Music
POP KYLIE SECC. Glasgow, Sun 19 May ooo
ROCK MANSUN King Tut’s, Glasgow, Tue 9 May ooo
Periloust close to the AOR abyss
It’s perhaps indicative of the disappointment felt after Mansun’s last long- player, the bland Little Kix, that the band have opted for a tour of smaller venues to introduce new material. Sadly, on tonight’s evidence the newies show little progression: it’s Mansun-by-numbers, all trademark swooning choruses, rumbling bass lines and guitar solos close to The Edge, with little of the imaginative bite of Six or Grey Lantern that kept the band from falling into the AOR abyss. The only promising exception is ‘Secrets,’ a puerile stomp which lurches into something much heavier and darker.
Thankfully, though, the early material still hits home. ‘The Chad Who Loved Me’ is as graceful as ever, the solo from ‘Wide Open Space’ still raises hairs, and the encore rollercoaster of ‘Take it Easy, Chicken’ is a fitting reminder of how fresh Mansun were in the old days, when, by their own admission, they played to ten people in King Tut’s. It’s sold out tonight, but perhaps in more ways than one. (Jan F. Zeschky)
No bum notes and a notable bum
I didn't realise quite how much Kylie meant to me until I saw a still from the ‘Kids' video of her bumping and grinding (grinding!) with Robbie Williams. If duels were still part of the fabric of society I would have run the bastard through.
Sadly. seeing Kylie in a sweaty postmodern shed with thousands of other eager punters is a rather sexless experience. For one thing she doesn't do that much actual gyrating, instead kicking the evening off with a rather disappointing minimalist cyborg dance. And from halfway down the hall she's really very small.
Luckily Kylie has prepared for this eventuality. The big screens give her a camera to mug to. and eight costume changes give everyone the chance to assess just whether her bum really is plastic. The video footage can be a bit confusing: occasionally there‘s footage of Kylie singing. and the sound of Kylie singing. but Kylie ain't actually on stage. Keeping it real is plainly not one of her career directives. The stage is an exhilarating mess of movement and theme — Logan's Run to Clockwork Orange to every Madonna stage show ever (except the one where she actually played guitar) — with the band tucked unobtrusively into the right side of the stage.
The music is often a bit of a let down. She may be a national icon. but Miss Minogue WOuld be stretched to fill a greatest hits album with decent tunes. and she flags over a two hour show. Luckily, there are high points. ‘Can't Get YOU Out of My Head' is predictably catchy. ‘Confide In Me' is pure genius, and 'I Should Be So Lucky' and 'Locomotion' benefit from some inspired revrsionism. I was always this cool. she seems to be saying. it was just that you lot never quite knew it. (James Smart)
ACOUSTIC
JOSEPH ARTHUR
La Belle Angele, Edinburgh, Fri 17 May so
As they used to sing in the much lamented comedy show Absolute/y. ‘clever, terribly clever'. That's the first thing that comes into your head when you witness New York singer songwriter Joseph Arthur — a protege of Peter Gabriel no less — in the flesh. He has a gimmick and it is this. He uses an array of effects and foot- triggered samplers to create the sound of an entire band with just his
guitar and voice. sampling and looping layers of s0und and beats to create a big swill of trippy sounds that manages to go preCIsely nowhere.
And that's where the whole thing falls apart. Relying on his banks of technology. Arthur seems to have forgotten all about bothering to write any tunes. and stripped of all his cloudy Spundscapery. he sounds like a dodgy blues-country singer dishing up platitudes in a vaguely surly manner. Peter Gabriel's welcome to him. (Doug Johnstone)
Ticket information: Tickets for most medium/large concerts can be bought from the following:
Glasgow: Virgin Buchanan Galleries, 332 4400 - Credit card bookings from: Ticket Link: 287 551 t & Way Ahead: 3139 8383
Book now Edinburgh: Virgin Princes Street. 220 3213/1 - Ripping Records South Bridge. 226 7010 0 Way Ahead 0141 339 8383
I Ocean Colour Scene I The Music and The I David Byrne Burrmxluml. I Pet Shop Boys I The Damned cht‘rcw
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I Television Liquid Room. Edinburgh. 17 Jun.
I Coldplay ()uccn's Hall. Edinburgh. 1‘) Jun.
I Pulp Rosc lslc Forest. llL‘itl' Elgin.21 Jun.
I Rod Stewart Sli(‘(‘. (ilasgow. 22 & 23 Jun; 5 Jul (ALL S()Ll) ()l"l'). o Jul; Edinburgh (‘astlo 20 Jul.
(ilasgow. 28 Jun.
I BB King (’lydc .»\uditorium.
(ilasgtm; 30 Jun.
I Aimee Mann Liquid Room. Edinburgh. 2 Jul.
I Roger McGuinn (‘ouiciz (ilzisgow. 8 Jul.
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I T in the Park Bulado. l3 & 14 Jill.
Playhouse. Edinburgh. 15 Jul. I Iggy Pop Barrtmland. (ilasgow. 17 Jul.
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I Paul Simon Edinburgh (‘astlu 25 Jul.
I Van Morrison Sli(‘(‘. (ilasgow. 2 Aug.
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l-‘crry. (ilasgow. 28 Aug.
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I Jools Holland (‘hdc Auditorium. (ilaisgoxs. (i Doc. I Elton John Sli(‘(‘. Glasgow. 7 & 8 Dcc.
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Qii‘ May (3 .Jui‘ PUT? THE LIST 41