Vic Galloway is bracing himself for the torrents of new musical talent set to be unleashed in 2007 In my first column of 2007, it seems only right to join the tipsters of the world and look forward to the remaining 1 l and a half months with a selection of ‘ones to watch“. The Scottish music scene is in extremely good health. and as usual. away from the homogenised hordes an blinkered fashionistas. music is as diverse and potent as ever when people are given the chance to develop their own ideas. There seems to be everything from the funked-up, BOs-inspired grooves ot Calvin Harris; psychedelic anthems courtesy of The Aliens; literate prog-punk from Clean George IV or stadium-sized synth rock from The Dykeenies and Drive-by Argument. New indie heroes are still arriving. of course. .iith 1990s Popup and Malcolm Middleton looking forward to excellent album releases. and you can get your annual dose of mutant-science punk rock from We Are the Physics if you so desire. The unclassifiable tag happily goes to a long list of artists including names like lsosceles. lnvisibles and Errors. who are all thinking outside the box using technology and gUitarS.
As the start of the year. ‘package’ tours hit the road resembling mini travelling festivals. It'll be exciting to see the mighty Biffy Clyro headline Kerrang‘s four-band bill, The View play second top on valE's lridie ‘Rock' tour and NME‘s lndie ‘Rave' tour looks pretty good too.
All the musos mentioned are. of COurse. heartily endorsed by yours truly and well worth closer examination. especially if that Christmas copy of Westlife's Greatest Hits is still lying unopened in shrink-wrap! It you want more names to investigate check my BBC or myspace websites (www.myspacec0rn/vicgallowayr l) or better still, listen in each week and make your own minds up. The hills are alive. with the sound of . . . a " Vic Galloway presents on BBC Radio 7 from 730—me Thursday evenings and on BBC Radio Scotland from 8. 05~ 7 0pm Monday evenings.
56 THE LIST .W/
HA ttitxittl NORMA JEAN King Tut's, Glasgow, Fri 19 Jan
Let’s blame it on Sir Cliff. But the perception of Christian music is of something rather dull. Strange, considering musical greats and notorious hellraisers, Elvis, Johnny Cash, Ray Charles and Jerry Lee Lewis had such strong ties to the church.
But ever since Led Zeppelin and The Doors dabbled in mysticism, Christianity and rock music have been awkward bedfellows, rock’s anti-authoritarian nature clashing with Christianity’s ideals. Plus, the occult just looked cool. No wonder the Devil has all the best tunes.
In the 805, influential metal bands Venom, Celtic Frost and Slayer went further, using satanic imagery on their albums and since then metal has retained a mostly harmless fondness for satanic imagery. But the mid-90$ saw a greater level of Christian-baiting. Glen Benton, frontman for death metallers, Deicide, has made a career from God-bashing and infamously burnt an inverted cross in his forehead. Varg Vikernes of Norwegian black metal group Burzum, on the other hand, went that little bit further and burnt down a Bergen church.
Hardcore, in contrast, has maintained a surprisingly considerate attitude towards Christianity. Even atheists
ROCK
KERRANG! TOUR 2007 FEATURING BIFFY CLYRO, THE BRONX, THE AUDITION AND I AM GHOST
Barrowland, Glasgow, Tue 23 Jan
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note the parallel ideals: positivity, unity, the championing of social causes and the popularity of the straight-edge lifestyle, which rejects drink and drugs.
Ten years ago, Christian hardcore was a tiny sub-genre, with the acclaimed Zao earning begrudged respect. Now groups like As I Lay Dying, Demon Hunter and Underoath have reached an unprecedented level of popularity. And many atheists are prepared to put their prejudices aside.
But the poster-boys for Christian hardcore are Atlanta’s Norma Jean. New album Redeemer is as angry as any other hardcore album you’ll hear this year and is brought to you by Ross Robinson, the producer behind albums from heretical metal monsters, Slipknot, and post- hardcore idealists, At the Drive-In.
And while they’re perfectly happy to discuss their spirituality they’ve never been the type to preach. They‘ve even openly criticised the sudden popularity of Christian Hardcore, suggesting many neo-conservative views clash with Christian values of forgiveness and love.
And when you consider that metal and hardcore have often been a refuge from authoritarian figures, Norma Jean sound like fairly normal guys, while that loon in Deicide sounds as crackers as one of those nutjob TV evangelists. I know who I'd rather spend time with. (Andrew Borthwick)
Biffy Clyro
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