mar 2008

INDIE (Wonderful Sound) Doctors should really start thinking about prescribing The Superimposers for stress. This third effort from the much underrated act finds them reaching new levels of dreaminess with their whimsical take on indie pop, opening…

The Teenagers - Reality Check

13 Mar 2008

INDIE (Merok/XL) From Franz Ferdinand’s ‘Do You Want To’ to ‘(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction’ via ‘Dirrty’, savvy pop stars have always known that the best music is utterly filthy. On this basis, Parisian trio The Teenagers have made a masterpiece with…

The Twisted Wheel

13 Mar 2008

INDIE Barrowland, Glasgow, Tue 19 Feb Having previously thrust The Ting Tings upon the world (or at least the small to medium gig venues of the UK), Jon ‘Reverend and the Makers’ McClure will be getting a name as the man young Manchester bands will be…

Malcolm Middleton - Sleight of Heart

28 Feb 2008

INDIE (Full Time Hobby) On the public face of it, ex-Arab Strapper Malcolm Middleton may not be getting any happier, but it’s difficult to come away from one of his collections without wiping a grin off your face while the inevitable tear dampens your…

Baillie and the Fault

14 Feb 2008

INDIE Barfly, Glasgow, Tue 29 Jan Can Gary Lightbody have fooled everyone on the Glasgow scene into thinking that being just the right side of average is something to aspire to? Baillie and the Fault’s Mike Baillie – a man who has served his time on…

Nada Surf - Lucky

14 Feb 2008

INDIE (City Slang) Some bands are so damn unassuming that you almost miss them in the rush for the next big thing. Nada Surf are part of a slightly wonky lineage in rock music that starts with Neil Young and stretches through Paul Simon and The Cars…

Aesop Rock

31 Jan 2008

INDIE HIP HOP Five albums deep, and with a cable access TV slot and Nike Original Run project under his belt (because even slacker heads need to exercise), Aesop Rock’s murky stew of hip hop, rock and post-apocalyptic commentary still proves a…

Aidan John Moffat - I Can Hear Your Heart

31 Jan 2008

(Chemikal Underground) SPOKEN WORD Sometimes a relationship has run its course and all you can do is split up, something former Arab Strappers Aidan Moffat and Malcolm Middleton know all too well. Since going their separate ways, Middleton has…

Correcto - Correcto

31 Jan 2008

(Domino) INDIE This foursome may boast the talent of two of Glasgow’s indie glitterati – Franz Ferdinand’s Paul Thomson and Patrick Doyle of The Royal We – but there’s so much more to Correcto than the hype about their famous members. The band’s…

Endor, Q Without U and Jesus H Foxx

31 Jan 2008

INDIE is this music?, the magazine/website which sponsors tonight’s show, prides itself on spotting upcoming talent. However, they also show loyalty to neglected bands from the past. Jesus H Foxx (formerly Sweetheart) tick both boxes. Describing…

Envelopes - Here Comes the Wind

31 Jan 2008

(Brille) INDIE Envelopes are more than a little unconventional, and in a world where past-plundering dullards like The Courteeners are tipped for the top, you’ve got to be grateful for every bit of eccentricity you can find. Here Comes the Wind is…

Helen Boulding - New Red Dress

31 Jan 2008

(Maid in Sheffield) INDIE POP GUFF Connections aren’t everything. Sheffield singer-songwriter Boulding has worked with members of The Verve, Pink Floyd and Squeeze, Youth produced this debut album, and Bryan Adams even took the cover shot (!?). Yet…

Joe Lean & The Jing Jang Jong

31 Jan 2008

INDIE All skinny jeans and wiry frame Joe Lean is a complex multi-media construct. Born Joseph Beamont, ex-drummer with The Pippettes (under the stage name Robin of Loxley) also known by his acting name Joe Van Moyland as seen in Peep Show, Nathan…

Los Campesinos! - Hold on Now, Youngster . . .

31 Jan 2008

(Wichita) INDIE Born from an unabashed love of DIY music scenes and a totally understandable distaste for tired Libertines copycats such as The Kooks, Pigeon Detectives and The View, Los Campesinos! hope to offer music fans something genuinely…

The NME Tour Featuring The Ting Tings

31 Jan 2008

INDIE Mix indie music, punk attitude, clubby vibes, pop melodies and art-rock sensibilities, then say hello to The Ting Tings, the Mancunian duo of Katie White and Jules De Martino who are one of the buzz bands of 2008, and rightly so. Having…

Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend

31 Jan 2008

(XL Recordings) INDIE Indie rock has taken many wilful turns in its ragged adolescence but the predilection for smartening up and tuning up has been one that’s arrived to infrequently for most. Vampire Weekend look like dropouts from an Abercrombie…

The Futureheads

17 Jan 2008

INDIE Strathclyde University Students’ Union, Glasgow, Thu 24 Jan The Futureheads could quite easily have ended up on the rock’n’roll scrap heap when the angular impulse in British guitar music faded circa 2006. In the two years prior, the…

The Magnetic Fields - Distortion

17 Jan 2008

INDIE (Nonesuch) Ostentatious douchebag or modern master of clever pop, Stephin Merritt certainly knows how to divide opinion – and ten offerings down the line, there’s still no stopping him. Following I, which featured entire songs that began with…

British Sea Power - Do You Like Rock Music?

4 Jan 2008

INDIE (Rough Trade) British Sea Power have never been known for their traditional approach to music-making – plastic birds, fake foliage and a ten foot bear have come into the equation at various points – so it comes as no surprise that third effort…

Cat Power - Jukebox

4 Jan 2008

INDIE (Matador) No one does melancholy like Chan Marshall, and on the second of her legendary covers records she takes sadness to staggering new levels. Backed by the Dirty Delta Blues band, the Georgia-born singer/songwriter treats us to some…

Khaya - Is/Are/Was – The Best Of Khaya

4 Jan 2008

INDIE Is/Are/Was – The Best Of Khaya (SL Records) Vastly underappreciated during their brief stint on the indie scene in the late 90s, this collection of sessions and singles allows Khaya’s gloriously scratchy pop to shine. Highlights include…

Lightspeed Champion - Falling off the Lavender Bridge

4 Jan 2008

INDIE (Domino) From fashionable art-noise icon to comic book scribe, friend of the girl Geldof and purveyor of soulful country music, Dev Hynes has gone through quite a transformation over the past year. With so many projects on the go, the ex-Test…

Parka

4 Jan 2008

Endorsement from Zane Lowe and a forthcoming in-store appearance at Urban Outfitters will strike fear into the hearts of some and warm the cockles of others. Glasgow indie troupe Parka bear such credentials and have assimilated the notions ‘indie’ and…

The [Future] King Of Scotland - I’m Not Angry, It’s Just You Broke My Heart

4 Jan 2008

INDIE I’m Not Angry, It’s Just You Broke My Heart (Lo-Fi or What?) This Fife-based, one man band claims to lead a lo-fi life, and from the sounds of his charmingly ramshackle debut offering he’s not lying. I’m Not Angry, It’s Just You Broke My…

Glasvegas - preview

13 Dec 2007

Alan McGee calls these boys and girls: ‘the best Glasgow band since The Jesus and Mary Chain.’ and he should know given his track record. The retrophiles released their debut single ‘Daddy’s Gone’ last month so time for a bit of a celebration at regular…

Crash My Model Car - Ghosts and Heights

13 Dec 2007

INDIE (My Dad Recordings) After two critically acclaimed, sold out EPs and a fast growing legion of devotees, it would be fair to say that Crash My Model Car are under a considerable amount of pressure for their debut long player to deliver the…

Emma Pollock - preview

13 Dec 2007

Jack-of-all-trades and former Delgado (she still helps run the Chemikal Underground record label) Emma Pollock, brings her characteristically busy year to a close with a full band tour in support of debut album Watch the Fireworks (4AD), a record filled…

Kevin Tuffy - To Be To Begin

13 Dec 2007

INDIE (Dcypha) With an entire generation of new songwriters uncaring about traditional musical pigeon holes, we have music that proudly swings from mosh pit to dancefloor to backroom of folkie pub and still sounds mighty fine. Here aspirant…

The Clientele - God Save The Clientele

13 Dec 2007

INDIE (Track and Field) This London-based indie outfit are more popular across the pond, and you can see why, with the West Coast jangle of The Byrds and their ilk an obvious influence. The Clientele combine a love of simple guitar pop with a…

The Good Life - Help Wanted Nights

13 Dec 2007

INDIE (Saddle Creek) Frontman Tim Kasher is a central figure of the Saddle Creek scene, and this established side project is an outlet for a more mainstream sound, contrasting his day job with the explosive Cursive. Unfortunately, while much of Help…

Vampire Weekend and Chutes

13 Dec 2007

Hobo at the Bongo Club, Edinburgh, Sun 11 Nov The unexpectedly large Sunday night turnout here was no doubt down to the appearance of New York’s Vampire Weekend, a band much-touted by Radio One in recent weeks. Edinburgh’s Chutes weren’t just here to…

Various - Now That’s what We Call Music Vol 1

13 Dec 2007

INDIE (Fantastic Plastic) To celebrate their 100th release the music bods at Fantastic Plastic have cast a nostalgic ear over their back catalogue and corralled a bunch of past rarities and new offerings. It’s a sampler of accessibly alternative…

Foxface - This is What Makes Us

29 Nov 2007

INDIE This is What Makes Us (Gargleblast Records) This Glasgow outfit’s three members have been kicking around the Scottish indie scene for years, two of them most famously as members of Peeps into Fairyland, but their decision to join forces as…

Nuts & Seeds Presents . . .

29 Nov 2007

‘I like things to be inclusive and fun, I don’t enjoy elitism, and I think when the main concern is money it ruins everything,’ says Giles Bailey of independent promoters Nuts & Seeds. Their DIY ethos dictates that door prices are kept low, there are no…

BMX Bandits

15 Nov 2007

INDIE Bee Stings (Poppydisc) Fifteen albums on, these indie legends show no sign of resting on their laurels, and Bee Stings is proof that all this frolicking in pastures new has paid off. From catchy opener ‘Take Me to Heaven’ to the captivating…

Sexy Kids

18 Oct 2007

INDIE Mono, Glasgow, Mon 8 Oct Glasgow’s Sexy Kids are so brand new they don’t even have a Myspace yet. But trust us, we’d tell you if we knew it. After all, they’ve blessed themselves with just about the last name you want to go googling in good…

Annie Christian and :Cryoverbillionaires

4 Oct 2007

Cabaret Voltaire, Edinburgh, Thu 13 Oct Every face in the crowd waits expectantly for the one song from the back catalogue of Annie Christian that means the most to them, whether from their electro-infused, gloomy and melodic indie origins in the…

Isoscles

4 Oct 2007

Oran Mor, Glasgow, Wed 19 Sep Witnessing the self-proclaimed ‘media darlings of the Glasgow scene’, it feels impolite to burst Isosceles’ bubble when watching them is such a happy experience. Obviously paying close attention in trigonometry class…

The Royal We

4 Oct 2007

Optimo@Sub Club, Glasgow, Sun 23 Killer glam-pop songs, a look that could stop a blind charging rhino in its tracks and the backing of Glasgow indie movers and shakers from Stephen Pastel to Franz Ferdinand: The Royal We seem to have the lot.

Les Savy Fav

20 Sep 2007

INDIE Let’s Stay Friends (Wichita) It’s been almost six years since this New York quartet saw fit to release a full album of new studio material but, boy, has it been worth the wait. Let’s Stay Friends features some of their finest work to date; a…

Sonorous

20 Sep 2007

INDIE A Series of Unanswered Questions (Sonorous) Melding atmospheric electronics and indie rock guitar histrionics is often a tricky gig; the two battle for supremacy in the mix and often end up cancelling each other out. Sonorous live up to…

Idlewild interview

10 Sep 2007

Few bands can last 12 years these days, so it’s refreshing to hear that Idlewild are as invigorated as ever about their musical predicament. Roddy Woomble tells Doug Johnstone why ‘We’ve always been the band of bad timing, haven’t we?’ laughs Idlewild…

Butcher Boy

6 Sep 2007

With corporate indie currently riding high in the charts and flash in the pan, fashion-obsessed tykes pervading the blogs, Butcher Boy are more than a breath of fresh air. If you haven’t yet had the pleasure of their musical company, first album Profit…

Swimmer One

6 Sep 2007

INDIE There’s a lot of idiotic soulless electro pop around, so it’s a good job that Swimmer One are here to redress the balance. This stunning debut effort more than meets expectations raised by the Edinburgh and Glasgow-based duo’s promising set of…

The Dykeenies

6 Sep 2007

INDIE ROCK After a year of sell-out gigs and internet hype the Cumbernauld brotherly trio plus two mates release their debut album. The opener (‘The Panic’, about STD fear) is prophetic: a great, stompy, bang of the fists and wail of the klaxons with…

Attic Lights and The Primary 5

23 Aug 2007

It was only last year that Glasgow fivesome Attic Lights climbed down the stairs from the attic where they’d been honing their big guitarry sound – a power pop blend of 60s Beach Boys harmonies and gently melodic Americana – and finally stepped outside.

Hot Club de Paris

23 Aug 2007

They’ve been a little quiet of late but that is not to say this talented Liverpudlian trio haven’t been getting up to any mischief. Hot Club de Paris spent the summer writing and recording the follow-up to impressive debut ‘Drop It Til It Pops’…

Songs of Green Pheasant

FatCat Records

23 Aug 2007

Indie folk

Oh For Christ Sake I Like Shortcake featuring The Twilight Sad

16 Aug 2007

The name of this indie night is trying to tell us we should expect something Scottish. But nothing as twee or naff as a tartan tin of all-butter fingers. Instead, the line-up showcases four of Scotland’s most promising and pioneering acts. First up are…

Liars

Liars

9 Aug 2007

INDIE Musically this LA-based trio are as mad as a box of frogs. Since they exploded onto the music scene in 2001 with dance-punk driven debut They Threw Us All in a Trench and Stuck a Monument on Top, they have dabbled in everything from murky…

A Band Called Quinn - And Ever Again

1 Aug 2007

This selection of download-only B-sides and unreleased tracks will doubtless attract attention due to the fact that a pre-fame Alex Kapranos contributed guitar to a few.

Kate Nash

Made of Bricks

1 Aug 2007

Lazy listeners may compare her to Lily Allen, but the more we hear about this Harrow-based singer-songwriter, the more we find her making her own eccentric mark on the music scene.

The Coral

Roots and Echoes

1 Aug 2007

Having first been patronised by Oasis and now benefiting from a support slot on Arctic Monkeys’ summer tour, The Coral seem like a band who are destined to live in the shadow of those who define their era.

Various Artists

Neon Nights

1 Aug 2007

n these heady days of nu rave saturation, when it is once again acceptable to be seen gurning while clutching a glo-stick, it’s easy to forget that there were indie-dance bands long before the NME reached for its big book of genres.

Northern Alliance

16 Jul 2007

INDIE NORTHERN ALLIANCE 13th Note, Glasgow, Thu 19 Jul; Cabaret Voltaire, Edinburgh, Sun 22 Jul They’ve released just three albums in five years (two of them mini ones), and as yet never played a full band live show. What’s been the hold…

Exposure - Cajun Dance Party

3 Jul 2007

It’s not Cajun or dance music, but their indie rock has given these five smiling north Londoners a rollercoaster 18 months. Aged 17 and still at school, they’ve supported Kings of Leon, Thom Yorke loves them and Bernard Butler is producing their next…

Records - Candie Payne

21 May 2007

RETRO POP Candie Payne sings songs about love lost, makes you think of skinny, melancholy girls in 60s eyeliner, tramping Liverpudlian streets wishing their lovers would give them one last chance. Her bell-clear voice coos through the introspective…

Candie Payne

21 May 2007

MELANCHOLIA Phil Spector’s name may now be more likely to be linked at the moment to incarceration than innovation, but the eccentric New Yorker’s influence still casts a powerful shadow over the performance by diminutive Scouse songstress Candie…

Au Revoir Simone

21 May 2007

INDIE (Picture: Au Revoir Simone) There’s no denying that all-female New York trio Anna, Erika and Heather aka Au Revoir Simone have a thing or two going for them. They’re all tall, thin and exceptionally pretty for one thing. More importantly…

The Twilight Sad

Album

7 May 2007

INDIE Rarely can a band have managed to sum themselves up so well just within their own name. Glasgow’s Twilight Sad are, let’s not beat about the bush, a band who make sad music - yet it’s that particular Scottish sadness which finds itself couched…

Butcher Boy

Album

7 May 2007

INDIE You won’t read about them in hype-hungry magazines or find them bombarding Myspace profiles with friend requests, and as a result Butcher Boy may well be one of the most exciting discoveries you’ll make this year. This debut album from the…

Von Sudenfed

7 May 2007

INDIE ELECTRONICA This first-time collaboration between The Fall’s mouthy frontman, Mark E Smith and German electronic maestros, Mouse on Mars sounds like the imaginary soundtrack to an after-party for the 1990s. Andi Toma and Jan St Werner do a good…

The Be Be See

7 May 2007

INDIE POP

Emma Pollock

7 May 2007

INDIE

1990s

7 May 2007

INDIE