Music and Thomas Meek

Exposure: Japanese Voyeurs

12 Nov 2009

All fast guitars and heightened yelps, Japanese Voyeurs create the sort of music that can really only be done by those still young enough to have that satisfying sense of havoc. Luckily, that’s exactly what these guys are, and they do it well, being an…

Exposure: First Aid Kit

4 Nov 2009

Recent tour partners with new indie folk favourites, Fanfarlo, this Swedish duo are known to write the odd acoustic pleasure too. And all the more remarkable considering they’d still be at high school in the UK. For First Aid Kit are sisters Klara, 16…

Exposure: Mickey Gang

3 Nov 2009

Cool, minimalist electronica and songs about menstruating horses – just what you’d expect from any bunch of 19-year-olds nowadays. Mickey Gang do it with a flair though, both beguilingly innocent yet with a knowing smile underneath, celebrating the…

Exposure: Civet

30 Oct 2009

A civet is a 'small, lithe-bodied, mostly arboreal mammals native to the tropics of Africa and Asia'. They are also a remarkably kick-ass all female punk-rock group from Los Angeles. We can only wonder who’d be more fun to go out drinking with.

Exposure: Portugal. The Man

29 Oct 2009

Portugal. The Man is not the most conventional name for a band. But it’s one that suits this Alaskan quartet of unrestricted imagination more than most. Now based in Portland, the group revel in an Animal Collective-inspired delirium of musical chaos…

Fanfarlo - King Tut’s, Glasgow, Wed 30 Sep

Fantasticfarlo more like

2 Oct 2009

Bowie loves them. And so should you. Or you would if you ever caught Fanfarlo’s awesome folk punch live. Relocated to King Tut’s from the ABC, the smaller stage is ideal for a band so positive about the communal experience, especially when the crowd…

Exposure: Julia and the Doogans

30 Sep 2009

All timid, lovely folk pop, Julia and the Doogans are as blissful and beautiful as a band can be. Ever evolving, and embracing new sounds and instruments, this collective is united by the voice of Julia Doogan - both hopeful and heartbreaking when the…

Exposure: The Kabeedies

29 Sep 2009

A cute girl and a carefree attitude can take a band a long way. The Kabeedies might just like to think they have a little more than that though. Even if the girl is very cute and the attitude is very carefree. For underneath such welcome attributes a…

Exposure: Joe Carnall and the Book Club

28 Sep 2009

It's nearly five years now since the music media's microscope focused in on Sheffield as acts like Bromhead's Jacket, Little Man Tate and Long Blondes were heralded to define the decade. And though only Arctic Monkeys may have made it into the big…

Jakil - Live at The Mill - Cabaret Voltaire, 17 Sep 2009

18 Sep 2009

Jakil seem purpose built to make it. Fey, faux Fall Out Boy tones compliment the mix of trendy haircuts and relevant commercial leanings that embrace Kings of Leon’s latest ventures into ubiquity, yet don’t quite get away from the homely pop of McFly…

Why Mercury win for Speech Debelle marks return to award's roots

Unlike other big-budget nominees, 2009's £20,000 may actually mean something

17 Sep 2009

The sales of Elbow's fourth album, The Seldom Seen Kid, quadrupled after their Mercury Award in 2008. It's a safe bet that the winner of this year's accolade, Speech Debelle, will match at least that part of the Manchester's band's huge success: the…

Schuh presents The New Blood Tour - Bongo Club, Sun 13 Sep

16 Sep 2009

Even with the astonishingly reasonable free price tag, the prospect of Monday morning seems to have put many off the idea of heading to the Bongo Club for a night of what shoe companies think you should be listening to. The half empty floor does…

Exposure: Girls

15 Sep 2009

Embracing the full liberty of San Francisco lifestyle, Christopher Owens has come a long way since his childhood growing up as part of the Children of God. The religious community, previously home to River and Joaquin Phoenix keep pop music a restricted…

Exposure: Bowerbirds

11 Sep 2009

Spending months in the great American wilderness worked for Bon Iver in creating great music to reflect a complex, beautiful nature. Such experiences have had a similar effect on North Carolina's Bowerbirds it would seem, with the epic Carolina woods…

Upcoming gigs in Scotland: Autumn 2009

10 Sep 2009

Scotland, as we all know, is a hub of great music, great venues and great live audiences. Which is why so many of the world’s great acts forget about the poor weather and poor diet and play here. Add to that list alt-country sorts, and favourites of…

Exposure: Wilson Tan

10 Sep 2009

Turning the West End into the wild kind, Glasgow's Wilson Tan are the sort of psychedelic cowboys to get soundtrack the coolest barn dance ever (or should that be only cool barn dance ever?). Twisting Glasgow's darker aspects into blues bliss, they're…

Exposure: Local Natives

9 Sep 2009

It was no surprise to hear only universal praise for Local Natives at a resoundingly successful SXSW earlier in the year. Their hopeful dreams and dreamy rhythms underlay an of-the-moment epic American that that must sound so perfect in the Texan sun.

Exposure: The Whispertown 2000

8 Sep 2009

From tap dancing with Dick Van Dyke, playing with Jenny Lewis (being namechecked on more than one Rilo Kiley record) and pretending to be in love with Carlton from the Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Morgan Nagler has already done her fair share of living. But…

Art Fag (Song by Toad Night) - Sneaky Pete’s, Edinburgh, Sun 30 Aug

3 Sep 2009

There’s a communal feel at this night for local record label Song By Toad, in Edinburgh’s cosiest venue. Everyone seems to know everyone as the applause is fierce, and nobody feels right standing at the back. It does mean the impact of Art Fag’s Neil…

Exposure: frYars

2 Sep 2009

Three years in the making, Dark Young Hearts, the debut album of London artist frYars, will finally be released this September. It’s an album of dark Depeche Mode revelation and Lloyd Cole cynicism, and an interesting glimpse into the mind of this…

Exposure: The 10:04s

1 Sep 2009

They’ve sold out venues all over Edinburgh, and worked with Super Furry Animals’ producer. Oh, and they’re huge fans of Back to the Future. The 10:04s have a lot going for them, not to mention the kind of enthusiasm rarely seen outside a small child in…

Exposure: Our Brother The Native

31 Aug 2009

Creating the similar sort of freak-folk that has allowed Fat Cat labelmates Animal Collective to take over the American underground music scene, Our Brother The Native distort pop to its extremes. Counting Frightened Rabbit amongst their biggest fans…

Exposure: Stanley Odd

28 Aug 2009

Still an odd paradox for some, Scottish hip-hop is only getting stronger. Acts like Young Fathers and Northern Xposure are bringing the spirit of South Central to the Central Belt, offering an alternative to the bountiful angular indie that's heard from…

Broken Records, We Were Promised Jetpacks, Son of Pedro

The Mill, Oran Mor, Glasgow, 27 Aug 2009

28 Aug 2009

With the free tickets long gone, it's a busy night at Oran Mor to see four of Scotland's promising young acts. Well three of them. For sadly, due to unforeseen illness, the sweet melodies of Sparrow and the Workshop are missing from the line-up. It's…

Exposure: The Young Republic

27 Aug 2009

Settled in the home of American country, Nashville, after meeting at one of the country's most prestigious music colleges, The Young Republic combine southern tradition with east coast class - being both wholly American, yet open to a world of ideas.