Indie

Sorted by date / most viewed. Showing 10, 25, 50, 100 per page.

RSS feedWhat is this?
5 Reasons to go see: The Felt Tips

5 Reasons to go see: The Felt Tips

25 Jun 2009

1 They’re high flyers The Felt Tips met while enjoying a classic rock’n’roll past time – not freebasing cocaine at 10,000 feet, but flying a kite on Largs beach in 2006. 2 Big specs and cardigans are a must The jangly Glasgow quartet continue a long…

Spare Snare - I Love You, I Hate You

Spare Snare - I Love You, I Hate You

(3 stars)25 Jun 2009

(Chute) For the uninitiated, Spare Snare (voted 46th in The List’s all-time Top Scottish bands poll) have been on-the-go since leader Jan D Burnett set up his home studio in Dundee around the early 90s. An acquired taste, their blend of noisy/trippy…

The Britbus Tour

The Britbus Tour

(4 stars)25 Jun 2009

After parading their talents through the streets of Edinburgh on an open top bus during the day, it was back to familiar territory for the five up-and-coming Scottish bands selected to play as part of the Britbus showcase. First up, The Beatnic…

The Joy Formidable, Chew Lips and Lemonade

The Joy Formidable, Chew Lips and Lemonade

(4 stars)11 Jun 2009

INDIE On the tiny stage in the Art School’s Vic Bar, the roaming audience at this inaugural Glasgow leg of the multi-venue Stag and Dagger festival were treated to a line-up which was young and diverse enough to be mistaken for a possible future NME…

The Gossip - Music for Men

The Gossip - Music for Men

(4 stars)11 Jun 2009

The Gossip’s extravagant firebrand Beth Ditto has bagged herself stardom in bountiful guises: disco-blues diva, brawling fashionista, feminist defender, media provocateur, political agitator — and, not least, the sexiest catsuit inhabitant since…

If Destroyed Still True - Seven Dials

Lord Cut-Glass - Lord Cut-Glass

(4 stars)11 Jun 2009

It’s taken a while to get round to it, but five years since his sometime band The Delgados split, and following collaborations with Aidan Moffat, Alasdair Gray and David Shrigley, Alun Woodward is finally making his album debut under this new alias.

Player Piano

Player Piano

(3 stars)11 Jun 2009

INDIE POP Indiana boy Mr Piano (aka Jeremy Radway) pitched up at Homegame, Fence’s annual music fest in Anstruther, a few years ago, and was welcomed into the prolific collective of Fife musicians for whom folk is not a four-letter word. At this…

Lord Cut Glass

Lord Cut Glass - Carnegie Hall, Dunfermline, Sat 16 May

(4 stars)28 May 2009

The least we could expect from a solo project of the man who sang with The Delgados is a bit of arch miserablism dressed up behind deceptively pretty pop songs. On both counts, Alun Woodward – the good Lord himself – delivered, but few might have…

We Were Promised Jetpacks

5 Reasons to go see: We Were Promised Jetpacks

28 May 2009

1. Great band name Often overlooked as an essential requirement for a great band is the need for a cracking band name. We Were Promised Jetpacks has just the right amount of off-kilter comedy and poignancy to get across their bittersweet, scintillating…

Also Released - Records

28 May 2009

Franz Ferdinand Blood (Domino) A hit-and-miss retooling of the band’s recent Tonight album. The real dubby moments are a sonorous joy among the modest reshuffles of others. Loop A Gilded Eternity (Reactor) A very welcome reissue of the immense final…

Broken Records

Broken Records

28 May 2009

Glasgow has long been the focus in Scotland for all things indie, with Edinburgh a very poor second when it comes to generating quality bands, but there are signs that’s changing. You wouldn’t quite say the capital has caught up yet, but with more…

Passion Pit: Manners

Passion Pit: Manners

(4 stars)28 May 2009

No need to rely on the erratic Scottish sunshine with Passion Pit around. The Massachusetts fivesome evoke dreamy summer days with this heavily-anticipated debut offering, which turns out to be everything the hype had us hoping for and more. A…

The 10:04s

The 10:04s and The OK Social Club - The Hive, Edinburgh, Sat 9 May

(3 stars)28 May 2009

Is Leith the new Dundee? The area has all-of-a-sudden hothoused a bunch of ragged, jangly indie kids seemingly hell-bent on finding their way into Alan McGee’s phone book. Admittedly, none of this trio carry quite the same air of menace as The View, The…

Wavves: Wavvves

Wavves: Wavvves

(3 stars)28 May 2009

Nothing beats a bit of noisy weird-pop, and the world’s premier purveyor of it currently is 22 year-old San Diegan Nathan Williams aka Wavves. This second effort from the enigmatic chap takes the listener on a brilliantly unsettling journey through…

Diplo

Mad Decent records

14 May 2009

‘We look for people who are trying different things,’ says Jasper Goggins, New York-based manager of the Mad Decent label, ‘and who aren’t afraid to be a bit experimental with their sound. But more than that everyone on the label is friends, there’s…

Manchester Orchestra: Mean Everything to Nothing

Manchester Orchestra: Mean Everything to Nothing

(4 stars)14 May 2009

They’re not from Manchester and they’re not an orchestra. Instead this young indie five-piece from Atlanta tap into the blue-collar rock ethic that’s spawned the likes of The Hold Steady and Kings of Leon, while also displaying plenty weirdness to keep…

Phoenix: Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

Phoenix: Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix

(4 stars)14 May 2009

Phoenix are really rather brilliant, it’s just a shame more people don’t know it. Criminally underrated for most of their career, the French quartet return with this fourth effort; which, cringey title aside, is by far their most accomplished and…

My Latest Novel: Deaths and Entrances

My Latest Novel: Deaths and Entrances

(3 stars)14 May 2009

Now with a title like Deaths And Entrances, the long-awaited second long player from this Greenock-based bunch was never going to be a barrel of laughs. And right enough, it makes for pretty weighty listening; as gritty riffs, swirling strings…

Official Secrets Act

Official Secrets Act

(3 stars)14 May 2009

Jerky English indie quartet Official Secrets Act’s debut album Understanding Electricity is suggestive of a band with intelligence and melodies to burn – like The Futureheads or Bloc Party, or Razorlight with their brains in the right place rather than…

Pumajaw: Favourites

Pumajaw: Favourites

(3 stars)14 May 2009

Sounding like the whole thing was recorded in some mist-shrouded graveyard by night, the eerie, atmospheric Favourites is a round-up of Pinkie Maclure and John Wills, aka Pumajaw’s, favourite songs from their own back catalogue. Tracks like ‘Buttons…

RBRBR, Yoshi and Supersonic Sims

RBRBR, Yoshi and Supersonic Sims

(3 stars)14 May 2009

Another new night, another line up of new musical contenders and Edinburgh’s Supersonic Sims are clearly an eye and ear-catching new talent, although not quite the finished article. With bold images of the singer plastered across the video screen in the…

The Maccabees

The Maccabees

(3 stars)14 May 2009

The new layout in independent record retailer Avalanche lends itself perfectly to an intimate instore gig. With young fans spilling onto Cockburn Street well before the music starts, by the time The Maccabees squeeze themselves onto the tiny stage the…

White Lies

White Lies

30 Apr 2009

Despite its grand themes of life and death, To Lose My Life or Lose My Love was the first album of 2009 to go straight in at number one. Not bad for a debut album and a cracking start to the year for London trio Whites Lies. Having begun life as punky…

Paul Vickers & The Leg

Paul Vickers & The Leg

(4 stars)30 Apr 2009

INDIE/POST-PUNK OPERA It’s not at every pre-weekend indie night you witness the premiere of a 20-minute post-punk opera performed by a supergroup quartet of men in animal costumes. Yet that’s exactly what’s on offer in the debut of Itchy Grumble, a…

5 Reasons To Go See - 1990s

5 Reasons To Go See - 1990s

30 Apr 2009

They love numbers more than Carol Vorderman does. They can turn a bus journey into a sociological study. They get their inspiration from unusual sources. They’re fearless rhymers. They’re cosmically minded.

Graham Coxon - The Spinning Top

Graham Coxon - The Spinning Top

(3 stars)30 Apr 2009

INDIE It’s a busy old year for Mr Coxon, Blur are back together (and headlining T in the Park), he’s been playing with Peter Doherty (live and on recent album Grace/Wasteland) and now he’s got his own solo album to punt. And it obviously suits him…

Homeward bound

Fence Collective's Homegame: Homeward bound

16 Apr 2009

In the ever-growing Scottish music festival calendar, the Homegame remains something of a well-kept secret. Despite a steadily increasing profile since its inception six years ago, the weekend, run by Fence Collective head honchos Kenny Anderson (aka…

RPZ: Tru playerz

RPZ: Tru playerz

16 Apr 2009

While gifted resident DJs form the backbone of all of Glasgow’s most successful clubs, the majority of the city’s club nights operate as a platform for talent from elsewhere. Although there are other notable exceptions to this rule, few clubs have been…

Camera Obscura - My Maudlin Career

Camera Obscura - My Maudlin Career

(4 stars)16 Apr 2009

(4AD) My Maudlin Career reflects vocalist Tracyanne Campbell’s discovery of the sweet melancholy of love. Her gentle voice leads us through these songs about the search for self-acceptance during a personal clash of musical aspirations and a much…

Peter, Bjorn & John - Living Thing

Peter, Bjorn & John - Living Thing

(3 stars)16 Apr 2009

(Wichita) Best known for their whistly, catchier-than-the-cold hit ‘Young Folks’, the Swedish trio return here with their fifth album. It has all the ingredients for a twinkling pop gem – ice cold Human League synths, crashing drums straight out a…

Super Furry Animals - Dark Days/Light Years

Super Furry Animals - Dark Days/Light Years

(4 stars)16 Apr 2009

INDIE (Rough Trade) As per comedian Steven Wright’s line about making his own water, ‘two parts H, one part O’, there is a tried and tested winning formula for Super Furries records, and this, their ninth studio album, is no exception. A handful of…

Confusion Is Sex

The best new nights in town. This month: Confusion Is Sex

16 Apr 2009

Residents Not so much a resident as a ‘creator’; Gamma Ray, former promoter of the Bongo’s Hobo, has brought this new monthly event together. Guests A live show from Berlin-based electro-punks Noblesse Oblige, a headline DJ appearance from Glasgow’s…

Paper Planes

Paper Planes

(4 stars)2 Apr 2009

INDIE/PUNK One part American, three parts Scottish and all parts pretty exceptional, Glasgow’s Paper Planes have struck on a great formula. New Jersey-born front woman Jennifer Paley is as photogenic as a young Chrissie Hynde and caterwauls as…

Natasha Khan

Big Picture - Bat for Lashes

2 Apr 2009

The spooky, kooky charms of Natasha Khan come to Glasgow this fortnight, as she tours her new album Two Suns, the follow up to her Mercury nominated debut, Fur and Gold. Expect dark disco melodies, haunting vocals and mystical, celestial tales of…

It Hugs Back - Inside Your Guitar

It Hugs Back - Inside Your Guitar

(2 stars)2 Apr 2009

INDIE Despite the terrible twee band name, there’s initially something endearing about this Kent foursome’s debut album, opener ‘Q’ leaning heavily on dreamy mid-period Wilco influences to create something eerie yet uplifting. But while Wilco’s…

State Broadcasters - The Ship and the Iceberg

State Broadcasters - The Ship and the Iceberg

(3 stars)2 Apr 2009

INDIE State Broadcasters: a gentle swirl of strings, harp, banjo and Scottish accents are the latest band to release an album on Stow College’s student-run label, Electric Honey. The Glasgow six-piece’s debut is an innocent folk-pop swoon, with…

The Big Pink

The Big Pink

2 Apr 2009

PREVIEW Milo Cordell and Robbie Furze have come a long way since their days of running club nights in a disused horse hospital in Islington. ‘We were both really into industrial noise,’ says Cordell. ‘Just noise. Like kkkssshhh. Kkkrrr. Distorted…

1990s - Kicks

1990s - Kicks

(3 stars)19 Mar 2009

INDIE Unfairly under-rated for their sleazy glam riot of a debut album Cookies in 2007, Glasgow’s 1990s have returned to finish the job. With Bernard Butler producing. So most of the sleaze, the glam and the rioting has been kicked out. Okay, so…

Frightened Rabbit - Quietly Now!

Frightened Rabbit - Quietly Now!

(4 stars)19 Mar 2009

LIVE INDIE Don’t be misled by their cuddlesome designate, nor indeed their cutesy demeanour: Frightened Rabbit are a savage pop mob, whose colossal debut proper, The Midnight Organ Fight, was a fierce contender for the album of 2008. Said melodic…

The Airborne Toxic Event

The Airborne Toxic Event

19 Mar 2009

They might sound like a hardcore metal band but The Airborne Toxic Event are actually an LA indie five-piece. Taking their name form Don DeLillio’s book White Noise and producing an expansive indie rock akin to Arcade Fire crossed with The Strokes.

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - The Pains of Being Pure at Heart

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - The Pains of Being Pure at Heart

(4 stars)19 Mar 2009

INDIE If My Bloody Valentine and Belle and Sebastian had babies, they’d no doubt be pretty grotesque-looking little mites. But we reckon their musical outpourings would sound a lot like The Pains of Being Pure at Heart – and boy, would they be able…

Findo Gask

Findo Gask, Babygod and Night Noise Team

(4 stars)5 Mar 2009

REVIEW INDIE FINDO GASK, BABYGOD AND NIGHT NOISE TEAM The changing seasons of Scottish music can be hard to judge, although there’s little doubt we’re heading back into summer right now. So let’s enthuse about one reason why; Findo Gask, the…

Ipso Facto

Ipso Facto

5 Mar 2009

INDIE Last time über-bobbed female quartet Ipso Facto were in Glasgow, two of their number were aloft the shoulders of their companions in the auditorium of the O2 Academy, going nuts to reformed post-punk fabulists Magazine’s encore of Captain…

Mitchell Museum

Meursault, Y'all is Fantasy Island and Mitchell Museum

(4 stars)19 Feb 2009

REVIEW INDIE ROCK Mitchell Museum are a quartet from Glasgow whose gleeful expressions and keyboard rinky-dinkery threaten to spill over into the realms of the cornball, but hold back just enough to ensure they entertain rather than annoy. Both tracks…

Peter Doherty

Peter Doherty - Grace Wastelands

(3 stars)19 Feb 2009

(Parlophone) INDIE There’s no denying Peter Doherty has talent, The Libertines were a breath of fresh air that gave the indie scene a much needed kick up the arse back in 2002. It’s a story that’s been retold a thousand times from NME to the…

Sky Larkin

Sky Larkin

(4 stars)19 Feb 2009

With a rip-roaring opening set from acerbic Scots guitar heroes Copy Haho warming the crowd up nicely, Sky Larkin took to the stage without much fanfare. Playing to a crowd made up of the curious rather than the devoted, the first half of their set…

The Leisure Society - The Sleeper

The Leisure Society - The Sleeper

(5 stars)19 Feb 2009

(Willkommen) INDIE Their sublime, string-filled debut single, ‘The Last of the Melting Snow’, was chosen by Elbow’s Guy Garvey as his single of the year. And this, their first LP, is full of a similar northern England charm akin to the Mercury…

The View

The View

5 Feb 2009

INDIE ROCK First time around with their Mercury Prize short listed 2007 debut album Hats Off to the Buskers, young Dundonian rapscallions The View left a trail of drug busts, trashed hotel rooms and US Visa rejections in their wake. The quartet are…

Boycotts

Boycotts

(4 stars)5 Feb 2009

INDIE Just when you think you’ve got this Glasgow four-piece nailed as an abrasively angular, art school outfit, the pixie-booted minx bopping about onstage opens her cheeky gob and takes you by surprise. The sound emanating from knowingly named…

Crystal Stilts - Alight of Night

Crystal Stilts - Alight of Night

(2 stars)5 Feb 2009

INDIE You know Crystal Stilts are hip because they’re from Brooklyn, right? Well, here’s some news for you: whatever your locality, you still need to write a decent melody every now and then. The fivesome’s striking image, and the mean and moody…

Found 271 articles.

Sorted by date / most viewed. Showing 10, 25, 50, 100 per page.