Music and Ryan Drever

Exposure - Tango in the Attic

11 Jun 2009

Despite the apparently never-ending harsh times worldwide, Tango In The Attic actually sound like they’re having a lot of fun. Bright, colourful, and straight to the point, their songs have a charm to them that could very easily be overlooked and…

Fever Ray

O2 ABC, Glasgow, Mon 6 Sep.

16 Sep 2010

The night begins in hushed anticipation as a somewhat reserved crowd await the arrival of enigmatic Swedish artist, Fever Ray – aka The Knife’s Karin Dreijer-Andersson – making her debut Scottish live appearance. Punctuated by the hiss of smoke machines…

Fever Ray set for first Scottish show

Dark, gothic electronica, with a creepy edge is what Fever Ray does best

20 Aug 2010

Picture a sunny, cloudless day in San Francisco; the streets are engulfed by thousands of brightly coloured bouncy balls, tanning down the road in a glimmering haze whilst accompanied by a sweetly picked guitar tune, sung almost like a lullaby. Ring any…

Exposure: Telekinesis

26 Jun 2009

Telekinesis is the now somewhat expanded solo project of Seattle native, Michael Benjamin Lerner. Inspired by travels, and the people and places of the world around him (some he's never seen), the resulting sound is one of hope - bright, upbeat and…

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…

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…

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…

Exposure: Dinosaur Pile-up

20 May 2009

Coming from the ever-growing, densely populated musical stomping ground that is Leeds, Dinosaur Pile-up are a trio whose songs embrace heavier sounds besides the standard infectious melody and pace associated with many of their contemporaries. With only…

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…

RM Hubbert launches album Thirteen Lost & Found with friends

Aidan Moffat, Alex Kapranos and more to join in at Stereo show

6 Jan 2012

RM Hubbert’s debut album First & Last was more than just an instrumental record by a talented Glaswegian guitarist. Far from a commercial stepping-stone, the record was rather the result of Hubbert’s attempts to document a tumultuous three-year period…

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…

Singles of the month: Mummy Short Arms 'Change'

The Kills, Blood Orange, The Pierces, Wild Beasts and more

20 Oct 2011

As we prepare to stare winter right in the face, we find ourselves in the throes of record labels’ last real push for glory before the Christmas single sprint. The Kills lead a heavy charge from Domino but sadly, with ‘Baby Says’ (Domino) ●, they…

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…

Music Like a Vitamin - O2 ABC, Glasgow, Sat 2 Oct 2010

Rod Jones, Emma Pollock, Jenny Reeve and Karine Polwart

9 Oct 2010

For their Music Like A Vitamin event, Idlewild’s Rod Jones and The Delgados’ Emma Pollock have enlisted a Scottish musical dream team to create a fundraising album. Coinciding with the annual Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival, The Fruit…

The Twilight Sad bring quadrophonic live show to Glasgow O2

23 Mar 2010

Get ready to rediscover the singular sound of Scotland’s melancholy doom rockers The Twilight Sad – now coming at you from all angles, explains Ryan Drever

Exposure: Penguins Kill Polar Bears

17 Aug 2009

Penguins Kill Polar Bears are a four piece from Linlithgow who have recently been trawling the depths of various other towns and cities across Scotland, sharing their glacial and dense melodic rocky stylings with anyone who will listen. Never staying…

Exposure: Anna Meldrum

6 May 2009

After a short time displaying her own blend of honest lyricism and melodic, guitar-fronted pop songs to a handful of low-key crowds - as well as the odd festival appearance and support slot - Glasgow-based musician Anna Meldrum has decided to enlist the…

Exposure: Black Sun

30 Apr 2009

Black Sun are a trio of Glasgow musicians, who collectively, are purveyors of a brutally intense noise and slow-grooving metal carnage that is not to be taken lightly. Bridging the gap between experimentation in sound and pounding riffs, Black Sun have…

Exposure: Jocasta Sleeps

13 Feb 2009

In their short but sweet tenure together, Jocasta Sleeps - Callum Wiseman, John McGinley, and Niall McGarvie - have spend the majority of this time holed up in bedrooms and rehearsal studios, engineering and honing their craft, whilst dedicating all…

The Magnetic Fields' Quick is Single of the Month

Also featuring Beth Jeans Houghton and The Hooves Of Destiny

27 Apr 2012

What’s the consensus on imitation to the point that it rivals, perhaps even betters the source? Well, Glasgow’s Marvel Heights almost achieve such an accolade, kicking off this month’s singles run-down with their straight-outta-Paramore, angsty rock…

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…

Interview: Graham Coxon on his eighth solo album A+E

The guitarist also discusses Blur's headline gig at the 2012 Olympics

27 Mar 2012

Blur guitarist Graham Coxon is releasing his eighth solo record as the band prepares to play the Olympics. He talks to Ryan Drever about having his cake and eating it So, you’ve reunited with your hugely successful former band, are playing some of…