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INDIE YOUR SOUND King Tut's, Glasgow, Sun 1 Oct
Launched earlier this year by the King Tut's venue. Your Sound is a networking oppOrtunity for local acts to come face-to-face with industry figures. Part-indie club night. part- networking soiree and part promo shindig. Your Sound launched Term Two with a congratulatory gig featuring acts from Term One.
Hosted by XFM DJ Jim Gellatly. the night began with the folk sounds of Chris Flew AKA Theonewhoflew 000 . Slightly misplaced on a comparatively raucous bill. there was. nevertheless. some emotive and considered songwriting at play.
Next up were North Atlantic Oscillation 0000 . a duo who deliver. by their own admission. electronic rock. Ignoring the awful connotations that brings. the pair deftly meld laptop effects to a rock template. the band brimming with ideas but never at the expense of the songs.
Initially plagued by a broken drum pedal. The Heebie Jeebies 000 . admirably soldiered on. Musically. they‘re fairly standard indie- rock bolstered by the addition of some crafty keyboard parts. Anyone think keyboards are in this year?
And look. here's another one. Thankfully, The Yellow Bentines COO. frontman knows how to actually play and doesn't just bash out new rave hooks. It‘s difficult to pin- down their appeal. but the addition of a horn section. some skanking dance moves and well-timed handclaps points to a band sticking two fingers up to conformity. Definitely fitting that description are The Invisibles 000 . whose indie rock strutted along nicely but lacked any real conviction.
Very much a band of the moment. The Dykeenies 0000 tick all the right boxes. being image-wise and with de rigueur, techno hooks. They
put on a tight performance. and to give them their due. their material is strong. But if there's a nagging doubt. and there is. it’s about how genuine it all is. But with world domination seemingly round the corner for the Lanarkshire fivesome. does it even matter? (Andrew Borthwick)
ALTCOUNTRY
PORCH SONG ANTHOLOGY The Den at the Café Royal, Edinburgh, Fri 6 Oct 0000
In the face of ‘the death of live music in Edinburgh' — © every naysayer east of Greenock — it's nice to see someone continuing to make an effort. Local gig promoters Baby Tiger might have looked like being a part of the big cull when the West End youth hostel they operated out of stopped doing live gigs. but persistence has seen them relocate to The Den. a snug first floor room at the Cafe Royal.
This was a fine gig to start their already bursting live schedule at the new home. As the name might suggest, Porch Sound Anthology (wno were supported by Edinburgh's Stantons) are a homespun affair. a relaxed country outfit who write songs. which sit somewhere between contentment and melancholy. Essentially the old Telstar Ponies without the input of David ‘Taurpis Tula' Keenan. they're a band who live up to the expectation such a pedigree demands. Songs like ‘Ask the Dust’ and ‘Rest and Be Thankful' are resolutely charming, Rachel Devine's voice providing a platform for the warm and inviting sounds that accompany it. (David Pollock)
ROCK THE COOPER TEMPLE CLAUSE King Tut’s, Glasgow, Sun 29 Oct; Liquid Room, Edinburgh, Mon 30 Oct
Admit it, you’d forgotten this lot existed . . . or at least presumed they’d been banished along with the likes of Gay Dad and Ultrasound to the giant,
death-by-hype scrapheap in the sky. After all, it was back in 2000 that they ‘
were first foisted on us as the big haired saviours of British rock, and, three years since their much under-rated second record Kick Up The Fire And Let The Flames Break Loose, didn’t do as well as everyone expected.
But The Cooper Temple Clause are back, a little battered and bruised by the industry and down one member, yet sounding better than ever, and it’s no surprise to hear they’re as gloriously out of sync with the modern musical climate as they ever were.
‘We have always been outcasts in terms of trends and fashions,’ politely spoken frontman Ben Gautrey explains from the band’s dressing room. ‘We didn’t try to sound like garage rockers or Britpop revivalists when we formed this band, all best friends aged 15. We had a desire to make the music we wanted to hear and that no-one else was making and it’s exactly the same now.’
Certainly there’s no emo or new rave tendencies on majestic third LP Make This Your Own (due out in January), and whether they’re experimenting with acoustic guitars, dark electronics, sparse beats or snarling riffs, the Reading quintet seem to have finally found the melodic oomph that was previously missing from their recorded sound. ‘Being away for a few years has definitely given us perspective, Gautrey adds. ‘When we split from our label after the second album and then Didz (Hammond) left to join Dirty Pretty Things last year it was a very uncertain time for us, but it’s made us push ourselves and progress. We’re now a lot tighter live and we can’t wait to let people hear this album. We're very proud of it and I think this is the strongest we’ve ever felt really.’ (Camilla Pia)
JAZZAT BIG BIG WORLD ZOE RAHMA Ramshorn Theatre, Glasgow, Fri 27 Oct; The Lot, Edinburgh, Sat 28 Oct
Pianist Zoe Rahman was philosophical about being this year's jazz representative in the Mercury Prize short list. Like all previous contenders from the jazz sector. her album Melting Pot didn't scoop the prize. but she not only refused to moan about the deci3ion. she even defended them against the regular charge of tokenism levied by jazz commentators.
'The guys in the Mercury office are all into jazz.‘ she said after the ceremony. 'They are very supportive of it. so all the stuff you read in the press about there being a token jazz artist put in to make the prize look more intellectual isn't true. They are genuinely into music across the board. The prize reflects what's happening in the British music scene. so ten percent of the contenders are jazz albums'
Fair point. but the real breakthrough will come when they pluck up the courage to name one of those jazz albums (or contemporary classical or folk) as the winner. Meanwhile. Rahman continues to build a big reputation for herself on the UK jazz scene. and her trio appearances at Big Big World in Glasgow and in Edinburgh should confirm that perception.
Her musical interests are broad ranging and eclectic. taking in a classical training along the way. The ability to work in a mosaic of diverse sources and then shape it into an original and personal musical voice is one of the things that attracts her to jazz.
‘l have a lot of influences. but don't try to SOund like anyone else. What I love about jazz is the way that it has the potential to accommodate bits from everything. Being a jazz musician means that you should be able to take things from any playing situation and make them your own.‘ (Kenny Mathieson)
19 Oct—2 NOV THE LIST 61