Crookstock

T-Break heats, 2002

Glasgow & Perth - 13th and 15th May

It can't be easy being a Tbreak judge. Sometimes the quality of the acts will be, well, "not to ones's taste" as odd musical styles mix in a bill that looks like it's been produced by a pay-to-play pub. Other times it'll look like a best of Scottish indie. And at Tut's tonight, that's more-or-less how it looks on paper. 6 bands for £2 is how it worked out, and despite 15 minute sets it's a good chance to sample what Glasgow has to offer Perthshire. Whether Perthshire wants it is of course another matter.
Ally Kerr is first on and is in fact the only act here your reviewer hasn't seen before. Clearly a singer-songwrter, it seems he's roped in a bunch of musicians to augment his compositions and beef up the sound. I can only surmise this, as the band seems very well-rehearsed, and Mr. Kerr's songs are nice, summery pop[tunes, in the vein of Teenage Fanclub or even (whisper it!) The Cosmic Rough Riders.
n

The Boy Cartographer follow, and despite a slightly iffy start - the usual stuff - dodgy sound, funny tuning, leading to a false start or 2 - they deliver a fine set, perhaps the best they've done in their short career. The stop-starts and false endings all come off, the crowd (admittedly many in on the band's £2 ticket deal) go mad for them, and if it was anything to do with me they'd get through to the 'final' on the strength of 'Sketch ' and 'I Am An Island' alone.
But wait! Viva Stereo are next and they've got a great single out. Wonder if they'll live up to that?
Well, kind of. First black mark is that they do nothing from the aforementioned CD, but despite one song that seem to veer towards the Happy Mondays, they make a pleasing dancey vibe which anyone would be happy to shake their booty to, be it in a tent or club.

Odeon Beat Club are (yes!) 'hotly-tipped' to do great things, and there are always A&R people rumoured to be at their gigs. They also commit the cardinal sin of not doing their best song - 'Take It Off' - but come to life after 2 songs with 'Behind My Eye', the other single, which sounds crisp and messy all at the same time. And though it has a chorus and a half, the good news is that they also have a new best song - they close with one which is unrecorded as of yet, and seems to be based around one phrase for each the 2 singers, and one chord. Despite this they work it for 3 minutes and it sounds fantastic.
Moon are another band for whom great things are predicted, perhaps largely due to their MTV airplay and a mini-album bursting with fine tunes - very pop, but just on the right side of alternative. So why the band decide to cast these off and do 3 tracks which are - let's not beat around the bush here - white reggae - is anyone's guess. Maybe they've tired of the old stuff, or maybe they figured that this would be right for a festival, but it didn't work for me. They close their set with 'Living and Learning' which sounds as fresh as it ever did and shows that Moon have got something to offer.

And so to the climax, and Torqamada clearly believe that they are under pressure to do just this. If you know their Bronx Cheer single you'll know what to expect. Well, kind of. The band are kind of half punk and half metal. Well, punk as in the Stooges - simple songs, shouting, and general mayhem. The other side of the coin is more metal, and though they don't have the haircuts to show for it, everything else is a slightly cooler version of Slayer - loads of posturing, very OTT guitar solos, and liberal use of the the language of the gutter. Of course, this might well be what the kids want - and they do it rather better than The Hives, BRMC etc - but when you hear the likes of 'Mattress Majesty' it does rather prepare you for a whole set of the same, and they are perhaps too busy rolling round the stage to deliver that.
And that, as they say was that. Who will appear in a muddy tent near Kinross? Don't ask me...

It can't be easy being a Tbreak judge. Sometimes the quality of the acts will be, well, "not to ones's taste" as odd musical styles mix in a bill that looks like it's been produced by a pay-to-play pub. Other times it'll look like a best of Scottish indie. And at Tut's tonight, that's more-or-less how it looks on paper. 6 bands for £2 is how it worked out, and despite 15 minute sets it's a good chance to sample what Glasgow has to offer Perthshire. Whether Perthshire wants it is of course another matter. Ally Kerr is first on and is in fact the only act here your reviewer hasn't seen before. Clearly a singer-songwrter, it seems he's roped in a bunch of musicians to augment his compositions and beef up the sound. I can only surmise this, as the band seems very well-rehearsed, and Mr. Kerr's songs are nice, summery pop[tunes, in the vein of Teenage Fanclub or even (whisper it!) The Cosmic Rough Riders.	n
	The Boy Cartographer follow, and despite a slightly iffy start - the usual stuff - dodgy sound, funny tuning, leading to a false start or 2 - they deliver a fine set, perhaps the best they've done in their short career. The stop-starts and false endings all come off, the crowd (admittedly many in on the band's £2 ticket deal) go mad for them, and if it was anything to do with me they'd get through to the 'final' on the strength of 'Sketch ' and 'I Am An Island' alone. But wait! Viva Stereo are next and they've got a great single out. Wonder if they'll live up to that? Well, kind of. First black mark is that they do nothing from the aforementioned CD, but despite one song that seem to veer towards the Happy Mondays, they make a pleasing dancey vibe which anyone would be happy to shake their booty to, be it in a tent or club.
Odeon Beat Club are (yes!) 'hotly-tipped' to do great things, and there are always A&R people rumoured to be at their gigs. They also commit the cardinal sin of not doing their best song - 'Take It Off' - but come to life after 2 songs with 'Behind My Eye', the other single, which sounds crisp and messy all at the same time. And though it has a chorus and a half, the good news is that they also have a new best song - they close with one which is unrecorded as of yet, and seems to be based around one phrase for each the 2 singers, and one chord. Despite this they work it for 3 minutes and it sounds fantastic. Moon are another band for whom great things are predicted, perhaps largely due to their MTV airplay and a mini-album bursting with fine tunes - very pop, but just on the right side of alternative. So why the band decide to cast these off and do 3 tracks which are - let's not beat around the bush here - white reggae - is anyone's guess. Maybe they've tired of the old stuff, or maybe they figured that this would be right for a festival, but it didn't work for me. They close their set with 'Living and Learning' which sounds as fresh as it ever did and shows that Moon have got something to offer.
	And so to the climax, and Torqamada clearly believe that they are under pressure to do just this. If you know their Bronx Cheer single you'll know what to expect. Well, kind of. The band are kind of half punk and half metal. Well, punk as in the Stooges - simple songs, shouting, and general mayhem. The other side of the coin is more metal, and though they don't have the haircuts to show for it, everything else is a slightly cooler version of Slayer - loads of posturing, very OTT guitar solos, and liberal use of the the language of the gutter. Of course, this might well be what the kids want - and they do it rather better than The Hives, BRMC etc - but when you hear the likes of 'Mattress Majesty' it does rather prepare you for a whole set of the same, and they are perhaps too busy rolling round the stage to deliver that. And that, as they say was that. Who will appear in a muddy tent near Kinross? Don't ask me...