Indie

Malcolm Middleton

The future’s bright

13 Mar 2007

It was a truly miserable day when the mighty Arab Strap called it quits last year but this grey cloud did, in fact, have a silver lining of sorts: it shifted the spotlight onto the solo work of Malcolm Middleton. Never the most talkative of characters…

Reviews - Peepshow Launch

Peepshow Launch

13 Mar 2007

INDIE Already inundated most nights of the week, cynics might say that Glasgow needs a new band night like it does another rainy day. Peepshow, refreshingly, is a showcase with a difference, however. On the last Wednesday of every month at The…

Reviews - The Twang

The Twang

13 Mar 2007

INDIE Never underestimate beery lads in big jackets. While it’s easy to believe that they’re all still swaggering to the sound of the Happy Mondays, Stone Roses et al, many are (if this sell out crowd was anything to go by at least) entirely…

The Scottish Enlightenment, The Debuts and Callel

Cabaret Voltaire, Edinburgh, Sat 3 Mar

13 Mar 2007

The crowd are still filtering in when the openers take the stage, but are slowly drawn towards The Scottish Enlightenment (●●●●●) - a Dunfermline four-piece with the menace of Joy Division and the slacker indie cool of Pavement. Whether it’s their…

Records - Unkle Bob

Unkle Bob

13 Mar 2007

INDIE Like the newest member of an inbred family, Unkle Bob’s debut album has numerous musical baby daddies. Like Snow Patrol they formed in Scotland; like Keane they are prone to stirring emotional anthems and singer Rick Webster’s voice performs…

Records - Unkle Bob

Unkle Bob

13 Mar 2007

INDIE Like the newest member of an inbred family, Unkle Bob’s debut album has numerous musical baby daddies. Like Snow Patrol they formed in Scotland; like Keane they are prone to stirring emotional anthems and singer Rick Webster’s voice performs…

Records - Odeon Beat Club

Odeon Beat Club

13 Mar 2007

INDIE This has been a long time coming. The List has sat quietly, collecting up demos and singles in a tidy pile until this unassuming quartet finally got a long player out. Thankfully this is worth the wait: a dozen brittle tunes that alternately…

Introducing . . .

The best new nights in town, this month: Club Anti

12 Mar 2007

Residents John Goucher, Craig Harper and Sean Clinton.

Bat for Lashes - Exposure

Bat For Lashes

28 Feb 2007

Tomorrow’s music today. Brighton singer-songwriter Natasha Khan’s debut album, Fur and Gold, is a dreamy, fairytale world of wolves, wizards and facial glitter. Thom Yorke and Devendra Banhart are fans of her melancholy, mystical sound and her…

Jarvis - live review

Jarvis

28 Feb 2007

INDIE POP ‘Did we pass the audition?’ enquired Jarvis Cocker (for it is he) towards the end of this well-received debut Scottish solo show. He gets to paraphrase John Lennon, to be fair, because over an hour-and-a-bit he proved just how flaccid most…

Pigeon Detectives and Ripchord - live review

The Pigeon Detectives and Ripchord

28 Feb 2007

INDIE You can be sure that music’s changing when a frontman manages to raise a euphoric howl with such classic rock’n’roll banter as ‘right, does everyone here have a computer?’ - a phrase that sums up how the likes of this pair of bands manage to…

View, The - live review

The View

28 Feb 2007

INDIE A mere year ago The View were playing pub gigs to 50 people in their home town of Dundee. A few months later and a T-Mobile Street Gig in Edinburgh Castle for 100 lucky winners from their newly expanded fanbase is deemed incredibly…

Malcolm Middleton - album review

Malcolm Middleton

27 Feb 2007

INDIE (Full Time Hobby) Ex-Arab Strapper Malcolm Middleton posted his intent with the glorious 2005 album Into the Woods, and this remarkable follow-up cements his place as one of the best songwriters in the country. There is an anthemic pop…

Idlewild - album review

IDLEWILD

13 Feb 2007

ROCK (Sequel) Around the time of his folky solo project’s first release, Roddy Woomble hinted at a return to heavy music for his main band Idlewild. And boy was he right. Make Another World sees the Edinburgh quintet get back to blasting out…

The Decemberists - album review

THE DECEMBERISTS

13 Feb 2007

INDIE (Rough Trade) It is increasingly difficult to find records that are pure in their intentions. The Decemberists wear their ambitions on their (record) sleeves, wishing to create an album filled with quirks that remains welcoming. It recalls…

Tilly and the Wall

Tomorrow’s music today

12 Feb 2007

A technicolour ball of energy, this cute indie pop band from Omaha started making no-fi, unapologetically chirpy, folksy sounds in 2001. The band consists of three girls and two boys, with band member Jamie’s bouncy tap dancing taking the place of…

My Tiny Robots

Cabaret Voltaire, Edinburgh, Wed 31 Jan

12 Feb 2007

INDIE Edinburgh four-piece My Tiny Robots have been knocking about the live scene in the capital for some years now, and it’s been time well spent. They’ve built up a formidable clutch of songs that could well see them finally get the break they…

Singles & Downloads

29 Jan 2007

Singles? Downloads! Seeing as 2007 is the year when MySpace makes it really big, so much so that your mum and dad will be using it to check out that fun new pop act they heard on Jools Holland, let’s celebrate new music. Without wishing to bark in your…

Aereogramme

The Classic Grand, Glasgow, Mon 12 Feb

29 Jan 2007

EPIC ROCK If you’ve ever sniffed around the Scottish post-rock underground, you might be familiar with the work of Aereogramme, but, trust me, you won’t be familiar with this Aereogramme. Because, after two years out of the limelight, the band are…

Malcolm Ross

Ego, Edinburgh, Wed 13 Dec

29 Jan 2007

INDIE The sad but true fact of Edinburgh’s current music scene is that, unless you have local knowledge of the great bands bubbling under the radar, there is no major scene which might burst forth and capture the imagination of the nation. It wasn’t…

Ads, The

The Ads

29 Jan 2007

INDIE If Glasgow’s Ads want to make it they’ll have to strike while the iron is both hot, and unsplattered by the remains of every unwelcome Fratellis and View clone that will inevitably crawl from the woodwork during the next year. They’re both good…

Spare Snare

King Tut’s, Glasgow, Thu 28 Dec

29 Jan 2007

INDIE Once proudly crowned the 46th best Scottish band in history by this very organ (one lower than Dogs Die In Hot Cars, but one above the Average White Band), Dundee’s Spare Snare are finally getting round to cashing in on the accolade with this…

Cold War Kids

Robbers & Cowards (V2)

29 Jan 2007

INDIE Cold War Kids Since we all live in a deathly dull, post-post modern society where we’ve heard it all before and nothing is new, it is nice to hear something that can fill your belly with a warm glow anyway. Lead single ‘We Used To Vacation…

Future Pilot AKA - album review

Future Pilot AKA

29 Jan 2007

INDIE It’s a mystery why Sushil K Dade doesn’t enjoy more than the modicum of Glasgow-centred respect he currently holds. This is possibly because the amount of A-list names he attracts to contribute to his records might overshadow his own…

Bloc Party - album review

Bloc Party

29 Jan 2007

INDIE It would seem that all is not well in the Bloc Party camp. On this rather disappointing second effort their lyrics are infinitely bleaker, melodies more melancholy and the riffs leaner and meaner than ever before. ‘Song For Clay (Disappear…

Jamie T - album review

Jamie T

29 Jan 2007

INDIE Instantly labelled as a ‘troubadour’, seemingly this year’s music journalism cliché de rigeur, Jamie T and his bass guitar pop has enjoyed a year of steadily conscripting devotees to his cause. Striking a lyrical balance between mockney…

Dispatch - Vic Galloway

The Dispatch

15 Jan 2007

In my first column of 2007, it seems only right to join the tipsters of the world and look forward to the remaining 11 and a half months with a selection of ‘ones to watch’. The Scottish music scene is in extremely good health, and as usual, away from…

Aereogramme - album review

Aerogramme

15 Jan 2007

INDIE The sound of a band fulfilling their potential is always a heart-warming thing, and so it is with Aereogramme. This third full-length album sees the band moving onto a whole new level of accomplishment, transforming them in the process from…

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - album review

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah

15 Jan 2007

INDIE To follow up one of 2006’s albums of the year is a hard task, so for this US quintet to do it so quickly and effectively is pretty remarkable. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah’s second effort was recorded in ten months, between international festivals…

Frames, The - album review

The Frames

15 Jan 2007

INDIE The Frames - everybody loves them at home in Ireland, very few have heard of them anywhere else. Although they’re not exactly the new U2 that shouldn’t really be the case, for The Frames are a fine and evocative guitar band of the lighters…

Gruff Rhys - album review

Gruff Rhys

15 Jan 2007

INDIE Super Furry Animals have always had an irresistible, hapless charm, none more so than bobble-headed stoner frontman Gruff Rhys. Freed from his bandmates’ influence, Rhys comes up with a warm and fuzzy smile-inducing collection of essentially…

Malcolm Ross

Ego, Edinburgh, Wed 13 Dec

9 Jan 2007

INDIE The sad but true fact of Edinburgh’s current music scene is that, unless you have local knowledge of the great bands bubbling under the radar, there is no major scene going on which might capture the imagination of the nation. But it wasn’t…

Spare Snare

King Tut’s, Glasgow, Thu 28 Dec

9 Jan 2007

INDIE Once proudly crowned the 46th best Scottish band in history by this very organ (one lower than Dogs Die In Hot Cars, but one above The Average White Band), Dundee’s Spare Snare are finally getting round to cashing in on the accolade with this…

View, The - album review

The View

3 Jan 2007

INDIE This Dundonian foursome are pretty sure of themselves - you can hear it in their swaggering guitar attacks and colourful lyrics. But who can blame them when they boast a debut like this, utterly passion-filled and packed solid with catchy…

Field Music - album review

Field Music

3 Jan 2007

INDIE Although their drummer Dave Brewis is a sometime Futurehead, Sunderland’s Field Music take a refreshingly different tack from their new wave apeing compatriots. There are still a good deal of crunching, right-angled guitars in the mix, but…

Quinn

3 Jan 2007

A beguiling mixture of indie, jazz rhythms and electronica, Quinn are essentially Louise Quinn on guitar and vocals and Bal Cooke on drums and computer. Quinn’s vocals make even the most downbeat trip hop tracks enticing. The duo have just recorded…

Dispatch - Roddy Woomble

The Dispatch

20 Dec 2006

Generally I have no idea what’s going on around me, in terms of new books, film and albums. There was a time, when I was 19 or 20 when I knew what record was coming out on any number of record labels, what was going to be great, the next new thing etc.

Malcolm Ross

Ego, Edinburgh, Wed 13 Dec

20 Dec 2006

INDIE The sad but true fact of Edinburgh’s current music scene is that, unless you have local knowledge of the great bands bubbling under the radar, there is no major scene going on which might capture the imagination of the nation. But it wasn’t…

Club Olum

Meeting of minds

19 Dec 2006

Club Olum is the brainchild of live music promoter and label owner Peter Rooney and one of Glasgow’s most diverse and cutting edge DJs and Deathkill4000’s Marc Lawson AKA Dirty Marc. It’s a partnership made in heaven when you consider the format of…

Various - Blue Skies Up - album review

Various

11 Dec 2006

INDIE With a manifesto aiming to ‘save pop’, Dogbox Records have certainly set themselves a tall task. Most of the ‘pop’ on this compilation is as likely to hit the charts as a duet from Robert Kilroy-Silk and Michael Barrymore, but this reflects far…

We Are the Physics

Exposure - Tomorrow’s music today

7 Dec 2006

Comprising three Michaels, one Chris, more angles than a box of Rubik’s Cubes and a fascination for horror B-movies, meet self styled ‘mutant science punk rock’ Glasgow four piece We Are The Physics. Fusing Devo’s geekish proficiency to the all out…

Hot chip interview

Salt & sauce

6 Dec 2006

Optimo at New Year is always a safe bet, securing some of the most interesting acts on the circuit, and this year is no exception. Not only will Twitch and Wilkes be manning the decks, with a bit of help from Death Disco’s Mingo-Go with ‘spoken…

Minus the Bear

ABC2, Glasgow, Wed 29 Nov

6 Dec 2006

INDIE When was the last time you saw a pop band mosh? And I mean, a full-on shred fest, not a choreographed McFly star-jump. That’s precisely what you get with Minus the Bear. A band that spent their formative years slugging it out in pioneering…

Arab Strap

Belt up

28 Nov 2006

OBITUARY It’s September 1996. A message is being left for me by Arab Strap’s Malcolm Middleton. ‘One of us looks a bit like Chris Evans, the other looks like, em, Tony Slattery.’ As a means of setting up a face-to-face interview with people I’ve…

Pavement - album review

Pavement

27 Nov 2006

INDIE This sprawling reissue of Pavement’s least accessible album is entirely in keeping with the indie doyens’ chaotically scattershot attitude to their craft. The original 18 tracks of the album are now thrown in with another 32 tunes spread over…

Luxembourg - album review

Luxembourg

27 Nov 2006

INDIE SCHMINDIE Sitting as comfortably in the mid-90s as a Queen Anne chair in Morrissey’s parlour, or a La-Z-Boy in Martin Rossiter’s boudoir, Front is a curious period piece. Neglecting to take on board that Mozza gets away with muscular pub-rock…

Duels

27 Nov 2006

There’s been a lot of chat about the Nu-Yorkshire scene the last couple of years, and Duels are one of those bands that have put Leeds on the pop pickers map. Indie pop that shares as much with The Divine Comedy as with the likes of Syd Barrett-era Pink…

Magic Numbers

If it ain’t broke . . .

21 Nov 2006

There are probably precious few things that cause more conflict in this world than: a) sibling discord and b) inter-band rivalry. Armed with this kernel of thought, I assure Magic Numbers bassist and singer Michele Stodart (half of one of the two…

Crash My Model Car

Tomorrow’s music today

21 Nov 2006

EXPOSURE There are seemingly two types of band; the fashion-obsessed fad-followers and those genuinely in it for the long haul. One act who refreshingly wouldn’t know one end of a glo-stick from the other are Crash My Model Car. The Glasgow-based…

Brakes

King Tut’s, Glasgow, Fri 1 Dec

21 Nov 2006

INDIE Brighton has long been an incestuous indie breeding ground, so when news broke of a side-project ‘supergroup’ featuring members of British Sea Power, Electric Soft Parade and Tenderfoot, it came as no surprise. What was surprising was the…

Jarvis Cocker - album review

Jarvis Cocker

14 Nov 2006

INDIE From the punchy pop of The Long Blondes to Arctic Monkeys’ seedy subject matter and dapper showmanship of Franz Ferdinand, the influence of Jarvis Cocker is everywhere in modern music. Yet after the demise of his old band the Sheffield indie…

Elliot Smith Tribute Night

Mono, Glasgow, Sun 29 Oct

11 Nov 2006

INDIE Almost three years to the day since Elliot Smith took his own life, it’s little surprise that tribute nights have sprung up in his honour. His glowing musical contribution and tragic passing mean that he now sits alongside Jeff Buckley and Kurt…

Hazy Janes, The

The Hazy Janes

12 Oct 2006

What is it with folk from Dundee this month? First it was The View, now more Taysiders are at it, this time the altogether less twisted prospect of this feel good foursome. More concerned with inducing singalongs than sparking a mosh pit anguish they…

View, The

The View

12 Oct 2006

Talk may be cheap, but all the bumping of gums about Dundonian quartet seems to have been good value for money. Coming out with the same homely, organic sensibility that made Arctic Monkeys such a naturally appealing proposition, they apear here with…

Your Sound

King Tut’s, Glasgow, Sun 1 Oct

11 Oct 2006

INDIE Launched earlier this year by the King Tut’s venue, Your Sound is a networking opportunity for local acts to come face-to-face with industry figures. Part-indie club night, part-networking soirée and part promo shindig, Your Sound launched Term…

Your Sound

King Tut’s, Glasgow, Sun 1 Oct

10 Oct 2006

INDIE Launched earlier this year by the King Tut’s venue, Your Sound is a networking opportunity for local acts to come face-to-face with industry figures. Part-indie club night, part-networking soirée and part promo shindig, Your Sound launched Term…

Boyfriends, The - album review

The Boyfriends

10 Oct 2006

INDIE This London-based foursome reckon they make ‘good boyfriend material’ (hence the monicker) and if you like your chaps unashamedly foppish, then you’re certain to agree. The band’s potential suitor rating is enhanced by their dreamy debut…

Larrikin Love - album review

Larrikin Love

2 Oct 2006

INDIE Spawned from the waste The Libertines left in their wake, London four-piece Larrikin Love have taken their dreams of the good ship Albion and sailed into muddy waters. Where songs like ‘Happy as Annie’ are tinged with a charming gypsy-punk…

Hot Club de Paris - album review

Hot Club de Paris

2 Oct 2006

INDIE Modern music’s barmy army has some new recruits. Along with the Mystery Jets and Young Knives, this Liverpool-based trio are the latest act to flaunt their eccentricities with a frenetic debut made up of bizarre song titles, off-kilter…

Milburn

2 Oct 2006

Friends in high places can be a double-edged sword at times. Sheffield’s Milburn came to prominence after the exemplary live shows supporting their local kin Arctic Monkeys. They may have assisted in an initial leg up, but the quartet remains fixed…

Rapture, The

Liquid Room, Edinburgh, Thu 12 Oct

28 Sep 2006

Punk funk: remember that one? It was a little bit new wave, but quite post punk. Well, more post-post-punk. But pre-new rave. Such is the way the musical terminology merry-go-round rapidly spins (largely care of the people at NME), and on it again…

Vincent Vincent and the Villains

Exposure

28 Sep 2006

Imagine if The Libertines were formed not by Carl and Pete, but by a young Chuck Berry and Elvis, both high on the intoxicating potential of this new fangled racket, before subsequent generations mucked around with their blueprint. In all probability it…

Raconteurs, The

The Raconteurs

28 Sep 2006

You get one famous dude That’s right, because the American supergroup features none other than the famous daft clowning buffoon and outrageous singer and guitarist Jack Black... oh, hang on a minute... sorry, what?... oh yeah, our mistake. It’s Jack…

Walkmen, The

The Walkmen,

4 Sep 2006

INDIE The life of a touring indie band involves a hell of a lot of hanging around doing sack all. To fill the hours in the back of the van, bands might invent puerile games, take a PlayStation or even read a book. New York oddballers The Walkmen took…

Peter Bjorn and John - CD review

Peter Bjorn and John

4 Sep 2006

INDIE Find nu-rave nonsensical and hipster bands quite horrifying? Then take comfort in the warm fuzzy guitar pop of this scene-swerving Swedish trio, who, with their third LP, offer up something more substantial. Writer’s Block is by far the band’s…

Beck

Meadowbank Stadium, Edinburgh, Tue 22 Aug

4 Sep 2006

INDIE Beck almost threatened to outshine Radiohead in this triumphant support slot. The atmosphere was that of an upbeat funk party complete with dancing bears, cutlery as instruments and puppets galore. For once the flourishes didn’t feel like…

I Fly Spitfires

Barfly, Glasgow, Sat 9 Sep & Sat 16 Sep; Cabaret V

1 Sep 2006

I Fly Spitfires, indie at Glasgow's Barfly and Edinburgh's Cabaret Voltaire