MUSIC LIVE REVIEWS
Im- ATLANTIS
Venue. Edinburgh, [0 April.
You rarely if ever hear them admit it. but national touring bands can owe a lot to local supports. This China Drum date. in particular. would have been in trouble without rising Edinburgh favourites Atlantis. as rumour has it that only sixteen tickets have been sold on the strength oi the headliners naiue against Atlantis's ‘xti. And the fact that the proportion of females here tonight is unusually high is a clear indicator that soiiiething's going down.
Initial impressions. however. are not good. Whether it's down to a vindictive sound engineer or their own hesitancy. the band pack less of a wallop than a wecdy slap. The wisdom of opening their set with a watered-(low n Stone Roses-style number is debatable too. Not that this matters to the assembled. who greet every song. every onstage remark ~ ev ery chord. practically with a chorus of squeals.
Atlantis are retro to the marrow. and the ghost of the recently departed White Out seems to hang over the stage. urging them to plug the gap they‘ve just vacated. Almost inevitably. the subversive anti-smoking messages speeding across the display of the fag machine in best X—l‘T/(A fashion begin to exert more of a fascination than what's happening on stage.
All the same. despite a flurry of abuse and missiles from rowdy China Drum fans that threatens to throw them off their stride. it seems to be going swimmineg well for the hand up there. Early vvon'ies as to whether the boy-neXt-door singer can carry the day have to be revised; as it turns out. his apparent lack of rock ‘n' roll charisma conceals an easy audience rapport. And in the last few songs Atlantis pull out all the stops. Maybe the sound inixer's decided to give the band the benefit of his experience after all. Maybe they've had a sudden surge of confidence. Maybe they‘re going all out to silence the hecklers. Maybe the drugs have kicked in. But they suddenly grow in stature. play louder and ballsier and give a tantalising glimpse of a band w ho could just possibly send Barrowland-sized crowds home as happy as this lot. (Alastair Mabbott)
TASMIN ARCHER
Strathclyde Suite, BITCH, Sat 13 Apr. Tasmin Archer began to look like a one-hit wonder after the long silence
which followed her ‘Sleeping Satellite’ -
single and Great Expectations album, but she laid that thought to rest in convincing style here. Archer took the best part of three years to make her follow-up album, Bloom, and the time spent has been re-paid in the quality of the material. The singer, too, has matured in that period. She has a naturally soulful voice, and could easily have gone down that route, but
. has chosen to explore a more diverse
stylistic framework for her music, a
fact signalled in her choice of members of The Attractions among her backing musicians, alongside her co- writer, John Hughes. She recorded an EP of Costello songs a couple of years ago, and there was a distinctly
Costello-ish feel to material like ‘After
Hell’ and her current single, ‘One More Good Night With The Boys’. but
elsewhere she followed different lines
of development.
She relishes a spooky ballad like ‘Rain Falling’ or the soulful ‘When It Comes Down To it’, but is equally in her element on a song with more dramatic, almost theatrical qualities, like ‘In Your Care’ from the first album, or the more recent ‘I Would Love To Be Right’. She threw in a bit of
a calypso groove on the vibrant ‘Obeah:
Wedding‘, and sounded for all the world like k d lang on the opening song of her encore, ‘Drifting Along With The Tumbling Tumbleweeds’ (not exactly an obvious choice).
The concert leaflet drew a comparison with the songs of Aimee ’ Mann, and having heard the two
singers back to back on successive
. nights, the most striking thing was
1 how differently each of them treated v their bitter-sweet material. Archer
‘ drew a modest audience for this gig, and has a bit of career re-building to do, but on the evidence of her performance here. she is well on the way. (Kenny Mathieson)
#1 The 13th Note, Glasgow, 7-14 Apr.
p. \
.J".l
Alex Chilton: presiding over Teenage Fanclub nights at The 13th Note
No one seems exactly sure where this ‘#1’ event came from, or what the intentions behind it are. However, by applying a modicum of poetic licence, we can cook up an only partially leaking little theory.
Accepting, for the moment, that the 13th Hote has played a pivotal role in the evolution of certain strains of Glasgow’s musical pond life, this week-long festival can be read as a potted summation of what’s been
Dog
BOOK now 3
Concerts listed are those at major venues, for which tickets are on public sale at time of going to press.
ROCK
I GLASGOW ARCHES i556 5555) Cocteau Twins. 6 May; l.iglithouse l‘amily. it) .May.
I GLASGOW BARROWLAHD (226 .1679) Steve Iiarle. ti May: White Vombie. ll May; ()rbital. I.) May; Rage Against The Machine. l i May". Manic Street Preachers. 23 May: Sleeper. 2o May; Ash. 28 May: lilvis (.‘oslc‘llo. 2i Jill.
I GLASGOW CONCERT HALL (227 55 l I l Rock and Pop Musicals. 5 May: Littl Rc‘t‘ti. it) Witt}; Harold Melvin. l Jun: Judith Durham. .i .luii: liverythiiig liiit The (iirl. 23 Jun; Jackson lirowne. l3 |~i lid; The Hollies. ‘)
\o\.
I GLASGOW GARAGE (332 l l2t‘ii Northern l'proar. 5 May; Whipping Boy. 24 May: Dodgy. May 25'. [flat Dog. | Jun; l‘reak I’ower. o .liiii.
I GLASGOW IBROX STADIUM (33‘) 8383; lion .lovi. ll Jul". Bryan Adams. 2() Jul.
I GLASGOW KING’S
'THEATREtZB? SSH) loo
going on in the city for the past half-
decade or so. Thus the presence of
both the Pastels and Teenage Fanclub,
‘ intertwined as the two biggest
; homegrown spiritual influences on
Glasgow’s all singing all dancing
5 nouvelle vague. Towards the end of
l the week, the missing presumed dead
l Monochrome Set crop up with what
i amounts to a disappointingly monotone set but, with an almost there ‘Jef Set Junta’, continue to fly
5 the flag for the seminal erratic artist
5 class, written out of all but the most
‘ secret of histories, which the emergent like of the Blisters — most
; well dressed men in rock — are today
3 excavating.
l The addition of Alex Chilton
presiding over the Fannies nights
extends the hallowed line of
Americana way back. The American
influence has probably always been
the strongest on Glasgow. Certainly,
the impact of Sonic Youth and,
latterly, the lo-fi and Riot Crrrl
movements have had serious
repercussions throughout the
preceding half of the decade. Even if
the Yummy Fur still seem more rooted
in the lost British School opened by the Fire Engines, Urusei Yatsura and Appendix Out pay testimony to the fact. It’s only appropriate, then, that the week ends with a fairly rare sighting of Palace, the Palace Brothers and Palace Music otherwise known as Will Oldham, who performs a gossamer fragile set before yet another sold out house. By the end of the week, we’re about as tired and i happy as Bis, like whom we’ve had too much too quickly. But we’ll cope.
j (Johnny Logan) {
‘ THEATRE (52‘) film”) I . Richard Thompson. 22 i ‘ May; l-'err_v ('ross The
Jun.
(iuitars. 7 May.
’ I GLASGOW SECC no
0990) The Cure. 22 May:
.-\('/l)(‘. l Jun; Boy/one. ' o Jul; Sex Pistols. lo .lul:
Iiast l7. 2() Sept: Celine Dion. l‘)< 20 Nov; ('rauberries. 4 Dec; Status Quo. 7 Dec.
I STRATHCLYDE
- COUNTRY PARK mist 557:
(Now T III the Park. I3 l4 Jill. I EDINBURGH FESTIVAL
Mersey. 27 May- 1 .lun. I EDINBURGH INGLISTON
(557 (i969) .\l PL‘UPJC. I:
I EDINBURGH MURRAYFIELD STADIUM :557 (MM Tina Turner. 30 .lun.
I EDINBURGH OUEEN’S HALL t()()S 20W) Angelique Kidjo. H) May: Sleeper. 27 May.
I EDINBURGH USHER HALL t22S l I55) Mark Knopller. 5 May". ()rl‘ital. l3 May.
COUNTRY
I GLASGOW BARROWLAND (226 4670) Steve liarle. S May.
I GLASGOW CONCERT HALL (227 55 l l l Billie Joe Spears. 2i Nov.
I GLASGOW PAVILION i332 1846) Nashville (‘oiintry. l5 May.
I EDINBURGH LYCEUM (22‘) 9007) his l)eMetit. 9 .lun.
JAZZ
I GLASGOW CITY HALL (227 55} l i Ronnie Scott. 2S Jun; Theo Travis. 2‘) Jun: Steve Hamilton. 30 Jllll; Bill \Vc’ils ()L‘IL‘I. J Jul; Alan Barnes Sevtet. 2 Jul; The Hungry Ants. .1 .lul; lilla l-‘it/gerald Songbook. J Jul; l-lf Wakeiiius. 4 Jul; have (l'lliggins. 5 .liil. .leaii 'l'oussaint. b Jul
I GLASGOW CONCERT HALL i227 55 l l l Tony Bennett. 25 Apr; lalo Schil'rin. 2S Jun; (ieorge Benson. 2 .ltil.
I GLASGOW OLD FRUITMARKET i227 55i ‘i l Martin Taylor and ('iaii'e Martin. 2\' .luii. Me("oy Tyner and Michael lirecker. 2‘) Jim; James Morrison. 2‘) Jim”. Ray Brown Trio. 3t) Jun; Nat .’\tTtJCI'TL‘_\ (JUIIIIL‘T. l Jill; Ron (‘arter Quintet. l Jul; Auld Alliance .|a//. ‘iJul‘. Tommy Smith. »I .ltil. Mike Stern. 5 lul; Yellowiackets. 5 Jul; (ion/an Rubalcaba. (i Jtll'. Iiourth World. (i .lirl; Ifiiipire State Se\tet. 7 .liil. Mingus liig liaiid. 7 Jill. I EDINBURGH FESTIVAL THEATRE :53) (Mill i. I’asadena Roof ( )rchesti'a. 2Jtlll1 HUI i'iool lll llai'leiii. It) Jul: Thank You. Mr (iei'sliwm. i3 .liil.
FOLK
I GLASGOW CONCERT HALL 1227 55 i l l (‘latttiad 20 May; The lhiblineis. l i Jun.
I EDINBURGH FESTIVAL THEATRE i529 (intro. .-\lt.iii. l5 May: Richard Thompson. 22 May: l)ublineis. llllun.
I EDINBURGH OUEEN’S HALL if)er 20W) l'aiipoi't Convention. 2th May
I EDINBURGH USHER HALL «22S l l55 I Accordion 9f). ll May: (‘laniiad. 22 May
CLASSICAL
I GLASGOW CONCERT HALL i227 55 i I l Ioliii Williatiis. ‘) May. \ icntia l‘hil. il May; livelyn (ileniiie. I? May; Napoleon. 26 May. Lesley (Jarrett. 2 Jun; RSM) Scottish l’ovy ci' l’rolits. H 2‘) Jun. I GLASGOW KING’S THEATRE (227 55! l u 2o .‘viovements and A Scottish Island. It) ll May. I EDINBURGH FESTIVAL THEATRE i520 (itlt )tli livelyn (ilennie. 5 May. Amadigi. 25 May; Moldav iaii Opera. 26 May: Safri l)uo. .\‘ .liil. I EDINBURGH QUEEN’S HALL mos 2mm l-iso. 4 May; S(‘() Wind Iinseiuble. 5 May; Hebrides i'.ll\L'llli‘iL‘. 6 May: King's (‘onsort ‘l Mav; lidin ('oncert liand. I I May; Meadows (‘t ). l2 May; lidinbui‘gh .-\eademy. it) May; l-anellion ()t. 21 May: Nicholas Ashton. 25 May.
42 The List l9 Apr-2 May 1996