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big news 18/12 - The lineups for Scotland’s ‘official’ Hogmanay celebrations have been announced. In Glasgow in George Square, entertaining the trops will be Athlete, Deacon Blue, Hue & Cry, & the Finlay Macdonald Band (no, not that Finlay Macdonald). 0/12 - Delgado Emma Pollock's first Glasgow gig is on Sunday 18th Dec at The Barfly. The former Delgado's debut will be an afternoon (2pm) all-acoustic show - support from by Strike The Colours and Injuns. All sets will be acoustic. Her website is now up and running - www.emmapollock.com 9/12 - Franz Ferdinand have been allowed to take over programming of 6music's output for Thursday 15th December. Apart from picking the station's album of the day (Sparks) and appearing on the station themselves at regular intervals, they've also commissioned a session from The 1990s - ex-Yummy Fur John Mckeown's new band. 3/12 - The Fence Homegame - the annual 'festival' which has run in Anstryuther over the last 2 years -is in jeopardy due to Fife Council's forbidding usage of the town's Erskine Hall - following ONE complaint of noise. This is despite the approval of the Hall's comomittee, and the massive tourist boost the influx of music fans beings to the town. 1/12 - Chemikal Underground is 10 years old and a documentary is to be aired on BBC's OneWorldon December 10th. Chemikal Chaos is presented by Vic Galloway and features interviews with The Delgados, Mogwai, Arab Strap, Bis, Mother & The Addicts, Aereogramme and The Radar Brothers. 28/11 - Biffy Clyro are to return to their old stamping ground (or thereabouts) ths Wednesday, as they open Ayr College's ProTools-sponsored studios. The college has spent £100000 to allow them to become one of only 3 in the UK to host these courses, and the band along with DF Concerts' Dave McGeachan are to give the 2 new studios the official stamp and engage with students in a Q&A session afterwards. 25/11 - Beat106, now part of the English-based GCap Media group (owners of Capital Radio), has announced that it is to completely re-brand itself as Xfm Scotland. The London and soon-to-launch Manchester versions of Xfm are a distinctly more 'indie' and guitar-based proposition and it seems likely that the Glasgow-based station will also move their format away from its current more dance and mainstream areas - ironically, back to the original style of programming which formed the promise of performance under which they were granted the licence over 5 years ago. 22/11 - Looper, the band formed over 5 years ago by Belle and Sebastian founder Stuart David, have suddenly found themselves in the limelight with news of their being chosen by Xerox Corporation as providers of the company's 'theme tune'. 'Mondo 77' a minor hit last century, had already appeared in the Cameron Crowe / Tom Cruise film Vanilla Sky, which is seemingly where Xerox picked up the the tune from. The band have already been using the syndication money to fund their musical activities, to the extent where Stuart, Karn, Scott and Ronnie can offer their music in the form of free downloads. 18/11 - Burnsong again has a contemporary feel as artists from across Scotland celebrate the work of Robert Burns, in Ayr from 25th - 30th. Among the acts lined up are Aberfeldy, David Arcari, Deaf Mutes, Sophie Bancroft, Boo Hewardine, HMS Ginafore, King Creosote, Geoff Martyn, Duncan McCrone, Pictish Trail & David Scott - more at the Burnsong website. 17/11 - Belle and Sebastian are to release a live album, preceding next February's release of 'The Life Pursuit'. The live charity album is basically 1996's If You're Feeling Sinster recorded in London as part of the Don't Look Back series of shows. It's out on December 6th as a download from iTunes, with proceeds gping to the DEC ASis Quake Appeal. 14/11- Franz Ferdinand head back to their roots - to Glasgow's Stereo, where the video for debut single 'Darts of Pleasure' was filmed. It's the AFTERNOON of the 23rd November (preceding one of 2 SECC shows) and tickets are available onlyto competition winners on Beat106. 7/11 - Blue Nile vocalist Paul Buchannan resurfaces in the unlikely surroundings of the new Texas album Red Book - he duets with Sharleen Spiteri on 'Sleep'. He's in good company though - as well as Bobby Bluebell songwriting for the album, Spiteri has been working on German pyrotechnicists (and occasional musicians) Rammstein, on their new album which is apparently influenced byColdplay and features a mariachi band. 5/11 - Blaknoisewhitesoul - labelmates of Udiscs signings Salon Boris - have run into problems with their forthcoming single Sometimes With the Pet Shop Boys, which includes lyrics from 'West End Girls'. The Pet Shop Boys agreed to allow the lyrics to be used on the track, but later asked for 100% of the royalties for the track i.e. including “music they didn't write or play on.” 3/11 - Gig-goers can relive some of the highlights from August in Edinburgh - T on the Fringe Radio fetaures recordings from Idlewild as well as Best of T-Break - www.tonthefringe.com 27/11 - Future Pilot AKA are to get together with Belle and Sebastian - well, Stuart Murdoch and Sarah Martin - for a single 'Eyes of Love'. (hear it on Fallout on radiomagnetic.com, 16.30, Tuesday 1st November). The vaguely ska-based tune is backed by 'Changes' features Unkle Bob's Rick Webster and BBC Folk Award winner Karine Polwart and Linn Records artists Concerto Caledonia. This precedes an album 'Secrets fromThe Clockhouse' which features collaborations with Sonic Youth, Go-Betweens, Fire Engines, Can, Mike Watt, Scatter, and Alisdair Gray - due in the new year. 24/11 - Mogwai are embarking on a few live shows following their surprise appearance at the John Peel Day gig at Glasgow's Mono. They're part of the series of One in Four shows in aid of the mental health charity at Edinburgh's Cabaret Voltaire on November 28th along with The Magnificents (also during this mini-festival - Arab Strap on Friday 25th with more TBC. The band also play at Glasgow's Arches on the 29th November, in aid of the Glasgow Campaign to Welcome Refugees - that's along with the Hugh Reed Explosion. In other news, the band have apparently finished their new album. 11/10 - Josef K, commonly quoted as an influence on chart-topping Franz Ferdinand, are to re-release their back catalogue on Domino Records. The label, which of course signed Franz and other oft-quoted act Fire Engines, has struck a deal with chief songwriters Malcolm Ross and Paul Haig to issue the band's back catalogue. However, a source close to the band deems the chances of a reformation show for Peel Day 'unlikely', thoiugh it's possibe that new collaborations between Ross and Haig may appear on a Paul Haig solo album in the future. 10/10 - Thursday 13th October sees Peel Day and there are a host of acts across the country, including current acts associated with the Peel show - Camera Obscura play King Tuts, and Dawn of the Replicants are at Edinburgh's Cabaret Voltaire - full details in the gig guide. however, the most interesting event is at Edinburgh's Citrus Club - where members of The Scars, Josef K, Boots for Dancing and TV21 are among the acts listed to play. Some of these will be simple DJ sets, while Malcolm Ross is listed as solo, but others will be full band sets. Hopefully. Only one way to find out... Enter the world of podcasting - www.seventhings.co.uk and ideasfactoryscotland have a series of half-day roadshows in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee & Aberdeen commencing on 21st October, voice-over recording, editing, compression and hosting, as well as registering your podcast with an online directory. Register in advance at www.channel4.com/ideasfactoryscotland 2/10 - The 1990s - newly formed by former Yummy Fur founder John McKeown - are set to support Franz Ferdinand at their SECC show on November 22nd. The new act, who have only played 3 shows, were of course an early stopping-point in the careers of Alex Kapranos, who filled in live for the band on several occasions, and of course Paul Thompson drummer on many of the Yummy Fur's classic releases including seminal mini-album Male Shadow At Three O'Clock. 25/9 - Edinburgh has a new venue - Gig on Lothian Road is a 1500-capacity hall which will allow major and smaller acts to get gigs in the heart of the city. Jim Gellatly will be the resident Friday/Saturday DJ at the venue, starting on the 7th October with sets from Exit Pilot, Flying Matchstick Men & The Magnificents. 18/9 - Sun City Girls and Jandek are among the acts confirmed for Instal'05 which takes place at Glasgow's Arches from 14th - 16th October. The experimental festival will also have a 'fringe' element involving local/Scottish acts, with Giant Tank and Wounded Knee curating - Kylie Minoise, Usurper and Opaque among those on the bill. (more in the gig news pages) 12/9 - Belle and Sebastian are headlining the inaugural POPPED music festival in Castlemilk, on the south side of Glasgow. 10/9 - Loopalu is Ullapool's live music festival which takes place on 23rd & 24th September, in a big top on the Broomfield Campsite. organisers hope to attract 2000 people (doubling the size of the village) for the shows which include Hayseed Dixie, the Undertones, Shooglenifty, Cosmic Rough Riders, the Deaf Mutes the Hussys, the Lush Rollers, The Rites & Our Small Capital. The festival also sees the first ever Sunday coach service to the village! 9/9 - Tune-Up, the Scottish Arts Council-sponsored tour which takes in more unusual locations, kicks off on Sunday September 25 at Dunfermline's Carnegie Hall. On tour this time: Trashcan Sinatras, Hobotalk and Roddy Hart. The tour then moves round the country, from the Lemon Tree in Aberdeen to Paisley Town Hall. More at www.trashcansinatras.com/gigs.shtml 8/9 - Way To Blue, Falkirk's own music festival, sees Teenage Fanclub, SLAM + DJ Alex Smoke, Ricky Ross, and the Trashcan Sinatras all perform in the town between Wednesday 5 and Sunday 9 October. There's also a showing of music movie 'Dig' in the Town Hall, and Soma Skool, which advises young people on the music industry. 29/7 - Musicworks, the Glasgow conference taking place at the end of August, has announced its lineup for both conference events and for its programme of evening shows. Panels and keynotes are focused on the business side of things including a detailed look at the Far East market, as well as emerging technologies like podcasting, and the traditional looks at A&R and commercial exploitation of work. The live programme sees over 50 shows, many free, over the 4 days. This includes a show in conjunction with is this music? with Flying Matchstick Men, Calvin, The Aphrodisiacs and Satellite Dub on Wednesday 31st at The Universal. Other bands playing over the period are theoceanfloor, Sluts of Trust, Juno, Julia Thirteen and The Jackals. More at www.musicworksuk.com 27/7 - Following the news (see below) about Studio 24's fight for survival, it's been claimed that The Venue - just up the road in the Edinburgh yuppie area - is to close at the end of the year. However, staff at the club are apparently unaware of the revelations in the Evening News, which claims that the 3 year stay of execution is to be cut back to little more than 6 months. 25/7 - Franz Ferdinand have anounced a lineup change - for live gigs, at least. Paul Thompson is to triple up as 3rd live guitarist, with drum tech Andy Knowles taking over the sticks at gigs. This has led to much drummer-related hilarity - "What's the last thing a drummer says in a band? Hey guys, why don't we try one of my songs?" (Dave Grohl), but as any fule know, Thompson started off as a guitarist (as well as keyboards with previous act ProForma), only taking over the kit with Franz because Nick McCarthy joined the band by lying about the fact he could play drums. 23/7 - The Beta Band's various members have resurfaced again with the formationn of 2 bands from te ashes of the Fife trip-psyche legends. Steve Mason has moved into full-time mode with his previous side project King Biscuit Time, while The Aliens - John Maclean, Robin Jones and Gordon Anderson (original Beta member and Lone Pigeon) are now up-and-running as a band - http://www.thealiens.co.uk/ 15/7 - Edinburgh's music scene
has been dealt another
hammer
blow
with
the news
that 2
of its
live venues are to shut down by the start of next year. Studio
24 looks set to close its doors following action
by the Licensing Board over complaints of noise and alleged
misbehaviour
by some
of the venue’s patrons 8/7 - Tigerfest, Edinburgh's top gathering of music during the month of August, has announced its lineup for this year. It opens with Tom Hingley on August 4th and continues, via shows from Macrocosmica, DataPanik, Multiplies, and The Magnificents amongst many, to the closing weekend which as well as showcasing F*ck-Off Machete and ballboy, also sees a first as Tigerfest decamps across the Forth to Dunfermline. 3 shows at the Carnegie Hall and in association with is this music? magazine include sets from Malcolm Middleton, Flying Matchstick Men, My Latest Novel and James Yorkston. Full details at the Baby Tiger website. 5/7 - Kirriemuir, the Angus town famous as the birthplace of JM BArrie, his commemorating another of its famous sons. Bon Scott - Rock Legend Son of Kirriemuir - runs until August 20 at the Gateway to the Glens museum. Scott, who emigrated to Australia with his family at age 6 - eventually found fame as singer in AC/DC, but his family have always maintained their connections to Scotland. Local artist Eddie Summerton has commemorated the exhibition by producing a limited run of 400 sticks of rock with the words "LET THERE BE ROCK" running through them. 28/6 - In the lead up to the G8 summit/protests there's a flurry of activity in Scotland. THere are a bunch of live shows featuring the likes of Uncle John & Whitelock, The Magnificents, The Rezillos, Aberfeldy and The Aphrodisiacs to name but a few as well as DJ sets from the likes of Teenage Fanclub, Idlewild, Mogwai and Arab Strap. Full details in our gig news section, or at www.songsfrochange.org. And The Zips, Glasgow's punk veterans, have their 'anthem' 'MPH (Make Poverty History)' released as a download single on the Oxfam Music website. 24/6 - The Cultural Commission - the committee set up to map out the future of arts in Scotland - has recommended that £100milion per year be spent on subsidising the arts. The 124 proposals range from giving kids free tickets to theatre productions to the setting up of digital TV and radio starions to promote Scottish music. The 284- page document also recommends a national ticket box office, tax breaks for artsts, the establishment of a 'quango, Culture Scotland, to oversee the arts under the umbrella of a commercial company, employment of cultual ambassador, and further international 'Tartan Days', and most controversially, the abolition of the Arts Council, which has recently started to get behind independent music makers in the country. The SAC's fund-awarding powers would be taken over by another commercial organisation, the Culture Fund. 20/6 - Former Delgado Emma Pollock has swiftly moved to continue her music career following the split of the band recently. She has signed a deal with 4AD Records which will see her work on new material for the label. The other 3 band members have announced no specific plans yet, but have been working live on labelmate Malcolm Middleton's recent live dates. 7/6 - Midge Ure has
announced the acts who will play at Edinburgh's Murrayfield
Stadium as
part of the Live8 events. Included on the bill are 30/5
- Scotland is heading towards the forefront of that uncertain
place
where
politics
and
music mix with the imminent G8 summit at Gleneagles. Bob Geldof
is making plans for a gig and rally at Murrayfield Stadium
on July 6th. The Pope, Dalai Lama and Nelson Mandela are among
the
speakers invited to the event, which will follow the Make Poverty
History march as well as 2 concerts in
London and Washington DC. The Edinburgh event is rumoured
to have Oasis, Robbie WIliams, U2 and Paul
McCartney lined up to
appear. 28/5 - Scotland's music infrasturcture
is becoming more solid with a slew of new labels starting up.
Franz Ferdinand's Paul Thomson has set up New! Records and
its first release is by his former band, proForma.
'Lapses in Diction', a 12" single, is out on June 20th and is
recorded by Paul Epworth (Futureheads/Bloc Party) and mixed
by Mike Parker,
Franz's live engineer. 23/5 - Glasgow is to get another live music venue - the ABC cinema on Sauciehall Street has been bought and had £2M spent on it to redevelop it into a 1200-capacityvenue plus a smaller space which will take 350 revellers. It opens on June 8th and amongthe acts lined up toplay the venue are Trout, who will support Mogwai, Roddy Frame, and St Etienne. 15/5 - The Jockrock awards for 2004 took place at Glassgow's Mono on Sunday 15th. Read the full results here. 9/5 - Edinburgh act Calvin have,
apparently, lent inspiration to Christopher Brookmyre's
new book . 'ALL FUN AND GAMES UNTIL SOMEONE LOSES AN EYE' contains
a dedication
to the band, as apparently their single 'Supercar'
was "resonating very strongly 10/5 - A book on the Glasgow Apollo is in the works - to be published by NWP in September - and its author Martin Kielty (who has recently published the story of the Sensational Alex Harvey Band) is looking for people to share their memories of the legendary 70s venue. Martin is offering prizes for the best stories - £100, a special copy of the book and an invitation to the launch party. A site already exists - www.apollomemories.com and you can send your memories to Martin at martin@apollomemories.com 8/5 - Making the leap from indie to the 'big news' column - 3 Scottish bands have greater things planned. My Latest Novel have inked a deal with Simon Raymonde's Bella Union label and are now working on an album. Hookers Green No.1 have their album ready to go later in the month, via Snowstorm Records. And The Cinematics have signed to TVT, the label which brought us the debut from Nine Inch Nails. 7/5 - Edwyn Collins, already hospitalised by a brainhaemmorage earlier this year, is now stricken by the 'hospital superbug' MRSA. The singer is believed to have contracted this during an operation to remove a piece of bone. Collins is said to be fighting, again - his wife Grace Maxwell said "He has turned the corner and is now doing absolutely fine.". 1/5 - Misty's
Big Adventure,
the Brummie collective signed to Edinburgh's SL Records, have
been
the subject of a radio ban which could lead to a Frankie-style
chart onslaught. Possibly. 25/4 -In the run-up to the UK General Election, Franz Ferdinand have revealed their political colours - Green! The band have allowed 'This Fire' to be used by the environmental party as a soundtrack to their election TV broadcast. You can see the video - directed by Alex Cox - at the Scottish Green party website, and on TV on Thursday 28th April. 10/4 - Franz Ferdinand and Bloc Party will perform DJ sets at a Sudan appeal benefit to be held at Glasgow's Brunswick Hotel on April 15th. Live music on the night will be supplied by Josephine, Mellow Sub Machine and The Sound Development Agency. 8/4 - The Delgados have split. Following Stewart Henderson's decision early this year not to make another album with the band, an amicable decision was made to break up since the others couldn't envisage working without all the original members. Emma and Alun will work on individual projects while Paul will continue to produce at Chem19 studios. A statement on the Delgados website impores fans "Don't be too upset everyone...get a massive carry out, turn the stereo up and play your albums at full volume. " , 2/4 - Teenage Fanclub's album Grand Prix has been voted the #1 Scottish album of all time accordig to readers of Scotland's favourite bi-monthly music mag, is ths music? Polling around 10% of the total votes cast, the band beat Franz Ferdinand and Alex Harvey (with 'Next') into second and third places. Full results are in the new issue of the magazine, on sale now. 17/3 - Another Scottish band bites
the dust... ok, not quite, but Snow Patrol have parted company
with bassist Mark McClelland, who founded the band with Gary Lightbody
at Dundee Uni in 1994. McClelland has recalled how "Gary said
to me, 'We're not getting on. I don't feel I can write music with
you in the band and you're going to have to go... I wanted an explanation
but there was none forthcoming." Lightbody, writing on www.snowpatrol.net,
said " It got to the stage that things couldn't go on as they
were, so we felt there was no other course of action" 12/3 - The Cocteau Twins much-publicised reformation is, apparently, not going to happen, despite their being booked for a string of dates commencing with the Coachella festival in California. Details are sketchy at present, but the truth will out when post-punk footballer Pat Nevin interviews the band as he presents Radio Scotland's Air on the 28th March. 5/3 - Scotland's favourite fanzine, Beard, has been named 2005's Top UK Music Fanzine at EMAP Publications' annual bunfest. EMAP said Beard's "great ideas, illustrations and an ingenious use of language stood out like a beacon", adding that it was also "very funny indeed". Editor Stewart Smith accepted a cheque for £500 - intended for reinvestment in the zine but certainly destined to be spent on cheap cider. Beard can be found at Mono or Avalanche - more on the Beard website. 27/2 - Bis are set to reform. Well, kind of. DataPanik are comprised by original Bis members Amanda Mckinnon plus brothers John and Steven clark but will, unlike their former act, feature a live drummer. Amanda's project The Kitchen has come to an end after one well-received albim, though the brother's Dirty Hospital will continue on the side. New recordings are expected any time now though live dates are unlikely until towards summer. 25/2- Scotland's first ever download-based chart will be launched by internet radio station radiomagnetic.com in conjunction with BT Broadband. The show, hosted by music writer and broadcaster John Clarke, will commence on April 18th. The chart will be broasdcast fortnightly and be based around votes on the downloads available on the site. 24/2 - Edwyn Collins,
former lead singer with seminal indie act Orange Juice, is reported
to be 'seriously ill' in hospital with a brain haemmorage. He
was taken to hospital on Sunday night by his wife Grace, who
has reported his state of health on his website, saying that he's "being well looked after".
Doctors are trying to stabilise his condition. 21/2 - The Tsunami Benefit which took place at the SECC in Glasgow on Saturday 19th and featured double NME award winners Franz Ferdinand, Travis and Mogwai among just about anyone who's anyone in Scottish music, raised over £300,000 for relief aid. (It's still posisble to donate online, at the DEC website.) 11/2 - T in the Park
2005 has its initial lineups announced. Headliners on the Saturday
will be the Foo Fighters while Green Day will close
the Main Stage on the Sunday. Other bands set to play on the
9th and 10th July include Keane, The Killers, Embrace, Prodigy,
The Streets, Razorlight, Kasabian, Biffy Clyro, Ian Brown, The
Coral Beautiful South, and making their gig debut, Audioslave. 10/2 - Following their winning the accolades of Best Band and Best Rock Band at the Brit Awards, Franz Ferdinand have garnered the equally impressive dual distinction of recognition from both Scottish and UK parliaments - SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon's congatulations being minuted in Holyrood while a group of MPs at Westminster put forward a motion similarly congratulating the band on their success. 5/2 - Seminal Grangemouth goth art-rockers the Cocteau Twins are set to reform following a 10-year absence. Following roughly the same route as 4AD labelmates The Pixies, they are to play the Coachella festival in the Californian desert on April 30th (alongside Coldplay, Weezer, and another set of contemporaries, Bauhaus). Then,hopefully, the route they follow will bring them to the UK for festival appearances at T in the Park and V, though these are pure speculation at present. What is also unclear is what lineup of the band will be forming - the original trio, or the latter-day 5-piece which saw 'Heaven or Las Vegas' - one of is this music?'s top 100 albums - hit the US chart. What seems certain is, despite the fact that Simon Raymonde and Liz Frazer have been out of touch for 8 years, they as the long-time backbone of the band along with Robin Guthrie, will appear onstage together in the coming months. Guthrie has put his Violet Indiana project on hold for much of this year, following a hiatus which saw him perform solo his soundtrack piece 'Lumiere' in Glasgow late last year. 3/2 - What's the best album to ever come out of Scotland? That's the question posed by is this music? magazine. In a poll in the current issue, its writers put forward 100 possible contenders, with the invitation for readers to voite for their favourite - whether it's on the 'official' list or not. 1/2 There is sad news as Martyn
Bennett, acclaimed traditional / dance crossover artist,
has passed away after a long struggle against cancer. Martyn
died in Edinburgh on Sunday 30 January. 30/1 - King Tuts Wah Wah Hut celebrates its 15th birthday in February. As part of the celebrations, shows from Mull Histrical Society, Soundtrack of Our Lives, KT Tunstall, Minnie Driver, Wily Mason, Ed Harcourt and Arab Strap are planned. 29/1 - NEMIS - New
Music in Scotland, the Scottish music industry trade organisation
- appears to be on the verge of being wound up. Following mutterings
late last year of a study into the formation of a full-funded
industry organisation, and dire tales of funding drying up in
the near future, a statement from NEMIS' board states that the
decision of the Development officer Alec Downie to take a sabbatical
has meant that " cannot sanction such a length of time away
from the post" and "Nemis can now not meet its contractual
requirements". 23/1 - Scotland's major promoters
have got together with its major bands for a tsunami benefit.
At the SECC on Sat 19th February, the bands announced for the
show include Teenage Fanclub, Franz Ferdinand, Travis, Belle
& Sebastian, Idlewild, Texas, Eddi Reader, Trashcan Sinatras,
Mull Historical Society, Ricky Ross, Slam, Optimo, Mogwai &
Kevin McDermott. Each band will be playing an approximately
20 minute set. 22/1 - Biffy Clyro are getting behind the tsunami relief effort by holding an auction of rare items at their website (www.biffyclyro.com) Among the items are Simon's Strat, a signed drumskin, and various records and t-shirts including an autographed copy of ancient & rare EP thekidswhopoptodaywillrocktomorrow. 19/1 - Belle and Sebastian,
James Yorkston, Mull Historical Society, Aberfeldy, V-Twin and
the Grim Northern Social will participate in Tennent's Football
Sessions on Sunday February 6th, a 5-a-side tournament also open
to teams from 6 of Scotland's top educational institutions. 17/ - Alex Kapranos out of Franz Ferdinand is to take part in the Edinburgh Lectures on 2 February along with various other luminaries from the world of music, art and sociology. The annual event looks at Scotland in the 21st century and its challenges, opportunities and image presented to the rest of the world. It tales place on Wed 2nd February at 6.30 at Reid Hall, The University of Edinburgh. More at www.edinburghlectures.org 20/1 - 12/1 - Jockrock was saddened to hear of the untimely death of Benny Esposito, one-time bassist/vocalist with Dundee band Broccoli. Benny died in Dundee, where he worked as a lecturer at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art. He was also well-known on the stand-up comedy scene, performing to some acclaim under the name Ben D'Arcy. Among the tribuites was one from Colin Ramone, star of two successful Edinburgh Festival shows-British Television Explained and Great Britain Explained- who said, "Benni was one of my favourite comics on the circuit. He was also a talented artist, had a five star review with Road From Dundee at The Stand, and the only person I knew that had done a John Peel session. 13/1- Belle and Sebastian
have been voted Best Scottish Band of All Time by readers of
The List. They were presented with the award at King uts at a
star-studded event which also saw live sets from some of the
runnnes-up - Idlewild performing a Simple Minds cover, Mull Historical
Society doing a version of 'Some Candy Talking', former Vaseline
Eugene Kelly covering the Proclaimers' '500 Miles' as well as
a BMX Bandits tune, and Snow Patrol opening proceedings and paying
tribute to the winners with a version of 'The State That I Am
In'. 10/1 - welcome to 1993* -
Glasgow's legendary Kazoo Club is set to reopen following
a ten year hiatus. It comes as part of the launch of 2 other,
more 'regular' club nights at Glasgow's Barfly on the 22nd January
and on every 3rd Saturday of the month. SUPERFUZZ, based downstairs,
is a dance-based evening focused on guitar-based music but with
with plenty of funk and hipop on offer. Upstairs, ROCKetSCIENCE
will have an even wider mix of tunes. These are 11pm clubs and
will feature occasional live sets, but in February, they wil
be preceded by the return of the Kazoo Club, a collective effort
which was founded by Jim Byrne (now with Glasgow guitar band
Loris). It has gained legendary status as being the focus for
the upsurge of Scottish bands in the 90s when Belle and Sebastian,
Urusei Yatsura and many more played early shows at the old 13th
Note. The club's running was eventually taken over by Alex Kapranos,
now of Franz Ferdinand, adding to its iconic status. Expect a
full piece on the original club and the future plans, here, soon.
Honest. 29/12 - Good showing for Scottish bands in what's likely to be the last ever Festive 50, which has been John Peel's traditional trawl through the year's top tunes. Camera Obscura, The Aphrodisiacs appeared once again, Sons and Daughters did but Franz Ferdinand didn't. but best showing probably was from Aereogramme woth 2 tracks including the #4, while it was their former label who supplied acts such as Sluts of Trust as well as label bosses The Delgados. The full chart is here. 20/12- As voting in The List's 'Top 50 Scottish bands' poll reaches
its climax, the magazine will offer a free cover CD with its
January 6th issue, which nicely previews the announcement of
the winners of the poll on the 12th. Tracklisting is as follows: 19/12 - Californian act The
Blood Arm are planing a Scottish mini-tour in Febrary, and
are looking for a venue with a difference - as the band ask,
"Are you based in Glasgow/Edinburgh? Would you like The
Blood Arm to play your living room? Put your love for the band
into 100 words or less and email it to ScotTour@thebloodarm.com. The fan determined to have the greatest
love for The Blood Arm will be contacted by the us to make arrangements
for the Ultimate House Party!" 15/12 - it will have escaped most I'm sure, but rock music - all music in fact - has lost out in the race to win the new Edinburgh FM licence. It was awarded to Dunedin FM, a talk radio station fronted by Sun editor Kelvin McKenzie.
If you need to know what happened last year, here you go...
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wee news 16/11 - It’s a long way away but in Stirling on June 18th The Scribblers Picnic cancer charity are organising a 5-a-side tournament as part of their annual fundraiser. The tourney is open to Scottish bands and fans of bands - it’s £10 a team entrance fee, each team guaranteed at least 3 games in the initial group format. A Teenage Fanclub team is, we’re told, already in training. Interested bands can e-mail kwhitelaw@hotmail.com, or for anyone who already has a team ready, please send team details and a cheque for £10 to Scribblers Picnic Charity Football Tournament,13 Forth Crescent, Stirling FK8 1LE. All teams must be registered and paid for by 1st May 2006 at the latest. 11/12 - This Saturday - December 17th -in Mad Hatters, Inverness sees the official launch of Scotloads, a digital distribution site devoted entirely to promoting Scottish musicians. 7/12 - The international Emergenza International Acoustic Showcase in London on December 13th sees winner in the recent heat Lee Patterson ‘representing’ Scotland. 4/12 - Producers of The Silencing, a horror film being scripted and shot on location in Scotland, are on the hunt for musicians looking for exposure exposed as part of the film’s soundtrack. From incidental music to the opening track, the makers of The Silencing are looking for music of all genres to bring the story to life. (Copyright owners will be requested to waver license fees for the initial promotion period at film festivals and via a short-run DVD release, however fees for any further distribution will be negotiated.) 3/12 - It's barely December but already there's a call for entries for bands to play Big In Falkirk 2006. For a chance to play in front of thousands in Callendar Park at the end ofApril, email gillian@uzevents.com or music@falkirk.gov.uk. 21/11 - Bands come and go so it's not often that we mark the passing of tiny indie-schmindie acts that no-one's every heard of, but we feel compelled to mention in dispatches the folow ing: Macrocosmica, Glasgow's top purveyors of electrically-charged dark metal, have called it a day after umpteen years and many line-up changes. The band, fronted by former TFC man Brendan O'Hare and fellow founder Cewyss, go back a long way in Jockrock-land, even to the extent that their first website was hosted here. (relive a past gig) 21/11 - Glasgow-based Emubands has launched a digital distribution website which will enable acts to get their mp3s onto the internet for download more simply, and to a wider audience thanks to their links with the major online services such as Napster, iTunes, eMusic, Karma Download and Tunetribe. More from info@emubands.com or see www.emubands.com 20/11 - Scottish bands are set to support the Red Cross in a series of gigs around Edinburgh in the coming months. First at Heriot-Watt University Students Association in Riccarton on Thursday 24 November are The Very and Monkeytribe. 19/11 - One of Edinburgh's longest-running promoters is ceasing 'trading' after 7 years - Wheeltapper have brought international punk and metal acts such as U.K Subs, The Damned, DOA, Jello Biafra, & Napalm Death, as well as giving gigs to Scots bands like Bangtwister, Badgewearer, Stapleton &,Amphetameanies. The final show is at Studio 24 on Friday 25th November with local legends the Gin Goblins, supporting the equally legendary US punks The Dickies. 16/11 - Skye & Lochalsh gets into the seeming frenzy of Battle of the Bands, but this one has a point as it's set up by the Skye & Lochalsh Drug and Alcohol Forum. 15/11 - Not a music item but one which will be dear to much of the Edinburgh 'underground'. The Cameo Cinema is under threat with 'entrepreneur' Stefan King looking to buy the building and turn it into a 'Super Pub' (he's also looking at other bars in the area in addition to this, notably Bennets Bar. The Cameo is the oldest cinema in the country and one of the few still dedicated to showing independent films from around the world. A petition website has been been set up at http://savethecameo.org/ where you can register an objection to the plans at Edinburgh City Council, 13/11 - Under the Covers is a 10-band event in aid of Children in Need - each band playing 20 minutes of cover versions, on Saturday 19th at Glasgow’s Bastille. Among the bands featured: Hugh Reed & the Velvet Underpants, Red Bee Society, The Owsley Sunshine, Monkeytribe, The Low Miffs, Terra Diablo & Popup 3/10 - The Scottish Music Network - a long-established, um, network of Scottish music - have announced a series of showcase gigs, with the first on November 10th at Rockers Glasgow, featuring Malice / The Peoples Alibi / The Way of The Exploding Fist / Miccus Deathkill 2/10 - Local musicians may be intersted in the call from community arts organisation Impact Arts which is looking for music tutors in 2/10 - Misfits, a new website and Edinburgh club nnight, aims ot be an antidote of the globalosed music gatherings like myspace and putting the focus back on local scenes, as well as bridging the gap between clubbers and promoters. The second club night takes place on the 22nd November and from then on every 3rd Tuesday of the month - more at www.misfitsonline.co.uk 27/10 - Spectrum is a mini-festivl running in Edinburgh's Queen's Hall on Sunday 6h November. The intention is to bring together all aspects of the local scene in the capital - bands, DJs, record labels and designers. Kicking off at 5pm and runing until 11, bands performing include Bombskare, Das Contras, Gecko 3 and The Rushes, while Mangomad & Hooverfish offer DJ sets, and the likes of Live Sciences and Surface Pressure Records will be tourting their wares. 23/10 - New Music in Scotland - NEMIS - is set to wind down operations if the government/Arts Council funding previously made available to the organisation isn't made available. NEMIS are perhaps best known for producing sampler CDs for music industry events as well as putting on showcase gigs at these gatherings, but also offer many other functions such as offering impartial advice to upcoming musicians. However, the mailng list and website www.nemis.org will remain operational - information on how to lobby for NEMIS's continued funding can be found there. 10/10 - Yoursound, the unsigned night for Scottish indie acts, has moved from its previous home at Stereo to Glasgow's King Tuts. It's also moved to the first Sunday afternoon of each month - beginning in November, from 4-8pm, the material in the downstairs bar will take the same format as before with new unsigned acts exposed to the listening public. A few new ideas fitting in with the new venue include an Artist of the Month playing live at the end-of-year show and a annual CD. Application forms available at www.kingtuts.co.uk Speaking of gigs and the punting around of demos, Dirty Northern Music have been running regular Thursdays and Fridays band nights in Edinburgh's Cafe Royal for the last four/five months and want to hear from any local new bands looking for gigs. Details to Matt at dirtynorthernmusic@hotmail.co.uk or 0131 2289560. 3/10 - Soma Skool makes one of its regular trips across Scotland, alighting at Falkirk Town Hall this Wednesday (5th October). Among the aspects of the music and creative industries 'demystified' are hardware and software, artwork, video, and (yes, Jockrock is represented) careers in the music media. More at www.somaskool.com/ 24/9 - Glasgow Uni's Queen Margaret Union are launching RAW again this term and are looking for reputable unsigned bands that have not played at this night before. email lorainejboyd@hotmail.com 12/9 - The Musicians Union joins with the PRS and MCPS for a series of free roadshows. Visiting Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Inverness and Ayr the events will kick off at 7pm feature informal presentations from the Musicians' Union's Dave Arcari, Stuart Fleming of the Performing Right Society (PRS) and Duncan McCrone from the Mechanical Copyright Protection Society (MCPS). Following these, there will be the chance to ask questions or have an informal chat. Both members and non-members are welcome - no pre-registration is necessary and entry is free - just turn up at 7pm at any of the following events: 10/9 - One year on from his final broadcast, the BBC are setting up a national 'Peel Day' which intends to mark the life of the UK's greatest broadcaster. Keeping in the spirit, they are encouraging bands and promoters across the country to put on their own shows, all linked on a national celebration. Several Scottish nights are already planned - more on setting up your own event at www.bbc.co.uk/radio1 9/9 - The Global Battle Of the Bands, the biggest worldwide live talent showcase for live bands kicks off this autumn, 2005. A more 'local' BotB is East Meets West. The Carling-sponsored event sees heats in Glasgow's Barrowlands and Edinburgh's Liquid Room throughout October, regional finals in November and a grand final at Edinburgh's Liquid Room in December. Overall winners will claim a valuable prize of £1,000 recording studio time and a Marshall amp. Tickets to each heat costs £5 and are available in advance or on the night from The Liquidroom on 0131 225 2564 (Edinburgh only) and through Tickets Scotland on 0870 220 1116 (Glasgow only). 8/9 - A new live music venue is opening in Edinburgh - details are cloaked in mystery at present, but among the acts lined up are Zane Lowe & El Presidente. Organisers are looking for support acts for these and other shows - bands should contact edwardstack@hotmail.com 8/9 - Edinburgh's eXchange is offering bands the chance to have a professionally-shot video for under £200. A crew of four, using broadcast quality cameras, records each band’s performance at the Grove St venue, mixed live straight onto DV. The 40-minute set can be previewed on the night and a selection hosted on www.livemusicx.com. Bands familiar with ticketing deals will have spotted that financing the recording costs by selling 40 £5 tickets and ending up with a live DVD in front of a friendly audience is a welcome slant on the usual Pay-to-Play arrangements. 11/8 - The Free Candy Sessions, an acoustic evening at Glasgow's Liquid Ship, celebrates its second birthday throughout August.They'll continue as they do every Thursday at 8pm with their usual lineup of quality acts which in the past have included The Catherine O'Halloran Band, Mitford Girls, loris, Tallboy, Gum and Esther. 30/7 - Headhunter Records have teamed up with Sine Promotions to kick off a Battle of the Bands which offers the winners a one year, one-album deal with Headhunter. Full details at the Sine Promotions website. 9/7 - Funhouse is a new Dundee-based club night which opens its doors at the city's Beat Bar on July 19th and thereafter on every Tuesday evening. Included in the festivities is the Democracy segment, which aims to feature the best in new and unsigned music. Any matreial received c/o The Beat Bar, 51-53 Meadowside DUNDEE DD1 1EQ will be reviewed on the forthcoming website and considered for the planned Funhouse live events. 6/7 - East Dunbartonshire Council is delivering a music project for young people aged 16-25 from the East Dunbartonshire area - offering twelve bands the opportunity to receive coaching, professional support and studio rehearsals, resulting in a gig at a Glasgow city centre venue. Bands from the area can send demos to IMPACT ARTS (GLASGOW) LTD, The Factory, 319 Craigpark Drive, Dennistoun, Glasgow G31 2TB. The closing date is 22nd July (so hurry!). Queries can be directed to rachel.lees@impactarts.co.uk or call 0141 575 3001 17/6 - MusicWorks – the
International Cross-Media Music Convention and Festival is
now inviting artists
to apply online at www.musicworksuk.com for
the opportunity to showcase their work as more than 500 key
music industry professionals visit Glasgow from 31 August
to 3 September, 2005. Incorporating around 25 venues across
the
Glasgow, the MusicWorks live festival will also be attended
by more than 20,000 members of the public. 165 national and
international
artists are expected to perform throughout the four nights
of the event. 26/5 - The 12 bands who
have won through the Tbreak heats to play at T in the Park
have been
announced: 21/5 - GoNorth, the 2-day musical extravaganza which takes place in Aberdeen from June 2nd, has announced its lineup. Full details are yet to be published but among the bands performing will be My Latest Novel,Red Bee Society, Calamateur, Uncle Fritz, Le Reno Amps, Alamos, Luxury Car & theFence Collective. Full list at http://www.goevents.info/ 9/5 - Scottish indie music gets
all hi-tech with the launch of the
first 'podcast'
- a downloadable
radio
show dedicated to Scottish bands. Listeners can download it from www.tartanpodcast.co.uk,
and bands can submit music for 'airplay' to the site (they'll
also
find a link to the Association of Music Podcasters for submission
to other shows). 1/5 - More choice for the discerning online listener - Strathclyde Uuiversity Radio has recently launched and can be heard here. 25/4 - This week (Thursday 28th) sees the final deadline for entries for goNorth in Aberdeen. See the full details further down the column. 14/4 -The 48 bands selected for the Tbreak showcases which will take place at King Tuts and the Liquid Room have been announced and can be found at the T-break page. 9/4 - Go North,
the live music festival which takes place on June 1st and 2nd in
Aberdeen, has set an April 28 deadline for acts wishing to apply
for inclusion. GN2005 will feature 30 gigs across four venues in
the city’s Belmont Street. 8/5 Speaking of unsigned music festival competitions, voting closes today (Monday 11th) on the Snickers Stage for Download 2005. Among the final 10 is Ayrshire act Magnus Blaze, who you can hear and vote for at the Snickers Unsigned website. 7/5 - The Meadows Festival, which takes place on 4th & 5th June, has set a deadline of 30th April for entries to play their rock/indie/pop/metal stage. Demos to Situation Normal, PO Box 28054, Edinburgh EH17 8YQ - more info at http://www.meadowsfestival.co.uk/ 6/4 - Glasgow City Concil has got together with Tennents Lager to launch a new initiative which will see DJ Jim Gellatly act as virtual guide to the city's music scsne via a downloadable mp3 file. The 'iTour' entitled ‘Glasgow: A Music Capital' was launched as part of New York's Tartan Week . Download at: http://www.tennentsitours.com/ 21/3 - hardly indie news, but The
Scottish Music Centre
has launched this year's Seriously Scottish - but with a diference. 10/3 - more news for upcoming musicians - Musicwise is a series of free events and seminars supported by the Musicians Union. Between March and May there are more than a dozen events, mainly at Glasgow's Arches, CCA or Stow College, and covering subjects such as live promotion, press, sound, funding, setting up a label... the list goes on, see our separate Musicwise page for full details. 6/3 - T-Break, the
competition which selects a dozen bands to play at the Unsigned
Stage at T in the Park, has launched its annual call for budding
talent. Artists wishing to play the heats should download
an entry form from www.tbreak.co.uk, fill it out and put it in the post
along with their demo, Those selected will be invited to play
at either Glasgow's King Tuts between 8th and11th May , or Edinburgh's
Liquid Room between the 14th & 17th.
21/2 - Entries are invited for artists wanting to play at the Edinburgh Fringe - at the PRS Stage at the Meadows in August. See the PRS's Soundadvice website for more (click 'news' then 'Fringe2005') 20/2 - Scottish music-makersof all genres are invited to submit their songs to Burnsong, a new talent competition linked to a new Burns festival taking place in November. Styles can range from folk, to rock to classical. More at the Burnsongs website. 17/2 - Musicians with ideas but no cash to realise them might be interested in the PRS Foundation initiative which will award up to £50,000 for the creation of an "imaginative and original piece of new British music". It's not a cash prize as such but rather a contribution towards the creation and performance of a new project. Judges range from Late Junction's Verity Sharp, comedian amd music journalist Stewart Lee, Asian Dub Foundation's Ani Das, composer Anne Dudley and Scots percussionist Evelyn Glennie. The deadline for applications is the 25th February - more at the PRSF website. 5/2 - Dr Drakes, one of the UK's top venues for small bands and a north-east staging post for many a punk tour, has closed. With the Aberdeen venue like many struggling to break even, problems with a long-term lease finally meant the plug was pulled at the end of January. It appears that the owners have no curremt plans to open any new venue either. For news on other activities in the town, check out the forums at Aberdeen Music 30/1 - The Big in Falkirk Battle of the Bands this year offers the winers chance to share the bill with some big names at the town's music festival in Callendar Park on Aporil 30th/May 1st (previous festivals have seen McFly, The Stranglers, Bhundu Boys, Bob Geldof, Deacon Blue and Snow Patrol play). The winners will also get to professionally record a demo at the in-house recording studio at Stirling's Tolbooth. Application deadline is February 24th - more at www.biginfalkirk.com. 17/1 - another tsunami fundraiser announced - at Glasgow's Art School on Feb 9th, the Amphetameanies, the Commercials, How to Swim, Flying Matchstick Men, and Kain. More at www.thebop.tk 16/1 - Miler Unsigned in conjunction with the Beatscene is back - closing date for the competition is Wednesday 26th January. So if you're in a band and want to get an opportunity for your band to support a majr act (Feeder and Biffy Clyro support slots were the 'prizes' for the previous winners, then visit the Miller Unsighned website. 10/1 - Maybe this should be in the 'big' news section - the Arts Council-funded Scotish contingent making the journey to South by South-West this March has been announced. The needy acts who will now be able to afford the journey to the Texas-based musical equivalent of the Edinburgh festival, are: Biffy Clyro, Dogs Die in Hot Cars, Jupiter and Teardrop, Sluts of Trust Trashcan Sinatras, Dawn of the Replicants, Aberfeldy, The Rezillos, Hobotalk, Idlewild and Mylo. 3/1 - Saint Jude's Infirmary, Ally Kerr and The Starlets are among the bands confirmed for a Tsunami benefit gig at the Forest Cafe in Edinburgh on Friday (Jan 7th) 18/12 - The Musicians' Union in Scotland has made some changes to its structure, and as they say" boost its appeal to the new generation of musicians and DJs through a variety of initiatives and learning opportunities like the already successful MusicWise roadshow." Dave Arcari has been appointed regional officer (Scotland & Northern Ireland). His duties will invclude mmeber liaison., offering careers advice and assisting in any employment disputes members may have, and as well as raising awareness of the organisation. Arcari is well-known throughout Scotland as a performer with alt.blues act The Raditones as well as runing Buzz Record. The changes also see Rab Noakes appointed to the national committee, and put him on the new regional committee for Scotland and Northern Ireland, which replaces the current 'branch' structure. 6/12 - good news for Edinburgh-based singer-songwriters wanting to try their material out on a live audience - local promoters Baby Tiger have the first of what should be a regular open-mike night at the Northern Bar on Howard Place. Hosted by Neil and Fraser from local heroes Calvin, they'll prpovide mike, PA and guitar if you provide the tunes. They hope "the focus will be on original material, though if you must play a cover, make it interesting!" 9pm - 12.30, and it's FREE. |