I’m sitting in the Variety Bar with my friend Tom Perrie (Brother of Andrew Perrie, bassist with Universal Thee) waiting for another friend “Half-day McVey” to arrive. We are ruminating if the goldfish are real. There is a faux fireplace on a screen in the corner so it’s entirely plausible that the fish in the tank above the stairs are also just clever fakes, perhaps a few LCD screens in a box configuration? They could even be in a real tank but just fake robotic fish? Anything is possible these days. Maybe if I took one out and put it in my pint we would find out the truth? Luckily the band come in just as I’m about to test my theory. I’ll find out next time but for now the goldfish are safe.

Universal Thee have just finished sound check for the gig tonight and require some liquid refreshment. So we huddle up under the fake fireplace and get some drinks in. As a band they have the right dynamic even sans instruments. James Russell (singer/guitarist) is a slight chap with an air of inquisitiveness, always looking around as if he is soaking in information all the time. His wife and fellow singer Lisa Russell is charming and chatty and very down to earth. Robin Spivey (guitarist) is quiet and seems shy (but when he has his guitar strapped on it’s a different story, more about this later). Andrew Perrie (Bassist) is affable and intelligent and only has an iPhone for “work reasons“. He also plays bass with his eyes closed a lot (this becomes apparent as I work through the photographs I took on the night). Drummer Kevin Haddow is tall and slightly scary looking-as all good drummers should be. It has been said that the best bands are like a gang, if so then Universal Thee are a gang that could beat you in a pub quiz, and perhaps also in a fight in the car park afterwards if you cheated.

Back in March I reviewed their Album-Back to Earth and missed seeing them live. So I’m really looking forward to getting some shots and seeing them tonight. As an added bonus I get to spend some time with them and their Manager James Scott pre gig too. As we leave The Variety Bar the band are wondering if they can take some food into the venue. I suggest getting a “pizza pass” to go with their band passes, I’m not sure if it worked.

We cross the road and sit outside The Beresford. Sipping drinks in the sunshine that pours down Sauchiehall street and chat about comedy TV shows. Synthesizer Patel and Wilco being a key topic at one point. Their Manager James and I have a few surprising things in common too, involving criminal gangs in Wishaw, and schools in Viewpark and him having a hairy time in Bellshill once. It’s a small world. I hasten to add none of us were in criminal gangs in Wishaw…

This is not the bands first gig in Glasgow, they have played here a few times before. But it’s my first time seeing them live so I’m champing at the bit for the venue to open so I can experience some Universal Thee up close, and personal. I’ve never been in the Beresford Lounge in its present incarnation before. But it would have been nicer for the acts on the bill if there was a sign outside advising that a show was on, and perhaps one directing people downstairs to the gig too. This is no fault of the promoter(Laura Scott of the Scottish Tour Collective). The fact that a few bands have gigs/album launches on at nearby venues doesn’t help either, but that is just bad luck. (Holy Ghosts were doing an album launch in Nice N Sleazies. Eastcoastdefector were playing at Broadcast too.)

Before Universal Thee come on however we have a nice acoustic set from Madeline Orr, followed by Scott Cowie doing comedy and guitar. Both enjoyable sets that were only really hampered by there being a small crowd. And a key thing here too, the bar downstairs was closed, causing people to drift upstairs if they wanted a drink.

All of that aside though I was there for Universal Thee live. So I stocked up on booze and nicotine prior to their set thus enabling me to take my pictures and enjoy the show. And what a show it was. On the LP the band might sound slightly reserved, live however they rip it up, rock out and get tore in. Their songs have a certain oomph factor. Structured noise and melody whilst still being faithful to the recorded versions on the LP.

They open with Bear in the Hospital which was my favourite track on the album when I reviewed it back in March. To quote myself from that article – “A wonderful yet minimalistic song that covers all the bases for good indie rock.” Played live it is heavier and of course louder. That is why we go and see bands in the first place is it not? To hear a song organically and happening in front of us. Out front the sound is good and the band could and should be playing to a packed house. As it is though some of their friends from fellow Edinburgh band Ded Rabbit who were playing the Attic at The Garage next door are there. Wesley and Fraser from Kilmarnock’s own One Last Secret too. Along with a few punters who hung around from earlier. And of course Tom, “Half-day McVey” and myself.

The band crack open the bottle of fuzzy pop that is Bone Collector next. This is one of their songs that openly shows their Pixies influence. I’m almost back in my early 20’s when I saw The Pixies in London, if I closed my eyes I could be there. Robin Spivey’s guitar licks and the song’s dynamic really make me think is Joey Santiago here tonight? Tiger Tiger has an short but effective intro before the song springs to life. Wonderful stuff. James and Lisa’s vocals intertwine and move around the song like a spider walking up your spine. Bendy guitars take us to the end, but I still want it to go on, and on and on. Universal Thee then do two songs that I hadn’t heard before and which are not on the LP. Why do you have to be so unkind and Xang. Causing me to malfunction in operating my camera so I retire to a table to have a sip or two of the drinks that Tom and “Half-day McVey” have bought me. Crisis resolved I go back to shooting pictures. Andrew Perrie is still playing his bass with his eyes closed. Kevin Haddow is hammering the drums(despite having to use a spare hi hat stand as a cymbal stand) and Make a little Money begins with more bendy guitar and segues into lovely vocals and quirky walking bass lines.

As the set draws to the last third. The band take it to Down which while the song’s lyrical content might be about something unpleasant, strangely lifts my spirits with it’s lovely noisy passages and heavy drums. Robin Spivey is not a shy guitarist, he is evoking guitar gods as he pulls something ethereal from his Telecaster. I’m hearing echoes of Sonic Youth as my ears get blasted from the side monitors and the amps. Wolves of the Netherworld then rips us all a new one! I’m genuinely scared at one point as the lyrics seem to be about what their manager James and I were talking about before the gig (criminal gangs…) but I’m sure it is not.

Always end on a high note and leave them asking for more. So the last song does this indeed. Aranis Natas is rocking us out on a high. I don’t know if the sound guy set his faders to malky, or if it’s just my ears, but it sounds loud even in the quiet parts. Menacing and almost industrial. Indie rock has never sounded so good, really!

I’m sad that the gig had to end, but it left me wanting more. I’m glad I finally got to see them live, meet them in person and do some pictures and review. It vindicates me, makes me feel whole. It might have changed my life too. And to quote “Half-day McVey” (not his real name, he is a musician and producer in his own right, and hopefully I will be doing a feature on his projects soon.)-“Reminds me of Uresei Yatsura crossed with Pavement. In a good way!”

 

After the gig I wandered over to Sleazies with “Half-day McVey” and the band went back to Edinburgh. It was a cracking night all in all. When Universal Thee come back to Glasgow I’ll be there to see them and I urge you to give them a listen too. They are one band who are definitely going places. I foresee bigger venues and maybe even some festivals on the horizon. Catch them while you can, up close and personal.

Pat McGuire.

 

Universal Thee gigs coming up :

 

27th of June in the Green Room in Perth.

 

5th July at River in Glasgow.

 

11th July Sneaky Pete’s in Edinburgh.

 

18th July Audio Soup Festival in Dunbar.

 

26th July The Corrina in Perth.

 

Links :

https://www.facebook.com/universalthee

http://www.abadgeoffriendship.com/artists/universal-thee

 by Harsharan Hoonjan 

They have the funkiest sound, spliced with sharp pokes of ferocious vibrancy.  It’s cool rock and roll fronted by an edgy, grit induced vocalist.  This Glasgow based band will make you move AND listen. Sergio Sergio headlined O2 Futures Fest 2012 and performed for the event again in 2013.  It’s no surprise the Glasgow based five piece hit the same amazing venue at O2 Academy Glasgow two years in a row. The event only showcases artists deemed as the next big thing. As a guest last year, I witnessed several greats including Parker, The Apparells, Return to the Sun, Taylor Red (who I was reviewing at the time), and Sergio Sergio.  During Sergio Sergio’s performance, I got another couple of words from Chris Gore (Taylor Red’s manager) who stated the band is: “Bad ass!”

Well there was a distinct carnivorous feel to the band, and they certainly do something to music.I caught Sergio Sergio again when they performed for The Old Town Food Street Festival at The Three Sisters (Edinburgh).  Since the inception of this festival, only the best up and coming Scottish musicians have graced its stages. The band next play King Tut’s on 18th July for the Summer Nights Festival. This will see a whole host of talented acts perform in one of the dinkiest, and greatest live music venues in Scotland.  Also, if you manage to look up the meaning of Sergio, you’ll see why this is an epic name for the guys, as they work to save the world through the wonderfulness that is live music.

I was getting ready to interview the lads, however, due to technical issues on my part, I was afraid the interview was a no go.  Luckily, a few members helped pull it out the bag, cheers guys!  So without further ado, let’s get to the intros, the meat, and well the actual interview…

Members

All five members are: Lee Given (Lead Vocals), Eddie Carberry (Lead Guitar) Paul McInally (Bass Guitar and backing vocals), Chris Smith, AKA Tank (Keyboard), and James Dayer (Drums).

Background

Ed and Paul have been friends since primary school, and had played together for 12 years. They met Chris and James in High School.  The band didn’t officially start until Lee joined.  They had strict guidelines for their lead singer, and it seems to have worked out well. From sitting with the lads, they are definitely a tight-knit bunch.

Ed: The vetting process for a singer was they need to come in, they need to be able to sing and they need to be like our best mate straight away. That’s a pure big massive ask and we spent so long with no-one that fitted that criteria at all. Lee came in and we were like, “that’s it!”

Tank’s nick-name

I had to go back and ask why Tank was called Tank, the interview flowed and I completely forgot about it. Later Chris retold this story:

“I was about 8 and we were in BB (The Boys Brigade) and playing football in a church hall, and I ran into a massive pile of chairs, knocked them all down and then got up and asked if I had scored! Now, it’s nearly 18 years later and I’m still called it lol”

Great story!

Tank:  Paul has a nickname as well. Luther Vandross lol if you watch his video for “Never Too Much”, it’s just exactly how Paul acts, smiles & dances.

Fun stories!

Here’s the video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNj9bXKGOiI

Futures Fest

I first saw you play at Futures Fest last year. How was that?

Paul: Good yea really enjoyed it.  We played it in 2012 as well and we were the headline act, the place was absolutely packed. It was obviously a bit harder to get that the next year but, as a band I thought we played as well as we’ve ever played.

James: Playing on that stage is totally worth it, its good experience.

Taylor Red gave you guys a shout out in an interview I did with them last year. Anyone in particular you would like to give a shout out to?

Paul: The Works, extremely awesome. They were on at Futures Fest just before us.

Lee: Cool guys’ man.

Eddie: Taylor Red, we’ve played a couple of gigs with them. They’re really good.

Paul: The Apparells.

The Apparells – yep they’re great too.

Funkmeisters

I’ve heard you’re like the funkmeisters of Glasgow, is that a good description?

Paul: Punk, Rock, Jazz, Disco.

Ed: Definitely Disco in there.

Paul: We’ve got a quite a unique sound cos we all bring different influences to the table

I think you’ve got a very distinct sound.

Who are your Influences?

Paul: You need to go through the whole table

Lee: It’s mixed from genres to artists. Personally my massive influences are with Led Zeppelin, Robert Plant, Incubus, Prince, a lot of different mixes for me personally man.

Paul: I agree with Lee for Led Zeppelin, and Prince, I’m also into 80s Pop Disco, that’s like my biggest influence, hence the disco sound in our songs.

Tank: Earth, Wind and Fire, Nile Rogers, Neil Diamond, The Calling.

James: I’ll probably say I’m a lot heavier than everyone else like.  AC/DC, Iron Maiden, Led Zeppelin and Prince as well, I just love everything.

Ed: John Frusciante is a big one people tell me, it’s true!

*laughs*

Ed: Steely Dan, Led Zeppelin, there’s loads; I’ve been put on the spot! Being asked what kind of music I like!

Oops!

Ed: I like to listen to all that folk music that’s going around just now like Mumford and Sons.  I can’t find a way to transpose that into what we do.

Genres

You’ve pointed out a great mix of different genres, which will of course help your creativity.

 

Paul: I think that lends a lot to the band, we can bounce off ideas and clash with ideas. Sometimes in a bad way, sometimes in a good way, everyone brings something different to the music.

Tank: I can be quite bad and give these guys into trouble for wasting time!

Lee: Tank’s like the Dad of the band!

Tank: I like having things set out and things going to plan, but these guys are like very very creative people.  Nine times out of ten it’s definitely worth it because they come up with some good sh*t!

Taking Charge

Yea, I think you need someone who takes charge as well as creative types

Tank: I wouldn’t say I take charge; I sit there in a huff.

Lee: Like ‘I’m no talking!’

Tank: Then they all give me puppy eyes.

Ed: We’re like there’s Tank over there, he’s no looking. happy. Cut it out!

Lee: Two hours later…

Tank: Ninety percent of the songs have come from a wee kind of mess about.

Ed: it’s the most fun thing to do though. I don’t find it as fun to put the songs together.  You kind of lose a wee bit of it when you’re doing that. Tank’s like: “you need to stop f*cking about, you need to do that!”

Tank: We’ve got a bit more disciplined. We had started dreaming and things were added to a pile.  Instead of working with what we’ve got, we’d just add something new onto the pile.  We did that over and over, so we’ve just got hundreds of ideas.  But with the last couple of months we’ve been a bit more disciplined and have tried to finish what we’ve started.

Dingying it

Tell me a bit about your songs and writing them.  What’s the process behind it all?

Lee: The process changes from song to song and it could either be Ed’s got a riff or maybe got a lyric from myself or from someone we met. Paul would be like, I just came up with this bass line and we’ll run with it, we all chip in.

Paul: We just try and jam about with an idea for a wee while. Then we record it, we normally just do a three hour session in the studio.

Ed: We’ll put a disc on record everything that’s going on, then we’ll go home and just cut it all up. Going, “I like that bit and that bits cool”, and we’ll go back and jam with it a bit more.   We start putting it all together and go, “right what’s happening, where are the lyrics coming from?” We’ll work out who’s part is rubbish, who’s part is good.   We just start building it up from there. Sometimes it works. Sometimes we get half way through it and we’re like aaah I don’t know if this is going anywhere.

Paul: Let’s dingy if for a while!

Ed: It’s good fun.

Paul: We’ll be recording for 3 hours and get 30 seconds worth of good material. That’s not much for everything you do but it’s worth it in the end I suppose.

Paul’s Dance

Lee: We came up with a song a few weeks ago which started with Paul’s dance!

Paul’s dad?!

Lee: Paul’s dance!

*Laughs*

Tank: It originally started with James.

James: Yea thanks guys, it was the drum beat!

Tank: It was an epic drum beat.

Ed: James made Paul dance, Paul danced, threw money at him. From that dance he came up with some bass.

James: It was the interpretation.

Tank: It just kind of escalated from there I suppose.

Ed: Sometimes that’s all you need, that spark.

I was eager to put a song name to the influence that is Paul’s dance. The lads informed me the music for this song has been recorded, and once they find an appropriate name for it, they’ll let me know. That’s another thing to look forward to.

That Westwood song…

Can you tell me about that Westwood Song?

Paul:  Westwood? He’s a prick and we wrote a song about it!

James: Yea he’s a massive d***e

Ed: It wasn’t written about Westwood originally, that whole chorus part. Originally we had just the chorus and the chorus was:  “I will go to the Westwood show”.

James: It’s related to The Chili’s song: “By the way”

Lee: It’s cool that nobody really knows what that song is about.

James: See this is how it works, it all means something different to everyone in the band.

Paul: Westwood was probably like a word that fitted in. We needed two syllables that ended with Wood at the time – Westwood!

James: Think we can all agree though, we hate Tim Westwood! 

A few members in the audience were in agreement with you!

Identity and connection

What about “Who are you”? It’s quite a catchy number, very echoic as well.

Paul: It’s always been about the same idea. It’s always had the same theme.

 

Ed: Which is singing about someone or maybe you are someone who’s homeless or destitute in some way.

Paul: Someone with a lack of identity kind of thing.

Lee: It can be interpreted in any way, someone maybe looking in the mirror saying that to themselves.   It could also be to the homeless guy on the street man.

Paul: That’s why we have Lee, for his wonderful insights.

Tank: We had a lot of things on board before Lee came in, when he came in, it was like: “I think this should be this or we should do it that way”, and it’s been great.

The Exhale story

What about Exhale?

Ed: That’s an interesting one.

James: Lee tell the story behind Exhale.

Lee: It’s one that’s quite personal to me.

Ed: That was a good night though!

*Laughs*

Lee: The song’s about my inability to smoke cannabis.  It was Ed that had the lyric idea. “What I just passed to you was not a cigarette.”  I just became a big paranoid baby, and I cannae handle it.

Paul: He’s getting better though!

*laughing*

Ed: He walked home from my house one night from the South Westside of Glasgow to his own house in the North Eastside of Glasgow.  He walked a good bit until he found a taxi place.

Lee: Aye…

James: He had no money or phone.

Lee: I just freaked out man!

James: We thought he was dead.

Ed: We were all sitting in the kitchen, he walked out, and we thought he was gonna be sick. After about two hours we were like, he’s passed out.  Went through and he’s not there. We looked everywhere and he was just no there.

James: So we just rolled another joint!

*laughing*

But you were okay in the end, as you’re here to tell the tale?!

Lee: I got home eventually but aye it was a ropey night.

Paul: That night changed him.

Oh dear…

These songs are based on their second last EP titled: “Mama Quilla”, which is based on the mythological Goddess of the Moon.   The latest EP also contains some outstanding tracks. Unfortunately, we didn’t get round to chatting about that. For a quick listen before you buy check out:

https://soundcloud.com/sergiosergio/sets/sergio-sergio

Favourites

I know it’s a hard question as you might say they all are, but what is your favourite song?

Paul: Everyone’s got their own favourites, which are personal to them.

James: I like the one at the end of today’s set.

Lee: The last song we played today was probably be released as a single, in the summer.

Paul: That’s not on the EP yet, that’s still to be recorded.

Fantastic

Lee: I think we all have our own wee favourites, we don’t admit it though. All the songs mean something to everyone man we’ve all got our heart in them.

*Bursts of laughter*

James: Gay!

Lee:  I just want to say, see the band that drinks together…

*Laughs*

Videos

Lee: Our second video will be released with our new single.

This will again be after the King Tut’s gig in July, so everything will go on from there.

Ed:  Peter Stewart did the first video for us, can’t fault him, we’ll work with him again.

Lee: He’s a great guy to work with.  It will be another couple of months till the next one.

If their debut music video is anything to go by then the next video is worth the wait.  The song and video to “I Am The Moon”, depicts a painful yet harrowing tale of love. The term “Ill-fated lovers” has been redefined within 4 minutes and 14 seconds.

Here it is:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8Hkr3AeXMQ

Tours and gig stories

Have you got a Scottish tour lined up this year?

Paul: That will all happen after the summer night’s thing. King Tuts is the main thing that will kick start the summer for us.

Ed: We have a few things lined up, doing a few English gigs, nothing in concrete but if that was to happen that would be August/end of September.  We’re just kind of taking it as it comes with the rest of Scotland.

Definitely getting that Perth gig on the go, we were up in Aberdeen last year too. It would be good to get back up there again too. We’ve never played Dundee or Dunfermline or anywhere further afield.  It would be kinda cool to get into some really really wee places. Really small places like Inverkirk, that would be cool.

Lee: So rapey man!

*Laughs*

What’s been your best gig to date?

Tank: Perth.

James: I think for the sheer fun Perth.

Paul: As a band I think we just had so much fun when we were up there.

Ed: For me, it had to be the Tut’s gig in January that was outstanding!  Even though we had a technical issue on the first song with my guitar string breaking, it was unbelievably professional, I just got back on it again.

Lee: You dealt with it like a boss!

Ed: When it was time to start the next song nobody even noticed it happened.  It was just so professional, aww I loved that gig by a mile. Anytime I was standing up and looking round it was like a sea of people that you couldn’t make out because the lights were in your face. My knees were shaking, I was like: “I’m gonna fall over”.

Paul: We like to get involved with anything; we don’t make a big deal of it. It really doesn’t matter how wee a place is or how small a club. Doesn’t matter if we play in a wee bar at the East end of Scotland or O2 Academy.

Lee: It’s the same gig to us isn’t it?!

Any charity gigs coming up?

Paul: We did a charity gig in March.  It was all run by Tank. Lots of people turned up which was good.

Everyone has always got something that means something to them.

Tank: Macmillan Cancer Support is something that means a lot to all of us.

Ed: We wanted to do something, hence the name of the title: “Do Something”

There was a lot of good feedback.

Echo Bass and Jamie Allanach from Raj were there too

Ed: That magician was good.

Tank: Robert Devennie.

Comedian Stephen Buchanan was good as well.

Chirs: He is some comedian, look him up, Bantervillle.

Sounds excellent and I will do!

Ed We do like to get ourselves about, play lots of gigs and meet new people. You make friends doing this kind of thing, it’s good to know people and have a connection, not to push yourself forward but just to meet everybody else.

Paul: We’ve been gigging now for a couple of years. The bands that we play with are great bands, but we also get on with them really well.

Lee: We’re all just friends.

Paul: That’s it good pals with other bands that we know.

The Music Scene

It is easy to make connections in the music scene?  Can it be cut-throat at times?

Tank: It depends on your attitude, if you’re very social, if you are up for a laugh then its fine. Most musicians are fine, there is no real competition.

Lee: it’s like a union kind of thing, like you’re all in it together.

Paul: We can appreciate what everyone is trying to do.

Like brothers and sisters.

Okay, so what’s been your worst gig? You don’t have to name the place, just let me know why it was your worst.

Tank: We were hammered.

Paul: It was Hogmanay.

Lee: We were on at 11 O’clock.

Oh no…

Paul: We were still on a high from Futures Fest, we just thought we’d swagger in and it just didn’t go as well as we thought.

Lee: We were literally all at one stage ready to go. The music started man and Paul’s pure at the bar.  We were like f*ck.

Ed: The guys in the gig were like those guys had loads of people at the O2 Academy so they had loads of bouncers and bar staff on and then nobody came. I don’t know the whole town was really quite that night wasn’t it?

James: It’s Hogmanay though; loads of people go places and buy tickets!

Chirs: We played a free gig for them the month after to make up for it. We redeemed ourselves.

Lee: That was a good gig actually.

James: Yea you learn from your mistakes, and we do like the venue. They do a lot for musicians.

Name dropping

Have you ever used your name when not performing?

Ed: I would normally do the total opposite of that!

James: We’ve got a lot of people who recognise us or will assume we are in a band.

Paul: We’ll promote it but I think we’re quite proud of the tunes that we’ve made.  If you can get that out there, then it’s great. We’ve got a modest following.

Feedback

What have been people’s responses to your music?

Paul: We had a great review from a friend once!

Ed: We were chatting to a guy who was a friend of a friend. It was my friend who was going on a train and he met his friend on a train. So we were chatting away and he was like: “how is your band?”  I was like aye not bad. His friend was like what’s your band called, I said Sergio Sergio.He was like: “I’ve got you on my IPad man!” Then he showed me our songs all loaded up in his IPad, that was great review.

Paul: That lassie on Facebook.

Ed: She saw us at a gig, and she tracked us down and wanted to buy a ticket.

James: Factory wasn’t it?

Paul: We were playing at Factory in the West End, that’s right.

Great stuff guys!

Any final words or messages for fans?

Lee:  In terms of messages for fans moving forward, we’re planning on a big summer ahead,

Paul: Watch this space

Lee: Aye Watch this space as they say. All the support that has been given to us, up to this point is much appreciated. And even to some close friends of the band man. Who are constantly helping us out, and are looking to try and push the band forward. We really appreciate everything they do for us man!

Lovely, thanks guys, enjoy tonight! 

Sunny Future and One Summers Night

Watch Sergio Sergio perform like never before, starting with:

18^th July, “Summer Nights Festival”, at King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut, Glasgow

As the lads say, it all starts from this gig, from the sounds of things; we should invest In Sergio Sergio early this summer.  Feet of Clay, Lemonhaze, and The Responsible will also be performing.  That’ll be one sizzlin’ night then! Come along, because in addition to a great website (with a cool slider to enter), there is a dedicated page going out to all you fans.Just follow the links.

Links:

http://www.sergiosergioband.com/

https://www.facebook.com/sergiosergiomusic

https://twitter.com/SergioSergioUK

https://soundcloud.com/sergiosergio

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8Hkr3AeXMQ

 

 

 

 

 

by Harsharan Hoonjan 

Lewis Kaye and band is a four piece Edinburgh based ensemble, made up of: Lewis Kaye (Guitar and Vocals), Duncan Robertson (Bass) Jordan Harvey (Drums) and David Scobie (Guitar and Backing Vocals).

Their sound is encapsulated in fresh pop beats, zingy guitar solos, funky bass lines, and sprightly vocals. Young Arthur Promotions have snapped up the band and are currently helping the lads get as much exposure as possible. Like their debut single, Lewis and co are definitely men (rather than man) around town. I had the pleasure of catching up with lead singer Lewis when he performed two acoustic sets at The Three Sisters Food Festival in Edinburgh.

Background

Lewis: I’ve  been gigging since I was 13/14 in bands and everything like that, just trying to get my name out there and yea moved up here a couple of years ago, just to have a fresh start. I’m from North Lincolnshire, but I’m based in Edinburgh now.

How did you find playing at The Old Town Street Food Festival?

L: It was good, the bus was interesting actually. Can’t say I have played on the bus before. It’s good; I enjoyed it and then had a cheeky wee slot on the main stage as well.

Yea, you got asked to perform again on the main stage, well played!

You have a single out as well I believe?

Called: “Man Around Town”?  

L: We brought it out last Saturday, and launched it at The Voodoo Rooms.

Fantastic, how was that?

L: Yea it was great; we got a really good response from that as well

What about the single specifically, what responses have your had so far?

L: We are sending it out to Radio companies, seeing who is interested in it, which places are downloading it, and seeing what happens with it.

You also performed on the Castle Sessions show at Castle FM.

L: Yes I did a show for Castle FM.  The guitarist, David and I were there. Yea it was good.

Yep always good banter and music on that show, amazing. Are you planning to gig around Edinburgh now?

L: Over the summer we’re just going to be gigging around Glasgow/Edinburgh, and go down to Newcastle. We’ll go to places like that, and hopefully make our way down to London. Just promote it and then get back into the studio and start on our second single.

Oh great! When is that going to be produced?

L: Couldn’t tell you just now

Do you have a lot of songs in the back burner, seeing as you’ve been doing this since you were 13?

L: At the minute, it’s just songs with the band, cos I play acoustic in a band too.  We’ve got about nine songs that we play a set with. It was just meant to be an acoustic set on the bus today. The full band isn’t here. The drummer is actually away gigging. And the guitarist is doing his own thing as well. I just soloed it.

Do you all just do your own thing?

L: Yea I met up with a bunch of musicians who wanted to help me do a few sessions here and there. We work really well together; it was actually the bass player who produced the single.  It’s going really well.

You got some good responses on the bus today!

L: Yea people were clapping away!

Are you planning on making a video?

L: Yea it’s something that was meant to happen at the launch night but we were let down. Not sure what’s happening with that right now. If we’re doing one for the first single, we’ll do one for the second as well. We’ll release that before the second single is released.

Okay so you need a Video Producer, I will get the word out for you for ….

L: That would be great.

What do you think of the current live music scene?

L: There’s always a lot going on, Glasgow is quite hectic for music.  It’s got a good music scene, but, it’s just one of those things I guess, you’ve just gotta play in the right place at the right time.

Are you looking to collaborate with other musicians?

L: Actually a friend of mine has just flown back from San Diego today.  He just did a single launch and got me a couple of contacts over there.  So fingers crossed next year, something may happen with that.

Big news!

L:  I’ve got a few friends in London that are gonna be sorting a few shows out over the summer as well.

Your name will be out there in the UK and worldwide, brilliant.  There’s so much to ask after that! First, other than being a musician, is there a deep rooted purpose/message behind what you’re doing?  Do you have a specific goal?

L: I’ve been doing it for so long, growing up in a little town. Loads of people have been doing gigs; they’ve dispersed and done their own thing. I was the only one who was not doing my own thing. That’s why I thought I should broaden my horizons. I definitely wanna be gigging/touring all over. I also want to keep working in the studio, keep chipping away and see what I can get from it.

When did you actually move here?

L: Last September

Are you still at Uni? Studying music?

L: Yea, I’ve got another two years .

Great, that’s really good. You’re doing well so far.

Who are your musical influences?

L: The main guy for me, who basically started me writing my own stuff  is James Morrison,  and the likes of Jason Mraz and all of that.

Yep!

L: Band wise, I’ve grown up listening to Oasis. Razorlight, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Blur, all that sort of stuff, Madness as well.

If you could pick anyone to have on stage and perform with you, who would you choose?

L: I’d say James Morrision, I’ve been to see him a couple of times and he is outstanding!

Fantastic!

L: I would definitely like to jam with him

Great! Do you perform any James Morrison covers?  Is that something you plan to do more in the future?

L: I’ve done one or two, here and there, but no nothing serious. I like to perform my own stuff really. But, depending on what kind of gig it is, I will chuck a cover in now and again, just to get the crowd going a little bit. Let them listen to something they know. Hopefully, they’ll start listening to my stuff more often.

Nice work!

So you’re planning to tour America as well?

L: My main focus this year is to promote myself in the UK. Just get myself out there, and yea that’s really the main focus. Going over to the states is more of a treat for me.

Yea that would be amazing!

If you could have a song of yours played anywhere in the world, where would you choose?

L:  Could I choose a Radio station?

Of course, any platform/location

L: I’d have to say Radio 1 because the single Man Around Town would fit perfectly on the playlist right now, If I do say so myself.

Kenedi Arthur: It’s definitely, current and trendy

L: Yea, it’s just like, people are always listening to Radio 1, and I listen to a band on there and go, yea I’ll look them up.   Catfish and the Bottlemen are getting a lot of radio play at the minute. A lot of my mates were like, oh yea I heard these guys on the radio today.  I’ve got their album now! So yea, being played on Radio 1 would be ideal.

They were playing the BBC Introducing Stage at Radio 1s Big Weekend in Glasgow, they are doing well.

Are you friends with them?

L: Our drummer is friends with the singer

Ahh okay, excellent

L: Yea it’s always a good connection to have.

Absolutely

Is there anyone else you would like to give a shout out to?

L: I’d like to give a mention to a band that came and supported us at our single launch.  They are called Lizo.  They are based in North Lincolnshire which is also were they are from.  So yea big shout out to those boys, great band. Go check em out!

Great, thank you.

Any final words or lyrics you would like to share to capture the essence of you and the band?

L: Not really off the top of my head.

There’s me and the others, we have a bassist who’s very very funky. We have a drummer who’s a great drummer and the guitarist who’s great on the backing vocals. There are so many elements chucked into one band. When you listen to the single, you’ll hear it all, you’ll hear the bass riffs, drums and vocals; yea it all blends very well.

I say we’re a bit like The 1975 that’s another great band on the scene.

That’s brilliant, thank you very much.

In the most time efficient interview I’ve ever conducted, I was very impressed.  It’s nice to see a young man so focussed. It seems like Lewis and the rest of the band have carefully mapped out their music journey. If the result is anything close to: Man Around Town, then we have another quality band on our hands.  I look forward to seeing where the rest of the year takes them. With Young Arthur also making a name for themselves, perhaps an American tour is not that far away after all. I’m adding Lewis Kaye and band to my watch list.

*At the time of publishing this piece, Lewis Kaye had finished recording their second single. Can’t wait to hear it!

Links:

www.Facebook.com/LewisKaye

https://soundcloud.com/lewis-kaye

https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/man-around-town/id874950465?i=874950474

www.facebook.com/youngarthurpromotions

 

 

 

 

 

By Neil Kerr

I have waited a while to post this review as the good folks at Audio Soup put on more than one party a year, and having been given press access to their first of 2014 the Equinox Party I was left seriously impressed. So I decided to wait a wee while for the soupers to reveal the line up for their main event, a three day festival taking place in the awesome setting of the Lammermuir hills in East Lothian, my home. More on that later.

The Equinox Party was quite an event, it took place in a large warehouse type building at Belhaven near Dunbar which is also in East Lothian and incorporated two main events, a band stage and a dance tent, both of which were well set out with times well displayed and easy to locate. A good start. After a quick tour of the site and a wee chat to some of the ticket holders affectionately referred to by the organisers as “soupers”, I was already quietly impressed with organisation and I had yet to hear a drum beat. A trip to the well stocked bar for a coke (designated driver) and I was further impressed to see locally made Thistly Cross Cider was predominant behind the bar, local venue local organisers and locally made drinks great work by the organisers, keep that up its the way to go with this type of event, they really should support the communities that they are in as much as possible.

Now for the actual event, the music and musicians we had all came to see, and there was a lot of people there an excellent turn out. First up were an act I had never seen before called Ska Ya Man bringing to our ears a unique mix of reggae ska music or was it ska reggae? Either way it was good, light hearted and entertaining, the stage was excellent too with some great visuals going on in the background. Ska Ya Man did a great set which got people to their feet and up to the front of the stage with ease, Their set was a great listen and well rehearsed, a great start to the day and well worth a look if you hear of them playing locally to you.

Next on stage were another act I had never seen before calling themselves The Support Act a band name that doesn’t lend itself to thoughts of great music, for me anyway. Gladly I was wrong these guys were just excellent their set got my attention from the first song and kept it until the last beat, the female vocalist delivering a flawless performance and the rest of the four piece act, one of whom I am sure was back on the stage later that day, were just as precise in their delivery, another great act. Also at this point it was coming to my attention that the sound being produced by the Audio Soup team was excellent quality.

The next act was another unique act a solo performer called Pauly Piper, a flutebox is the best way to describe him….. beatboxing and playing his flute to great effect, he has to be seen to be believed, unusually entertaining and great fun to watch, the organisers here have certainly done their homework. The following act The Girobabies were equally entertaining, although not my taste of music, the act was tight and clearly passionate about their music their lyrics to the point and sometimes risky another all round great act.

I have to point out that by this point in the day I was becoming very aware of the general manners of the people around me, the audience, the “soupers”. What a great bunch of people they are, an example of this came when my can of coke was accidently knocked out my hand by a dancing souper who was consumed by the music and dancing happily as I tried to squeeze by with camera and coke in hand, I was chancing it carrying both at any rate. At most gigs this would have gone unnoticed. However this cheery chap immediately was very apologetic and insisted on procuring me a new can, even though I protested that it was my own fault for chancing it through the tight space and not to worry, this guy disappeared still dancing into the crowd only to find me 10 minutes later on the other side of the stage carrying a shiny new coke for me. And he was not a solitary case I spoke to many soupers that day and all bar none were polite and only too happy to talk, they even let me stand in front of them to take pics, and anyone who knows me will know that this means that the person behind will be seeing nowt as i am not a wee chappy, what a great bunch of people you soupers are I raise my hat to each and every one of you.

Back on the stage I was feeling unsure of the next act appearing on stage, there were ten people there including not one but two saxophonists, I was wondering how this would sound, ten of them up there I thought was possibly a bit risky. I was very very wrong. This act was genius, and the sound people there at Audio Soup absolutely nailed it . The band are a band that have appeared on these pages in the past The Post Orgasmic Sunshine Band our Harsharan interviewed the band a while back. They were awesome so good i had to post on facebook how great the act was straight after they finished, I loved them. I spoke to the frontman Al after they came off stage and he was so modest about their sound a great guy.

The next act were also awesome, again I was unsure when a dj, a Bassist, a Guitarist, a Violinist and a guy with what appeared to be a penny whistle took to the stage. I was wrong again I am pleased to say. The Grousebeater sound system were brilliant too, unique, different and daring music using dance beats and adding some catchy riffs on the afore mentioned ensemble of instruments. It was brill, and well worth a look if you ever get the chance, all the acts were.

That includes the last act of the night before the DJ sets an act called The After Hours Quintet, another unusual act that were enjoyable, not the headline act I would have chose but then the crowd loved them, I did too just not the headline for me, I will leave you to guess which act was.

I should mention at this point the Elektical tent that was there… I visited it briefly and liked what I saw there too, I was there for the bands though. In that tent there was hip hop  acts as well as a top line up of DJ’s and the folks I asked who had been were impressed, unfortunately the reporter who was there from voice to cover that area was not too well and had to leave… Next time for that.

Big up to Audio Soup,awesome work from all involved, the set was top notch the sound second to none and the organisation in general was just great, impressed is possibly not a good enough description of how I felt as I left that night. I raise my hat once again to all involved thank you for having me and I look forward to the summer festival over the weekend of the 18th to the 20th of July 2014 where the organisers have arranged over 100 acts across the weekend and much much more. If the Equinox Party was anything to go by then this weekend is set to be outstanding. Find out all you need to know using the links below and check out the photo gallery too, see if you can spot the bassist that was in 2 bands.

Thanks again soupers for a day I wont forget.

Audio Soup facebook

Audio Soup Official website

by Harsharan Hoonjan

I believe Jonny Jack is one of the most understated yet truly talented musicians I have had the pleasure of meeting.

Jonny Jack (Lead Vocals and Guitar) , Paul Jack (Lead Guitar), Michael Jack (Bass Guitar), and Douglas I’Anson (Drums)  make up the Glasgow based band.

I watched Jonny Jack live for the first time at Pivo Pivo for the Glasgow Dirty Weekender. It was a superb set.  The vocals instantly hook you in as the guitar, drums, and bass work your interest. I felt something else too, a strength in the music that transcended through the lyrics and sound. Something in their songs/performance sounded piercingly honest.

Because, you’ll find they get under your skin,  which is tricky to do after seeing a band perform live for the first time.  I returned from that first gig, and loaded up their online music files for another helping. I also had to check if what I what I had heard earlier was true!

It was, and I was lucky enough to get an interview with the band. This was when Jonny Jack kindly agreed to perform for us at the Voice of Scotland Showcase gig in Dunfermline.  The guys talk sheep, freckles, wresting, homelessness, and how the really feel about gigging for zero pay.

NME once described you as: “One of the most instantly recognisable and unforgettable soulful voices in a long time”. How do you feel about that?

Jonny: That was mental man, absolutely mental, that was a couple of years ago, and that’s when we had all the remixes  done on it.

“Wide Open” has loads of remixes doesn’t it?

Jonny: Yes. Some quite dodgy ones!

It feels good though, nice things being said about you, some people can say terrible things about you.  It’s no the ultimate end result. NME said it though and, it’s on all the posters

Paul: If they said it, it must be true!

It must be gospel.

You were saying you are excited about tonight:

Jonny: Yep, we are  in a good place,  good venue, and it’s the  first time playing in Dunfermline as well

Paul: Everything about it has been good tonight, the drive through, the weather

Jonny:  Look I’m a bit red

Paul: He will be out in the sun again tomorrow

Jonny:  I don’t get a tan because I’ve got freckles, I used to be told, one day your freckles are gonna join up and then you’re gonna have the best tan ever! I still believe it.

Great stuff but you can’t compete with my tan! Will interview you again when you turn orange though! 

*Laughs*

When I last saw you live, you guys were amazing.  You sang your own songs, and you also did a cover, a Michael Jackson number. I loved your version of “Rock With You”. Is Michael Jackson an influence? Tell me more:

Jonny: Michael Jackson isn’t really an influence. We were asked to do a cover for some project in America.  They wanted young unsigned acts, who were asked to re-record a bunch of classic albums.  Michael Jackson, “Off The Wall” was one of the albums we were gonna do.  We got a phone call to listen to the album and had to decide what song to cover.

Stella Reilly walks into the room and we have a chat about her performance. The singer also learns that Jonny, Paul and Michael are brothers.  Douglas then goes on to describe himself as: “The Orphaned Child”. Which leads to my next question…

Douglas how did you get together with the brothers, were you always friends of the family?

Douglas: No, we met because I was recording in the same studio, whilst these guys were launching their old album for Jerricho Beats. They asked the engineer if they knew any guys who could play percussion.  My name was mentioned, and we just took it from there.

Brilliant.

It must be great for you guys though to be playing with your brothers, as you are into the same music. 

Michael: Yea well I was always into U2, Oasis and that

Paul: Other guys like Paolo Nutini as well.  We all came together full circle with our influences you know

Sounds like you guys really have pulled it together.

 

How was your E.P. launch for “Skin To The Bone”?

Paul: It was good.

Jonny: Quality Weekend.

Michael: Went to Glasgow, Edinburgh, Inverness.

Jonny: That was mental man!

Paul: Jonny went missing in Inverness.

Oh no! Where did you go?

Paul: There are question marks over him!

Oh right was it the whole, “I’m in a band…”

*Laughs*

Have you ever used your band name to get anything?

Jonny: No I would never because it puts people off.

So you’ve had good reviews from the E.P. launch then?

Jonny:  Good reviews, good reactions from the crowd.  Good gigs! Glasgow and Edinburgh were great.  Inverness was great, we stayed over, met a lot of people from the gig and we partied with them afterwards.

Brilliant!

Paul: So, we hung out with the locals.

You’ve got a bigger fan base over there now?

Paul: Yea, especially with the sheep

Oh the Sheep, they follow you everywhere!

Paul: Jonny loves the sheep

*The brothers start laughing*

Jonny will do anything for sheep

Michael: I suppose they are warm and comfy

Snug! Jonny…

Paul: In the gutter!

Let’s talk about your song Rennie then, the proceeds of that went to Shelter? That’s very admirable.

Jonny: Yea because it was Christmas time, we saw a lot of homeless people in town and we just thought we’d do a song for that.

Paul: We’re gonna release the video soon too, which will be months down the line. It’s about a girl called Rennie, who has indigestion, and she needs a cure. We’re hoping to get an advert made for indigestion tablets!

 

And tackle homelessness!

Paul: They need Rennies as well!

Douglas: They get indigestion too!  People buy them sandwiches and they don’t think of the consequences.

Paul: Two birds with one stone!

Nice!

Paul:  Tackling World Indigestion and Homelessness!

Jonny: That’s it!

Paul: You might think the song is about a girl called Rennie but it’s so much deeper than that.

Douglas: Double meaning.

Paul: Jonny was suffering from heartburn the day he wrote it!

Jonny: I still actually don’t know what the song is about.

*Laughs*

Is that one of your favourites,  actually do you have a favourite?

Paul: My favourite changes every day. I’m one of these guys who wants to perform songs no one else wants to play. I like a song called: “Voodoo” but nobody else wants to play it.

*Laughs*

Paul: As soon as it’s not on the set, I think, it’s a must and I want to play it, that’s just me

Douglas: There’s a great musician, I can’t remember his name,  who said his best song is always gonna be the next one.

Paul: That’s how we feel as well but we’ve got new songs every week.  We’re releasing Rennie with a video, but that song was recorded three years ago!  But, I love it, we love it, it’s one of ma favourites, it’s a wee uplifting tune! I feel like it’s a summery tune, I hear sunshine in it. I can imagine myself wearing sunglasses with the window down listening to it.

Paul: It’s hard to pin one tune down.

Michael: Jonny is a song writing machine. He writes about five songs a week.

Really?

Jonny: Doesn’t mean they are all good!  You could write five poems a day and they might all be rubbish

Paul: Jonny comes in with new songs all the time, it’s kinda hard to choose.  When I hear them I always think it’s hard to pick between them.  They all sound really good to me, I never know what one we will take forward and work on.

Michael: We usually jam out for weeks and weeks in rehearsals, until we think that one is starting to come forward a bit. I think when you jam with a song for long enough, it becomes more natural.

Paul: It comes to a point with a song then, you don’t think about it too much it just kind of happens.  Sometimes it just happens like that, with Rennie, we wanted  to play something so it sounded kinda summery.

Michael: Yea it just kind of happens like that. Basically Jonny can just be playing a solo in rehearsal and then we’ll just join in after.

You guys are good! 

Jonny: We just like doing what we do! We like playing music, if people like it that’s…

Michael: …a bonus!

Paul: Thanks for saying that

Jonny: Hope you enjoy it and if other people enjoy it, that’s what it’s all about.

Absolutely.

Going forward: what are your plans?

Jonny: I used to have a lot of things I wanted to achieve, this year especially because of the E.P. launch and the gigs around and about Scotland. I really enjoy just meeting people.

Paul: Is that what you call it?!

Jonny: All the things that have happened this year, and after having conversations with people in the band. We’ll just keep doing what we’re doing, and if people like it then that’s cool. It’s not the end result.

You all have day jobs then?

All: Yes

Jonny: If we can make a living doing this, then we’ll do it!

Douglas: I do it because I enjoy it, I’d rather play for free than not play at all. If  something comes of it, then fantastic, if not I’m gonna carry on playing regardless.

What are your thoughts on playing for free?

Douglas:  If a musician is playing for free, I think it’s down to the promoters, and the gigs and things you know. Unfortunately, it kind of undervalues the worth of the musician and the effort that’s been put in, if you don’t actually get rewarded for it.  There definitely should be rewards.

You look at function cover bands playing a wedding, and they get £200 per musician per night sort of thing, you know? Why shouldn’t original bands be given that as well?  They are putting a lot of the same effort into it as well you know. They are going travelling, singing, they are writing the songs. Yea, it is difficult but unfortunately, if you don’t play for free, you’re not going to get all the gigs.

Thank you so much for coming to this one by the way.

Paul:  Yea (to Douglas), tell us how you really feel!

*laughs*

How do you prepare for a gig, what’s your routine?

Jonny: I think it’s different for all of us

Paul: I like interviews, reviews and people telling us we’re great, that’s how I like to prepare! Journalistic types like yourself telling us we’re great.

Michael: We also have a ceremonial arm wrestling match before every gig.  The thing is we do it with our feet!

An foot/ankle wrestling match!

Paul: It’s the three of us against him!

*Looks at Douglas*

Paul: He usually wins!

Jonny: He’s got big thighs!

Good on you Douglas!

Jonny: He cycles!

Oh do you? That’s brilliant…okay moving on! 

How do did you deal with nerves/ stage fright? Any advice for people who want to get into the business but are a bit anxious/nervous?

Paul: You’ve gotta love what you are doing first and foremost, you have to please yourself. If you’re getting nervous,well you need to have  a love for it inside yourself

Paul: Nerves is a good thing but. Something the earthlings have is nerves…

Douglas: It’s humbling

Paul: I get nervous before gigs, but I’m on the stage with my brothers.  I just look at them and think, I remember Jonny doing that, running around with pants on his head.  Oh and I remember Mike doing that, oh I quite like being up here now, you know.  I just imagine the audience wants me to do well.

Fantastic.

Jonny: It’s all about doing something you love doing.  If you love doing that type of music, you should do that type of music, you’ve just got to love what you do.

Tell me about growing up together and that sort of thing:

Michael: Well he could batter me (points to Paul), and I could batter him (points to Jonny)

*Laughing*

Paul: That’s all you need to know!

Michael: I’m looking forward to a fight one day just to see who’s gonna come out on top

Paul: Michael was also the first to pick up the guitar

Michael: Aye

Paul: I was kind of into the drums first but, yea, I remember you got your first guitar in 2004, and that was it, Bob’s your uncle.

You’ve done very well!

Final message for your fans:

Jonny: I’d like to thank the fans, all you fans out there for the support.

Thank you Jonny Jack!

 

With each performance, you may find Jonny Jack’s suave sound gripping you in the midst of a set.  Listen to the emotion, the instruments, the tone, the echoes coupled with those crisp lyrics. There is a symphony of sweet, sweeping heart quenchers in each track. I’m sure they’ll be requested to play at somebody’s wedding. They are a perfect fit.

Their E.P. “Skin To The Bone” is available to stream for free on Sound Cloud.

Definitely worth checking out, What a remarkable act, one that doesn’t need to scream about their talent. they ooze it – Skin To The Bone style.

Thank you once again Jonny Jack.

Upcoming gig: 

Jonny Jack next perform at Market Bar, Inverness on Saturday 26th July.

Links:

www.facebook.com/jonnyjackmusic

https://soundcloud.com/jonnyjackmusic

http://www.youtube.com/jonnyjackmusic

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By Harsharan Hoonjan

“The Revenge of Icarus”, starts with an electric guitar (which is sensational throughout) and drums, which instantly hook your attention.  The vocals are also, brilliantly timed to create an exceptional fiery Britpop sound. The up-tempo beat keeps your head swaying, and your feet tapping. It pauses only slightly before its regrettable finish, I wanted more. It’s fully charged with everything your ears could hope for from Coatbridge’s finest. Feet of Clay have come up trumps with this single. Get it now!

Links:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Feet-of-Clay/133713673370110?fref=ts

https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/the-revenge-of-icarus-single/id883237621

http://www.amazingtunes.com/feet/tunes/275975

 

 

By Harsharan Hoonjan

Enemies Of The State from Glasgow are the epitome of “stripped bare”. Their songs tear through the existing dynamics in the music scene and they leave you aching for more. I don’t think I will ever have enough questions for this forward thinking band, or enough answers to their questions. In a revealing interview, I capture the lifeblood of this five-man strong line-up.

Kris Tennant (Lead vocalist and Guitarist) Joseph Carney (Bassist) and Sean Chilton (Lead Guitarist) were ready for their interview, after performing a dazzling acoustic set.   Unfortunately, Glenn Holburn (Guitar) Gary Curran (Drummer), could not make our Voice of Scotland Showcase Gig (at PJ Molloys, Dunfermline).

Kris’ girlfriend and Joe’s girlfriend also sit in whilst I prepare to interrogate the band.  Although it doesn’t quite turn out the way I expected…

Kris: Right go, what you gonna ask us?

“So guys how did you get together?” *in a girly voice*

Is that how it’s gonna go?

Yep!

Kris: Oh right cool

So you have to ask us in that accent

You say it!

Okay… So guys, how did you get together?

Kris:  I was doing a solo thing, solo singer songwriter and I had a backing band and all that.

I decided that I wanted to start a band and write about stuff that I thought was meaningful. I was tired singing about: “my girlfriend dumped me and I’m skint”, and blah, blah, blah, blah.  So I got Gary, I got Joe, I got Glenn, I got Sean together and we started Enemies of the State.

Sean: You got Sean pretty late thought didn’t you?

Kris: Aye Sean came in later in the process.

Joe:  He grew on us like a tumor

Kris: Like a beautiful creative tumor! Growing on me! (sure this was the idea behind the song ‘You’re really growing on me’ by The Darkness!)

*Laughing*

Kris: We were like a beautiful skinny girl with no b**bs and Sean started and he was the beautiful  b**bs to our body.

Sean: I was the b**bs! Let that be written.

Kris: Then Gary came down and he was the beautiful tumor.

Kris: So basically we got together, and we wanted to start writing songs about what was meaningful.

Joe: Glen is my good looking cousin!

Kris: Glen wasn’t here tonight either, but Glen joined the band a couple of months ago. Since he joined, it’s a bit more of creative process.  And he’s better looking than us all! He gets the young girls.

Is he single?

Kris: No

Ahh, he’s a bit of eye candy for the ladies!

Kris: He’s the exotic eye candy because he’s from Canada.

That doesn’t answer how we got together…

Joe: We all have different backgrounds, we came together and that was it.

Thanks for doing this showcase gig for us!

Kris: We wanted to do it.

Tell us more about your tour then, what have you got planned?

Kris: Well the album is coming out this summer.  We’re gonna rent a log cabin, and we’re gonna spend the weekend recording the album.  We’re aiming to have it out late July, early August.

We were talking today, we think we’ll probably do a tour kinda winter time.

We’re gonna call it “The Chook Tour.”

Joe:  Am I f*ck calling it that

Kris: It’s gonna be called The Chook Tour, and we’re gonna go everywhere outwith Glasgow.

Anywhere in particular?

Kris: So we’ll definitely go here (Dunfermline), we’ll definitely go to Edinburgh; I know we’ll definitely get Aberdeen; we’ll definitely get up to Inverness and know we’ll get to Dundee. So those are just the places that I know are absolute definites.

Okay cool, and how many tracks are going to be in your album?

Kris: About 12.

Joe:  Maybe more!

Kris: Each song is gonna be a mini orgasm.

Each song is going to burst open new experiences

Women are just going to fall in love with it?

Ashley: Yea, basically that’s how we met!

How did you guys meet?

Kris: It was over the last £2 Poster of Chicken Little, she was like:  “I like Chicken Little”, and  I was like:  “I like Chicken Little”, we both reached for the same poster…

Joe: I like little chicken!

Kris: And that’s how it started…

You asked the question!

Never ask about people’s love lives!

No more questions about love lives for me!

Tell us about your song: Don’t Let Your Light Go Out:

Kris: If you listen to the chorus you’ll hear the words, we’re all made from stars.  That comes from the fact that we are all made from the same atoms.  The atoms make stars, they make planets, they make humans, they make wood,

Everything in the f*cking universe is made up of atoms. Therefore, we are made up of the same stuff atoms are made up of.  My point with that song is whenever the human race gets to its lowest point, whenever you think that there’s no hope for the human race, remember that.

Remember the fact that we are made from stars, and that we’ve all got a light within us and we should never let it go out.  The second verse is a story about not being who you are meant to be because you are stuck being what everyone says you should be.

“I’m hanging onto forever but then you let go and you’re carried away.”

If you just let go of what everybody thinks of you, and just realise there is a light inside you.

Love it!

I was listening to a few of your songs and they are quite inspirational with great messages is that your aim to open people’s eyes?

One of our songs is actually called  Open Your Eyes, we couldn’t play it because of time constraints…(we had quite a line-up that night, sorry guys)

Too many bands sing about the same sh*t Oasis sang about which was nothing,” I’m getting mad with it”, and blah blah blah.  “My bird broke up with me”, and I just feel that you just need to start writing better songs you know. It’s that whole f*cking thing, too many protest singers, and not enough protest songs.

Right…

We need to start writing songs that get people talking that get people thinking because everywhere you turn, if it’s not the paper it’s the telly.

There’s sh*t f*cking polluting your mind. If it’s not The Kardashians, it’s the valleys and all those things, there’s too much sh*t in people’s minds and that’s what my songs are about. They are about opening people’s minds, you know, that’s what it is for me anyway…*drops tone and sighs*

Is that what you want for the band? Is that how you want to move forward?

Kris: Well for me at the end of the day, if you’ve got some sort of purpose that is a positive

You can open people up to a different way of thinking.  It’s the ideal thing and you can enjoy yourself at the same time which is what we do. I think that’s even better.   It doesn’t become a responsibility or a chore; it’s just part of your life you know.  We get pissed. Everyone laughs, we get mad with it and in the process we spread a positive message and that’s it.

 

 

 

What are your thoughts on the music scene at the moment?

There are loadsa places promoting live music especially in Scotland, this is our first gig outwith Glasgow.

Kris: Come to Glasgow there’s a good music scene there, go to Edinburgh there’s a good music scene there.  The competition is amazing and the competition is really good.  Not only is it great in numbers, it’s great in quality as well, that kinda makes it harder.  There are so many people doing it.  What also makes it hard is the people in control are only really in it for money.  If you’re good looking, handsome, and you’re easy to control then there you go. You’re let in the club and you’ve got money, you’ve got everything you want.

 What direction do you want your music to go?

Kris: Well the point is…I’ve got the same dream as everyone, I’m not gonna lie, you want to get as big as you possibly can get. But, I think that if you can start a band and write some songs that at least change the mind-set of 10 people, then that’s better.   Good to have 10 people that relate to your music, than going on the X-Factor and having 10 million people, who will hear you for a minute and forget you the next day.

You know what I mean so what I think is keep f*cking playing away songs that have a positive message, and if you don’t get through to people, fair enough at least you tried.

If you get through to one person that in itself starts a ripple effect.  That one person you effect with your positive message will go on to effect 10 people. Those 10 people could start their own ripple and it could get f*cking bigger.

So, the point is who cares as long as we have a good time, and if we don’t reach anybody fine, at least we had a fun!

Yes!

What is this all based on?

Kris: Drugs, this is all based on a hallucinogenic experience up in Glencoe.  I came back and thought, I want to start writing songs that  will speak to people in a positive way.

You just need to look at the movies coming out now; they are about revolution, which is happening. .It’s in the paper and on the internet, it’s on the internet every f*cking day!  You’ve got shows like Hunger Games as well, it’s all about revolution, its happening!

Joe: Evolution

Kris: Well that’s it man, evolution, revolution, whatever way you want to look at It  People are progressing in the 21^st century. The internet is the biggest f*cking thing that has ever happened to us!  You know it might just be the thing that saves us.

That moment right there was the moment we had access to the most information we’ve ever had in our entire lives (the very moment you re reading this).  Every single moment is the moment when we have the most access to information that we’ve ever had.  We’ve never had that before

Whilst on the subject of the internet, ..do you agree with steaming free music?

Kris: Yes, yes, yes

What’s your take on making money from music on these internet streaming services?

Kris: It is bullsh*t

Record companies make enough money!   One of the things that annoyed me, I don’t know if you remember that, The Chili Peppers are against free downloads. They have more money than sense!  If they don’t have enough money then who does?

It shouldn’t be that way for those who can’t afford it.  People shouldn’t have to pay money to be inspired.  People should be able to look at the guy across the road and be inspired  People should strive to be the best person they can be whether that is physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually we should all f*cking do it!

We should be bouncing off each other, and saying things like: “Man I want to be that guy!”  We should be able to overlook our imperfections.

 Does that idea get you out of bed every day?

Kris:  No, Tetley’s tea bags, and a Steak Bake gets me out of bed!

Joe: The IPhone alarm

 

 

You don’t have a song to wake you up?

Kris: Queens of the Stone Age

We have ripped off the IPhone alarm to use in one of our songs on our album

Kris: My dad!

Genuinely, Rage Against the Machine, every one of their songs is political.   You need to listen to all their songs and say f*ck you everybody! That’s pretty much what Enemies of the State are about!

Interesting…

So you’d collaborate with those two bands, anyone else?

Kris: I would say Tom Jones as well….

Joe: Billy Bob Thornton, Alex Turner or Joshua Homme.

Kris: Chris Cornell, Simba from the Lion King and Timone

Enemies of the State Musical!

Kris: Sebastian from the Little Mermaid

Joe: Enemies of the State Musical!

You should do it! 

Okay so when is the album coming out exactly?

Joe: We could get the album done in a few days, if we put our heads down.We know the songs we just need to put pen to paper and to get them recorded.

How often do you practise?

Kris:  We try and get together three times a month

Do you have a particular routine?

No routine

What about writing songs?

Kris:  I write basic chord structure and the lyrics

Then I take it to boys in the studio and everyone then has their own input
The drummer will decide how he will work the drums , Lead guitarist decides on his part blah blah blah

We’ll try and jam along and we’ll find out what sounds good and what sounds sh*t

Kris: Genuinely we’re not that good man; we’re just a couple of p*ssheads who like getting p*shed

Joe: This is how I see it. I saw Kris the band and…It was “Kris Tennant and band” I saw them in The Classic Grand and they are f*cking amazing!  I thought, I would love to be in that band.I was blessed, I ended up becoming pals with them, and I weasled my way in, but it was good! I always thought they were e talented, loved their music and I wanted to be a part of it.  One thing lead to another, we ended up becoming pals and…that’s it.

Great story.

How long have you all been playing in bands?

Kris: A year and a half with Enemies of the State, before that I just  did a solo thing for about three years. Then I stopped writing songs for a long time…

I went away went on Camel tours and things like that. I then decided I wanted to put songs together and start a band, just took it from there

Kris: We’ve had our songs played in Thailand and Turkey

Joe: I once had a whole plane singing,

*Laughing*

Impressive!  Are you planning a tour abroad as well?

Kris:  We want to conquer Glasgow first, people in there already know us, We’ve got a bit of a name for ourselves.Once we get album,out, and get to where we want reputation wise in Glasgow, we’ll branch out to the rest of Scotland.

Thanks again for choosing to play here with us instead of King Tut’s.

Joe and Kris: We’ve never played outside of Glasgow

King Tut’s is King Tut’s but why should we not venture outside and see what else is out there

Wow thanks very much guys, so tell us about the first song in your set: 

Joe: No time for tears?

Yes!

Kris: It’s Bruce Lipton’s theory  on a bigger scale. We’re the cells in the body of Earth.

See if we can’t work together, if all we do is hurt each other and f*cking kill each other and divide ourselves between Catholic, Protestant and White, Jewish, Muslim we don’t work.

Human beings are always finding ways to separate themselves from their fellow man and his point is that, we’re the cells in the human body that is Earth.  If we can’t work together, then none of us work and we’re making the planet sick!

If the cells in your body don’t work then they make you sick! If we don’t work together we’re making each other sick, and if that planet is not working on a bigger scale then we’re making the universe sick so that’s the whole point of that song.

Great Song.

It’s about realising how strong we are but how big we are as well!  We’re all massive, we can all make a change and that’s the whole point.  The chorus: “Don’t be an echo, be a voice.”  Don’t be the echo that other people repeat, be the voice other people want to echo.  That’s where the chorus comes in

“In the darkness, lies your fears and fear is a choice”

If you decide no one’s gonna step on you.

Brilliant message!

Thanks guys! Can you tell us about your videos?

Kris: Aye we did demo a couple of weeks ago by a friend who is currently in the film War Horse in London in the West End.

There is a suicide and it’s about a guy who comes back from fighting in the war .He finds it hard to live with what he’s done, his atrocities. He tries to find God, who isn’t there for him, so he turns to drugs.  Realising what he has done is wrong and that no one’s there to save him from his thoughts and memories.  At the end of the video he commits suicide

It’s pretty much already shot but we’re gonna wait till the summer and see what we can add or take away,

Wow, what a story.

Okay so…new video, album launch, tour… anything else??

Kris: Get haircuts, get the album done

Joe: Leather jackets

*laughing*

Final words for fans:

Kris:  “Don’t let your light go out!”

This band are lyrically strong and musically gifted,listen to Kris’ powerful vocals powering through the dynamite sound from the band. For Enemies Of The State, the process of actually thinking about lyrics, and producing a song based on it’s core message is key. The lads seem to really enjoy being part of this group. Their tracks, performance and passionate chats about the world revealed to me songs that can help change it for the better. They are even offering their debut album as a free download! Alternatively, you can pay what ever you think it’s worth…

I had to re-write my original round-up after seeing Enemies Of The State perform their debut Edinburgh gig. They played the Old Town Street Festival at The Three Sisters. Their stage shaking, high voltage set is what unbelievably phenomenal looks like. I stay true to my original comment to Kris after seeing the band at Pivo Pivo in Glasgow, Saying:

“You guys will win awards, “ I didn’t tell him it would be for their contribution to the music scene, for best song or any other specifics, but that is the route that this band are headed along.

I could quote each song word for word to further exemplify their brilliance. Instead, let me direct you to their internet links. Then, you can listen and discover for yourself, a Glasgow gem that once polished and stripped back reveals itself as an uncut diamond.

Links:

https://www.facebook.com/Enemiesofthestateband

https://soundcloud.com/enemiesofthestate

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nv2iNUK64CU

Live Dates: 

25th June at Hard Rock Cafe, Glasgow.

14th June at King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut , Glasgow

7th September at BMF, Bathgate.

 

 

 

 

 

 By Harsharan Hoonjan

It feels odd writing about a singer who confesses that he “doesn’t like” his own songs. Preferring the works of other artists, you’ll find Dave McNeil, 23 from Fife happily belting out covers.  With his own songs, Dave is conscious of bands and even DJs playing up-tempo numbers at venues, feeling he produces and performs “quieter” songs.

On learning this information, I am writing to confirm, there is nothing “quiet” about this singer’s voice…

I caught up with Dave before his live performance for The Voice of Scotland Showcase Weekend.  We’ve been lucky enough to have Dave perform for us, three showcases in a row.

I just want to say thank you very much for performing at another showcase event for us Dave.

To start, please provide some background information for our readers:

 

I’m a local lad and I’ve been playing the guitar since I was about 16. I started playing with a couple of lads in a pub called Torleys which is in Lochgelly and it’s where I’m from.

I started doing gigs when the Coaltown Daisies asked me to support them.  They used to come to the pub quite regularly.  That’s about it, they were my main source of gigs for about three years, I  gave up playing for a year, and a half and I’ve just started again.

I’ve been in touch with Neil (Voice of Scotland) for the past 9/10 months.   I actually started back at the Green Room with Donald (Donald Makin) for Oxjam.

I’m trying to get back into it and do as much gigging as possible, and as you know I’m playing tonight.

Of course, thanks again Dave!

Dave performs beautiful acoustic sets and is regularly played on Castle FM and Radio West Fife.  Heart wrenching originals from his EP made me want to interview the singer for myself, his delivery is something else.

Can you talk about Too Young for us, one of Voice Radio’s favourites?

That was a sad song; it was about two girls in my school that passed away.  A couple of months back in a car crash.  It’s not me knowing who they were, or having them as close friends, or missing them. It’s more that it was a big shock, they were young girls of 20-21 years of age. I used to walk past them every day in school. I remember serving them in the Glasshouse on a black Friday.

It was quite surreal, it was about that, I just put pen to paper.  The sad songs tend to be the only kind I can write!  *Laughs*

 I don’t believe you

However, this song is performed with emotional sensitivity, obviously quite meaningful as well.  Can you describe then, what it’s like to write a song, and do you have a specific process?

No, not really, I tend to do it while I’m sitting at work actually, I probably shouldn’t say that! I base a song around a few key words.

For example, with too young, somebody put up a comment on one of the girls Facebook pages:

“There’s now a brighter star in the sky”

I took that line and I thought, that’s really good, and I wrote the whole song around that one line.  I build line on line after that. Look to the stars feels quite linked to that as well. I wrote that when I was 16/17, hence all the stars on my arm!

I do remember taking (fuzzy) pictures of it at the Voice of Scotland Electric Circus gig!

I got them all up my back as well.  That song was about the first ever real love that I had.  It was puppy love, and it was a girl that I fancied at school.  It was her last day she was leaving to go to University, and I still had a couple of years to go.  We were in the school play, Fame together, and it was her birthday, so I wrote Look to the stars as a surprise.

I played it to her, and we saw each other for six months. And at the drop of a hat she was away.  So I was gutted! I was an angry 16-year old, I didn’t know what to do with myself, but that was the first song I wrote.

Aww heartbroken!

Did you not fancy pursuing a career in the performing arts then?  How were you rated in your school’s production of Fame? What was your role?

I was the lead in the production of Fame; my girlfriend at the time was a dancer in it. My Dad was the deputy head of the school, so nobody really got rated.  We all did really well, so we got a: “Well done” and that was that.

I couldn’t and still can’t read music even though I studied Higher Music at school and got an A for it.  To be in Theatre you need to be able to read music, I prefer what I’m doing now.   I was in the Choir as well and I played the Violin for six years.

Wow

Would you consider learning to read music now??

Got a long fine without it

What if you were offered a lump sum to play in one country abroad, for 30 nights?

I couldn’t risk it but obviously it’s depends on what’s involved, the place and amount!

 Ah okay…so about creating music…

Was it/has it ever been a creative outlet, and have your views towards making music changed?

I don’t sit down and try and write music, I go driving around whilst humming a wee tune in my head.  If I quite fancy an idea, I’ll stop and write it down or put it in my phone.  I’ll sing four lines and go back and try and build a song around it.  But if I sit down and try to write a song, I Cannae do it!  It’s just if something catches my eye, spurs on a memory, or a feeling if you like

So that tends to be how I write songs. It’s not just a creative outlet because I prefer to sit and play covers.   Because, I know how the songs originally sound, and I can change them and make them my own   When I sing, and write my own songs, I tend not to like them!

Why is that, is that because you feel you need to perform your songs a certain way? 

I really don’t know, for instance you’ve got guys like Paolo Nutini who’s got a certain style, some people like that, some people don’t.

Then you’ve got Ed Sheeran, some people like his music, some don’t   They’ve both got a certain style.    I don’t know what my style is I don’t have my own  type of music to follow because I don’t know what my style is.

What about when you listen back to your music, does that not help you?

It’s more constructive criticism I give myself   But I’ll end up sitting and writing a song, singing half of it and trashing the last half, saying I don’t like that!  I go for five/six days and think I’ll take it out and try and work on it again.

One song…

There is one song that I like called Boys Like Girls.  I wrote it for the Mrs, and I like it mainly because it’s a three chord trick and it’s catchy.  It’s only because it’s the first song that I’ve written that is a bit of a foot tapper!  There’s lots of rhythm to it, I think it’s catchy.  It’s the only one I like doing!

I’m looking forward to hearing it!

Is that your plan moving forward, to move away from “sad” songs?

I want to do more upbeat songs

For instance, here last time when I played, it was very loud, very very busy and I was trying to play quieter songs.  They had Paulo Nutini, One Direction playing and then they had my quieter songs and I didn’t think they were received well. So, I’ve tried to change my set this time to more upbeat faster songs. But not many people are out yet.  Well I hope more people will come,  all at once and stop hogging the bar!

I hope so!

It’s a good idea to mix things up.

 

Yea, but, I don’t like writing about happy songs because I never get that happy feel good Pharrell Williams *clicks fingers* type of feeling.

I never get that, It’s more if someone’s really pissed me off, aww I’m gonna play them down, or if somebody’s passed away.  It’s the sad emotions or heartbroken emotions that make me put pen to paper. Like Look to the stars, Too Young, things like that.  That tends to be what I can write a song about.

It’s usually something that happens and then I write a song on the back of it.

Do you think your songs are in anyway uplifting or soothing to listeners?

I don’t know, I don’t get that

Neil gives me good feedback but I think he’s just trying to keep me sweet to play more gigs!

That’s not true, okay final question: If you could have one of your songs played anywhere in the world where would it be?

America!  In Madison Square Gardens or during the Superbowl, that would be amazing,

It would Dave, it really would

Dave, takes his seat on stage, armed with his guitar, he starts his set.  He rolls out the smoothest lyrics to a minimalist scattered crowd in PJ Molloys. Some come down the wooden stairs to get closer, and some stay listening at the bar.  His faster songs do make a change to his set this time, and he seems to enjoy performing his favourite up beat number: Boys Like Girls, that he talked about earlier.

I think the Lochgelly Singer Songwriter has hit the balance just right this time and as I look around, I wish he had a bigger audience.  Dave’s vocal range is impressive; his voice is finely tuned, like a well-connected radio signal, there is no fuzz or white noise, just crisp clear reception. Even at low volume, you’ll hear, there is nothing quiet about Dave McNeil, he might not like many of his songs but like school, he remains a music ace.

Check out Dave’s Facebook and Sound Cloud links below, which includes a Podcast he (kindly) did for EastVoice:

https://www.facebook.com/davemcneilmusic

https://soundcloud.com/bigdingodave

https://soundcloud.com/voiceof-scotland

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

by Harsharan Hoonjan

One of the most enthusiastic bands to have played for us at the Voice of Scotland Showcase Weekend in PJ Molloys, is Common Ground. They organised a full bus and travelled all the way from their hometown of Kilwinning Ayrshire. This is the third showcase gig Voice of Scotland has put on and the second time the band has agreed to perform a live set for us.

Catching up with Wullie (Lead Vocals), Sean Mckay (Lead Guitar), Chris Price A.K.A. Posh Boy (Bass, posh because he comes from Troon!), Craig Bryden (Drums), Lee Robertson (Rhythm Guitar),   Conversation revolves around music, touring, cover bands, world domination, and performing drunk on stage…

 

For anyone who doesn’t know the band, what’s your background?

Wullie and Craig: We got together in August last year.

Wullie: What happened was Craig, Sean and Lee always jammed together, Sean heard about me through music circles and that’s how I heard about him.  A spied him in the boozer tapped his shoulder, asked if he wanted to start a band, he said aye and that was it.

Excellent and the band are described as: ‘The great new hope of the British music scene’?

Wullie: Well that’s the rumour, we’re gonna take over the world man, especially with these shoes on!

Looking at his Yellow Submarine shoes, all the boys burst out laughing.

I want some for myself!

 

Who are all your influences then?

Wullie: John Lennon in The Beatles for me

The Beatles record Revolver, I listen to it all the time.

Lee: Britpop

Wullie: John Lennon, just the way that guy was man, just everything about him

Lee: Aye we all have different influences

Everyone: Rolling Stones, The Libertines, all the same sort of raw guitar stuff, in your face

What is your sound?

Wullie: Oh we’re no like indie bands or anything like that. We’ve got our own sound.  It’s punky, raw, it’s not got a specific genre, but, it’s in your face, we’ve got a softer side too but…

You’re not big on showing it off?

Wullie: Na

Okay…so who writes the songs?

Wullie: Sean and I get together and Sean is a bit of genius at writing them.

I say that’s for the bassist etc and Sean goes and gives the songs a structure

Do you spend a lot of time writing them?

Sean: Every day in the Garage

Lee: He came in one day with a new track and then the next day we were recording it.

Every time we try something new and see what it sounds like.

Then if it’s good we keep working on it.

Do you have any repeat song requests?

Chris: Mr V.I.P. is quite popular.

Wullie: We just play a set through man, every song is different.

Lee: There are one or two songs we thought were good but we did nae think they were gonna be as good.

What songs are you particularly proud of?

Lee: I don’t think we would ever sing a song we were no proud of.

Wullie: I love them all man! I really love that song ‘That Thing Called Love’, it does something to me at the end. It’s got a big finish, it’s fast, it’s pacey – I like it and I like the beats in it.

Do you perform any covers?

Lee: Na, we’d never touch a cover!

No?

Wullie: Na, we just want to do our thing.

Don’t get me wrong; once you get to a certain level just flung out a cover out of respect but the now no just want to do one of our own.

Lee: If we put a song out as a cover and that becomes successful you think, it should have been one of our own songs that was successful.

Wullie: Gotta be careful with that.

Chris: If you write songs that are good enough, it doesn’t matter; your own songs should blow people away just as much.

Lee: People who do too many covers are a bit desperate.

Wullie: They will be just known as a covers band and I’m no having that man.  Don’t get me wrong I like a good cover band if that’s who we’re there to see.

Lee: Someone might do a cover and it might sound good but we’d no do that.

Wullie: Just trying to be myself man/we’re just trying to be us.

I don’t think there are many bands doing what we are doing right now or trying to

We’re just doing it and seeing what happens

If one person is no happy then we throw it in the bin, scrapped.

So…would you ever work with a pop band/ever consider it?

Wullie: Na, I’d tell em to f*ck off!

Best of luck to them and all that  *Laughing*

You’re trying to be yourselves…so who are you guys really??!

I’m Wullie, I’m the front man! – *Laughing*

(I stepped right into that one!)

How do you prepare for a show then?

Craig: Just a practise once or twice through the week

Chris: We live about five minutes down the road from each other. It’s really handy especially good to get together and go to places like this.

Brilliant

There are loads of other good bands on tonight, anyone in particular you’re looking forward to seeing?

Wullie:  Tijuana Bibles, I’ve heard about The Holy Ghosts but I’ve no seen them live.  Tijuana Bibles are more the sort of thing we’re into, they’re a different class.

What about other gigs, you played in King Tuts earlier this year, how was that?

Chris: It was dream come true!

We’ve been asked back to headline on June 14th. 

Fantastic!

Wullie: We asked The Mona Lisa’s to come and support us but they’re away that weekend

Gutted.

Wullie: They are in here tonight to see us as well, they’re no playing but they’re quite big fans of ours. They were on last night though.  We like what they do as well, we like their sound.

Buzzing for all that though

Where else are you planning to tour, all over Scotland?

Wullie: Aye if someone pays for it!

Lee: Think we’re just going to work with the gigs we’ve got just now and then be a bit more picky and choosey later!

Wullie: My First Music production are helping us, before we were just doing one gig after the other but now these guys are organising the gigs more.  It gives us time to work on material and that, so it’s good.

Aah good stuff, so how many tracks are you playing in total tonight?

Wullie:  Eight tracks.  We’re gonna drop two songs tonight that no one has ever heard of…

Ooh a Voice of Scotland exclusive, looking forward to it!

And how you all feeling for tonight then, hope you guys are not drunk!  What do you think of bands playing sets when they’ve had too much to drink?

Sean: You go in drunk, you’re ruining if for everybody else.  You think you’re amazing and you’re no, you’re sh*te

Lee: If someone records that, you’ll play it back, you’ll switch aff the first track, cos it’s embarrassing

Wullie: Couple of beers, if you cannae do it sober, there’s no point man!  But we don’t need anything we’re buzzing for this man!

Wullie: We’re buzzing for this, we’re buzzing the noo.  We’re buzzing that you’re here!

Aww, happy to hear that, thank you very much for performing for us!

Finally, what message would you like to share with your fans?

Wullie:  Live the dream – that it, that’s our motto!

Great, thanks lads can’t wait for your set tonight!

The lads performed a stage worthy show, the vocals were a rough smooth mix akin to an old Manchester band that defined a generation…  The guitars and drums were kicking out some sparky edgy riffs, and the electronics were shocking. Filling the dance floor were loads of people just going wild.  Drinks and shapes were being thrown; it felt like the crowd had Common Ground’s rhythm pulsing through their veins.  They have a raw, rough, fearless energy about them, PJ Molloys was all pumped up.  What a result!  Bands that create a vibe like that may just conquer the world. Their chat isn’t half bad either.

 

 

After our event, Common Ground went on to perform at The Classic Grand in Glasgow on April 24^th, which was another smash hit.

Common Ground’s E.P.  can be streamed by following the link below.  Tracks include the superb: Snap On, Mr V.I.P.and That Thing Called Love.

https://soundcloud.com/commonground

We look forward to watching the lads’ progress, and would like to thank them once again for performing as part of the Voice of Scotland Showcase Weekend in PJ Molloys.

Upcoming Gigs:

10th May – PJ Molloys, with a DJ set from The View. 

24th May –  Grand Hall for the Kilmarnock Dirty Weekender.

16th June – King Tut’s – Headline Act. 

Links:

https://www.facebook.com/commongroundmusic

www.facebook.com/commongroundmusic

Work today was rubbish. I sat at my desk and talked to morons on the phone as usual. I annoyed my workmates by drumming on my desk and doing double bass drum flams with my feet and triplets with my fingers. Being middle aged, my belly worked as a floor tom for added drummage. The most exciting part of that shift, was when someone called the support line and just screamed expletives for almost 2 minutes then hung up. I love that random stuff when it happens. I hope that crazy caller gets some therapy soon and no one dies.

But even though I had to endure a shift on a Saturday afternoon, when I could have been playing poker or even buying books from the pound shop, I knew I had something cool to do that night. It sustained me through the day of BS and idiocracy. I was going to be taking pictures of some metal bands!

What I know about “Metal” you could probably write on the edge of a postage stamp if you used a huge magic marker. I don’t claim to be an expert, so if I make a faux pas ( that’s a mistake or “false step”, for anyone who is too stupid to Google “faux pas” ) in this review, please accept my apologies beforehand.
Also I would like give special thanks to Gerry Corr and STG promotions for the media pass. And the venue itself : River (which used to be Barfly) for selling pints at three quid (yes only three quid for a pint, I almost fainted!) and putting on some great gigs in a good venue.

So, to the gig. As I said earlier, I’m not a Metal expert. But there are as many sub genres of Metal now as there are wrinkles on Iggy Pop’s testicles. I’ve heard some groove Metal, dark Metal, death Metal, thrash Metal, very Metal, mental Metal and of course sheet Metal..okay that last one I made up, fabricated even (a wee joke there). My point is there are loads of types to this general type of music. Tonight the three bands are all different from each other but are still METAL.

Out front the sound is good as AMOK take to the stage. Speeding into their stuff and despite the place not being as full as it should be, they get tore into their own brand of METAL. Lots of riffage and tempo changes and with a bassist who looks like a cross between Billy Bragg and Prince Harry. AMOK run amok. This is what I remember classic metal being like. Their singer has a vocal range that reminds me of Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden) when he had all his own hair and didn’t buy it from Ebay. (Don’t quote me on that, but he did…nah he didnae.) Great band, loved their set. Their drummer is a “Banger” too. Broke the kit a few times (well he knocked the first tom off it’s mount.) And any decent drummer is always a “Banger” so no harm done there. AMOK are Loud and proficient and Metal as feck. Go and see them live or buy their music if you like loud rock played by dudes who are into it.

 

Next on stage we have 28 mph. Who to my ears are a bit more punk/metalish. A good band, and not knocking them at all, but not as tight as they could be. Still they do their set with aplomb, despite the request for “James Blunt” covers from a member of the audience. (I’m sure this was an in joke and not an actual request.) They deliver some more vibey METAL than the usual. Some drones and Eastern influenced Rock too. Maybe their set wasn’t as tight as usual, I dunno as this is the first time I’ve seen them. Not a bad performance, I just think they can be better. And please don’t think I’m trying to be superior or that I assume I know anything about this genre. I’m just speaking as a guy who loves live music. I will go and see this band again because they do have some good stuff going on, perhaps tonight wasn’t a good gig for them?

Right, now. Splintered Halo, what can we say about a band that has only one “named” member – Evelyn? While the rest of the band wear white / black masks thus making them anonymous. Well apart from the obvious, they are an excellent band. By that I mean their version of METAL is loud, full of musicality and they know how to do a show. Before the gig and whilst having a smoke outside the venue I met and had a chat with some of them sans stage gear. Under the official secrets act I can’t reveal who they were, but can say they were nice blokes and have a pedigree in music that wouldn’t surprise you. One thing about METAL in general, regardless of what sub genre, is that you need to be able to play your instruments really well. It’s one of the genres that won’t allow you to fluff notes or drop beats. You can’t cover up mistakes and call it Punk or Indie.

Splintered Halo have the riffs and the arrangements down to a T. Also visually they are astounding. The masks the the band members wear adds an eeriness to their stage persona. And Evelyn layers that with a sexuality and presence as well as fantastic stagecraft that makes seeing this band a total event. From the get go you feel you are going to be entertained whether you want to or not. 6 string bass, technical drums, ethereal keyboards and guitars that work together in an almost orchestral way. And over that you have a front person that puts her soul into the gig. The stage is warm the crowd are too. Songs rip and weave in a torrential crescendo from the P.A.

“Evelyn, you are so hot!” is the shout from the female voices in the crowd. I think the blokes are scared but appreciative. I don’t want to over focus on the fact that Splintered Halo has an attractive female front person, but they do. It is part of the band’s dynamic. She almost evokes both Shirley Manson and Marilyn Manson as if both of them were morphed into one body. But at the same time her vocals are not just a pastiche of one or the other, they are just Evelyn’s.

All in all it was a great gig, in a great venue. Kudos to all of the bands and the crowd and the venue staff who made my Saturday night a good yin. METAL is not my usual genre. But good music and live bands is what counts. People are playing live, people are putting on gigs. Venues are creating spaces for Joe Public to go and hear music. What I am saying is. Git yer bodies to gigs, embrace live music, take a risk. Support live bands and the venues and promoters that put shows on. Otherwise we will be stuck with crappy talent shows on the telly. And really have no excuse at all for it all being crap.

 

Pat McGuire.

Links :

Splintered Halo :

https://www.facebook.com/splinteredhalo?fref=ts

28 mph :

https://www.facebook.com/28 mph?fref=ts

AMOK :

https://www.facebook.com/amokscotland?fref=ts