Music, Previews

Bon Iver - Lone justice

4 Sep 2008

The breathtaking debut album from Bon Iver is evidence that isolation can produce something truly special. Colin McKean revels in this most singular of musical visions Disillusioned and frustrated by the disintegration of DeYarmond Edison, the band…

Calexico

4 Sep 2008

‘It’s not what some people have called a return to form, because there are new elements on the record,’ says Joey Burns, singer, songwriter and co-founding member (with percussionist John Convertino) of the idiosyncratic alt.country outfit Calexico.

Exposure: Punch and the Apostles

4 Sep 2008

‘We’re not exactly palatable, but not immediately repulsive,’ suggests lead singer Paul Napier, to sum up the sound of Punch and the Apostles, the Glasgow seven-piece who’ve been bringing chaos to traditional folk music for almost a year now. Mashing up…

Fast punk club

4 Sep 2008

‘We call it a punk night,’ says Christopher Fast, ‘but it’s more about a punk attitude to music. From rockabilly, 60s soul, garage and hip hop to disco and electro, we set out to make different genres work together in an interesting way.’ For five…

Islay Jazz Festival

4 Sep 2008

If the idea of a successful jazz festival on Islay once seemed more than a touch outlandish, the actuality has been quite the opposite. The Islay Jazz Festival celebrates its 10th anniversary this year with a line-up that typifies the programming policy…

Amy Thomas

4 Sep 2008

Sultry songstress Amy Thomas started off as a classical singer but is now more at home dipping into the Great American Songbook for some classic jazz vocals. And while she'll be performing jazz at the Jam House she's also fronts a band that mashes…

Bowerbirds

4 Sep 2008

Nu-folk trio in the same vein as Devandra Banhart, professing a love of uncluttered natural living in their gorgeously constructed tumbledown tales of love, longing and the great outdoors. There’s a warmth and delicate beauty in their tracks built on…

Caledon

4 Sep 2008

They’ve toured all over the world, but for the first time in a couple of years Scotland’s three tenors, Caledon, are performing back in their home city of Glasgow. Classically trained Alan Beck, Jamie MacDougall and Ivan Sharpe bring a programme of…

Constantines

4 Sep 2008

When Bryan Webb and Doug MacGregor’s hardcore act Shoulder broke up they toned their rock fury down to form Constantines with Steve Lambke and Dallas Wehrle. Starting out signed to Sub Pop, they play raw art punk mixed with college rock for a groove…

David Holmes

4 Sep 2008

Famed for his soundtrack work on the likes of Ocean’s 13 and Out of Sight and his ever eclectic approach to DJing, David Holmes is one of the world’s most consistently excellent and interesting DJs. Veering from techno through funk and punk rock you…

Five reasons to go and see: Swervedriver

4 Sep 2008

1 The shoegazing revival starts here! OK, Swervedriver were kind of more grungy than shoegazing, but the ballistic Oxford outfit had feet in both camps, creating a mesmerising racket on a par with My Bloody Valentine and Ride for the whole of the 90s…

Gym Class Heroes

4 Sep 2008

They may have had their big break on Fall Out Boy’s Decaydance Records label but Gym Class Heroes play up beat hip hop, earning their stripes playing mainly rock bills. Now frontman Travis McCoy has helped push the band into the big leagues with duets…

Licence Pending

4 Sep 2008

Drew Taylor, compere and promoter of the Tron’s Licence Pending night, is outlining the ideas behind the event when he stops and checks himself. He’s just used the words ‘performance poetry industry’ and he feels the urge to add the caveat ‘if you can…

Meshuggah

4 Sep 2008

Sometimes the devil is in the detail, but there are also times when the more you explain something, the less sense it makes. In Meshuggah’s case both are true. As regards the first notion, their music is arguably among the most complex and…

The Abyssinians

4 Sep 2008

Donald Manning, Bernard Collins and Linford Manning formed the core of reggae act The Abyssinians back in 1968. They released the reggae classic ‘Satta Massagana’, a Rastafarian hymn, a year later only to split during the 80s. Reuniting on stage in 2004…

Wire

4 Sep 2008

Debuting with Pink Flag in 1977, Wire were players on the UK punk scene but it was their minimalism and stark soundscapes that differentiated them form the pack. They were one of the main influences on the post-punk scene. They split in the 80s only to…

Black Sun

21 Aug 2008

Dark doom from Glasgow deviants Black Sun. This is sludgy, rumbling metal that reverberates through your synapses like an earthquake. A crushing assault on the senses with a dose of post-hardcore and ambient of the blackest variety. Check out new album…

Budapest Festival Orchestra

Folk and gypsy influence evident in programme of two concerts

21 Aug 2008

Starting off with a programme inspired by gypsy music and Hungarian folk melodies, the Budapest Festival Orchestra give two full orchestral concerts in the last week of the Festival plus two presented by some of their soloists. Featuring some rather…

Festival of British Youth Orchestras

21 Aug 2008

The last week and a bit of the Festival of British Youth Orchestras at the RSAMD involves mainly Scottish young musicians from both east and west. A huge range of music from film scores to some serious symphonies can be heard, as well as pieces…

Hitlist - Music

The best gigs this fortnight

21 Aug 2008

N*E*R*D Justin Timberlake guested at their Scottish debut in 2003 after the MTV Music Awards and while this night might not have the trouser-snake in tow, Chad Hugo and Pharrell Williams most certainly have what it takes to throw down a platinum hip hop…

Joe Acheson Quartet

A soundclash of electronics meets jazz can’t be beat

21 Aug 2008

Edinburgh’s favourite sound bending quartet has collaborated with visual artist and filmmaker, Ivan Torres Hdez, creating visuals that he manipulates live on stage for each individual track. Their cinematic effect is enhanced by two drum kits conversing…

Jubilee

21 Aug 2008

You can’t dispute the talent involved in Jubilee, featuring Aaron North (Nine Inch Nails/The Icarus Line) on vocals and guitar; Michael Shuman (Queens of the Stone Age/Wires on Fire) on bass and vocals and Jeff Lynn (Wires on Fire) guitar. However they…

Regal king size

21 Aug 2008

Karol Szymanowski considered himself an outsider which is why he identified with Sicily’s King Roger II and why his opera has become a gay favourite, finds Carol Main The Edinburgh International Festival’s staged opera programme is swinging from one…

Superhero

God on their side

21 Aug 2008

Religion and rock music don’t usually mix, but they’ve always been on speaking terms. Elvis himself grew up a good, god-fearing boy, while Bob Dylan, possibly the most famous one-time born-again Christian in music, released two albums of Christian songs…

The Dodos

21 Aug 2008

San Francisco psych folkers The Dodos’ epic creations are even more impressive when you consider it’s just a duo (Meric Long and Logan Kroeber) producing these complex, free spirited and warming tumbledown tracks. Plus like-minded support from Gorky’s…