Music and Stuart McHugh

The Starlets

2 Oct 2008

INDIE They might be clad in jeans and speak (if not sing) with pronounced Glasgow accents, but The Starlets are the model of sophistication, from their choice of covers – a Go-Betweens song ‘to warm up’ – to their impeccable arrangements.

5 Reasons To Go See - Half Man Half Biscuit

18 Sep 2008

1 Gigs by the band are a rarity. Their peccadilloes famously led to them turning down 80s TV show The Tube (and a helicopter ride there) because it clashed with a Tranmere Rovers match. Other means of transport are no more popular – the Renfrew Ferry…

The Sauchiehall Crawl

19 Jun 2008

INDIE Various venues, Glasgow, Sun 1 Jun One night, 11 bands, three venues in one street. Two options. One: settle down with a pint at the venue of your choice and given that the ABC has How to Swim (pictured), Broken Records and The Twilight Sad this…

The Vaselines and Emma Pollock

8 May 2008

INDIE Mono, Glasgow, Thu 24 Apr ‘We’re The Vaselines,’ chirps Eugene Kelly by way of introduction. And perhaps, given that he and Frances McKee are backed by four members of Belle and Sebastian, this is as much to prevent any confusion. The…

Singles & Downloads

24 Apr 2008

Independents, ie self-released records and downloads, are the current music industry trailblazers, but talk of ‘independence’ may account for the broad Scots accents on at least some of the current local releases. Comrade Down – 1/3 of former John Peel…

Future of the Left

24 Apr 2008

ROCK Stereo, Glasgow, Wed 9 Apr Heckling can make or break a gig. In this case, it’s all fuel to an explosion-in-waiting – this Welsh trio’s almost fanatical following know exactly which buttons to push, and Future of the Left are a band that operate…

Down The Tiny Steps, Le Reno Amps and Doug Johnstone

10 Apr 2008

INDIE FOLK 13th Note, Glasgow, Thu 20 Mar A little bit country, a little bit rock’n’roll. And, to kick off, some acoustic folk from sometime author Doug Johnstone who, confusingly, is premiering the back catalogue of The Ossians, a band invented for…

Frog Pocket

28 Feb 2008

ELECTRONICA 13th Note, Glasgow, Fri 8 Feb Frog Pocket’s get up tonight couldn’t be less timely. With the indie-embracing Celtic Connections just finished, John Charles Wilson is going back to his roots. Any artist tagged as ‘experimental’ must…

The sound of progress

23 Aug 2007

Hand-picked from the regular industry showcases at King Tut’s, 20 of the top bands in Scotland have been selected to play the YourSound Band Stand. Among the Friday line-up: North Atlantic Oscillation, Le Reno Amps, Frightened Rabbit and…

Stopstarts, LR Rockets, Kid Canaveral

7 May 2007

(Picture: Stopstarts) First rule of gigging: make sure your guests don’t steal the show. Kid Cananveral are in danger of doing just this. It’s amazing how even their brand new pop-punk songs embed themselves in the brain, while single ‘Smash Hits…

Lucky Luke

Emma Pollock, Eugene Kelly and Lucky Luke

9 Apr 2007

ACOUSTIC (Lucky Luke) ‘Acoustic’, more often than not, equals folk music. Even though this is actually billed as ‘Versacoustic’ there’s still no one better to open a showcase than the band spearheading the genre’s resurgence - Lucky Luke…

Willie Campbell

Willie Campbell and The Just Joans

9 Apr 2007

INDIE A misspent youth in Lanarkshire could lead to anything, but for The Just Joans it’s heartfelt, thickly-accented stories of departed friends and lost loves - that and a trip to East Kilbride being the high point of the summer. Evidence of…

Records - The Plimptons

The Plimptons

27 Mar 2007

INDIE Lanarkshire, so much to answer for - so it’s only right that one-time Mogwai and Teenage Fanclub man Brendan O’Hare is on hand to polish the, shall we say, raw materials presented to him by the Motherwell quartet, who keep the ‘shambling…

Records - Pilotcan

Pilotcan

27 Mar 2007

ROCK Four years in the making and EIGHT years since their last album, the Edinburgh veterans have eventually got their act together long enough to complete this, their third long-player. And, thankfully, it’s well worth the wait. An irresistible…

The Scottish Enlightenment, The Debuts and Callel

Cabaret Voltaire, Edinburgh, Sat 3 Mar

13 Mar 2007

The crowd are still filtering in when the openers take the stage, but are slowly drawn towards The Scottish Enlightenment (●●●●●) - a Dunfermline four-piece with the menace of Joy Division and the slacker indie cool of Pavement. Whether it’s their…