Music, Previews, Issue 631

God Help the Girl

‘You have been warned, I’m going to be contrary,’ sings the beautiful Catherine Ireton on God Help the Girl – the new album written by Stuart Murdoch of Belle and Sebastian fame. Murdoch could be speaking about himself, for he has always confounded…

Stadium rock in Scotland 2009

Mark Robertson gets out his giant foam finger and keeps his fingers crossed that his topless torso turns up on the big screens as we look at just what this summer’s massive outdoor shows have to offer.

Kelburn Garden Party

It may seem that there were enough stories of big weekenders failing to establish themselves – such as Isle of Skye and Indian Summer – even before the financial downturn, which has this year claimed the scalps of Connect, Dunstaffnage and The Outsider.

Throbbing Gristle

INDUSTRIAL When Throbbing Gristle issued a communiqué in 1981 announcing that ‘the mission is terminated’, it looked like the last self-destructive flourish by the UK’s premier avant-provocateurs. Sired from underground performance art troupe COUM…

Jarvis Cocker

While many of his Britpop contemporaries are content to drag their increasingly saggy posteriors around the country – reforming for money-making purposes and trading solely on nostalgia – Jarvis Cocker can’t seem to stop re-inventing himself. It’s no…

The Amphetameanies

SKA PUNK Cult Glasgow ska punk veterans The Amphetameanies’ line-up, past and present, includes members of Bis, Belle and Sebastian and Franz Ferdinand. Bassist Gordon Davidson refutes the suggestion that it must be frustrating being in all these…

YolanDa Brown

SOUL JAZZ Twenty-six-year-old London-born saxophonist YolanDa Brown is already remarkably successful, winning a MOBO award last year and collaborating with Alexander O’Neil, Mica Paris and The Temptations, all on the back of just two self-released…

Labels of Love - Crystal Wish

Based in Edinburgh Roster 7VWWVW, Kyon & Dyems, Albaross, Spells Tower, The Kittens Bosses Crystal Wish is an artist-run group, not ‘a typical company as such’; 7VWWVW’s (pronounced ‘Mammal’) Nick Munro is just one of the group involved in…

Auntie Janet Saves The Planet

Despite perceptions, young audiences can often be the toughest to entertain. But they’re also one of the most open, as writer Mark Robertson is gleefully aware. ‘It’s very liberating,’ he says. ‘Because there’s stuff you can do that you just wouldn’t…

Brand New

ROCK Like a dozy-eyed mammal emerging post-hibernation, American rockers Brand New are resurfacing after what has seemed like a slumbersome last couple of years. And it’s good news, for instead of catching up on 40,000 winks and conserving energy…

The Congos

REGGAE As mournful tenor trembles above falsetto and baritone amid a bubbling cacophony of bass and effect, the statuesque and trance-inducing ‘Fisherman’ ushers in a cult reggae masterpiece. It is tempting if unfair to say that The Congos have…

A Hawk and a Hacksaw

FOLK The boisterous yet melancholy sounds of Eastern European folk music have long entranced Western musicians, from avant-jazzer John Zorn to indie-pop cosmopolitan Beirut. But few have gone as far as A Hawk and a Hacksaw in their exploration of…

Would Be Kings

Dispelling the typical indie/rock band image, Would be Kings have no gimmicks, fads, straightened hair or skinny jeans. Instead, the five-piece focus firmly on their music, bringing with them a whole host of experiences and influences. Sounding more…

Absent Elk

Frontman Kjetil’s Norwegian roots have greatly influenced the band, from the unusual name, Absent Elk, to much of their lyrical content. With the infectiously catchy single ‘Cannibals’ under their belts and the successful release of their newest ‘Sun…

General Fiasco

Northern Irish alt.rockers, General Fiasco have been touring the wilds of Scotland (from Ullapool to Stornoway) before a final assault on Glasgow. So far the indie boys have supported The Pigeon Detectives, The Wombats and The Enemy and are now ready to…

Get the Blessing

Phenomenally versatile jazz act known for wearing suits with fluorescent orange plastic bags on their heads, Get The Blessing are a fusion of experimental nu-electric jazz and ska. Taking inspiration from diverse influences, going from 60s spy films to…

Gary Go

Handpicked by Gary Barlow to support pop superstars Take That on their stadium tour, Gary Go is not simply another heart-broken hack, but has compelling, honest, storyteller lyrics teamed with intriguing melodies and dulcet tones that gives him…