MUSIC LIVE REVIEWS
T in the Park, the Tennents Live Festival
A BIG DAY IN
The Burrell Collection. Glasgow, 25 June.
The lost Sound City satellite comes down with a Super-8 whirl and Warhol splash, spilling garage all over the gallery — suddenly, in the midst of the plundered carpets and bric-a~brac stand unpolished treasures that Scotland can actually lay claim to without blushing. This is Pastelstock. celebrating the spirit of independence in many forms and letting children jump around to the noise of the underground blinking in the sunlight.
Two blasts of scuzzpop racket from Gila Monster set the display cases rattling, and we love them ‘cos they stomp and geek. Marc Baines ushers in the supergroup Cotton Gum with a treble shimmer large enough to allow the geometric guitar melodies
of John from Yummyfur ample room to chase themselves, while Lung Leg’s Jade nails the whole thing together with excellent heartbeat drumming. Though the vocals get lost in the high ceiling trusses, the overall sound is intriguing and elusive, like the rolling passages of early Orange Juice extended and overlaid with Josef K and Fire Engines.
Forsaking Fortune Cookies for the bar, we return to find Hello Skinny, in ‘Johnny Guitar' livid-colour. Drums clatter like they’ve been thrown down a flight of stairs for ‘ltalian Ann‘, cry-bark vocals and one- finger fairground spike- guitar abound, and the bass is a huge, nagging bomber squadron rumble. Easy to say 'Oh yeah, The Slits', but this band will soon be astonishing — ‘Clap"s already there.
Policecat. the most melodic band so far. do a 60s-garage bit. getting it so right — especially on ‘Larry‘. a hilariously good 'Solid Gold‘ and an untoppable. roaring ‘Voodoo'.
The Pastels, who‘ve been walking around beaming all day, fire off a suitably shambolic set. summing up the DIY ethos with a cut' n' paste ‘Comin‘ Through‘. then being simply perfect on a buzzing, fiery ‘Truck Train Tractor'. Even without mystery guest stars and spiritual offspring made good Teenage Fanclub, the Pastels experiment would have been a success — an opening blast from the people you'll be amazed by tomorrow. Anything's
possible. Time to get inspired. (Damien Love)
;__
mm- omts AGAINST eovs
r'
Cathouse, Glasgow, 20 June.
Some bands just seem to have it. That aura oi cool. Like Girls Against Boys - the iabbiest name in the Western hemisphere (as I write I can hear Reservoir Dog Mr Pink: ‘lt’s alright lor you, you have a cool-sounding name’), an array of smart, sexy press shots (the best irom the American underground since the be-suited llation Dl Ulysses) and, best oi all, a mighty album, ‘Venus Luxure No 1 Baby’ (another cool name! what does it mean? don’t know! don’t care!), which ripples with energy and bristles with the threat of sonic onslaught, but never descends into dumb, indiscriminate noise for the sake oi alienating the neighbours.
So it’s rather disappointing to note that when they take the stage, there’s not much to separate them irom the morass ol slightly studied collegiate artpunks we all too readily clutch to our bosoms on these shores. They’ve got the lull visual monty, right down to ; the goofy guitarist/keyboard player in l the ill-advised pattern shirt and baggy ' shorts, who has cannily ensured that i he gets to play all the easy parts to
lacilitate maximum opportunities to caper about like Zebedee at a beach party.
Despite possessing a grutl, portentous vocal style (sort oi Mark E. Smith in need oi some Benilyn) which he uses to optimum eitect tonight, singer Scott McGloud never manages to shake oil the impression that he’s one of the quiet outsiders, intent on
cerebral agility rather than physical : improvement, instead oi the guitar monster he’d like to be.
Their muscular set never actually i disappoints; it just doesn’t hit that many peaks. This could be an ' autopilot perionnance lrom a band i t who are more regularly lending oil the i 9 most extreme superlatives.
There is one moment oi unequivocal i awesomeness though, when they end I their set with ‘Bulletprool Cupid’
) (another cool nane! . . . okay, I’ll shut . up), a Stoogesque stunner which
i wastes no time in reaching a plateau ) and maintaining it for nearly live minutes. It could stand proud next to any of llirvana’s nihilistic catharses. (Fiona Shepherd) -
i i i i
MARION La Belle Angele, Edinburgh, 24 June. Okay, so it’s raining, the students have gone home to get their washing done A and the football is keeping batches oi ersatz lrishmen stapled to their annchairs, but even so only live members ol the public braved the elements and shunned the box to get down here. Not exactly a stunning result on the bums on pews lront. Still, the poor turnout does make lor what could euphemistically be termed an intimate gig. Although any illusions I about this being a cosy night are violently dismembered by the Dublin , support act Puppy Love Bomb. Evidently a little milled at Ireland’s 2- 1 deleat to Mexico, they vent their irustration on their instruments in a linger-blistering set. Machine-gun rlils mop up anyone still lelt standing ‘ alter the drummer’s carpet-bombing, ‘ sonic GBll. Puppy Love Bomb adhere to
the school oi thought which states that time spent shooting the breeze between tracks is time wasted and
- bearing this in mind, blitz their way ' irom start to iinish without pausing to draw breath and end with an awesome live-minute white noise lrenzy.
After this bowel-quaking onslaught, Marion’s indie-pop seems just a tad ineilectual. Jamie on vocals clutches onto and twists around his mic stand, cutting a pose that’s more gangling, bored teenager than swaggering, cock-rock god. But then Marion are more bedsit angst than anger. When the unrequited, acned love oi ‘Vanessa’ threatens to turn the night maudlin, Jamie breaks out a moothie and introduces a spot oi uptempo spirit into the proceedings. It’s not really until the iinal number, ‘Today and Tonight’ that Marion show what they’re capable oi - cut-glass guitar slices through waves oi dragging bass and above it all Jamie walls and quavers.
‘We’ll try and be less moody next time,’ says Jamie, leaving the stage.
i Damn, I thought that that was the whole point. (Jonathan Trew)
Marlon play lurther dates at La Belle Angela, Edinburgh on Fri 8 and 22 July and 5 Aug. .
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Concerts listed are those at major venues, tor which tickets are on public sale at time oi going of press.
ROCK
I GLASGOW BARROWLAND (226 4679) Kevin McDermott. 15 Jul; The Mission. 19 Oct; Stone Temple Pilots. 23 Oct.
I GLASGOW CONCERT HALL (227 5511) Judy Collins. 6 Sept; The Hollies. 21 Oct; Hank Marvin and Brian Bennett. 30 Oct; David Essex. 22 \lov.
I GLASGOW SECC (248 9999) Cliff Richard, 4—6 Dec; Gary Glitter, 8 Dec; Dina Carroll. IO Dec; M People, 12 Dec.
I STRATHCLYDE COUNTRY PARK (031 557 6969) T in the Park Festival. 30—31 Jul.
I EDINBURGH FESTIVAL
THEATRE (529 6000) Horse. 9 Aug; The
Hollies. 23 Oct; Penguin 3 Cafe Orchestra. 6 Nov; Sixties Show, 13 Nov;
Rocky Horror Show,
22—26 Nov.
I EDINBURGH
PLAYIIDUSE (557 2590) Whitesnake, 23 Jul. I EDINBURGH OUEEN’S
| HALL (668 2019) Jools
Holland Big Band. 19—28 Aug. I EDINBURGH USHER
HALL(228 1155) Hank . Marvin and Brian Bennett, 26 Oct.
I STIRLING CASTLE ESPLANADE (031 557
' 6969) UB 40, 18 Aug;
Runrig, 20 Aug.
iJAZZ
I EDINBURGH FESTIVAL THEATRE (529 6000) Ted Heath Orchestra. 8 Aug;
George Shearing, 10 Aug.
I EDINBURGH USHER HALL (228 1155)Chris Barber. 19 Dec.
I EDINBURGH OUEEN’S HALL (668 2019) ElJF Opening Concert, 6 Aug; Andrew Speight. 7 Aug; Ella Fitzgerald Songbook. 9 Aug; lilJF Gala Concert. ll Aug; Carol Kidd. 29 Aug; Phil Bancroft Octet. 30 Aug; Gary Thomas. 31 Aug; Georgie Fame, 1 Sept; Craig McMurdo. 2 Sept; Bheki Mseleku. 2 Sept; Mulgrew Miller, 3 Sept; Omar and Tony Remy Band, 3 Sept.
I GLASGOW CONCERT
HALL (227 551]) Pasadena
Roof Orchestra, 9 Sept; Glenn Miller ()rch, 24 Nov.
FOLK
I GLASGOW CONCERT
HALL (227 55 ll) Ali Bain
and Phil Cunningham. 5 Sept.
LIGHT
I EDINBURGH FESTIVAL
THEATRE (529 6000) Sydney Devine. 12 Nov. I EDINBURGH USHER HALL(228 1155)Joe l.ongthome. 1 Oct; Jack Jones. 22 Oct; Daniel O'Donnell, 6—8. 10—11 Dec.
I GLASGOW CONCERT HALL (227 5511) Guy Mitchell. 18 Sept; Shirley Bassey, 19 Sept; Joe ' Longthorne. 2 Oct; Val [)oonican. 18 Oct (2.30pm); Jack Jones, 18
Oct; Tom Jones, 15-16 Nov; Dominic Kirwan, 20 Nov; Honky Tonk Ladies. 1 1 Apr.
I GLASGOW PAVILION (332 1846) Sydney
‘ Devine, 16—19 Nov.
CLASSICAL
I GLASGOW CONCERT HALL (227 5511) NYOS. 3 Aug; Montserrat Caballe. 19 Aug; The Flying Dutchman, 26 Aug; GIGS. 3-11 Sept; Galway and Robles, 12 Sept; Tokyo Philharmonic. 19 Oct; Gothenberg SO, 3 Nov; Bernard D'Ascoli, 14 Nov; Borromeo On, 18 Nov; Emma Johnson, 6 Dec; John Williams, 24 Jan; Novosibirsk Philharmonic, 12 Feb; Leif Ove Andsnes, 22 Feb; Stuttgart Philharmonic, 28 Mar; Joshua Bell, 2 Apr; Melos Ensemble. 4 May; lvo Pogorelich, 2 Jun; Cecilia Bartoli, 7 Jun; Jessye Norman, 6 Jul. I EDINBURGH FESTIVAL THEATRE (529 6000) Amsterdam Baroque. 17 Jul; Evelyn Glennie, 19 Jul; English Bach Festival Opera, 21—22 Jul; Kronos Quartet. 23 Jul; Labeque Sisters, 27 Jul; Michael Nyman Band, 6 Aug; Norwegian Chamber = Orchestra, 7 Aug; Fidelio, . 15, 17 Aug; Ute Lemper, 22 Aug; Australian Opera, 25—27 Aug; British Youth : Opera. 7—10 Sept; Misa Flamenca, 18 Sept; Kings College Choir, 25 Sept; lsrael in Egypt, 2 Oct; Lithuanian NPO, 30 Oct; Vienna Boys Choir, 27 Nov; Scottish Opera. 29 Nov—10 Dec; Messiah, 11 Dec.
T in the Park, July 30th and 31st at Strathclyde Park
«The List 144 July 1394