Music, Reviews and Ryan Drever

Andrew WK - The Garage, Glasgow, Sat 14 Apr

The long-haired party-metaller plays debut album I Get Wet in full

25 Apr 2012

Andrew WK is what he is: partier, lover of dirty jeans, motivational speaker. Whatever you thought of him when he arrived on the scene with tongue firmly in cheek on the back of last year’s debut album I Get Wet is irrelevant. As a live prospect, Andrew…

Feist, Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow, Tue 27 Mar 2012

Stunning concert from the Canadian alt.folkie

11 Apr 2012

‘Wan, two, freee, fourr’, some gentleman gargles towards the end of Feist’s second encore. Without thinking, she laughs it off before ending on a heartbreakingly beautiful solo run of ‘Intuition’ from 2007’s The Reminder. It’s pin-drop silence…

GZA/Genius - The Arches, Glasgow, Mon 13 Feb

Disappointingly sluggish set from the cerebral Wu Tang Clan member

29 Feb 2012

There’s nothing more frustrating than ritual disappointment from someone you hold in high regard. First up there was GZA’s lazy, bonged-out mumble-athon at the ABC in 2008, then a ghost-like contribution to the Wu Tang Clan’s appearance in the Academy…

Lee Ranaldo - Between the Times and the Tides

All-rounder rock record from Sonic Youth guitarist that soothes and soars

22 Feb 2012

(Matador) Between the Times and the Tides is legendary Sonic Youth guitarist, vocalist and co-founder Lee Ranaldo’s first ‘solo’ effort to be turned out in nearly four years. In characteristically collaborative fashion it sees Ranaldo joined by a…

Henry Rollins – Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow, Fri 13 Jan

Prolific punk-rocker gets gut laughs on his three-hour rant

3 Feb 2012

Few people can make a decent living out of talking on stage for two hours. Henry Rollins, on the other hand, has it down to a fine art. An honorary punk rock graduate having earned his stripes fronting S.O.A. and Black Flag in the 80s, and later, his…

Explosions in The Sky - O2 Academy, Glasgow, Mon 23 Jan 2012

An elemental, foundation-shaking post-rock rollercoaster

3 Feb 2012

Explosions in The Sky’s music has always had very elemental feel to it. As the unforgiving Glasgow winter freezes the breath in every pair of lungs waiting to get into the Academy tonight, the Texan’s set, which could soundtrack the bleak, sparse cold…

Django Django - Django Django

Dense and often surprising debut spitting up bursts of bold, spaced-out texture

27 Jan 2012

(Because) Django Django’s debut has a lot of strings to its bow. It benefits from being the result of prolonged and measured tinkering by three Edinburgh art school grads over the space of a couple of years in a London bedroom. These efforts have…

Howler - America Give Up

The kind of easily-digestible festival fodder that could hit the spot live, but is dull on record

27 Jan 2012

(Rough Trade) You think we would all have learned by now that it is frankly unproductive to call anything the ‘new this’, the ‘next that’, or, god forbid, ‘the hottest thing you’ll hear all year’. Sadly, whether they’re aware of it or not, young US…

Thurston Moore - The Arches, Glasgow, Mon 28 Nov 2011

Captivating picture of solo artistic triumphs from Sonic Youth frontman

17 Jan 2012

You split from your wife of nearly thirty years, who not only is the mother of your child but is also responsible, along with you and some other talented friends, for creating one of the most important musical legacies in modern music – you’re gonna be…

Kid Canaveral’s Christmas Baubles II - Summerhall, Edinburgh, Sat 17 Dec 2011

Josie Long, eagleowl and more join in Kid Canaveral's annual shindig

6 Jan 2012

The combination of cheap tins and 12 hours of live entertainment could be an endurance test in the wrong hands, but the second annual Fence Records/Kid Canaveral Chirstmas Baubles all-dayer doesn’t exactly feel like a chore. A joyous turn by Fence…

Chris Devotion and The Expectations – Amalgamation and Capital

Worthwhile debut stumbles when it steps away from solid pop template

6 Jan 2012

(Armellodie) Amalgamation and Capital is the debut from Glasgow’s Chris Devotion and the Expectations. Kicking off with ‘A Modest Refusal’, a punchy salute to 50s/60s pop, complete with textbook dum, dum-dum, tshh’s and whoah-ohs, this is an album…

RM Hubbert – Thirteen Lost & Found

Beautiful collaborative effort from the percussive guitarist

5 Jan 2012

(Chemikal Underground) Last year’s solo debut, First and Last, saw Glaswegian guitarist RM Hubbert communicate all manner of emotions and stories through his own beautifully lush and percussive playing style. On this second album, Hubbert (who…

The Lemonheads - Oran Mor, Glasgow, Mon 5 Dec 2011

Chunks of a bulging, colourful back catalogue is consistently spot on

13 Dec 2011

Evan Dando of The Lemonheads has a somewhat mottled track record when it comes to live performances. Imbued with a drug-fuelled perma-haze since the 90s, many of his latter-day appearances have been cringeworthy, if not a little worrying. However…

Josh T Pearson - Oran Mor, Glasgow, Tue 22 Nov 2011

Utterly entertaining hour of songs and charm from Texan singer

9 Dec 2011

With little fanfare, Texan son Josh T Pearson drifts onstage. The crowd erupts. Calmly, he takes his time before addressing them. ‘Whadd’ya think, jacket on or jacket off?’ An immature chuckle ripples through the dense pockets of punters. ‘You ladies…

Stephen Malkmus and The Jicks, The Arches, Glasgow Fri 11 Nov 2011

16 Nov 2011

Pavement’s short-lived reunion last year was damn-near miraculous, but you couldn’t help but feel that the pleasure was all ours. So, when the announcement came shortly after that Stephen Malkmus and his other brothers (and sister) in arms, The Jicks…

Mike Watt & The Missingmen - Nice ‘n’ Sleazy, Glasgow, Wed 12 Nov 2011

Warm response for intense showcase from Minutemen man

15 Nov 2011

It’s hard to write about Mike Watt. Not only is it hard to compress the man’s personality and philosophies into merely a few sentences but it would take several pages, chapters even, to fully document his work, collaborations and achievements. Yet…

Throwing Muses - Òran Mór, Glasgow, Mon 7 Nov 2011

Powerful performance from Kristin Hersh and co

15 Nov 2011

Considering the period in which Throwing Muses enjoyed the bulk of their popularity, it’s no surprise that tonight’s return to Glasgow sees largely middle-aged couples pour through the doors of the Òran Mór in their droves. Kristin Hersh isn’t…

Martin John Henry - The Other Half of Everything

Impressive and thoughtful debut from ex-De Rosa frontman

28 Oct 2011

(Gargleblast) The Other Half of Everything is the debut solo record from Martin John Henry, perhaps best known for fronting De Rosa – a much-loved, much-missed and highly influential band that once held their own in the Glasgow music community.

Mazes - Captain’s Rest, Glasgow, Thu 6 Oct 2011

The garage pop foursome take a while to warm up, but worth the wait

19 Oct 2011

Reduced from four to a trio tonight for undisclosed reasons, Mazes are welcomed with open arms, even if it takes them a little while to warm up. On first inspection, the band are a damn fine example of how to pen a charming pop song on the age-old…

The Bronx/Mariachi El Bronx – The Garage, Glasgow, 26/08/11

19 Sep 2011

Call them what you will, but The Bronx are entertainers. You could laugh off the LA punks’ idea of a Mariachi band side-project as mere novelty but the fact that they not only play their newly adopted instruments with vigour and immense proficiency, the…

Jello Biafra and The Guantanamo School of Medicine

ABC, Glasgow, Tue 9 Aug 2011

24 Aug 2011

Slinking onto the stage in a bloody lab coat, Jello Biafra is a gurning, over-acting spectacle from the get-go. As parts of the country continue to smoulder in the wake of widespread rioting, it doesn’t take the former Dead Kennedys frontman long to…

Meursault / Over The Wall / Capitals / Miaoux Miaoux

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

8 Aug 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…

Moonface - Organ Music Not Vibraphone Like I’d Hoped

Canadian multi-tasker Spencer Krug delivers more psychedelic haziness

3 Aug 2011

(Jagjaguwar) Better to be busy than bored right? It certainly seems that’s the mantra of Spencer Krug, core member of Canadian collectives Wolf Parade, Sunset Rubdown, Swan Lake and Frog Eyes. This time around, with Wolf Parade on hiatus, Krug has…

Unknown Mortal Orchestra - Unknown Mortal Orchestra

Originality and excitement lost in quest for antiquated sounds

13 Jul 2011

(True Panther Sounds) A hazy, low-rent or ‘vintage’ sound is often more of a deliberate stylistic approach these days than the result of necessity. It’s with this in mind that Unknown Mortal Orchestra’s self-titled debut sounds like it’s trying far…

Battles - The Arches, Glasgow, Tue 7 Jun 2011

No Tyondai, no old stuff, but Battles deliver powerful digital rock show

23 Jun 2011

It’s unfortunate with gigs as hotly-anticipated as tonight’s that nobody really cares about the support. Baltimore’s Thank You aren’t too far removed from their stage-mates this evening in terms of complex and angular rock, but still, they play to a…