MUSIC LIST
0 La Paz EM Club, Dunoon. 8pm. Hard working heavy metal band.
0 The Close Lobsters Subterraneans Club, Greenock. 10.30pm. Enjoying moderate success, indie wise, with their single ‘Going To Heaven To See If It Rains’.
Edinburgh
0 Endgames The Venue, Calton Road. First Edinburgh gig for years by this Glasgow group formed by ex-Simple Minds members. Very Minds, very commercial, but no hits as yet, despite three major deals. 0 Driving Sideways The Cavern, Cowgate. Blues-rock. 0 Go Ferrit Preservation Hall, Victoria Street. £1 after 9.30pm.
0 Blood Uncles Hoochie Coochie Club, Coasters, 3 West Tollcross,
SATURDAY 21 Glasgow
0 The Mission Barrowland, London Road. 7.30pm. £5. It is hard to beat the Mission for lack oforiginality or for the vacuous ramblings of frontman Wayne Hussey. Nevertheless, a lot of people like them — so maybe I am missing something. Ican’t think what though. 0 Erasure QMU, University Gardens. 9pm. £4. After the success of‘Sometimes’ Erasure ‘hit the road man‘ to promote a new single, ‘It Doesn‘t Have To Be’, with a new album to follow. 0 HZD/T he Styng Rites GUU. University Gardens. 9pm. £4. Special gig for Student Charities Appeal, brings together this rather unlikely twosome. H20, back with a new line-up, have a pleasant single ‘Blue Diamond‘ out on the Legend label, while the Styng Rites have a new drummer and are apparently ‘less frantic‘ than in the past. 0 Endgames/Fighting 51st Strathclyde UU, John Street. 9pm. Endgames suddenly seem to be hot property for the record companies again, on the basis of some fine new songs. The band are reported to have been heard playing the theme music from Ski Sunday at a recent rehearsal! Well worth a look anyway — and Fighting Slst are the remaining members ofthe Lone Wolves, without James King, and with Jim Crichton (ex-Shaking Pyramids) added to the line-up. 0 La Paz EM Club, Dunoon. 9pm. 0 Chris de Burgh SECC. Finnieston. 7.30pm. The closest Chris de Burgh ever came to credibility was when the Bluebells supported him back in 1985. It obviously didn’t do any good, because ‘Lady In Red‘ was an offensive record, even by last year‘s pitifully low standards. 0 Wedding Present/Close Lobsters Rooftops. Sauchiehall Street. 10.30pm. Jangly, tuneless, C86 type songs on both counts, for fans of this type ofthing only. 0 Exit The Lemming Hooters Bar, Oswald Street. 8pm. Free. Yes, I did check that I had got the name right!
Edinburgh
0 Meatloat Playhouse Theatre, Greenside Place. 7.30pm. £8.50. £7.50, £6.50. Ten tons of fun from
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Critics shrieked when The Icicle Works (Edinburgh Coasters on Thurs 26 Feb) iirst broke into the Top 20 with their single Love Is A Wonderlul Colour a low years back. Since then they’ve been mainly vi Iilied by the press, who seem to see in them their worst nightmare, the return oi pomp rock. On their singles compilation one can overdose on poppy melodies, sure-lire hits, and indeed The Icicle Works have had nine chart records, embellished with the most grandiose production this side at
THE ICICLE WORKS
the Atlantic. However, flip over the cassette version oI the singles album and one will iind a strange and diverse collection at B-sides, including covers oi Van Morrisson and Collin/King songs, and cameos by pedal steel guitarist and lyricist oi Liverpool’s biggest-sounding, but most mysterious trio (they’ve avoided the publicity treadmill despite all their hits, and consequently little is known about them by the public), l much prelerred the more obscure sides. So which is the
real Icicle Works? As it happens, Ian isn’t wildly enthusiastic about his own hits.
‘Who Do You Want For Your Love, tor instance, is nothing earth-shattering, just a catchy little pop tune. It you want to have hit records, and you’re surrounded by out-and-out pop, you've got to . . . streamline it. We’ve always tried to be as commercial as we could. I preter the more diverse stutl mysell. I like all the songs on the new LP. Up Here In The North Di England, which I think is the best song we’ve ever done, is basicaliyiust a song about Liverpool, 'cause no one seems to have written any songs about Liverpool. Whenever anyone does, which they don’t any more, it’s okay to mention certain things, but you mustn’t be too specltic. This song we’ve done actually names names. People are walking around saying “Isn’t it marvellous, we've got a garden centre", or “Y’know what, we tound a trout in the Mersey”, but the water’s only cleaner because there’s no ships any more.’
But despite the title at their second LP, The Small Price Dl A Bicycle, a pointed relerence to Norman Tebbit, McNabb doesn’t want to be a political commentator, so we talk about music. When we spoke he’d cut his hair alter a load ot ‘old hippy’ jibes, though the two may have been unconnected. He’s since let it grow again, and does cut something at a heavy rocker ligure on stage. His real love, though, is classic songwriters like ‘Tom Waits, Randy Newman, Neil Young." I'm a big Bob Dylan lan. ljust think that the songwriting was more spirited then.’
When it's put to him that his own songs could benelit Irom less obscure, impenetrable imagery, he agrees. ‘Yeah, I can see that. The early stull was a bit kind at “don’t come close’ erecting a wall. There’s not the psychedelic mush there used to be, though.’(MAB)
the man-monster of heavy rock. Lots of fun, if HM gross-outs are your scene.
0 Zerra One The Venue. Calton Road. The eternal support band. as anyone‘s who‘s seen all sorts of bands from The Cure to Ultravox knows. Fairly doom-laden, modeme kind ofstuff.
0 Age ot Chance Mandela Centre, Potter Row. Students and guests only. Their sizzling version of Prince‘s Kiss, a single of the year without doubt, makes them a group very much worth looking into. I‘ll reserve judgement until I‘ve actually seen them play live, but they look like being pretty special. 1987 awaits.
0 Bald Cormorant Lord Darnley, West Port. 3pm. Free. Sixties R&B. country rock, jam atmosphere.
0 Avail Clowns, High Street. 9pm. Free.
0 Bootsie Tootsie Band Preservation Hall, Victoria Street. £1 after 9.30pm.
0 Bluelinger The Cavern, Cowgate. Blues-rock.
SUNDAY 22 Glasgow
0 Wedding Present and Close Lobster Rooftops, Sauchiehall Street.
Edinburgh
0 Meatloal Playhouse Theatre, Greenside Place. 7.30pm. £8.50, £7.50, £6.50. See Sat 21.
o Tam White and The Dexters Preservation Hall, Victoria Street. £1 after 9pm. Regular Sun slot for one of Scotland‘s finest rhythm and blues bands.
0 Snake Pete Party The Cavern, Cowgate.
NDAY 23 Edinburgh
0 Big Audio Dynamite Queen’s Hall, Clerk Street. £5 (50p refund on presentation of U840). Greet favourites around here, particularly the irrepressible Don Letts. This is their third gig in the city in 12 months, following up the chart hit 10 Upping Street album, the single from which, C’Mon Every Beatbox,
was a rock/hip hip barnstormer. Should be good. Support are Pocket Rockets, Sipho Josanna and The Chiefs of Relief, featuring ex-Pistol Paul Cook.
0 The Wedding Present and Close Lobsters, The Onion Cellar, The Mission, Victoria Street. 9.30pm. £2.50 (£2 U840). Wedding Present started off as blatant Orange Juice (early years) imitators, but a recent Peel session showed they‘re developing a rougher edge. Close Lobsters are pleasant janglers from Paisley, with an indie single. Going To Heaven To See If It Rains. in the stores. 0 Future World Moves Preservation Hall, Victoria Street. 9pm. Free.
TUESDAY 24 Glasgow
0 The Bachelor Pads plus Davy Lemonade- CND Benefit Fury Murry‘s, Maxwell Street. 10.30pm. £2 (£1.99concs).
The List 20 Feb — 5 March 29