MUSIC LIST/ROCK

nit Plllllllltlis

SATURDAY 19th MARCH

(atttnvémnthatbroughtywDoaoothn,Thoetmdueoys,Cainel.ThoDmtoes...'

School Of "‘0 510910 CRASH out now on RCA Tickets irom venue 041 332 0691

ASWAD

Monday 2lst March

Edinburgh - Queens Hall Tickets Edinburgh - Virgin, Rippin Records & Queens Hall

lg! Glasgow - Just the Ticket

Glasgow

Single: "Don't 'hun Around" OUT NOW Album: "Distant Thunder" out Munch 7

Ticket-

Edinburgh - Virgin & Ripping Record-

Glugow - Juet the Ticket

Dingwnll - Undercover Records

& Jinge

a l o n e a g a i n o a solo performance

Fri 11th March Edinburgh - George Sq. Theatre Sat 12th March Glasgow - Moir Hall

STOP PRESS: THE SUGARCUBES - March DANNY WILSON - March 1

- March 1 Sch. at Art - March

March h-AberdeenVenua “Set ltUp-lntheRalntown-‘lhey‘reBack-Apnl -onSaleFeb22nd'

GARWNlKlElL

w CONCERT

EDINBURGH AYHllUS

SUNDAY 3RD APRIL AT 7.30

Tickets £13.00, £11.00, £9.00

Available From The Playhouse Box Office Tel: (031) 557 2590

I Bulb Cormorant Lord Darnley. West Port. 229 4341. Afternoon. Free. Country-rock. blues. jam atmosphere.

I Bon Ton Boulez Lord Darnley. West Port. 229 43-11. 10pm. Free.

I Just Add Water Negociants. Lothian Street. 225 6313. 9pm. Free. Synthypop from trio with drum machine. trumpet and vocals.

I Live band Cavern. Cowgatc. 22656-11.

Glasgow

I Courtney Pine Pavilion Theatre. Renfield Street. 332 18-16. 7.30pm. Not that long since he was last at the Pavilion (November 1 think). but with a new album to promote. the fans should be out in force. l'd imagine Island Recordsare a little worrried at the lack of new converts since he was launched though.

Edinburgh I Shakin‘ Stevens Playhouse 'l‘hcatrc. (ireensidc l’1ace.557 2590. 7.30pm.

£7.50. £6.50. £5.50.

I Disco For Chile Assemny Rooms. George Street. 225 361-1. 8pm. £2.50 (£1.50). With live Latin jazz-funk from After Eight Mince. See also Peace Festival listings.

I Arizona and Sidewinder Soundchcck Rock Club. The \'cnuc.Ca1ton Road. 557 3073. 7.30pm. £1 .50. Heavy rock metal. I The Dan Blocker Experience Preservation Hall. Victoria Street. 226 381611 after 9pm. Country-rock.

I Silent Falls Music Box. Victoria Street. 2201708. Afternoon. Free.

I Live band ('avern. (‘ow-gate. 226 5641. I Rococo Music Box. Victoria Street. 230 1708.11 after9pm.

I Billy Jones Schooners. Mtisselburgh. Start of another busy fortnight for Edinburgh's popular singer-songwriter. Don't know if he'll be bringing his new backing band along for the occasion.

Glasgow

I The Bathers Mayfiar. 4908auchieha|l j Street. 10.30pm. Not to be missed. the

To tie in with the release oi their iiith (yes, fifth) album, Microdisney will be making a couple oi appearances in the area, speciiically Glasgow Fury Murry’s on Thursday 25 and Edinburgh Venue on Friday 26. Previous LPs by the band have had titles which relate to the themes expounded therein, sol was intrigued enough to ask guitarist Sean O'Hagan the meaning behind the newtitle, ‘Thirty-nine Minutes'. ‘It‘s the running time otthe album.’ Oh well. ‘I think the title should be quite separate from the album as a whole. Otherwise every song gets misrepresented.‘

It’s a tar cry lrom ‘We Hate You South Airican Bastards’, the group’s unequivocal album title irom 1984, and very possibly the cause oi a lot oi the group's troubles since then. Microdisney's music has always been smooth and classy, harking back to early Seventies groups like Steely Dan, and would have no trouble litting into the A08 (for want of a better expression) airwaves, alongside the likes oi, for example, Deacon Blue, whose album ‘Raintown' showed a remarkable similarityto Microdisney‘s work. Had Microdisney’s music been allowed to seep into the DJs beiore their reputation ior ‘political‘ lyrics became widely-known, they would be played night and day. As it is, Cathal Coughlan can bask in the reputation at being one oi the most eloquent songwriters currently residing in Britain, while he and the rest at Mlcrodisney continue to languish in virtual obscurity, despite being signed to the Virgin label. Could ‘South Airlcan

MICRODISNEY

3w...“

Bastards' have been a bit of an own goal?

‘At the time,‘ answers O’Hagan, ‘we didn't think career. The way we were living at the time was out oi a van going round the country. We spent every last penny we had on alcohol to keep us going. ldon't know, there was something exciting about having this unpredictable lilestyle, and doing that sort oi thing titted in periectly. . .I think we can be provocative and get away with it. I don‘t think it would serve any purpose right now.‘

Neither, it would seem, is there any point in losing all dignityjusttorthe certainty oi a Radio One play, as Sean explains. ‘Radio One has become extremely weird. You could put togetherthe most cliched, hackneyed bunch oi garbage that would normally get a play, and they still might say no.

It's completely unpredictable.‘

Sean stresses that there is as much anger and disgust at the world they see around them on this album as on the others. ‘I mean, in this country things have changed a lot. But the actual sound is a bit more direct, accessible, poppy.‘ When asked, he'll admit that the Tories' return to power in the last election has made them ‘more resolute not to become an arsehole. i think the Tories getting back in his in quite nicely with what's happening in pop music. There are increased compromises ln peoples' lifestyles and in music . . . We’ve always been a pop group. We've never tried to be anything buta pop group.‘

And well they do it, too. (Mab)

38 The List 1‘) Feb— 3 Mar1988