T IN THE PARK FEATURE
mt- Fired up That old saw
again
The mighty Pete Townshend once declared that after playing in stadia for so many years The Who had become too grandiose ever to play a club again: they just couldn‘t scale themselves down. he said. No such worries for The Saw Doctors. who are finding themselves equally at home on the open-air festival circuit and in the Galway pub. (Besides. would a gloomy sod like Townshend last long in a band like this?)
‘We actually like both.‘ says guitarist and singer Leo Moran. ‘but they‘re like two different an forms. Playing the small pub in Galway or Tuam in front of your friends is the hardest gig we'll ever do. They know you so well that you have to be good there. You can‘t hide behind anything. Whereas. the thing that makes a festival more than Keyboard player Tony Lambert is American dates to drive ol'l'to see the
‘lt was good to be playing wee places again. recapture the excitement.‘ says (itm‘s Mark Rankine. The final date on the Glasgow band's last tour was a sold-out night at The Barrowland. That was the end of 1992 and the end of the push for (Ia/111s. Ciun's second album. That record was a big. bludgeoning. empty affair. recorded over a nit- picking live months in Glasgow. ‘ ’ep.' nods Rankine. ‘the bottom line was the
. l
3:153]:hglilgfciarmshihe. and the . gone. after winnittg‘a million on the ‘ lreland-ivlexico game. which was worth
‘ . ‘ I I I . . people to enjoy if lttsh lottery. replaced by ex-Watcrboys ll. even though lrcland lost. Oh. God. I‘Cfltlliflt‘.WHOWCKJ‘“19911thdcpimurc they want to. It's kind of an excuse for multi-instrumentalist Anthony ves. the occasion was one of the best in 9‘ Sultan-“l Bub." Smimrd (WWW “CW t people to be there. I think. You have to Thistlethwaite. who in any case has inv life. if not f/It’ best. l‘m thinkimy i‘fmd 5 (MW W‘EIC 191' El)“ ‘5 if”! 0L")- be big. you have to be a bit theatrical. played with the band on and off since already: France. 1998. i can see no; l'hL‘ build (iscft'llpt‘i'i mimic-*- J‘i’“ But it's very enjoyable. And we're very I988. Moran reckons the change has why people mortgage their houses to go “CUM 1” it ICWJCHWII “"919 WC" Ihc)’ , lucky in that we seem to be fairly okay done them good. since ‘we can't go out to the World Cup“ lfpu'nled me till l had butter“! 0‘” ~S“"”$’3"”' ‘0‘” 0” 1 ilt dotltg it. WC didn't know When we anti plav the songs with our eyes closed saw the value they got out of it l‘tl $9149“). ‘ . i Started Off that that would be down Our any moie.‘ never seen people liTappier.‘ (Alastair
lhis month. (itm shot back. with a [they The band used the excuse ofa few Mabbott)
tour of Scotland's nether regions. The pub dates sold out every night. antl in these tired-up sweatbox atmospheres
: B J 0 R K j Which is, in Bjiirk’s universe, probably (itm were revelational. The band were. ' Very "men as 't Should be' "‘0th 3 again. powerhouse gral‘tcrs. ‘People I ’
dance aficionado, she has never associated (illli with the Rolling Stones
seemed that interested in rock ’n’ roll, . I I [(itm supported the Stones on their t m 1990 t’rban Jungle tour] and big I 6
rating Stockhausen among her heroes stadium shows.‘ Rankine admits.
and legendarily emerging from record
t shops with bulging carrier bags of People also associated Gun with no doubt! much 0' the p'e'tesuval
modern jazz 005. She takes a broader
Thunder and ThC Almighm and other anticipation surrounds the appearance ' view of things, does Bjiirk, which is S“eh that UK where ‘ ‘ ‘ of Bjiirk, unseen in this country since her saving grace and also the reason But ammo who saw {how Show. has her last Usher llall show with The why, when the follow-up to Debut heard with,“ Up‘ (Mm tmm-y)‘ and Sugarcubes. Since then, she has 7 appears, she may lose many of the fair ehmted Rankings peroxide cmp‘ w,” become global property, and those of l " weather friends who just aren’t know that (ion are reborn. Rankine is us who’ve bad faith in her voice ever . tr prepared to follow wherever Bjiirk’s the first to admit that covering the I Since ‘Bmhday’ mew "3 out 0' 0|" L muse takes her- cttmet, Classic we a gate be, time t seats in the late 80$, aren’t in the place as a coffee table disc and its Apparently, early attempts at taking eettg'e a prom, hit it Med come back least bit surprised. Taken aback, creator as flavour-of-the-year, such the Debut material to the stage in with one or our Own songs, we perhaps, at seeing what was once a disquiet is at least eased by the fact ‘intimate’ London theatre dates were a wouldn’t have had the game in1pacL' ), private infatuation suddenly that it’s a classic record, deserving of little creaky; more likely, then, that But their version is fresh and raw. and a omnipresent in the singles charts with every accolade that has been heaped her allegedly show-stopping cool bedfellow for the lean. tough rock the most off-centre (‘lluman upon it. performance at an Australian open-air of the rest of .S‘tt-agger. ‘T In The Park's Behaviour’), beguiling (‘Venus As A Live, the songs have been largely festival is a better indicator of how almost like a home gig for us. And with Boy’) and epic (‘Big Time Sensuality’) stripped of the electronic backings she will come across at T In The Park. the band in good fettle again. it songs they have struggled to contain conjured up by llellee Hooper, her new At best, it could be sublime and couldn‘t be better timing.‘ Time to get for years. But even though Debut - band injecting a very definite jazz- transcendent. We live in hope. your rocks off. (Craig McLean) 300,000 copies sold - has taken its funk element into the proceedings. (Alastair Mabbott) WOFSC When you're "0‘ CXPCCllng iL become more than hotel-trashing oiks. Not something that should trouble them on the day. ()agig will he blinding “’0 mUCh 1" T I“ The Purl“ WC hOPC- I House Of Pain At last. an end to that I Oasis ‘We’ve done three sell-out whacked—out paddywackery that was tours this year. Ifjust one kid sees us House Of Pain‘s schtick first time and thinks. I can do that. and picks up a round. No more Emerald Isle-style raps guitar. then it's worth it.’ — Noel with all the political suss of a Noraid Gallagher. Glasgow. June 1994. activist. seemingly gleaned from. er. a
They're on a crusade. Oasis. To bring liking for beer. Nope. With Same As If SONGS back to the KIDS by way of liver Was. the follow-up to HOP‘s GREAT SHOWS. Noel was there in the million-selling debut. it's old skool i
thick ofthings when Manchester beats and old-hand lyn'cs this time. t
CYPTBSS "l" became Madchcstcf and became with a nice bit of pugilistic iconography ;
Hill‘s million-selling first album was around it: their heroic intake of weed. [toggle-eyed baggy, He knows how to underscore the sheer hardness of one of that select group. In the face of But life isn'tjust one long mellow good a real rocking gig can be, Luckily Everlast and friends. Boxing gangsta rap. Cypress Hill took what bliss-out in the ‘hood. and the follow- for them. but more luckily for us. he's themselves into a comer? Probably. , other rappers were gradually becoming up. Black Sunday. was intended to got the songwriting talent and his Just make sure you‘re there in the thick : more upfront about after the Just Say evoke the paranoia that arises out of brother Liam has the frontinan‘s pots-c. of the crowd for ‘Jump Around'. I No decade and built an entire persona knowing things can take a turn for the Both factors will sec to it that Oasis pogoing for your right to party.
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The List 15—28 July l99411