Rock & pop

T in the Park - Saturday

13 Jul 2009

Having utterly failed to 'tweet' from T in the Park, Brendan Miles is given a second chance to voice his thoughts on some of the best acts to grace Scotland's biggest music festival

Pump up the volume - Music venues round up

15 Sep 2008

Glasgow and Edinburgh play host to some of the hottest hangouts in the UK. David Pollock explores the very best and handpicks the gigs you cannot afford to miss.

Music festival fever

15 Sep 2008

Scotland’s exciting music scene has paved the way for a plethora of music festivals, each a little different with something to suit every musical taste. T in the Park has grown from a little weekend event in Strathclyde Park into a huge three day…

Idlewild to perform all of their albums live

15 Sep 2008

Idlewild have announced that they are to perform each of their albums in their entirety at dates scheduled for December 2008.

Meshuggah

The Garage, Glasgow, Mon 8 Sep 2008

9 Sep 2008

Its been a long time coming for the return of the Swedish metallers and many may have wondered whether it would actually ever happen. Their last appearance this side of the border was way back in 95' supporting Machine Head with two cancelled shows…

Glasvegas announce new tour dates

8 Sep 2008

Glasvegas have announced details of a new UK winter tour to close a hugely successful year for the Scots foursome. Following on from the release of their debut album and September tour, one of Scotland's most exciting bands will embark on a 15-date…

Platinum Pied Pipers to play rescheduled Edinburgh date

5 Sep 2008

Detroit-based hip hop and R&B group the Palatinum Pied Pipers play at Edinburgh's Voodoo Rooms on Monday 15th September. Promoting their new album Abundance, PPP take a soul-based foundation and mash it up with their array of vintage & modern…

Bon Iver - Lone justice

4 Sep 2008

The breathtaking debut album from Bon Iver is evidence that isolation can produce something truly special. Colin McKean revels in this most singular of musical visions Disillusioned and frustrated by the disintegration of DeYarmond Edison, the band…

Calexico

4 Sep 2008

‘It’s not what some people have called a return to form, because there are new elements on the record,’ says Joey Burns, singer, songwriter and co-founding member (with percussionist John Convertino) of the idiosyncratic alt.country outfit Calexico.

Exposure: Punch and the Apostles

4 Sep 2008

‘We’re not exactly palatable, but not immediately repulsive,’ suggests lead singer Paul Napier, to sum up the sound of Punch and the Apostles, the Glasgow seven-piece who’ve been bringing chaos to traditional folk music for almost a year now. Mashing up…

Fast punk club

4 Sep 2008

‘We call it a punk night,’ says Christopher Fast, ‘but it’s more about a punk attitude to music. From rockabilly, 60s soul, garage and hip hop to disco and electro, we set out to make different genres work together in an interesting way.’ For five…

Bloc Party - Intimacy

4 Sep 2008

Sending out mixed messages is hardly a new tactic in the already fickle world of indie rock. Kele Okoreke and his clan have been issuing out puzzling notices for some time now, topped off with the claim that their Leeds Festival show would be their last…

Caledon

4 Sep 2008

They’ve toured all over the world, but for the first time in a couple of years Scotland’s three tenors, Caledon, are performing back in their home city of Glasgow. Classically trained Alan Beck, Jamie MacDougall and Ivan Sharpe bring a programme of…

Meshuggah

4 Sep 2008

Sometimes the devil is in the detail, but there are also times when the more you explain something, the less sense it makes. In Meshuggah’s case both are true. As regards the first notion, their music is arguably among the most complex and…

Dean Owens - Whisky Hearts

4 Sep 2008

Dean Owens Whisky Hearts (Navigator) The craft of songwriting has become devalued in mainstream music these days, but there remain talented individuals out there waiting to be found. One such is Dean Owens, Leith-based singer songwriter with a…

Five reasons to go and see: Swervedriver

4 Sep 2008

1 The shoegazing revival starts here! OK, Swervedriver were kind of more grungy than shoegazing, but the ballistic Oxford outfit had feet in both camps, creating a mesmerising racket on a par with My Bloody Valentine and Ride for the whole of the 90s…

Paul Vickers and The Leg

4 Sep 2008

‘You’ve all soaked up the reverb a bit,’ noted Paul Vickers a couple of songs in, ‘which is good’. He seemed a bit dazed by this whole experience, although that might just be down to the ex-Dawn of the Replicants singer’s Henry Rollins meets Daniel…

Solange - Sol Angel and the Hadley St Dreams

4 Sep 2008

So your big sister is Beyonce, one of the biggest pop stars in the world. What do you do? Open that bakery you’ve always fancied? Go help the poor kids in war-torn African states? No, of course not, you go into pop music. Knowles the younger has…

Pearl and the Puppets

4 Sep 2008

With a voice that’s as elegantly fiery as the red dress she wears to take to the stage, Katie Sutherland – aka Pearl – puts on a feistily charming and totally beguiling show for what she tells the crowd is her first-ever gig at Tut’s with the…

The Wave Pictures

4 Sep 2008

This trio may be from London, but the fine city of Glasgow is evidently a spiritual home for singer David Tattersall, who excitedly announces ‘I used to live here. I wrote this here!’ before one of the band’s raw but epic numbers, one of which includes…

Missing Twin presents

4 Sep 2008

Missing Twin is the publishing empire of cartoon genius Malcy Duff. Alongside geek-soul brother and Giant Tanker Ali Robertson, Duff makes up half of premier lo-fi fidgets, Usurper. This popcorn-friendly triple feature of late-night wow-and-splutter…

David Holmes - The Holy Pictures

4 Sep 2008

According to Holmes his fourth solo album began as a cluster of instrumental tracks which lead him into a creative cul-de-sac until seismic events in his life – becoming a dad, the death of his parents – inspired him to pen some personal lyrics and…

Glasvegas - Glasvegas

4 Sep 2008

‘The Best New Band in Britain’ says the NME. And for once they have thrown their fickle arrow of instant fame at a worthy target. In 2006, former footballer James Allan assembled a motley crew to give form to his ‘poems’ – disjointed conglomerations of…

The Streets - Everything is Borrowed

4 Sep 2008

Mike Skinner might be one of the finest pop artists of our generation, but there’s no escaping the fact that his fourth album is a real disappointment. Certain passages of it might well grow over time, yet the suspicion is that it’s just too damn…

Constantines - Kensington Heights

4 Sep 2008

Look up ‘nearly men’ in the Dictionary of Obscure Indie Rock Lore and you’ll find a long, arduous, hand wringing essay about Constantines. A band who in nine years, have never quite had their moment in the sunshine but work away feverishly, secretly…

Haftor Medboe Group - New: Happy

4 Sep 2008

The current line-up of Haftor Medbøe’s group is the strongest yet. The guitarist’s accomplished soloing is supported by powerful contributions from two of the leading horn players on the Scottish scene, saxophonist Konrad Wiszniewski and trombonist…

Gina Rae and Sandy Wright - On Main Street

4 Sep 2008

Edinburgh singer Gina Rae has proved herself adept in straight jazz idioms, but this album also reflects the pop-inflected side of her work. Sandy Wright’s acoustic guitar accompaniments provide a spare, uncomplicated support for her light, supple…

Underling - Underling

4 Sep 2008

Based in Dunfermline, Underling pull off the hitherto impossible trick of making the Kingdom of Fife sound like a district of Brooklyn. Their music is played live, a light but spirited bed of intently grooving jazz, through which Aron Moorhouse’s raps…

Drever McCusker Woomble - Before the Ruin

4 Sep 2008

The crossing of normally disparate musical boundaries is always to be applauded, although it’s not automatically the green light to genius that reviewers sometimes make out. This collaboration from two generations of folkies – Kris Drever and John…

Emiliana Torrini - Me and Armani

4 Sep 2008

Emiliana Torrini Me and Armini (Rough Trade) Torrini is frustrating. The Icelandic chanteuse is gifted both in terms of her gorgeous natural voice and her perceptive pop songwriting (she co-wrote ‘Slow’ for Kylie, for example). But she also likes…

Dragonforce - Ultra Beatdown

4 Sep 2008

DragonForce play the most extreme power metal and it’s impossible to review Ultra Beatdown without the words ‘pompous’ and ‘bombastic’. They sound like every Iron Maiden song every written, all played at once, due to the sheer speed of delivery from the…

Wire

4 Sep 2008

Debuting with Pink Flag in 1977, Wire were players on the UK punk scene but it was their minimalism and stark soundscapes that differentiated them form the pack. They were one of the main influences on the post-punk scene. They split in the 80s only to…

David Holmes

4 Sep 2008

Famed for his soundtrack work on the likes of Ocean’s 13 and Out of Sight and his ever eclectic approach to DJing, David Holmes is one of the world’s most consistently excellent and interesting DJs. Veering from techno through funk and punk rock you…

Gym Class Heroes

4 Sep 2008

They may have had their big break on Fall Out Boy’s Decaydance Records label but Gym Class Heroes play up beat hip hop, earning their stripes playing mainly rock bills. Now frontman Travis McCoy has helped push the band into the big leagues with duets…

Amy Thomas

4 Sep 2008

Sultry songstress Amy Thomas started off as a classical singer but is now more at home dipping into the Great American Songbook for some classic jazz vocals. And while she'll be performing jazz at the Jam House she's also fronts a band that mashes…

Constantines

4 Sep 2008

When Bryan Webb and Doug MacGregor’s hardcore act Shoulder broke up they toned their rock fury down to form Constantines with Steve Lambke and Dallas Wehrle. Starting out signed to Sub Pop, they play raw art punk mixed with college rock for a groove…

The Abyssinians

4 Sep 2008

Donald Manning, Bernard Collins and Linford Manning formed the core of reggae act The Abyssinians back in 1968. They released the reggae classic ‘Satta Massagana’, a Rastafarian hymn, a year later only to split during the 80s. Reuniting on stage in 2004…

Bowerbirds

4 Sep 2008

Nu-folk trio in the same vein as Devandra Banhart, professing a love of uncluttered natural living in their gorgeously constructed tumbledown tales of love, longing and the great outdoors. There’s a warmth and delicate beauty in their tracks built on…

Miniprofile: Jay Brannan

Sound sugar-coated acoustica with crystal clear swooping vocals and an edge of stark sexuality.

21 Aug 2008

Was it terrifying releasing your first album Goddamned yourself? It seems like the natural order of things to me because I’m such a weird person with very specific ideas and opinions and beliefs. It’s a lot of work, for sure. I’m like, ‘do I get to…

Glasvegas interview: Full transcript

21 Aug 2008

Henry Northmore talks to singer and songwriter James Allan and his cousin and guitarist Rab Allan from Glasvegas, the hottest band in Glasgow, as they get set to play Hydro Connect as well as their own headline dates How did Glasvegas first get…

Hitlist - Music

The best gigs this fortnight

21 Aug 2008

N*E*R*D Justin Timberlake guested at their Scottish debut in 2003 after the MTV Music Awards and while this night might not have the trouser-snake in tow, Chad Hugo and Pharrell Williams most certainly have what it takes to throw down a platinum hip hop…

Five reasons to go and see: Tam White & The Dexters

21 Aug 2008

They’re an Edinburgh Institution - the mere mention of the name brings a warm glow to the hearts of Edinburgh music fans of a certain vintage. The band’s legendary residencies at the Preservation Hall and Platform 1 (both now gone as music venues) back…

Two Drummers Drumming

Where’s the six geese a laying and the five gold rings?

21 Aug 2008

Have you heard the one about the drummer? Maurice Bacon and Mathew Priest have, and they’re sick of it. Stick-bashing veterans of two notable bands of the 60s and 90s, they’ve brought their ‘Two Drummers Drumming’ show to this year’s Fringe to dispel…

Joe Acheson Quartet

A soundclash of electronics meets jazz can’t be beat

21 Aug 2008

Edinburgh’s favourite sound bending quartet has collaborated with visual artist and filmmaker, Ivan Torres Hdez, creating visuals that he manipulates live on stage for each individual track. Their cinematic effect is enhanced by two drum kits conversing…

Midnight Juggernauts

Aussie trio hit the disco highway

21 Aug 2008

In the past few months, the globetrotting Midnight Juggernauts have toured with Bloc Party, been featured in stroppy lifestyle bible Vice and even cooked for Justice – friends in high places to be sure. While not the latest act to attempt to infuse rock…

The Raconteurs

21 Aug 2008

The seemingly spontaneous nature of the release of their frankly tremendous second album, Consolers of the Lonely, might suggest this quartet, the brainchild of Jack White and his long-time best bud Brendan Benson, were trading in off-the-cuff…

Five questions: Marco Bernardi

21 Aug 2008

Marco Bernardi is the mild-mannered janitor behind Octogen, the jewel in Soma Records’ electronic crown. He comes to Edinburgh as part of the Edge Festival’s Soma Records Night and submits to our probing with peculiar results 5 words to describe your…

Serj Tankian interview: full transcript

System of a Down vocalist talks to The List

20 Aug 2008

System of a Down were a singular prospect in metal, intelligent, intricate and utterly unique. Now vocalist Serj Tankian has released his first solo album, Elect the Dead, as you'd expect it's as distinctive as his former band. Classical pianos morph…

Live at Loch Lomond - festival roundup

12 Aug 2008

With the sun shining and plenty of jovial moods kicking about, Stereo MC’s took to the main stage with a swagger and to a cheer. The arena wasn’t packed and you got the feeling that those who were, were there for the banter. Sure enough they did their…

The Sex Pistols - live review

Sun 3 Aug - Live at Loch Lomond

12 Aug 2008

From the offset I thought that The Sex Pistols were an odd choice to close a predominantly dance and indie orientated festival. Going to see them was something that I had to do, my dad brought me up on a diet of punk and The Sex Pistols are one of his…

The Haze - live review

Sun 3 Aug - Live at Loch Lomond

12 Aug 2008

Local heroes The Haze were a band that I had high expectations of. With so many people name checking them and countless band T-shirts being sported all over the place I wanted to see if they deserved the hype. They didn’t disappoint, wearing their…

Pete Doherty - live review

Sat 2 Aug - Live at Loch Lomond

12 Aug 2008

It’s fair to say that Pete’s a bit of a liability, there’s always a rumour flying about that he’s been arrested or that he’s cancelled the show so his performance wasn’t something I’d really thought about. However, I was pleasantly surprised and…

Roisin Murphy - live review

Sat 2 Aug - Live at Loch Lomond

12 Aug 2008

Dull is certainly a word that could never be used to describe the former one half to Moloko. Arriving on stage with an aura of serious business about her Murphy threw herself right into it with ‘Cry Baby’ from her second album ‘Overpowered’. Just as she…

Parka - live review

Sat 2 Aug - Live at Loch Lomond

12 Aug 2008

Being proved wrong can sometimes be a good thing and Parka certainly are a band that succeeded there. When I first heard their debut single ‘Disco Dancer’ I thought they sounded like a young generic indie band with much the same sound as The View.

Groove Armada - live review

Sat 2 Aug - Live at Loch Lomond

12 Aug 2008

Groove Armada were the perfect band to close the Saturday, frankly it would be rude to put them anywhere else but the main stage. Pulling in what was probably the biggest crowd of the whole event they rocked the baying audience with classics ‘I SeeYou…

The Down and Outs - live review

Sun 3 Aug - Live at Loch Lomond

12 Aug 2008

60’s inspired indie outfit The Down and Outs opened their set with Runrig’s ‘Loch Lomond’ entertaining a practically full tent. Their vibrant sound brought a real mixture of people to their set from punks to fashionable scenesters, proving they have the…

Stereo MCs - live review

12 Aug 2008

With the sun shining and plenty of jovial moods kicking about, Stereo MC’s took to the main stage with a swagger and to a cheer. The arena wasn’t packed and you got the feeling that those who were, were there for the banter. Sure enough they did their…

Zoey Van Goey - live review

Sun 3 Aug - Live at Loch Lomond

12 Aug 2008

Experimental trio Zoey Van Goey were a typically twee and quaint sounding band that kept the audience interested for the duration of their afternoon tent. It’s hard to say who’s who in the band as they all swopped roles and instruments with each new…

Capital venture

7 Aug 2008

Travis set to open new live music venue in the capital while Tennent’s Mutual gathers pace Words: Anna Millar The Scottish music scene is in rude health this month with The Tennent’s Mutual introducing Conversations, a series of exclusive films and…

Tasty sub - Glasgow Sub Club honoured in Resident Advisor poll

7 Aug 2008

Glasgow clubbing institution the Sub Club has been honoured with a place in respected dance magazine Resident Advisor’s Top 10 list. The Sub Club was placed inside the worldwide Top 10 in three out of four categories, including Atmosphere, Programming…

Shout Out Louds

Industrious Swedes do the happy/sad indie thing supremely

31 Jul 2008

‘If you listen to Abba’s songs,’ says Adam Olenius, ‘they sound really happy, but the lyrics are sad. They sing of broken hearts and melancholy. Heartbreak and beautiful melody, that’s the Swedish sound.’ Olenius, lead singer of Stockholm quintet…

Last Word: Ian McLagan

31 Jul 2008

'Mac' to his mates, Ian McLagan is the veteran of The Faces and The Small Faces, now crowning four decades of rock'n'roll with The Bump Band. He climbs down from his tractor to bad-mouth the president and knock back a pint of Guinness First record…

5 Questions - Andi Neate

31 Jul 2008

One of Edinburgh’s most beguiling singer-songwriters gives us her lowdown on the festivities 5 words to describe your show Original, folk-rock, organic, origamic, neate! 4 shows you’re looking forward to seeing in Edinburgh this August Camille…

Bow Selecta - Dizzee Rascal Interview

22 Jul 2008

He’s worked with Arctic Monkeys and Calvin Harris while giving British rap a good name. With his own record label on the rise, urban music star Dizzee Rascal tells Miles Johnson about a life of grime.

Sultans of swing - Pendulum Interview

Edinburgh Festival Fringe

22 Jul 2008

Hardcore drum & bass fans may have objected to the rockier feel of Pendulum’s new sound, but Richie Meldrum finds original member Rob Swire in no mood to apologise

Scouting For Girls

Edge Festival

22 Jul 2008

What a rollercoaster ride it’s been for this London-based indie pop outfit since ‘She’s So Lovely’ crashed into the top ten in 2007. Typical of their instantly catchy, mass-audience appeal, the single had four old school friends finally leaving behind…

Burt MacDonald with Lol Coxhill

Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival

22 Jul 2008

A reunion with free jazz, lyrical flourishes and popcorn machines. One of Scotland’s most adventurous jazz groups, the Burt MacDonald Quintet are reuniting with Lol Coxhill. A legend of the soprano saxophone, Coxhill has worked with the band on five…

Isoceles

Edinburgh Festival Fringe

22 Jul 2008

This Glasgow-based foursome jump to the sound of the raging bull. Or so say their Japanese fans, according to glowing reviews reworked by one of the internet’s more established language translators.

Little Feat

Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival

22 Jul 2008

Formed in 1969 by Lowell George, one of Frank Zappa’s Mothers of Invention, Little Feat were always going to be different from the blues bands of the period. Small in stature, guitarist and lead singer George was a talented firebrand of R&B, country…

Jay-Z - live review

SECC, Glasgow, 20th July 2008

21 Jul 2008

If there were any haters still doubting after his decisive clamping of Noel Gallagher at Glastonbury a couple of weeks back, this man of a thousand monikers, J Hova, God MC, Hovito, Jigga or, as his mother knows him best, Shawn Carter remains very much…

25 things you might not know about Tom Waits

17 Jul 2008

The chance to see Tom Waits, one of the planet’s true music raconteurs, is worth £100 of anyone’s money. But did you know he once worked for the coastguard? If not, Jonny Ensall suggests you read on…

Tom Waits - Live Review

17 Jul 2008

Orpheum Theatre, Phoenix, Arizona, Wed 18 Jun The seldom touring ‘love or hate him’ artist transported his trademark whisky-soaked growl to the desert to kick off only his third tour of the decade. And, judging by his polished performance, one can…

The B-52s

Preview - Carling Academy, Glasgow, Mon 21 Jul

17 Jul 2008

Aside from almost daily radio outings for ‘Love Shack’ and ‘Rock Lobster’, new wave pioneers turned camp party pop stars The B-52s have been all but unheard of since their last album Good Stuff came out in 1992. The Athens Georgia quartet have been…

Dananananaykroyd

17 Jul 2008

PREVIEW FIGHT-POP Cabaret Voltaire, Edinburgh, Wed 30 Jul; The Arches, Glasgow, Thu 31 Jul ‘I break an average of three drumsticks per show,’ nods John Baillie Jnr, one of the two drummers in crashing, Glasgow guitar-rock band Dananananaykroyd.

Momus

17 Jul 2008

PREVIEW POP Stereo, Glasgow, Sun 27 Jul When Nick Currie named himself after the Greek god of mockery, being clever, like ridicule, was nothing to be scared of. Edinburgh-based Currie had already fronted The Happy Family, a band that featured half…

Kora

17 Jul 2008

With a platinum album that has spent six months inside the New Zealand top 20 with rave reviews, the Maori brothers that make up four fifths of Kora are on something of a roll. Their sound is a unique blend of reggae/roots/dub/rock for which the quintet…

The Nelson Mandela Birthday Party Tour

17 Jul 2008

For the Nobel Peace Prize-winner’s 90th birthday Scots/African artists will be offering a tribute to the defender of democracy from Scotland’s three major cities over the course of a single weekend. Performances from the Berlin-based Senegalese reggae…

Brigade

17 Jul 2008

When it comes to rock us Brits are often in the thrall of the US, and Londoners Brigade certainly don’t buck that trend with a mix of pop punk meets post-hardcore, featuring Will Simpson (brother of Busted/Fightstar frontman Charlie) on vocals and…

Hydro Connect Festival 2008 - lineup in detail

17 Jul 2008

Oyster Stage Kasabian There’s a new album on the way from this swaggering fivesome so expect first plays of recently penned material alongside their by-now trademark electro-rock anthems. Manic Street Preachers Following the return to form of last…

Goldfrapp - Your lovely head

17 Jul 2008

Mildly obsessive fan Kirstin Innes pays a personal tribute to the ever-changing faces of Alison Goldfrapp A confession: I just don't see the point of Madonna or Kylie. Sorry. I don't see that anything they've done past 1990 has had the slightest bit…

Grinderman - Man alive!

17 Jul 2008

Less is always more. Inevitably, however, there are times where that worn analogy just won't stick. In the case of Grinderman, the rock band that includes Nick Cave in its line-up, more is most certainly more. Now, Cave has never been backward at…

Mercury Rev - Original soundtracks

17 Jul 2008

They've refused to stand still musically in their 20 year career, and with this latest chapter Mercury Rev are pushing their music farther out than ever. Doug Johnstone revels in their sonic adventures Describing what Mercury Rev sound like is a…

Home work - Tipis and pods

17 Jul 2008

Home work A festival that is boutique in all the right ways, Hydro Connect offers some truly original bespoke accommodation options, as Emma Newlands discovers Ideally, all camping experiences would take place in Jellystone Park with Yogi Bear, or…

More on the floor

17 Jul 2008

As if all that music and gorgeous food wasn’t enough, they go and put on a whole wealth of other delectable nuggets for your delectation, as Malcolm Jack discovers As that posh woman off the Ferrero Rocher ad might say: at this Hydro Connect…

Joan As Policewoman - Feel the force

17 Jul 2008

No, we don't understand the bizarre name either, but Joan As Policewoman's songs are truly breathtaking. Camilla Pia is bewitched Musically, there isn't much that Joan Wasser hasn't done. From violinist in the Boston University Symphony Orchestra…

The Breeders - The freed seed

17 Jul 2008

Death to the Pixies (again) meant a new lease of life for The Breeders. Doug Johnstone traces the musical highs and chemical lows of Kim Deal. The Breeders are not what you'd call prolific. But that's OK, good things are worth waiting for. The on-off…

CSS - Donkey

17 Jul 2008

When CSS exploded into our lives two years ago, a thrilling, party-starting blend of dazzling colours, beautiful faces, bizarre outfits, eccentric showmanship and wonderfully quirky sing-alongs, all seemed bright for the Brazilian electro-poppers. Since…

Music - List picks

17 Jul 2008

Jay-Z Sadly not collaborating with the Butthole Surfers across town on the same evening, Jigga man shows us how it’s done after his triumphant Glasto shindig. SECC, Glasgow, Sun 20 Jul. (Rock & Pop) Butthole Surfers and Desalvo Texas’ most wonderfully…

Duffy - Souled out

17 Jul 2008

In an age of stack ‘em high, sell ‘em out record company profile maximalisation Aimee Anne Duffy is a true original. Instead of tumbling off the BRITs school production line, Duffy found a collaborator and mentor in former Suede guitarist Bernard…

Santogold - Hot metal

17 Jul 2008

This genre-bending 32-year-old ex-punk has been proving the pundits right this year, after bringing out her self-titled debut album in May. She was one of those lava-hot ‘ones to watch’ for 2008, and if the response to the Philadelphia-born lady’s…

White Denim

17 Jul 2008

GARAGE ROCK Captain’s Rest, Glasgow, Thu 10 Jul Sweaty, shoebox-sized spaces like the Captain’s Rest are just the sort of venues Glasgow needs more of, and rough’n’ready, in yer face, garage rock trios like Austin’s White Denim are just the sort…

Claire Wood

17 Jul 2008

REVIEW POP The Halt Bar, Glasgow, Sun 6 Jul Claire Wood is off to seek her fame and fortune in London after spending the last ten years in Glasgow’s piano bars. She decided to launch her EP, Grow‚ and say farewell to her friends, family and…

The Shakes

17 Jul 2008

ROCK King Tut’s, Glasgow, Thu 10 Jul Gracing the stage at King Tut’s with their presence for the first time, Dumbarton band The Shakes played to a full house. As the first guitar pickings of ‘Every Time I Go Away’ begin the audience cheers…

Bloc Party - A weekend out of the city

17 Jul 2008

'Alluding to a stadium moment is not something to be ashamed of,' grins Bloc Party frontman Kele Okereke, 'if it can be done well...' The band's 'agit-jitter guitar pop' not only led to their 2005 debut album Silent Alarm selling a million copies, it…

Primal Scream - ABC2 Glasgow

17 Jul 2008

What’s the easiest way to create an atmosphere thick with tension, excitement at a gig? Firstly, choose a small venue and pack it with members from the official fan site then keep them waiting for almost three hours, giving them plenty of time to get…

Dave Clarke - The eloquent rebel

17 Jul 2008

The last true generation of musical mavericks in Britain weren't indie kids or punks or rockers, but DJs. They blazed a trail, setting heads alight with a singular style and fevered musical vision. Among those deserving of such praise are Kirk…

Sparks - seminal finalists

17 Jul 2008

Sparks have been blowing minds for nearly three decades with their unique off-kilter magic. Hamish Brown gets down and worships With their foray into mainstream consciousness amounting to one song ('This Town Ain't Big Enough for the Both of Us'…

KT Tunstall and The Pictish Trail

17 Jul 2008

ROCK Alhambra Theatre, Dunfermline, Thu 10 Jul This first proper gig for the newly-refurbished 1700-seater Alhambra is a fitting one, with returning Fifer Tunstall warming up for T in the Park. Opening is Johnny Lynch, aka The Pictish Trail…

Manic Street Preachers - Return from exile

17 Jul 2008

From feather boa-swinging, vitriolic misfits in eyeliner to masses-pleasing masters of the soaring rock anthem, it's been a long and rocky road for the Manic Street Preachers during their staggering 22-year career. The band are currently on a…

Ida Maria - Fortress Round My Heart

17 Jul 2008

This is hands down the album of the year, so there. Distilling down everything that’s great about rock’n’roll from the last 40 years, Norwegian force of nature Ida Maria and her band have made a debut packed with hit singles, dripping with heartbreaking…