Meursault

Meursault's Neil Pennycook talks touring, recording and Plastic Animals

The power-folk group are working on a new album following last year's Something for the Weakened

Fronted by the booming and distinct voice of Neil Pennycook, power-folk act Meursault have been offering their delicate, tender musings for over five years now. They put out their debut album, 2008’s Pissing on Bonfires/Kissing With Tongues, the first…

Admiral Fallow, Emeli Sande and Django Django nominated for Scottish Album of the Year Award 2012

Dam Mantle, The Twilight Sad and Lau also in running for best Scottish album of the last year

Admiral Fallow, Emeli Sande and Django Django are among the artists who are in the running for the Scottish Album of the Year Award 2012. They are part of a longlist of 20 albums, whittled down from over 270 titles by a selection of journalists…

Glasgow and Edinburgh Christmas party round-up

Olive Grove Records, The Art School, Is This Music? and Kid Canaveral hosting festive gigs

It takes a strong will and an even stronger stomach to get through the slew of festive functions at this time of year. However, we have a selection of alternative and highly enjoyable ways to blow off steam this Christmas. First up, fledgling…

The best albums of 2012

Featuring Django Django, Meursault, Errors, The Twilight Sad and Konx-Om-Pax

1 Django Django - Django Django (Because) It’s easy to draw comparisons with The Beta Band – especially as DD member David Maclean is brothers with BB’s John Maclean – but from the chirping, floaty intro that segues into the transcendental swamp-funk…

Ten collaborative music, theatre and film projects from Scotland

Including Speed of Light, Pass the Spoon and Whatever Gets You Through the Night

Pass the Spoon. It sounded like an unlikely dish, with ingredients including off-beat artist David Shrigley (who wrote the libreto), modernist composer David Fennessy and Magnetic North director Nicholas Bone working with the Red Note Ensemble, but when…

Various artists - Whatever Gets You Through The Night

Impressive collection of songs released as part of wide-ranging multi-media project

‘The night’s getting colder’, sings Withered Hand on opening brass-folk serenade ‘A New Case’, and his words reflect the moon-lit backdrop of this terrific pop anthology. Its exclusive songs explore contemporary Scotland at 4am, as part of Cora Bissett…

Meursault, Rob St John and Jill O’Sullivan & Jenny Reeve - Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh, Sat 7 Jul 2012

Triumphant performance more than delivering on high hopes of hometown crowd

Some album launches can be rather flat affairs – people don’t know the songs, the band are nervous, and it can all feel a bit dutiful. But this packed-out show heralding the arrival of album number three for Meursault couldn’t have been further from…

The Fence Collective’s Away Game - Isle of Eigg Fri 20-Sun 22 Jul

Island festival including Meursault, Jon Hopkins and Nathan Fake

I miss the smell of the all-night toilets: like camping and school trips and warm wood and wet clothes. I miss the bagpipes on the pier. The polystyrene cups of tea. The cows and sheep and dogs and cats that milled round our tents and danced in the…

Interview: Cora Bissett and David Greig on Whatever Gets You Through the Night

Night-themed project brings together theatre, music, film and a book

Cora Bissett, David Greig and Swimmer One have stayed up past their bedtimes to hang out with some of Scotland’s coolest actors, bands and artists. Anna Burnside takes an extra slug of coffee to find out Whatever Gets You Through the Night

Single of the Month: Meursault's 'Flittin''

The Dirty Projectors, Two Inch Punch, Leanne Mitchell, Skinny Lister and will.i.am also reviewed

There’s talk every year of the obligatory summer slump; when album releases take a back seat to the demand for sun-soaked holidays and piss-soaked festivals, and labels play it safe. However, judging by this month’s singles selection, there’s still…

Eat, sleep and breathe: Meursault

Neil Pennycook reveals some of the band’s on-the-road eating habits

What time is breakfast? The five minutes between waking up and getting in the tour van.Tea or coffee? Coffee. Smoking or non-smoking? Smoking.

Meursault - Something For The Weakened

Cohesive, gorgeous and forceful album from Edinburgh chamber-folk ensemble

You would break your heart – or part with it – for that album title alone, would you not. And that’s before we speak of ‘Hole’, the greatest desolate / optimistic ballad since Smog’s ‘Rock Bottom Riser’. ‘Hole’ slowly burns at the centre of Something…

Meursault and Happy Particles - Glasgow Science Centre, Sun 9 Oct 2011

Science meets creativity for a night beneath the stars

Ever the fan of showcasing musical talent in the most unusual of circumstances, Detour teamed up with Glasgow Science Centre (GSC) for two shows during their Capture Space weekend. Held in the planetarium inside the centre, Detour selected two bands per…

Glasgow Science Centre takes a Detour

Ally McRae and David Weaver organise a special event with Remember Remember, Meursault and more

Ever think that science wasn’t cool (despite the well-mannered, be-jumpered protestations of Brian Cox)? Well, Detour Scotland beg to differ. The video makers/radio pesterers/off the wall gig organisers, set up by Radio 1’s Ally McCrae and long-term…

Retreat IV - Pilrig St Paul’s Church, Edinburgh, Sat 27 & Sun 28 Aug 2011

Glorious fourth appearance from the indie DIY pop fest

All Sunday afternoons should be like the one at this year’s Retreat DIY pop festival: tea in our hands, bacon rolls in our bellies, and eagleowl gently blowing our minds. That was before a toddler joined them onstage and stole our hearts; before the…

Meursault / Over The Wall / Capitals / Miaoux Miaoux

King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut, Glasgow, Mon 25 Jul 2011

It's always exciting to find a new band that gets you going, you know, one that really does it for you. To have four of them on one bill is another kettle of fish entirely, one we at The List welcome with open arms on this leg of the second annual…

King Tut’s Summer Nights series of gigs

Local heroes including Song of Return and Meursault line-up for Tut's fortnight-long season of gigs

‘Britain’s Best Small Venue’ – as voted last month by the NME but perhaps better known to Glasgow music-loving punters as plain old ‘King Tut’s’ – continues its successful run of seasonal live programmes with this month’s second annual ‘Summer Nights…

Edinburgh's Retreat festival 2011

A fine August ending to Edinburgh’s annual festival hoopla

It’ll be the fourth year running for the pocket-sized festival, which the organisers describe as ‘an independent micro music festival celebrating Edinburgh’s contribution to the international pop underground.’ And by ‘pop underground’, last year that…

Jonnie Common - Deskjob launch, Captain’s Rest, Glasgow, Wed 6 Apr 2011

Guests include Panda Su, Meursault and Conquering Animal Sound

Honing his multifarious craft as curator, producer and alt-pop svengali, bespectacled tech-wizard Jonnie Common has pulled a sonorous blinder with Deskjob. It’s a compilation that showcases and rewires many of Scotland’s pre-eminent independent acts…

Johnny Lynch of Fence Records talks exclusively to The List about Home Game 2011

Fence Records’ annual Anstruther-based shindig Home Game is approaching once again, offering three days of intimate musical adventures for anyone lucky enough to get their hands on one of the 400 highly-coveted tickets. ‘We’ve spent 8 years building…

The best Christmas gigs in Edinburgh and Glasgow

Burns, Zombie Nation, Ballboy and Broken Records among Christmas party gig highlights

Stars In Their Eyes special/ Song, By Toad’s Christmas party/ Kid Canaveral’s Christmas Baubles/ Death Disco’s XXXmas Party/ Radio Magnetic’s Winter Rave/ Mungo’s Hi-Fi/ Bill Wells’ Black Christmas In a bygone olden, golden era – circa 1995 BC…

Withered Hand and Meursault head up Edinburgh's Retreat!

Home-grown, DIY city festival, in a church

As we stagger, tired and bewildered, in the twilight of this year’s Edinburgh Festival, there’s a DIY pop haven on the horizon, and it’s got all of our names on it. It’s locally-sourced, it’s BYOB and it’s for all ages. Its name is Retreat. Sorry…

Withered Hand set for Edge Festival show

Key player in Edinburgh alt.folk scene hits the Fringe

This likeable oddball is a key player in Edinburgh’s alt.folk scene. Singer Dan Willson is a regular performer at Fence Record nights (and also pops up at this week’s Haarfest festival, see page 129) and counts Neil Pennycook (of Meursault) Bart Owl…

King Creosote, Meursault & Animal Magic Tricks - Cold Seeds

(Song, by Toad) Eerie and sumptuous as the participants list might suggest, this corker’s only let-down is its sporadic tendency to meander without direction.

Meursault - All Creatures Will Make Merry

(Song, By Toad) A sizeable measure of expectation surrounds this record, and with good reason: Edinburgh rousing-folk experts Meursault have become a much-loved live attraction since their 2008 debut album. Does this, their follow-up, do them…