Music
COUNTRY
THE HANDSOME FAMILY Liquid Room, Edinburgh, Fri 19 Apr .0.
Varioust described as Americana or altcomtry. it's only when yOLi see the Handsome Famin live that it becomes apparent that they are nothing quite so exotic. This may not be rhinestone- encrusted. trailer-trash glamour. but there are none more traditional country acts Out their plying their trade.
Based around husband and WllC‘ songwriting team Brett and Rennie Sparks. the Handsome Family live. With Jerry Springer lookalike drummer in tow. is a hilariously tongue-in-cheek miserable affair. Musically it's bog standard minimalist COuntry music. lazily exeCuted and shambolically charming. but lyrically there is a dark. deliciOus edge of morose comedy. echoed on stage by Rennie Sparks funny but scarin lunatic ramblings in betwixt tunes.
‘But. darling don't you know it's only human to want to kill a beautiful thing.“ murmurs Brett straight-faced in his ElVlS impersonator croon. and that level of sly misanthropy is maintained pretty much throughout a retigh and ready set. Occasionally things descend into Out and out hillbilly parody. like when a v-Jashboard and an autoharp get an airing. but mostly the band stay the right side of ridicuIOus. and their slayish fans lap up every depressed minute of it.iDoug Johnstonel
Weird, but in a good way
ROCK POP ALL THE MONGO'S PARTIES A Flat in Glasgow's West End, Fri 19-Sun 21 Apr coco
Mud. Toilets. Mtiddy toilets. Yes. festival season looms on the horizon but here's a crazy idea -- have yOur rock festival in a comfortable location Wllll all mod cons.
And then hold the thing on the south coast of England.
Rewind. Let's do the show right here -— 'here' being a flat in Glasgow nowhere near the setithcoast of England. In best festival traditions. hire a mix of eclectic and varied acts. Thus. ATMP's Opening night blends the acoustic stylings of thisheartbeatsfortwo with the indiepop of Trundle Wheel and Dead Fly Buckowski's more full-on rock.
lnevitably where one night's audience is the next night's star turn. over indulgence sees Derbac M promoted to headliners and the bill is filled by some impromptu 'open—mic' sessions.
Day 3 opens with a climax of sorts. The Hector Collectors are by definition top of the bill, having featured on John Peel TWICE. Shambling under-rehearsed. and pure entertainment. The Pendulums. as is the pattern here. are doing their first gig after 2 rehearsals. Treading a fine line between the Bon/o Dog Band and Simon and Garfunkel. they have a bunch of tunes and twice as many ideas.
Yay us! as their name suggests. endeavour to be yOur new favourite band. and resplendent in uniform of blue t-shirts they. as expected. produce punky (3— chord thrash. Which is one chord more than Lifeform 281 -- think the Stooges with Alex Harvey on vocals. Still highly entertaining. however. the singer even getting his shirt off. Leading us to the finale. which features something of a supergroup in Lemons Are Lucky. With as many onstage as in the audience. it's like The Fall doing post-rock for laughs as everyone chips in With sundry instrumentation.
And the toilet is still working. Some day all festivals Will be like this.
(Stuart lvchugh)
INDIE THE SHINING
Cathouse, Glasgow, Wed 10 Apr 0..
They're already calling them The Simons. you know. Simon Jones (bass) and Simon Tong (guitar. keyboards. probably knows a lot about cars). that is: ex-members of The Verve and narrow escapees of whatever folk-pop whimsy John Sgtiire was cooking up to take the place of The Seahorses. Now they're back in their familiar roles with a brand spanking new band. and one thing's for certain: no non-musician in the audience has ever listened so
intently to a bassline in their lives before.
Of c0urse. this isn‘t — and never will be — a viable replacement for the acid- fried alchemy of their old band. But lead singer Duncan Baxter has the same earthy charms as a young Dicky
ROCKr POP AUGUST81
ATTACK TIGERS King Tut’s, Glasgow, Wed 3 Apr coco
No replacement for acid fry ups
Ashcroft. while the head-bobbing Jones is clearly having a ball. True. there's a fair share of plodding, trite indie nonsense in there. but when in comes to storming. cavalry-charge rock like new single ‘Quicksilver' or the Primal Scream circa 1994 deep south sleaziness of ‘Show The Way“ well, it must be something in the genes.
(David Pollock)
EX-TIGERS, EVA, RAAR AND SNEAK
Ex-Tigers earn their stripes
Tonight‘s line-up may sound more like a visit to the 200's ‘Big Cats' enclosure than a Polydor showcase. but it turns out to be more fun than throwing Gareth Gates to the
unchained lions.
August81 kick off with spikey ladyboy rock akin to Matt Bellamy just stepped out of a salon and crashing into Smashing Pumpkins. The young upstarts inject some much needed glamour and attitude to the proceedings but need a few infectious melodies to be truly dangerous. Next up are Ex-Tigers who boast sinisterly angular melodies mixed with a punk pop shimmer. This band is intelligent. fierce and frankly thrilling. Each song is a blistering collision of stacatto. thrash and beauty that bursts into life
and doesn't leave your side.
Eva are a much more diverse experience. flitting from swirling. majestic soundscapes to ear-shredding epic in the twitch of an eye. From the fantastic to the frankly inexplicable. as Raar take to the stage flanked by two air hostesses with glow sticks. A sonic art attack. magnificently mixing Beach Boys. Ziggy Stardust. and Led Zep riffs. swaggers into full-on space rock. producing an utterly original and energetic
concoction of all the best bits of your life.
What could top this? Last act Sneak Attack Tigers certainly can't. Think Chris Rea on vocals. and a stockier Richard O'Brien lookalike on bass producing pompously
meaty pub rock.
Despite SAT's dysfunctional time machine propelling them backwards. the first feur bands are set to launch into an exciting future. If anything can challenge today's
'overgrown supershit'. this is it. (Camilla Pia)
Ticket information: Tickets for most medium/large concerts can be bought from the following:
Glasgow: Virgin Buchanar Galleries. Ill-:2 -/l‘1()(;i - Credit card bookings from: Ticket Link: 287 551 l & Way Ahead: 339 8383 Edinburgh: Virgin Princes Street. 220 £234 ' Ripping Records South Bridge. 226 7010 - Way Ahead 0141 339 8383
I Wilco QMI'. (ilasgow. II May.
I Lambchop ()ltl l‘ruitmarkct. (ilasgtm. I I .\la_\.
I Bad Religion Barrowland. (ilasgtm. l2 May
I Indigo Girls ()UCL‘lEx llall. Edinburgh. I3 .\la_\'. * Black Rebel Motorcycle Club Barrowland. l3 Ha).
I Rammstein Sli(‘('. (ilaxgim. l-l .\la_\.
I Barry Manilow
(‘I_\'dc Auditorium.
(ilaxgim. l5 & Io Ma}. S()I.l) ()l'l.
I Beverly Knight :\l‘L‘ltC\. (ilaxgtm‘. lb .\la_\.
I Glasgow Blues
Festival RL‘IIll'L‘“ l‘t‘l'l‘).
(ilasgow. 17 Ma);
I Kylie Minogue SE(‘('.(ila\go\\. 7-l‘) Ma}. S()I.l) ()I'I.
I Spunge QMI'. (ilasgim. 22 May.
I Jimmy Eat World Barron land. (ilaxgou. 25 Ma). S()l.l) (NJ.
I The Proclaimers
('i\ ic (‘cnlrtx .\lotht‘r\\cll. 2(i Ma).
I The Breeders QMI'. (ilaxgou. 2‘) Ha}. I Bryan Ferry RU\\ Band Stand. Edinburgh. l Jun.
I Delirious?
Barron land. (ilaxgim. I Jun.
I Deconstruction 2002 SE('('. (ilaxgou, 4 Jun.
I Love King 'l‘ut'x. (ilaxgim. 4 Jun. S()l.l) ()l'l. Liquid Room. Edinburgh. 5 Jtiii.
I Gabrielle SE(‘('. (ilasgow. 5 Jtlii.
* Ocean Colour Scene Playhouse. Edinburglt. 9 Jun.
I Brian Wilson l’lil)'ll()ll\t‘. Edinburgh. I2 Jun.
I Live 8. Loud Bellahouxton Park. (ilasgow. In Jun.
* Television Liquid
Room. Edinburgh. I7 Jun.
I Pulp Rust Ile‘ l‘lH‘Csl. ncar Elgin. 2| Jun.
I Rod Stewart Sli(‘(‘.
(ilasgow. 22 & 231ml; 5
Jul. ALI. S()I.I) ()If'l‘. () Jul. Edinburgh Castle. 2() Jul.
* David Byrne Barrowland. (ilasgow. 2 Jun.
I 33 King (‘l_\’dc Auditorium. (ilasgow. 30 Jun.
I Aimee Mann Liquid Room. Edinburgh. (i Jul. I Roger McGuinn ('otticr. (ilasgow. 8 Jul
I Pet Shop Boys Playhouse. Edinburgh. I5 Jul.
I T in the Park
Balado. l3 & l-l Jul.
* Iggy Pop Barrowland. (ilasgow. l(iJuI.
* Suicidal Tendencies (iaragc. (ilasgow. 21 Jul.
* Paul Simon Edinburgh Castle. 25 Jul. I David Gray Sli(‘(‘. (ilasgow. 2 Dec.
I Jools Holland (‘lydc Auditorium. (ilasgow, (i Dec.
I Elton John Sl£(‘(‘. (ilasgow. 7 8: 8 Dec.
I The Almighty
(iaragc. (ilasgow. 2| Dec.
2:") Apr -E) May 2001) THE LIST 47