Music and Previews

Five picks from Celtic Connections 2012

Featuring Zoe Muth, Jack Bruce, King Creosote and Jon Hopkins and Vieux Farka Touré

6 Jan 2012

Zoe Muth & The Lost High Rollers The year in Americana 2011 belongs to Gillian Welch and the release of her album The Harrow & the Harvest, but amongst a promising field of young female country singers, Zoe Muth stands out. With her ear for an instant…

Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy to play Celtic Connections set

Some facts you may not know about Will Oldham's alterego

6 Jan 2012

1. This will be first Scottish performance in over five years The music of Will Oldham (aka Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy) has haunted independent music for over two decades now, through various monikers (Palace Music, Palace Brothers, Palace Songs to name a…

The Captain’s Collection

Matthew Zajac of Dogstar Theatre to play Gaelic music preservationist Captain Simon Fraser

19 Dec 2011

The latest production from Inverness-based company Dogstar is a rich tale about a composer and former British Army officer who courts fame by publishing his volumes of Highland music. The piece, which is being performed in Glasgow as part of Celtic…

New Year in Vienna and A Viennese New Year

Austrian-themed classical concerts by the SCO and RSNO

13 Dec 2011

What would New Year music be without Vienna? No matter how many times orchestras sail up and down the Beautiful Blue Danube, pop the corks in the Champagne Polka or waltz their way through the overture to Die Fledermaus, audiences flock to hear their…

Numbers discuss the club/brand's New Year plans

Hogmanay celebrations in both Edinburgh and Glasgow lie ahead

13 Dec 2011

It’s been another good year for Glasgow’s ever-growing clubbing export Numbers. So big, in fact, that they need a whole three cities to contain their send-off to 2011. First they’ll be warming up with a set at Edinburgh’s Sneaky Pete’s the night before…

Com Truise - profile

Seth Haley (under his synth-pop pseudonym) gears up to play Sneaky Pete's

16 Nov 2011

Who: No, not the one married to Hatie Kolmes. Com Truise is the alias of Seth Haley, the New Jersey based producer behind this summer’s sublime Galactic Melt; his debut album, and one of this year’s finest, most addictive electronic synth-pop…

Wake the President - Zumutung!

Harder, more mature songwriting on Glasgow duo's second album

15 Nov 2011

(We Can Still Picnic) An improvement from their first album You Can't Change That Boy in 2009, Wake the President have taken a harder, more mature songwriting approach on new album Zumutung!. Twin brothers hailing from Glasgow, Erik and Bjorn…

Sonic Youth founder Thurston Moore brings his fourth solo album to Glasgow

We look back on the career of the legendary DIY music icon

15 Nov 2011

Once upon a time in Stirling, a counter-cultural icon walked among the people and played his guitar and snapped up their Scottish country dance records. The year was 2005, when Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore came to the central belt to perform at…

Eat, sleep and breathe: The Drums

The Brooklyn indie-poppers' guitarist Jacob Graham lets us in on his tour-time eating habits

15 Nov 2011

What time is breakfast? Whenever I wake up. Usually around 9.30 or 10am. But going through time zones can mess that up. Tea or coffee? I’ve never really gotten into either. I do like hot chocolate though. Smoking or non-smoking? Non.

Ever been to a silent disco with a Chinese dragon?

25 Oct 2011

Ever explored a museum at night? Ever had a cocktail surrounded by thousands of years of history? Ever been to a silent disco with a Chinese dragon? Thanks to the support of RBS and The List, the National Museum of Scotland is bringing you an exclusive…

Azari & III - Don't call them house revivalists

Toronto-based act favour Roland drum machines, crisp piano loops and emotional lyrics

21 Oct 2011

Is it too soon for a house music revival? That’s the question The List is mulling over ahead of speaking to self-proclaimed ‘house music aficionados’ Azari & III. The Toronto-based band, comprising producers Dinamo Azari and Alixander III and vocalists…

Eat, sleep and breathe: Twin Sister

The dream-pop quintet's guitarist Eric Cardona explains the band’s on-the-road eating habits

20 Oct 2011

What time is breakfast? Usually around 10 or 11 we are locating a Denny’s. Tea or coffee? Lately, it’s been coffee again. Not at Denny’s though. Too much water. One good cup a day. Smoking or non-smoking? Non-smoking for three of us…

The Stone Roses reform to play dates at Manchester's Heaton Park in summer 2012

19 Oct 2011

As you’ve no doubt heard, yet another cornerstone of the British music establishment has chosen to dust off its bucket hat and have it large with a reunion tour. This is no ordinary by-the-numbers reformation, though. This is The Stone Roses. Capable…

DJ Yogi Haughton presents Scottish Soulful Weekender

Dumfries event features Todd Terry, Kerri Chandler and Joey Negro

18 Oct 2011

A weekend of soul music held at a hotel in Dumfries & Galloway sounds almost like a niche market event, a retro get-together for old school Northern Soul junkies to relive the glory days. Yet Yogi Haughton, the promoter of the first Scottish Soulful…

Profile: Moritz Von Oswald

Rare live show from minimal techno pioneer in association with club night Animal Farm

6 Oct 2011

This Saturday sees one the most important and legendary figures in electronic music, Moritz Von Oswald, play a rare, pre-Subculture live set with Tikiman, organized jointly by Animal Farm and the Sub Club. An established percussionist for the likes of…

Family Fun Music Day

Programme of music events aimed at opening up the Glasgow Concert Halls to younger music-lovers

19 Sep 2011

Mission Impossible-style light beams that play musical notes as you cross them, a giant labyrinth of music and light, and a dark room filled with scary sounds – hardly business as usual at Glasgow’s City Halls. Organised by Svend Brown, director of…

5 Things: the changing faces of Bob Dylan

Our five favourite versions of the man born Robert Zimmerman

19 Sep 2011

Folk Dylan Became the poster boy for protest music with album and song The Times They Are a-Changin’ in 1964. Electric Dylan Enraged the folky masses by plugging in for ‘Subterranean Homesick Blues’ in 1965. Allen Ginsberg pushed a broom in the…

Bob Dylan set for 2011 UK tour

Dates in Dublin, Glasgow, Manchester, Nottingham, Cardiff and Bournemouth

14 Sep 2011

Rock stars, like canines, maintain strange relationships with the tally of the passing years. The job is viable till the moment the performer hits 60, at which point the shade of pensioner-hood lowers like showers on a Bank Holiday weekend. We’re…

Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival

Annual arts festival returns for biggest year yet

13 Sep 2011

Unless you’ve been gently nestled under some rock for the past several years, you will probably be aware of the annual autumnal arts treat that is the Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival (SMHAFF). This year’s brochure boasts almost 300 events…

Electric Frog September Weekender 2011

Frankie Knuckles, The Fall, Jeff Mills, Mogwai, and Joe Claussell feature in stellar line-up

25 Aug 2011

Whoever chose to carry out some large-scale maintenance at their Eastvale Place business premises on the last weekend of July has inadvertently done Glasgow’s clubbing fraternity a favour. It might have meant the planned Electric Frog Summer Weekender…

Music Is The Music Language

Festival of the experimental and esoteric

25 Aug 2011

Music Is The Music Language, a two day festival organised by DIY promoters Cry Parrot and Tracer Trails, is testament to the vibrancy of Scotland’s underground music scene. ‘Underground music is strongest and most exciting where and when the values…

Classics at Greyfriars set for 2011 Edinburgh Fringe

Beethoven concert series with church backdrop

10 Aug 2011

Taking advantage of the unique way that music can be presented in the context of a festival, Greyfriars Kirk (at the top of Candlemaker Row) is presenting all of Beethoven’s piano sonatas and string quartets over the course of a new two-week long series…

How to Dress Well - Tom Krell interview

Tom Krell on of many reinventing solo songwriting

3 Aug 2011

This is getting to be a trend. Where young men with an indie sensibility used to express themselves by picking up an acoustic guitar and letting it all out, a new generation disguise their fragile falsettos with a wash of reverberating electronic…

Interview: Oneohtrix Point Never

Psychedelic synths and drones from experimental electronica-lord, Daniel Lopatin

2 Aug 2011

Name Daniel Lopatin Job title Musician, label owner Where are you just now? Brooklyn, NY. What are you doing/ going to do today? Finish the track arrangement for the upcoming OPN record. Do you enjoy touring? I do, I didn't always. It…

Nicolas Jaar interview - Electronic pop artist on UK tour

NY-based experimental DJ and head of the Clown and Sunset label

27 Jul 2011

Trends bloom and wither fast in the fragmented landscape of modern music, and most die out without ever seeing the light of the popular consciousness. In the high-turnover world of electronic music this ephemeral air is accelerated, although it’s…

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

21 Jul 2011

‘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…

Godspeed You! Black Emperor - A potted history

The post-rock deities set for 2011 UK tour

13 Jul 2011

One should never underestimate the power of the bagpipe. It played a key role, after all, in F# A# ∞ (F-sharp, A-sharp, Infinity) – the official debut from Canadian post-rock deities Godspeed You! Black Emperor. The anarchic, enigmatic (not to…

Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo 2011 - Fact file

The display of massed military viewed by 100 million people annually

8 Jul 2011

1 The Edinburgh Tattoo first took place in 1950. It was first shown on colour television in 1968. 2The word 'tattoo' comes from the old Dutch phrase 'doe den tap toe', meaning 'turn off the taps', which was a call used at closing time in 17th century…

Edinburgh International Jazz and Blues Festival 2011 - highlights

Tommy Smith, Courtney Pine, Hypnotic Brass Ensemble and more

8 Jul 2011

Hypnotic Brass Ensemble A high energy blend of New Orleans horns and live hip hop beats, this Chicago nine-piece return to raise the Spiegeltent from its moorings. Barack Obama, Jay-Z and David Byrne are among the fans of this exciting block party…

Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo 2011 - Highlights

Brass bands on bikes among highlights of music extravaganza

8 Jul 2011

Have you ever wondered if you are a 'Bad Scot'? If soor plooms, Mel Gibson's take on William Wallace, dodgy recitals of Burns' poems and other things associated with stereotypical Jock culture make you recoil like a moggie from a festering puddle, you…

Trombone Shorty profile - Edinburgh Jazz Festival 2011

Youthful jazz pioneer and composer set for Edinburgh date

8 Jul 2011

'Oooooh! Trombone Shorty! My man!' This is how the 25-year-old jazz musician from New Orleans is greeted by fellow (and fictitious) horn player Antoine Batiste in David Simon's new HBO television show, Treme. Simon's follow-up to his hard-hitting cop…

Amjad Ali Khan to perform set of morning ragas on sarod at EIF 2011

Edinburgh 11am concert accompanied by Ravi Shankar's evening ragas

7 Jul 2011

The sarod may not be as familiar an instrument to western audiences as the sitar made famous by Ravi Shankar, but virtuoso player Amjad Ali Khan is happy to establish its proper context. 'Ravi Shankar's teacher was a sarod player,' says Khan on the line…

Theatre, music and dance highlights from the 2011 Edinburgh International Festival

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, Semiramide and King Lear among picks

7 Jul 2011

The Edinburgh International Festival (EIF) has been a benchmark for quality and innovation in the performing arts since its inauguration nearly 65 years ago. This year artistic director Jonathan Mills builds his programme around the multi-faceted…

Seven Angels opera tackles Paradise Lost

Composer Luke Bedford uses Milton’s epic to explore envorinmental themes

29 Jun 2011

According to Wikipedia, there are over ten thousand individual lines of verse in Milton’s Paradise Lost. That’s a bit much for an opera. So, for his new Seven Angels, leading young British composer Luke Bedford uses Milton’s epic as the starting point…

Bikini Machine compose a 'cinéconcert' score for Desperado

24 Jun 2011

Each year, the French Institute for Scotland takes part in the Edinburgh International Film Festival and strives to bring the media of music and film together to form one piece of intercontinental art. This year, the Institute have invited five…

Orchestre Poly-Rythmo set for Glasgow Jazz festival date

West African afro-beat band tour their new album Cotonou Club

23 Jun 2011

The influential West African band have set a series of tour dates circling the UK this summer, visiting Glasgow for the first time in the 30-plus years that they have been a band. Having formed in the late 60s, they have accumulated a collection of…

Interview: Katy B on bringing everything to RockNess - including the kitchen sink

The chart-friendly, female face of dubstep

27 May 2011

‘When I was 13, listening to Choice FM, I would listen to a lot of R&B from America, and whenever a British person tried to do it, it didn’t really work, they just sounded like they were trying to copy that whole style. Now the music sounds British…

RockNess 2011: Bus times, line-up and stages

New stages, weekend highlights and travel times

27 May 2011

RockNess have laid on three brand new arenas for 2011. Firstly, the Rock’n’Roll Circus will showcase cutting-edge music and comedy talent from the likes of Jamie Woon and The Cuban Brothers. Secondly, Glasgow clubbing institution Sub Club will present…

Interview: Glasvegas - Rab Allan on being older, wiser and stronger in 2011

Glasgow band talk to us ahead of their main stage slot at RockNess

27 May 2011

‘My head wasn’t in a very good place either. My head was up my arse. I didn’t really know what was happening. I was just as bad as he was,’ explains Glasvegas guitarist Rab Allan with a nervous laugh. He’s referring to frontman (and Rab’s cousin) James…

RockNess veteran Rob da Bank gives us his tips for top acts across the weekend

DJ and bestival boss on why RockNess is such a unique festival

27 May 2011

It’s one of the most beautiful sites for a festival probably anywhere in the world. Obviously you’ve got Loch Ness nestling at the bottom of the site but the whole drive out there from Inverness through rolling hills and valleys is totally stunning.

Domino Records host Edinburgh International Film Festival event

Event aims to showcase effective combination of music and film

27 May 2011

A good advert can, sometimes, sell more than jeans, or alcohol, or cars. Think of the 1999 number one song, 'Flat Beat', which gained enormous popularity after a puppet called Flat Eric danced to it in a Levi’s advert. Levi’s shifted their jeans, the…

Hebrides Ensemble: Kurtag - Kafka Fragments

Work based on Kafka’s diaries and letters with Soprano Elizabeth Watts

24 May 2011

One of Britain’s hottest new singing talents, whether in opera or on the concert platform, 31-year-old soprano Elizabeth Watts (pictured) joins leading chamber music group Hebrides Ensemble for Kafka Fragmente by György Kurtág, an extraordinary…

Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2011 - sneak preview

Liberace, Finnish a capella groups and iPad fairy tales just some of the coming attractions

23 May 2011

Whether it’s origami genitalia, homosexual deities or political commentary on the Lockerbie bombing, Edinburgh’s Fringe seldom arrives with a whimper but rather a ruddy great roar. June sees the official launch of 2011’s line-up, but we thought we…

Wee Jaunt features musicians performing in the most unlikely places in Edinburgh

Detour's one-day festival from David Weaver and Ally McCrae

23 May 2011

We at List HQ take great pride in our ability to give you all the details you could possibly need to pack your lives chock-full of top-notch, culturally-fulfilling activities every month. So imagine our confusion when we tried to write about something…

Interview - Munaf Rayani of Explosions in the Sky

Guitarist talks about band's last few years and where they're going next

11 May 2011

If you’re wondering what intervened and caused the long gap before Explosions in the Sky issued a follow-up to their remarkable 2007 album All of a Sudden I Miss Everyone, life is the short answer. The Texan instrumental post-rock quartet’s fifth…

Festival of Museums set for nationwide celebration of Scotland’s culture in May 2011

Music, storytelling and period fashion among highlights of new festival

1 May 2011

From the Groam House Museum in Ross-shire and Portsoy Bothy in Banffshire, to the Annan Museum in Dumfries and Galloway, the Festival of Museums features an eclectic and colourful range of concerts, talks, workshops, performances and exhibitions taking…

Kronos Quartet's David Harrington on Glasgow concerts – full interview transcript

Ensemble's artistic director on curating a mini-festival

28 Apr 2011

The List: Could you tell me first of all when it was that you decided to put together this programme and how long you’ve been working on it? David Harrington: You know it seems to me we’ve been thinking about this for at least a year, probably more.

Kronos in Glasgow - Kronos Quartet and Matmos interview

Glasgow festival features Alim Qasimov and Steve Reich's WTC 9/11

28 Apr 2011

You don’t need to have a vinyl collection full of minimalist composers’ masterworks to have heard the music of Kronos Quartet. You could be a hardened electronic enthusiast, or a pure pop believer; your ears will not have escaped their string…

Eat, sleep and breathe: Summer Camp

Summer-poppers Jeremy Warmsley and Elizabeth Sankey enjoy sushi and Earl Grey. No sugar, though

25 Apr 2011

What time is breakfast? Jeremy: Whenever we have to leave the Travelodge and drive to the next city. Normally about 12 we’ll stop at a service station - thank god for M&S Simply Foods and Starbucks. You can usually only get one or the other, but there…

Electro-rock outfit Three Trapped Tigers gear up for their slot at Glasgow's Stag and Dagger festival

25 Apr 2011

Tune-packed annual stumble around Glasgow’s streets and venues Stag & Dagger is back, and with it come some of the most voguish local and national bands of the moment. The List will be looking forward to seeing Clinic, Warpaint, Yuck, Sons & Daughters…

Eric 'Ripley' Johnson of psych/drone outfit Moon Duo on the benefits of losing your job

The Wooden Shjips guitarist now tours with his partner Sanae Yamada

25 Apr 2011

Fans of their droney psych-rock should probably thank the boss who, two years back, told Eric ‘Ripley’ Johnson his services were no longer required. ‘It was one of those things where I didn’t like my job, but didn’t have the courage to just quit,…

5 Reasons to Go See. . . Khaira Arby

25 Apr 2011

She’s Mali’s biggest star Arby is known in Mali as ‘The Nightingale of the North’, and her music reflects the cultural diversity of the Sahara region. ‘Timbuktu is a multicultural city and has been for many hundreds of years. I sing in several…

Mount Kimbie interview

Dom Maker from Mount Kimbie chats dubstep and something called 'emo-step'

20 Apr 2011

Mount Kimbie manage to sedate you whilst still making you want to move. Rather than having you hurtle head-on into the sweaty masses like any old ‘dubstep’ club night, the London-based duo of Dominic Maker and Kai Campos’ deliciously concocted rhythms…

Robbie Thomson on Cryptic Nights project Inducer

Collaboration with Sarah Milne and Jack Wrigley

20 Apr 2011

What was the inspiration for your new project ‘Inducer’ with Sarah Milne and Jack Wrigley? ‘Inducer’ is an extension of our interest in experimental musical instrument design and an attempt to create a crude, mechanical form of electronic music.

Red Note Ensemble's May tour to focus on Salvatore Sciarrino's Infinito Nero

20 Apr 2011

While ecstasy may well mean different things to different people, in the context of Red Note Ensemble’s May tour it is all about Italian composer Salvatore Sciarrino and his Infinito Nero. Based on the visions, or ecstasies, of early 17th century…

Electronica/drone trio Emeralds return to Glasgow

The krautrock-influenced noisemongers play The Arches on Mon 23 May

20 Apr 2011

The American underground has fallen in love with the crystalline textures of vintage synthesisers. Like their friend James Lopatin of Oneohtrix Point Never, Emeralds drink deep from the kosmische fountain – the DNA of Ashra, Popol Vuh and Tangerine…

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

18 Apr 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…

Mark Radcliffe to tour new book, Reelin’ in the Years: The Soundtrack of a Northern Life

13 Apr 2011

When David Bowie implores the public to indulge in thieving, you know it must be for a very good reason. His call to serious felony was raised on the publication of Mark Radcliffe’s Thank You for the Days: A Boy’s Own Adventure in Radio and Beyond, in…

Five reasons to go see Seun Kuti & Egypt 80

The African Soul Rebels visit the Usher Hall

28 Mar 2011

1. He’s part of the afrobeat dynasty. Nigerian musician Seun Kuti plays sax, chant-sings and dances – not unlike his legendary father Fela, pioneer of the funky Nigerian afrobeat sound. ‘What inspires me is Africa today’, says Seun. ‘The same things…

François K and The Unabombers get ready for Electric Frog’s Easter Weekender

Danny Krivit, Erol Alkan, DJ Yoda, Dave Clarke and more also on the bill

24 Mar 2011

Anyone who’s been to one of the Electric Frog festivals at the Studio Warehouse knows why this month will see a second spring event emerge, this time extended over two days and featuring even more massive names in dance music from across the globe. With…

Record Store Day 2011: Saturday 16 April

Monorail, Rubadub, Avalanche, Underground Solu'shn and Coda join the celebrations

24 Mar 2011

We’re not going to argue with Ozzy Osbourne. ‘As official ambassador for Record Store Day 2011, I now have the power to command you to attend record stores on April 16th. Be there!’ he orders. The List does not need telling twice. Far be it from us…

Lykke Li set for 2011 UK tour

Swedish singer tours critically-acclaimed album Wounded Rhymes

24 Mar 2011

From Robyn to Miike Snow and the fast-approaching Sound of Arrows, the fine line in pop acts with indie cache emanating from Sweden continues unbroken. If Lykke Li can convert the glowing critical reception that has met her recent second album into…

The Okavango Macbeth: Alexander McCall Smith’s 'Shakespeare and baboons' opera

The author/librettist teams up with Tom Cunningham and Robert McFall

24 Mar 2011

Alexander McCall Smith’s inspiration to write an opera based on Shakespeare’s Macbeth isn’t the first. Verdi was certainly there before him, but what makes McCall Smith’s The Okavango Macbeth decidedly different is that the characters are all baboons.

Heather Peace interview: Multi-talented Lip Service star set for UK tour

'Like a pluckier Sheryl Crow, mixed with a rockier Eva Cassidy'

24 Mar 2011

Bored on a road trip? Tired of playing I Spy? Try to think gay British actors or actresses who aren’t typecast according to their sexuality. After you get past the Stephen Frys and Ian McKellans (hello, national treasures), you might get a bit…

Gavin Sutherland aka Fudge Fingas to launch new album Now About How at Ultragroove

Edinburgh-based producer's smooth, soulful deep house

24 Mar 2011

‘I’m not a fan of DJ culture, to be honest,’ says Edinburgh-based producer and musician Gavin Sutherland, aka Fudge Fingas, who leads the way as one of the most exciting electronic artists working in Scotland today. ‘Although I suppose I support it…

Best Coast: How Bethany Cosetino became key figure of US wistful beach rock

Embracing of DIY culture after formative years of baby modelling

21 Mar 2011

Generally speaking, The List is not a fan of infant beauty pageants. In the case of Best Coast’s Bethany Cosentino however, we are happy to make an exception. Were it not for her formative years doing baby modelling and TV advertising (for Little…

Katy Perry: Deconstructed

We take a look at some of this chart-topping monster’s vital signs ahead of her gig in Glasgow

21 Mar 2011

45% Killer pop hooks There is surely no doubt in anyone’s mind about Katy Perry’s innate ability to cobble together relentlessly catchy choruses. From the sapphic pop tendencies of ‘I Kissed a Girl’, the punchy pace of ‘Hot n Cold’ or stadium-sized…

Exposure: Snide Rhythms

ECA-friendly genre-benders with a strong musical heritage

21 Mar 2011

Many fine Edinburgh bands have some connection to Edinburgh College of Art, and Colvin Cruickshank – manager of its union, the Wee Red Bar – has seen them all come and go. This project, an artsy combination of The Fall, The Durutti Column and Happy…

Razorlight's new drummer David Kaplan on the band's headline slot at Haddow fest

Edinburgh date ahead of summer festival slots

21 Mar 2011

Razorlight are a band with a chequered history. Undeniably, they’ve been a big success in their day: three top five albums and five top ten singles since 2004 testify to that, including the undeniably hook-laden likes of ‘America’ and ‘Somewhere Else’.

Sound recordist/artist Chris Watson set for Edinburgh's Dialogues Festival

The ex-Cabaret Voltaire member sets up a sound installation at InSpace

21 Mar 2011

How do you go from being a core member of experimental electronic pioneers Cabaret Voltaire to becoming David Attenborough and Bill Oddie’s favourite sound recordist, with the odd radio documentary and installation for assorted sonic arts festivals…

Why does Morrissey love performing in small venues in provincial towns?

Why the small gigs of 2011 UK tour are in everyone’s best interests

17 Mar 2011

A snapshot of any Morrissey gig at any given venue at any point in his career paints the same (vulgar?) picture. From the bequiffed to the balding via gladioli and vegetarianism, a congregation of grasping hands reach and strain towards the stage where…

Edinburgh art-poppers Found release album Factorycraft

Third album is trio's first on Chemikal Underground

3 Mar 2011

‘We were all a bit jealous of Cybraphon,’ laughs Tommy Perman. FOUND’s bassist and synth player is talking about their ‘autonomous emotional robot band’ project that went on to win them a BAFTA in 2009. And the more it spread like wildfire on the…

Kylie 2011 UK tour takes in Glasgow SECC date

Much beloved Aussie pop royalty

3 Mar 2011

Perhaps you have heard of Kylie Minogue. She is a pop star first and foremost – you might say The Pop Star: an Australian singer, dancer and actor who has sold nearly 70 million records and reaped scores of global hits since her brilliant debut ‘I…

John Grant tours album Queen of Denmark

Former frontman for The Czars, Midlake collaborator and now solo artist with album Queen of Denmark

3 Mar 2011

Name John Grant From Denver, Ohio Occupation From around 1994 to 2004, frontman of the dimly remembered but beloved by those who know them, Czars. Now an unexpected comeback king, with last year’s debut album under his own name Queen of Denmark…

Crystal Stilts UK tour takes in Glasgow date

The noise-pop group's JB Townshend talks to us ahead of their show at the Arches.

3 Mar 2011

‘It’s the morning, I’m at home in Brooklyn,’ informs JB Townsend, guitarist in ethereal noisemongers Crystal Stilts, ‘just watching a movie about a giant squid.’ Ah, the life of the between-albums alternative musician. Townsend’s band’s debut album…

Deerhunter out on UK tour

Alt.rock foursome beloved by Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Battles and Nine Inch Nails

3 Mar 2011

Any respectable profile piece on Atlanta, Georgia quartet Deerhunter would necessitate its author to offer a history and overview of the self-styled ghost rock and ambient punk band’s impressive ten-year career. It would thus require the writer to dig…

The Wu-Tang Clan member Raekwon set for UK tour

The Wu-Tang Clan member comes to Scotland with new album

3 Mar 2011

Two years ago, when Wu-Tang Clan MC Raekwon announced the sequel to his acclaimed 1995 solo debut, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx …, you could’ve been forgiven for thinking it was merely some kind of clever ploy to stir up interest in a career that had…

Food, with Eivind Aarset, to perform as part of Dialogues festival

The jazz-electronica duo team up with the Norwegian guitarist for an intimate gig at Voodoo Rooms

3 Mar 2011

Jazz experimentalists Food have carved a niche over the past few years in forging ahead with wide-ranging collaborations. The core duo of saxophonist Iain Bellamy and percussionist Thomas Strønen are great practitioners of improvisation, and bring…

Christmas Carnival - Concert for children combines percussion with the orchestra

Children’s Classic Concerts strike balance between music and mirth

17 Feb 2011

Faced with the sound and power of a full orchestra, it’s hard not to be impressed, whatever your age or musical persuasion. When you’re hovering between 4 and 14, however, you sometimes need a little spice in your sonata to stay occupied. For years…

Margins is Glasgow’s newest grassroots book and music festival

Doug Johnstone, Ewan Morrison Tom Leonard and Withered Hand

16 Feb 2011

Imagine just starting a festival. Just saying, right there and then ‘there’s a gap in the market, and I’m going to fill it.’ It’s not such a great step for Mark Buckland; when newly graduated from university, he said to himself ‘I’m going to start a…

Efterklang set for Glasgow show and screening of film An Island

Danish band screen Vincent Moon documentary on UK tour

11 Feb 2011

Efterklang are back, as you’ve never seen them before. Although the delicate and atmospheric soundscapes of the Danish quartet will be familiar to Glasgow’s live concert-goers, this latest show will be enhanced by a pre-gig screening of An Island, their…

Janelle Monae brings high-concept pop statement ArchAndroid to UK

Soul fused with elements of cabaret, movie scores, psychedelia and English folk

11 Feb 2011

The immaculate pop offspring of Little Richard, Annie Lennox and David Bowie, Janelle Monáe is the most exciting figure to enjoy – and court – mainstream exposure since the entrance of a certain bad romancer. But whereas Gaga often relies on well worn…

Chilly Gonzales tours Boyz Noise collaboration Ivory Tower to UK

'Jools Holland should shut up – pianistically speaking. We are in the post-Boogie era.’

8 Feb 2011

Look out Muse and look out Jools: Chilly Gonzales is coming to get you. Following his infamous 2009 victory over Andrew WK in a New York piano battle, the man who is known as Chilly, Gonzales and Jason Charles Beck (he suggests we just call him…

Paragon ensemble mark 30th anniversary by showcasing recent collaborations

Glasgow-based group's birthday features Heather Corbett and a Bhangra remix.

8 Feb 2011

Happy Birthday to Paragon! For the past thirty years, the Glasgow-based ensemble has been making music, much of it commissioned from Scottish based composers, and encouraging people from all walks of life to enjoy it. For their special 30th birthday…

Aidan Moffat takes Bill Wells collaboration album Everything’s Getting Older on tour

Falkirk poet and ex Arab Strap member set for Oran Mor show

8 Feb 2011

‘Yeah. I might have personality issues,’ Aidan Moffat deadpans, while sipping on a tea. He’s explaining his knack for writing equally candid lyrics about ‘unemotional, nasty shaggers’, ‘lonely sollipsists’, sixty-year-old women, squaddie-shagging girls…

Jazz musician Zoe Rahman's exploration of Bengali music

Mercury Prize nominated pianist set for St Andrews and Dunfermline shows

8 Feb 2011

Zoe Rahman is classically-trained and has explored the music of her father’s Bengali culture, although her own upbringing in Chichester was very English. Despite her wide-ranging musical interests, she has no doubt where her primary loyalty…

Why Conor Oberst's return to Bright Eyes is to be celebrated

Ryan Drever welcomes back a different and more left-field Bright Eyes

28 Jan 2011

Even if you’ve never warmed to the shaky timbre of Conor Oberst’s emotionally-wrought vocals, related to his often intensely personal lyrics or felt a kinship with the causes he so vehemently confronts and supports with his music, there is one thing you…

Conquering Animal Sound launch debut album of ethereal electronica

Edinburgh duo combine hushed looped vocals and understated electronics

28 Jan 2011

The first time you chance upon a Conquering Animal Sound live affair, you might well be forgiven for tip-toeing back outside again. As the Edinburgh sired duo’s just released debut album, Kammerspiel should indicate at its Edinburgh launch, the CAS…

Edinburgh psychedelic ensemble Delta Mainline hit their stride

Success with second EP sparks plans to record album

26 Jan 2011

They’ve got eight years of history behind them, but only now do Delta Mainline feel as if they’re hitting their groove. Formed in Musselburgh by childhood friends David McLachlan (singer and guitarist) and Gavin King (bass player), they’ve since grown…

Musician James Yorkston publishes tour diaries

Domino Records and Faber publish Scottish singer-songwriter's book It’s Lovely to Be Here

14 Jan 2011

Not content with forging a career as one of Scotland’s best loved singer-songwriters, James Yorkston has just foisted himself upon literature in a most alluring fashion. As befits a troubadour whose talent is rivalled only by his modesty, Yorkston’s…

Scottish Opera and the RSAMD stage production of The Cunning Little Vixen

Janácek’s opera filled with perpetual themes of life, death and love

14 Jan 2011

Building on collaborative achievements of the past few years, Scottish Opera and the RSAMD now turn to Janácek’s opera The Cunning Little Vixen. Set in a forest, its characters are both animal and human. Inspired by a comic strip from a newspaper, it’s…

Exposure: Allo Darlin’

The London indie-pop quartet in thrall to the wistful sounds of Magnetic Fields and Camera

14 Jan 2011

Since forming in 2009, London indie-pop quartet Allo Darlin’ have had a ‘seat of our pants’ couple of years, between making their self-titled debut album for Fortuna Pop! and touring the US and Europe. Australian vocalist Elizabeth Morris describes…

The Vaccines among highlights of NME awards Tour 2011

Buzz surrounding new band offering a trawl through six decades of rock history

14 Jan 2011

Rock music, say recent reports, is dead and buried, with only three of the top 100 UK singles of 2010 falling into the category. Pummelled by pop and humbled by hip hop, that’s the once all-conquering sound’s lowest return in 50 years. The Vaccines…

11 for 2011: The new music from Scotland to watch in 2011

Emeli Sandé, Emma’s Imagination, RM Hubbert and Clouds among those destined for a good year ahead

3 Jan 2011

Emeli Sandé The Aberdeen soul-popper was studying medicine at Glasgow Uni whilst also penning hits for Cheryl Cole, Chipmunk and Tinie Tempah. Her recent solo tour proved she’s no slouch when it comes to performing either – and her gutsy…

Goblin set for date at Glasgow Music and Film Festival 2011

Italian prog rock band best known for work on horror films of Dario Argento

3 Jan 2011

The Italian prog rock band Goblin are most famous for their work on the horror films of Dario Argento. Here are five reasons why their appearance at the Glasgow Music and Film Festival will be unmissable 1: They come from another, better time…

Artisan Piano Trio's Edinburgh concert targets post-work slot

Young, imaginative and ambitious trio present first season of concerts, Cascades

23 Dec 2010

Bringing an exciting new dimension to Scottish chamber music, the Artisan Piano Trio are young, imaginative and ambitious. Formed by cellist Clea Friend, with SCO violinist Aisling O’Dea and much in demand freelance pianist Simon Smith, they are now…

The Burns Unit and Broken Records set for Celtic Connections date

‘Scottish-Canadian Supergroup’ peform at Glasgow's Old Fruitmarket

23 Dec 2010

Kenny Anderson is setting the record straight. ‘Karine Polwart is not a folkie – she wants to try other stuff. And Emma Pollock is not just the indie queen that everyone thinks she is. And I’m not the … whatever.’ (Whatever he is, he is King…

Thin Lizzy 2011 UK tour

2011 incanation counts The Almighty's Ricky Warwick and Def Leppard's Vivian Campbell among line-up

23 Dec 2010

1. The Boys Are Back In Town... Well, sort of. Since the tragic passing of frontman Phil Lynott in 1986, many different incarnations of the band have existed, purely as a live tribute of sorts. Now, armed with Dio/Def Leppard guitarist Vivian Campbell…

Deadmau5 set for Braehead Glasgow show with Magnetic Man, Calvin Harris and Zane Lowe

A look at the Canadian DJ and producer's rise to fame

10 Dec 2010

How the hell did Deadmau5 get so big? The Canadian DJ and producer has been a powerful force on the commercial end of the dance music circuit for a couple of years now of course, but this month is set to prove he’s no longer just another face in a crowd…

Scars, TV 21 and Malcolm Ross set for Edinburgh date

HMV Picturehouse bill unites luminaries of Edinburgh post-punk scene

10 Dec 2010

When twinkly electronic pranksters Lemon Jelly played Edinburgh’s Usher Hall a few years ago to promote their new 64-95 album, some younger audience members may have been puzzled. At the end of the set, a trio of guitar, bass and drum-wielding gents of…