Indie, Doug Johnstone

Future of the Left

Title contenders

14 Aug 2008

You can’t beat a good song title, and Future of the Left have some of the best. The Cardiff based trio’s second single was the thrillingly angry rock of ‘adeadenemyalwayssmellsgood’, and the band’s debut album Curses was peppered with other gems such as…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

Fields

Records

26 Apr 2007

INDIE Imagine, if you will, Fleetwood Mac getting together with My Bloody Valentine. Add some crystal meth, the melodies of angels and a poet’s heart. Fields’ sound ranges from exquisite skewed folk to powerhouse drone-rock mayhem, frequently in the…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…