Josephine & Drat versus football

Bannermans was pretty stowed when I got there last night for the Josephine gig. Unfortunately, once the Forces of Darkness had polished off the Forces of Darkness (Apprentice-schooled version) the crowd quickly dissipated. Seems that if people like their football mainstream the same applies to their musical taste. Still, when Josephine got onstage there was a reasonable attendance, despite the gig having nearly been pulled when first the Starlets pulled out and then some equiment problems befell Drat.
Fortunately Josephine always give their best whatever the circumstances and despite a bit of a layoff they're still on top form. A set mainly comprised of new stuff, it all sounds a match for their debut album material. Watch out for the likes of 'Section 24' and '5-5-2-1', the latter which will be on their new EP in January, and will, once again, piss all over the Strokes (not that this is as much of a feat as it was last year).
Because of the football, and an apparent 2 hour (TWO HOURS!!) soundcheck, Drat take the stage late enough for me to only catch 2.5 songs or so. Beforehand I marvel at the fact that they have 3 pro-looking CDs for sale, yet I've never encountered what I take to be a local band. The singer puts me straight - "we're a bit tired having come in 10 hours from London" he says in a distinct Ulster brogue. Their first song is ok, quite poppy, like Baby Bird or someone, but the second is a darker, brooding yet catchy one, like Eels perhaps, or Grandaddy, with heavy use of twin vocoders. At that point I have to run for my lift but I'll definitely catch Drat again should they ever make it back to Edinburgh.
On heading up the road I catch a bit more music from somewhere. It turns out to be coming from a hole in the wall at the back of the pub - a minature tunnel that goes through the feet-thick wall and into the venue - I even convince myself I can see the band at the end of it. (not sure why I mentioned that, but next sell-out gig at Bannermans, join me in the queue under the Bridges).

East Kilbride, Rock City

Just coming to after a truncated night's sleep, following a late night in East Kilbride - not usually a rock kinda town but their Pop festival concluded last night. 3 bands, and Norman Blake and Duglas T Stewart playing old Swell Maps and Kleenex records inbetween the bands. First on (to the horror of one or 2 latecomers) were Sister Vanilla - Linda Reid, sans Jesus and Mary Chain brothers, but still making a sound which wasn't unlike the Chain with their sister on vocals. The track Pastel Blue on the Geographic compilation is quite far removed from their live sound - fuzzy guitars, harmonies, indeed it's the Ramones, Beach Boys, Sonic Youth and Shangri-las all rolled into one. Suffice to say, it's great, a few really promising tunes in there.
Movietone were next; I got hold of their first album repackaged - I'd assumed they'd split because of this for some reason, but they're still alive and well, and though they have a definite ethereal and instrumental quality, they actually have a fair few songs and a singer with a nice pure voice, not too ethereal. The entire band swap instruments regularly but this doesn't seem affected as it often can, they're just all terribly talented.
The Pastels were great too - maybe playing for 40 minutes they do a few from The Last Great Wilderness soundtrack - nice to see the samples all emanating from Katrina's Mac laptop - and some slightly older ones like Frozen Wave. The East Kilbride massive are out in force and with Stephen being a fairly unassuming kind of fellow, it's very easy to phase him simply by shouting "gaun yersel, big man!" The heckling's all good-natured though, though Stephen muses at how it would look if a gang fight broke out at a Pastels gig. He also earlier in the set explains how East Kilbride's electrical supply is responsible for the feedback that permeates all records from the town. But it's still a surprise when they come back for an encore a version of the Mary Chain's 'You Trip Me Up', which holds together remarkably well and leaves audience (and band) with grins from ear to ear.

the new Bongo

I did say that this blog thing would die a death but I'll persevere, chipping in ill-founded comments on gigs and the like. for example, the show at the all-new Bongo Club (now at Moray House). Baby Tiger were putting on 4 bands in an 'all-ages' show though the main constituent of the audience was students after cheap stella, I suspect. It's a big venue with loads of seats at the back but there was, I hope, enough crowd to make back the investment. They got good value anyway - Closer opened, having been the last to arrive. The sound for what would be the first band at the Bongo's first rock gig was a bit muddy, not helped by the singing drummer sounding slightly distant. That's the first Biffy reference and Closer make music in a similar vein i.e. chart-friendly stop-start pop-punk. Their single 'Clever', on tasteful turquiose vinyl, should be in a shop near you.
Chocyamo, they tell us, have music availble at their dotcom, which is useful. I'm listening to 'The Future' as I type and it's a nice floaty guitary piece with understated female vocals, kind of Yo La Tengo or even Delgados in vein. Not like Sonic Youth, I note, which is how somone described them at the gig. Certainly this may have been in their 'rockier' moments, or just the rather iffy sound that pervaded their set which wasn't helped by their only occasional use of bass.
Won Mississippi are, I guess, made to play venues where the mix isn't perfect. They are either loud, or quiet, simple as that and they make the transition between these states perfectly, searing guitars punctuated by sudden moments of silence. Vocals are always promiment simply because neither singer really needs a microphone. They're excitably lively tonight and even treat us to 'Aniseed Tang', a 'ba-ba ba-'driven stab at chart success.
Mercury Tilt Switch are nearing the end of a Transit tour of the UK and do seem a little worn down, as they try to shrug off the flu. So they're a bit static on stage, putting their energies into their sound, which is as ever a mighty noise. 'Caffeine Avalanche' is a high-point as ever, while new sing;e 'What the Kids Are Buying' will hopefully be just that.

top tips from Elvis C

POP STARS. Impress your pop star mates with the number of encores you get by simply playing a short set and then making up the time by returning to the stage as often as you want.
Apologies to Viz, but that's what Elvis Costello did the other night. Touring with just Steve Nieve on piano, he played a strange kinda set - starting with 'Accidents Will Happen' and a few crowd-pleasers, he did around half of 'difficult' new album 'North', and then disappeared, at just around the hour mark. Normal gigs might well clock in at around 60 minutes, but apart from the fact that it was £25 a skull, Elvis usually plays for double the time.
Which was evenytually what happened. I've lost count, but 5 encores, I believe it ran to, including one in the middle that must have contained 11 or more songs.
What of the show? Well, I've seen him better. 'North' is hardly 'Armed Forces' in the catchy tune stakes, but even the arrangements of the older material were a bit disappointing. Muffled vocals on 'God's Comic', overdone stuumming drowning everything else out on 'Man Out of Time'. And the acapella trick that he's done in the Concert Hall to such great effect in the past - he basically 'fills' the massive auditorium without the aid of a mike - was again weighed down by too much piano backing. Of course, the surprise factor of what's a great vocal feat was also lost on us experienced Costello campaigners, but one of the Costello virgins that was with us (hi, if you're reading) was thoroughly impressed with everything about the gig. I'd not say familiarity bred contempt for Elvis, but even what was actually a pretty good gig can disappoint when compared with some of the shows he's done in the past.

no laughing matter

The problem with these blog things is that you never quite get round to typing anything into them. Thus, musings on the Killing Joke gig a few nights ago. Or, musings on the venue. Spent the first half-hour hanging around waiting outside for the guest list problems to be sorted out (a gaggle of journos hanging around in the freezing cold; there's a mental image to brighten your day). The stewards were in fact very pleasant about the whole thing but unable to help too much - as everyone would be trying the "let me through, I'm a reviewer" trick. Eventually a bloke who looked like he might have been with the band (he just *looked* like that, ok?) was able to ask someone and reappeared with special dispensation just in time for the main attraction taking the stage.
As it happened, the gig was a bit disappointing. Jaz Coleman put in extra effort with his makeup, the band played most of the hits, interspersed rigidly with tracks from the (excellent) new album, and all the gang - Geordie, Youth and Raven - were there, though Dave Grohl was conspicuous by his absence. But for me, the problem was the sound in the newly-refurbished venue. Bass-heavy and muddy, songs which should have been driven by anthemic guitar hooks were muffled and shadows of their former selves. Final complaint - the choice of a venue which 'closes' at 10pm in preparation for a club night seems strange. Apart from anything else, it allowed us only one encore before we were kicked out into a cold Glasgow night. Something which was particularly common in Edinburgh, it appears that this disease has spread west. Now, there are benefits to an early finish - you can find somewhere cheaper to continue drinking, or you can even take in another gig if you get your skates on. But the Garage is hardly the ideal setting for these princes of the night...

Battle of the Bands (charidee!)

Well, I'm listening to the new Calamateur EP 'Son of Everyone' (rather lovely acoustic/electronic solo songwriting,for want of a better description) . I reckon this is as much as my ears will stand after the battering they took last night. I was roped in to 'judge' a event in the Ferns pub in Livingston which acted as a heat; the chance for the bands to play live in a large festival in Livi next July. I'm always a bit dubious about such things - MUSIC IS NOT A COMPETITION - but, well, the live scene in West Lothian, where I live, needs all the support it can get, plus it was all for a charitable cause. There are various genres taking part in 6 heats - punk has been and gone, next one is hiphop/DJing - and last night was rock. Sorry, RAWK. A pal who lives in the town, but deigned to come along, had told me "at least it's handy for St Johns", presumably meaning that if I was to stumble in the car park I'd at least be able to get my wounds dressed at the nearby A&E. The judges which included people from New Music in Scotland and the Elevation Station website, as well as Radio Forth, were all seated directly in front of the stage - or 'carpeted area' as the hugely entertaining but completely insane MC put it. He announced that the acts would be judged on "style, speed, aggression and damage". Sadly it was more the usual stuff like 'performance' and 'audience reaction' which were on my form.
Anyway, the bands played their takes on rock, which ranged broadly from the Stereophonics to Napalm Death in influence, though not necessarily during the same set. Eventual 1-2-3 was 9 Miles High, Shackle and Absolute Zero, with Carpe Diem (possibly having the strongest tunes of the night) and Duke 69, with some mighty fine guitar/drum interplay, losing out. Though, as our compere pointed out, every band was a winner. Well, apart from the ones that lost out.
How did I vote? Well, I will keep that to myself, since, after all, who cares?