Saturday 30 June 2012

The 10:04's.....Not just making up the numbers


So I got the jungle drums about this Edinburgh band The 1004's who were making big noises.....(on stage and in the press) in the music world.  Favoured by none other than the Jim Gellatly Podcast (Jim himself was heard to say  “One of the hottest bands in Scotland right now”) and they were certainly flavour of the month last August when they released their second single,  a double A side - Lights Out (gonna be an anthem) and Pull It Apart




Photo by JuliaNicolle

Their first release in February of this year was the incredibly addictive (and Undertoneslike)  'SOS' which was produced by none other than Tony Doogan who is probably best known for his work with the sublime Belle and Sebastian.  








Despite it being a first release they had airplay on big boys RadioOne, Radio 6, XFM,  BBC Radio Scotland, Forth One, Clyde1, Leith FM, student run  Fresh Air FM as well as Internet Radio NME, Q Radio, and personal favourite Jim Gellatly.  Their music was also used by US news giant CNN on their New Year coverage of Edinburgh!










They've done a host of high profile support slots with such luminaries as Razorlight, The View (a personal favourite and best Scottish band since the Skids the Old Dear says as y'all well know),  Ash,  Idlewild,  British SeaPower, Delays, The Twang, Twisted Wheel, Dogs, The Proclaimers,  We WerePromised Jetpacks, (spookily) The Undertones, The Dykeenies and The Paddingtons.




Steven Bolton 
(vocals, guitar)
                              
Danny Scrimshaw 
(vocals, guitar)

Johnny Tracey 
(bass)

Paul Haddow 
(drums)




In their own right they've played some killer gigs including: 







They're in Rubbergum studios in Glasgow as I type this, recording their new single and watch the video and tell me they shouldn't be playing T in the Park this year.....and watch this space for news of gigs and the release date for the single.....



     





Friday 29 June 2012

Something for the Weekend.....This Weeks Top Ten.....29.06.12


Look Snuggles just 'cause they've
got PAWS doesn't mean I've
rigged the chart!



OK Pop Pickers here's this weeks Top Ten based on page hits so let's see who's trending this week.....
the only way to get to number one is for your fans to read the blog!

Straight in at No.1 with a brand new release it's.....


PAWS



Also straight in at No.2 it's smooth Blues Man.....

Mog Stanley





Holding at No.3 and their third week in The Chart it's.....


The Mutineers



Down two this week to No.4 it's..... 


The Evacuees





First week in the chart and straight in at No.5 it's.....


Amida




Another new entry and in at No.6 it's.....


The Shoots




Down from No.4 to No.7 it's T in the Park favourites......


Vigo Thieves




Just finished a mini tour and at No.8 its young Scottish band.....


Six Storeys High



Up one again to No.9 and in Manchester gigging it's.....


Modern Faces






Holding in the chart at this weeks No.10 it's.....


Marmalade Sky

Thursday 28 June 2012

The Shoots......don't eat and leave 'till you've heard them play

Photo: Where's me dad? http://instagr.am/p/Lz9blYpeKm/Surface Festival Wales FinalSo there I was waitin' for the virtual postman 'cause I was promised momentous news of gigantic proportions when bugger me but didn't this juicy piece of info find it's way in to me inbox.



 Dear Ralph


It’s been a busy week for The Shoots, we have booked ourselves into a recording studio to lay down our as yet untitled EP. We’ve also returned to Buffalo to play a midweek gig with some outstanding local bands (now I thought there's commitment flying out to America but it's a venue in Cardiff...so much for the rock n roll lifestyle). Now our attention focuses on The Surface Festival 2012. It’s a just over a week until The Shoots take to the stage at CF10, the Cardiff University showpiece Live Music Venue, to compete in The Welsh Final of The Surface Festival
It's a European wide battle of the bands where 20 cities host the various stages of the competition and out of thousands of bands 23 make it to the showpiece finale in the 02 Arena London. Thousands of entries have been received for the 2012 incarnation of Europe’s largest musical battle royal. Progression through each of the 5 stages of the competition 
depends on three voting totals made up of text, audience and judges; with the early stages also requiring band votes. Within Wales, only 8 bands remain, and one of these bands so happens to be us so I suppose the big question when we entered the competition was ‘what do we want out of it’. The answer to that question was very simple: more gigs, a chance to meet and interact with new bands, a chance to play bigger venues and more 
than anything else a chance to get our music heard. 
We didn’t know how far we would get or what to expect, 
but so far we have won each of the first two rounds and 
had an incredible time along the way. The final promises 
to be an outstanding opportunity exposure wise for the band, 
with the carrot of a gig in Brixton 02 Academy to follow where 
the judges will decide the line up for the 02 Final. Through the 
process the band have been amazed with the support received 
and the crowds and votes that have come in for each gig has 
been amazing. Whether we make it any further in the competition 
or not, to everyone that has and continues to support the band we 
just want to say a huge thank you. Progression in the competition 
will lead to more and more exposure for the band with media interest already starting to come through. Win lose or draw, the future is looking bright for us. If you want to support the band progress through The Surface Festival then please contact them on theshoots@ymail.com for details!


                 


As for this wee bit of musical niceness 'Barrel of the Gun', it's kinda The Buzzckocks meets The Rezillos (according to ma old man who happened to be passin' when I had it on) and it makes my head nod so I'm happy!


My advice to The Shoots is get youself together with a couple of other bands and come up to a venue in the North West like The Zoo Bar and make a name for yourself!  Their stylee would fit in nicely with the local scene here as there's a great love of Indie bands and there's an unsigned hole here now Slydigs are signed with Flicknife Records...hope to see you soon if those bastard bouncers would relax their No Jack Russell policy!



Keeno smashing it!!!!!




Voyley - Supersonic



And here's the guys givin' it some 
at one of the earlier stages of the competition.....press play now!!!

      


                                                      BIG BASS SOUNDS

                    

Wednesday 27 June 2012

PAWS off.....

JELLYFISH//BLOODLINE DOUBLE A SIDE SINGLE
The first single from our debut L.P on FatCat Records comes out July 30th!
Pre order now from the FatCat store and hear it one week ahead of everyone else!
http://fatcat.sandbaghq.com/paws-jellyfish-download.html
Artwork by Jessica Penfold
xxx
DIY  announced their premiere of Glasgow band PAWS new Double A side single 'Cokefloat' earlier this year.  Ok so they beat me to it,  but given that I have paws being a Jack Russell, I was the first dog on Twitter to report the news!

The single was available by that mystical of methods digital download from the 30th of July last year but if you pre-ordered it through Fat Cat Records Online Store who have now signed the band, you'd have had it sent out the week before on the 23rd of July.....result!

PAWS Cosmic Cat T
by Sophy Hollingtonhttp://www.sophyhollington.com/
Screenprinted by Jetpacehttp://www.jetpace.com/
Modelled by Lloyd :P
Run of 50Small/Medium/Large
PAWS SHOP: http://wehavepaws.bigcartel.com/product/cosmic-cat-tIn the meantime they went off to the big city to meet up with Rory Atwell at Lightship 95 Studio (which is mental 'cause it's actually on a ship) and record an album which was released on the 1st October 2012.
The band also sell t-shirts screenprinted by Jetpace which you can get from the PAWS website shop, but I'm not so sure about the cat motif.....apologies to Sophy Hollington who designed them but hey what do I know I'm a Jack Russell (grrrrr).  In the meantime I'm stickin' on ma headphones and havin' a wee listen to 'Jellyfish' (love that geetar intro) .....wish I could hear that one live......wait a minute.....what's that.....check out the news below!





 


PAWS USA/EUROPEAN TOUR 2013


USA (EAST COAST)

05.03 Brooklyn, NY - Glasslands Gallery w/ Dinowalrus + Ovlov
06.03 Manhattan, NY - Cake Shop
07.03 Washington, D.C - DC9 
08.03 Philadelphia, PA - The Barbary
09.03 Brooklyn, NY - Shea Stadium w/ Total Slacker
10.03 Hudson, NY - The Spotty Dog
11.03 Boston - Allston, MA - Great Scott

13-17.03 - SXSW FESTIVAL AUSTIN TEXAS
*SHOWS & PARTIES*

13.03 - Force Field PR Party @ Red 7 // 1 15pm
13.03 - Showcasing Scotland Party @ Lattitude // 10pm
14.03 - Thrasher Magazine Death Match Party @ The Scoot Inn (Outdoor Stage) // 12pm (midday)
14.03 - Brooklyn Vegan Day Party @ Old Emos // 3pm
14.03 - Midgetmen Texas Jumpstart Party @ The Side Bar (Outdoor Stage) // 4 45pm
14.03 - FatCat Records Showcase @ Valhalla // 11pm
15.03 - Exploding In Sound Party @ The Grackle // 5 30pm
16.03 - Vans Of The Wall Flower Booking Party @ The Mowhawk (Outdoor Stage w/ Frightened Rabbit, The Thermals, Metz) // 1pm

EUROPE

19.04 Amsterdam, NL - De Nieuwe Anita
20.04 Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg - Out Of The Crowd Festival
22.04 Dusseldorf, DE - Zakk
23.04 Hamburg, DE - Molotow Bar
24.04 Berlin, DE - Comet
05.05 York, UK - YO1 Festival

And if first hearings of 'The Bubble Boy' are anything to go by it's going to be a real crowd pleaser so get your tickets for the nearest show now!


Tuesday 26 June 2012

LeithLate........Don't be!


Now being a Jack Russell I like a good walk and that's exactly what's on offer here because LeithLate the annual multi-arts event is back, returning to a variety of different venues up and down Leith Walk on the evening of Thursday 28th June.
The good news is it's bigger, better and later than before




logoIt's now been extended to a three-hour event running between 6-9pm, taking on an extra seven venues giving you a selection of sixteen top events. Also there's a new afterparty venue with another great line-up of some of the most exciting emerging talent. 
LeithLate 2012 is set to blow your socks off! There's a number of new and exciting developments at this year’s event, including the introduction of a trio of site-specific installations in three local businesses, a mobile ‘white-van gallery’ touring the rest of the LeithLate venues and the launch of a shutter-art project, in collaboration with iloveleith.




LeithLate held the first event on the 16th June 2011 with 10 venues in total participating which showcased exhibitions and events, followed by an after-party at Pilrig Church. The first LeithLate was a great success and has since hosted smaller events throughout 2011/12, including a record launch for John Knox Sex Club at The Leith Docker's Club, a vintage screening of Brief Encounter at ootb Drill Hall, and the exhibition Persevere with Bernie Reid, Liana Moran and Rabiya Choudhry at The Old Ambulance Depot. 
Liana Moran at Central Station





The LeithLate afterparty is the culmination of LeithLate 2012, taking place this year at Henderson Halls from 9pm till midnight, with a licensed bar. Come on down, compare notes with fellow LeithLaters, and enjoy a great line-up of exciting new music from emerging bands and established musicians.
Profile pictureAnd what a line-up they have for you! Kicking of with the mental Zed Penguin in a new 3-piece formation, then the ones-to-watch low-fi Mars 2030, followed by the outstandingly raucous Paul Vickers and The Leg, and ending with the dreamy, atmospheric and recently shortlisted for the Scottish Album of the Year  Remember Remember this years LeithLate afterparty is gonna be a good'un! Best of all, proceeds from the afterparty, ticket and booze sales go back into the event, and ensure its return in years to come, so come and show your support for LeithLate!



Tickets only £6.00




Advance tickets can be purchased from:
www.wegotickets.com
and there will be tickets available on the door.



Monday 25 June 2012

Amida.....surf's up

So I've just stuck Amida's Arts & Crafts on the old jukebox and 'Class of 2000' kicks in just as me Old Man strolls past and he says "has Jonathan Richman put a new tune out, didn't realise he was still doing stuff" and I'm like what?...and a bit later when I'm chillin' listening to 'We'd Suit Each Other' he says "woah Lou Reed's sounding fresh" and I'm like what?.....but then again him bein' all ancient and having heard all kinds of old musical stuff by people that are probably dead and famous and not necessarily in that order, that he's actually paying Amida a big compliment.  And given that the guys hail from Manchester it's refreshing that they sound nowt like Oasis (not a link to a site where you can buy women's clothes)!





They've recently released an 8 track EP on Jigsaw Records called 'My Life as a Trashcan' to mixed reviews.  Admittedly it has it's highs and lows, but for me the highs more than outweigh any low.  My favourite's being the title track which is a punky, Buzzcocks like tune, and the more pop oriented 'Starstruck Forever and Ever'.


faqs
Find Amida Quite Smashing


Anyway don't just take my word for it, go 
and have a listen to the guys and if your head's goin' like that dog off the Churchill advert like mine was, splash out some cash and add 'My Life As A Trashcan to your playlist (oh yus)!

Sunday 24 June 2012

The Skids

                   
There's not a lot I can say about the mighty Skids that hasn't been said already, just that it's thanks to 'The Old Dear' and the Skids that I discovered my love of unsigned indie bands.  Now I know you're saying to yourself "but the Skids weren't unsigned"- but at the time 'The Old Dear' was not an old dear (like in the Cretaceous era) he was at Beath High School a year above Stuart Adamson and knew him when he played in Tattoo who were basically a covers band previous to Stuart forming the Skids.



He entertains all who will listen (generally himself) with stories of the early days of going to see them at some mystical place called The Kinema Ballroom.  But just to prove they're still all things to all bands, here's a cracking re-mix of Masquerade from last year by Paul Hammond.



Image result for the begbies
So here's the message to all you unsigned bands out there, never loose sight of the final prize even if it does mean that once you're signed I can't blog you anymore (just ask Slydigs who featured in the blog's early days and who are now signed with Flicknife Records!).  In the meantime.....go listen to The Begbies.....They're mental!

Saturday 23 June 2012

Mog Stanley.....sharp dressed man playing smooth blues



mog stanley st pauls lifestyle sessionThe laid back, sharp dressed man that is Mog Stanley describes himself as a song singin', guitar playin', foot tappin', blues, folk, indie musician which sounds like he's got a sponsorship with Coca Cola but that really does sum up his stylee.

His crisp bluesy guitar playing is complimented by his super smooth vocals.  You only have to listen to 'Little Bag of Bones' to get hooked on his immaculate, ultra-hip laid back vibes and I'm tuned in as I write the blog.


mog stanley st pauls lifestyle sessionMog's just landed a support gig with Evan Dando of The Lemonheads and it's one not to be missed in Preston's 53 degrees venue!


He recently did a 600 mile round trip to perform free of charge for the Fine Line Project charity gig in Southampton in support of Rethink.  When he was there St Pauls Lifestyle recorded a session with him and produced a video of the results.










He regularly appears at the Great British R 'n' B Festival where he features on the Acoustic Stage .

It was awarded Best British Blues Festival last year and is short-listed again this year and has to be in the running to do the double with a fantastic line up of R 'n' B legends.  Mog is showing his pedigree appearing alongside such legends as Mick RalphsCourtney Pine and Spencer Davies and I'm sure he'll be a festival regular in years to come.




Album Out Now
Download on iTunes

Upcoming Shows





A fine advert for the rockabilly quiff; a rollicking purveyor of old-school blues-rock; a doppleganger for the young Morrissey.

Manchester’s Mog Stanley has been described as many things, but ‘cutting edge’ is clearly not one of them.

There is, however, a first time for everything. Recently booked to appear at a Manchester unsigned bands showcase, the 31-year-old songwriter quickly realised what an incongruous presence he appeared.

Armed with only his vintage guitar and home-made percussion box to keep him company, Stanley’s old-school, DIY set-up made him stand out like the proverbial sore thumb. 





Yet, of all the acts who performed that night, it was Stanleya who seemed to make the biggest, most eye-popping impression of all: his tub-thumping Midlake meets Black Keys blues-rock prompting choruses of delight and disbelief among the assembled audience.







“I had people coming up to me absolutely baffled by my equipment,” he recalls, over drinks in a Northern Quarter bar. 

“They’d point to my homemade drum box and ask, ‘what is that – how does it work?’ It’s like they thought it was some revolutionary piece of musical technology. But it’s basically a wooden box with a bit of carpet that my dad built for me! It’s perfect for creating an earthy blues sound.”

He smiles: “I guess that’s just the cyclical nature of music, though. Music is so produced and processed these days that if you hear something old-school and organic, it can seem really refreshing.”






He’s got a point. Like Manc music’s very own answer to Jack White, Mog Stanley may have begun life as an intriguing anachronism, but he’s quickly mutated into a beacon of timeless blues-rock cool. Indeed, judging by those fervent gig reactions of late, Stanley might just be the organic aural balm we all need in these processed, synthesised musical times.





Born and raised in Preston, Mog Stanley’s journey as a blues-rock prodigy began when his older sister’s ended.

“I basically nicked my sister’s guitar,” he recalls. “She’d got this Yamaha acoustic for a Christmas present but quickly got bored of it. So I took it and taught myself to play. I was about 12-years-old – and I’ve been writing songs ever since.”  



Growing up in the late-90s, the teenage Stanley found British guitar heroes somewhat hard to come by (Most of Britpop passed me by), and so instead delved deeper into rock’s vast history vaults. With his first guitar idol Jimi Hendrix as a starting point, he traced his way back through the American blues pantheon, from Robert Johnson to Son House, and any songwriters who fell under the elemental, primal blues bracket.





“What attracted me to blues music was the sheer directness of it,” he enthuses. “The original American blues musicians, what they did was so raw and primal. The way they played guitar, the emotions they sang about; it all came from a really honest place. That’s what really appealed to me about it. You see so many bands and musicians hiding behind gimmicks; but with the blues, it’s just so direct and expressive." 





Not that the fledgling Mog Stanley was in any great hurry to showcase his new-found blues idiom. For most of his twenties, he stayed clear of centre-stage, playing guitar for a number of local bands, all of whom, he admits, “were pretty forgettable. But it was a learning curve. There’s always a little battle of egos when you’re in a band with other people. I knew I had to do it on my own.” Cutting loose and venturing solo last year, Stanley had initially planned to take gentle baby steps as a live performer. His first solo appearance, however, was anything but a low-key baptism.




“A friend got me a gig at a battle of the bands in Fallowfield,” he explains. 

“I just thought, ‘why not? It’ll be good for the experience’. And I ended up winning the whole contest! 

“It was weird – I really didn’t expect people to react so positively. I had never sung on my own until last year.”

Buoyed by that battle of the bands victory, Stanley has firmly maintained his winning streak throughout 2012. A debut release, the rambunctious four-track EP, Inside The Mindbox, sold out. 






Meanwhile, the savvy balance of his gigging commitments – last weekend he appeared at Colne’s prestigious Great British Rhythm & Blues Festival, and this Thursday he rolls up to The Castle to support Danny George Wilson – underlines his dual appeal to the old-school blues brigade as much as the clued-up indie cognoscenti.

“Hopefully I’m showing that there’s many sides to blues music,” he says. “There’s this misconception that blues music is a bit indulgent and noodly.

But I’m more about the songs and creating this loud noise and putting on an interesting show. It’s my own spin on the blues.”