MUSIC LIST/ROCK
bands about at the moment in termsof musicianship. although the songwriting and the slightly staid live performance still require work.
I Marina’s Men Ilalt Bar. 160Woodlands Road. 332 1210. 9pm. Free. Anotherlong running 1 lalt residency. Marino's Men were ofcourse previously called Naifan.
Edinburgh
I Eric Clapton Play house Theatre. Greenside Place. 557 2590. 7.30pm. SOLD ()I'T. See feature.
I Mike C. Smith Trader Vic's. Victoria Street. 225 6569. 9.30pm. Free. Acoustic singer-songwriter. also plays Eagles. Beatles. etc. and requests.
I Silent Falls Negociants.1.othian Street. 2256313. 9.45pm. Free.
I Live band Cavern. Cowgate. 2265641 .
THURSDAY 19 Glasgow
I The Wild River Apples and Spiral Dance and The Steel Chain Cotton Club. 5 7 Scott Street. 332 0712. 1 1pm. £2.50. (iood treble bill — see panel on WRA. The Steel Chain are slick pop/rock. and Spiral Dance are from Dundee. and one ofthe many forgettable things about the disastrous Shetland Rock Festival in September.
I Up Sub Club. 22 Jamaica Street. 248 4600. 10.30pm. The return ofthat icon of the Glasgow music scene Robert Ilodgens. which apart from anything else. means that this will be both busy and good. Not to be confused with the Greenock band. Lip. who have been on the go for a while.
I The Highlanders Fury Murrys. 96 Maxwell Street. 221 651 l. 10.30pm. Third worthwhile gig ofthe night. and the welcome return of regular live music to Fury Murrys. The Highlanders have one of the best live performers around in frontman Flex. while musically they are more direct and less cluttered than previous incarnations of the band.
Edinburgh
I The Dan Blocker Experience Negociants. Lothian Street. 2256313. 9.45pm. Free. Even if you‘re not a country fan there's plenty to like about the Blockers. Adaptable and professional-sounding. not at all preeious. so give them a go.
I Johnny Steele Trader Vic's. Victoria Street. 225 6569. 9.30pm. Free. Australian singer-songwriter. recently finished a tour with The Platters.
I Charlotte and The Rogues. Cringe and Swings and Roundabouts Oddfellows. Forrest Road. 220 1816. 8.30pm. Afraidl only know Cringe. from the track they contributed to the ‘First Great Wave‘ indie compilation. but that was enough to recommend them.
I The Brothers Preservation Hall. Victoria
7"”7 113.;
Jane’s
Addie tion
ONLY scomsr-t SHOW
THE VENUE EDINBURGH
SUNDAY 22 JANUARY
TICKETS AVAILABLE FROM EDINBURGH: VIRGIN & RlPPING RECORDS. GLASGOW: VIRGIN, UNION STREET
THE HIGHLANDERS
Local Virgin signings, The Highlanders, drop into Fury Murry’s on Thursday 19 forthe first gig in their native city this year.
Theirfirstsingle, ‘Tell Me Things‘, actually did very little nationally. Perhaps DJs and the public are wary of yet another Glasgow band playing designer soul, but if it had been the latest hot import by a black American band ‘Tell Me Things’ would have become a very cool item indeed.
The Highlanders have been together since August 1987, but collectively have a great amount of experience on the Glasgow music scene. Ross Campbell (keyboards) and Hugh Brankin (bass) were in Sunset Gun and Sugar Sugar respectively before they made a bid forthe big time with ill-fated Wyoming, who signed to a major label, but had ‘a lair amount of bother’. When Wyoming fell apart, Virgin picked up the pieces-they had been hoping to pick up Wyoming as a whole—and Ross and Hugh joined forces with drummer Gordon Wilson and singer Flex, who were ‘helping out’ while their own bands broke up.
Their debut LP, due out in early spring, was recorded half in Glasgow and half in Los Angeles, underthe supervision of producer Paul Fox. It may sound like an extravagant intercontinental operation, but the band reckon that it has worked out slightly cheaper than recording the album in London would have. They also gained enough experience to finish production on their own once they returned to Scotland — ‘I think we brought a lot more soul to it,’ claimed Flex-and developed a new technique for mlklng up drums in the process. So all in all the recording sessions probably weren’t as extravagant as they may have seemed at first, even for an unproven band.
Street. 226 3816. 9.30pm. Free. Residency.
I Live band Lord Darnley. West Port.229 4341. 10pm. Free.
I Live band Cavern. Cowgate. 226 5641.
FRIDAY 20 Glasgow
I Big George and the Business La Taniere. 15 Fox Street. 221 4844. 9pm. Free. See
recovery from near-death at the hands of their deranged van-driver. and a niftv little artefact it is too. with a preview ofthe track they're contributing to the forthcoming Kinks tribute album. Arrive in time to catch llee llaw. who with alittle time and care could develop into a band that Edinburgh could be justly proud of.
I The Beautiful Suit Edinburgh University Student L'nion. Teviot Row. 667 2091. ' Unfortunate that the above gig clashes with this one. maybe they could schedule it so that Scottish pop could catch both. but I doubt it will work out like that.
I The Block Brothers Preservation Hall. Victoria Street. 226 3816.11 after 9.30pm. I Live band Lord Darnley. West Port.229 4341. ltlprn. Free.
I Live band Cavern. Cow'gate. 2265641.
SATURDAY 21
Glasgow
I Rhyme and Reason La Taniere. 15 Fox Street. 221 4844. 9pm. Free. Anotherset of frequent visitors to I.aTaniere.
I The Linden Tree 1 lalt Bar. 160 Woodlands Road. 332 1210. 9pm. Free. Recent entrants in The 1.1'srdemo competition. showing signs of a rapidly improving blues based rock.
Edinburgh
I Jo-Ann Kelly Blues Benefit Old St Paul's. Jeffrey Street. 8pm. £3. £2. I.ate bar. The Jim Condie Blues Band. led by the former Tam White guitarist. and Just The Very Donkeys headline this benefit in aidof Jo-Ann Kelly. one of the most repected blues singers in Britain, now seriously ill and unable to perform.
I G-Spot Tornado Preservation Hall. Victoria Street. 226 3816. £1 after 9.30pm. Finalists in our Band Competition of 1987. and still playing their rousing brand of rock.
I The Key Negociants. Lothian Street. 225 6313. 9.45pm. Free.
I Live band Lord Darnley. West Port. 229 4341. 10pm. Free.
I Live band Cavern. Cowgate. 2265641.
SUNDAY 22 Glasgow
I Burden Blues Breaker La Taniere. 15 Fox Street. 221 4844. 9pm. Free. See Sunday 15th.
Edinburgh
I Jane’s Addiction Venue. Calton Road. 557 3073. Rocking out. as it's done on America's West Coast. Significantly. their gross 1.1’ sleeve has received much more coverage than their music.
I Bluefinger Music Box. Victoria Street. 2201708.£1 after9pm See Sun 15.
I Blues Crew Preservation Hall. Victoria Street. 2263816. £1 after9pm.
I Live band Negociants. Lothian Street.
What about the ame? When I heard it I had visions of a stageful of claymore-swinging Jesse Raes. Anyway, every man jack of you is a Lowlander. Surely it’s a tongue in cheek name?
‘Duite serious,’ replied Flex. ‘1 think we’re all patriotic, though not disastrously so. It's a bold name, it reflects strength and character, and there’s a lot of flippancy about. it's strong, you know, it's true and bold.’
‘I thought it was a good Northern Soul
name,’ said Ross, with the accent on the Northern. ‘Like The Temptations, The lmpressions.’
Flex, ‘3 pure U2/Simple Minds fan’ before he joined the band, now a soul butt, announced, ‘l wouldn’t like to see us stooping to a certain kind of production to become popular.’ He was talking about acid house, not far from anyone’s lips at the time of our conversation. The Highlanders declared themselves unmoved, irritated even, by the phenomenon— ‘the first dance music I haven’t liked, Ross felt— before Flex finally tied things up by stating, ‘This is our career, this is what we want to do. We don’t want to slip into one of those fads.’
The Highlanders: just getting moving as acid house slips out of the headlines. We’ll see who lasts the longer. (Mab)
Friday 13th.
Edinburgh
I The Caferan. Vatican Shotgun Scare and Hee Haw Edinburgh University Student Union. Potter Row. 6670214. Students and guests only. A good night to catch three contrasting indie/unsigned local bands. The Cateran recently released ‘The Black Album'. a limited (only 500copies pressed) edition 7in. to celebrate their
0‘33.
-:-:-E=:3'::='=
1';.;.;. ’-
GLASGOW BARROWLAND 14 & 15 FEBRUARY
225 6313. 9.45pm. Free.
WIN
EDINBURGH QUEENS HALL
SUNDAY 29 JANUARY
r\\ \‘ (\T', fits-EC
g:
Qj
The List 13 — 26 January 33