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hcse day s all it takes is a snappy dehtit. llttslly photo-shoots and a healthy numhei' ol'onlinc 'lit‘lclitls‘ lot a hand to think they hay e it sussed. Because there are so many ol them around. acts are promptly and callotisly dropped il'they don‘t make their mark within the lirst l'ew months ol existence. As a result it is easy to l‘orget that the truly great ones dcy'clop slowly oy'er time. and MM won‘t lind a hettei' reminder ol‘ this than in the latest remarkable incarnation of Sons and Daughters. We greet the (ilasgow -ha.sed quartet in dil'l‘erent stages of undress as they prepare to storm the stage ol l.ondon\ lsliiigtoit Academy. There is a prohlem with their tour manager's phone which means we endure 20 minutes ol pelting rain. stuck outside the venue. until warm and wiry drummer l)a\'id (iow spots us and sayes the day. He leads the way through winding corridors to the titodc‘stly decorated dressing room deep in the howels ol' the yenue. where we lind gtiitarist/yocalist Scott Paterson and bassist Ailidh Lennon. Lennon. all in hlack. is applying the linishing touches to her immaculate make-up while Paterson and (iow wait. hoth ready to go; the sticks-man looking dapper in red hraces. drainpipes and a neat grey trilhy hat and the singer donning an eye-catching eomhination ol' rockahilly qtiil‘l'. dotted shirt. skinny jeans and sctil‘l‘ed leather jacket. After a l‘ew minutes. t‘rontwoman .-\dele Bethel
JANUARY
rushes into the room. 'Sorry I'm late.‘ she apologises. llashing that lamotisly cheeky grin with huge rollers in her hair and eyes twinkling with sparkly gold glitter and thickly -applied kohl.
Sons and Daughters look sell— assured and sty lish ey en in this hall—readied state.
The hands third album. This (ii/i. is otit this month. and although both Lure the (hp and The [repulsion [for were pioneering in their addictiye hlcntl ol l‘oIk-tinged. lusty hlties punk. this new work pushes the (ilasgow -h;ised quartet to completely new and exhilarating heights. Written during the summer of 2006 while they were holed tip
‘THE ALBUM IS ABOUT A REAL DISLIKE FOR CONTEMPORARY CULTURE AND MEDIA’
in a house in the Village ol'Adl'ern in Argyll and produced by Bernard Butler. it linds the hand really delying into their love of l‘)(i()s girl group stomp and harmonies. .\larr- ish guitars and soaring pop melodies and mixing it with their trademark. ragged. dark rill attacks and poetic lyrics to magnificent el‘l‘ect. In short. il‘ey'er there was an alhtim to break them into the big league this is it.
'.\laking the new album was \ery hardf explains Bethel. “()lwiotisly
we are a close knit hunch and we had spent the summer in this heautil‘ul location. playing hoardgames and writing loads ol
songs that we were really protid ol.
and then we met Bernard. play ed him what we tliotiglit was our strongest \Itlll and he was really harsh. 'l‘o hay e someone else come in with such strong opinions was quite shocking at lirst. lie was like a strict teacher at school that knew you had a lot (it potential htit thought you were wasting it.~ she chuckles.
So the atmosphere in the sttidio must haye heen quite tense at times'.’ 'Yealr' say s l’aterson. hlue eyes glinting. ‘He could he really
stubborn and cutting and was quite \‘lL‘lotlS at times. A lot ol it was
psychological. to make you angry so you‘d really go for it.‘
Bethel adds: 'l'd he in the \ocal booth and he‘d say “I want you to make tip l'our completely dil‘l’erent harmonies oy'er the top ol the chorus. now go" and press record. He really likes ptittiiig you on the spot and it was pretty seyere. We‘d
If there's one Scottish band ready to blow up big time in 2008, it's Sons and Daughters. Camilla Pia talks to them about conflict, culture and pop potential
come hack to the studio alter ltmcli eyery day wondering ll Bernard and Scott were speaking to each illllct‘ . ..
'l‘hese harsh methods ha\ e clearly paid oll. how ey ei‘. as one listen to the new material pi'oy es. .\lost excitingly. how ey er. is the sotiiid ol musicians lt'tll‘lL'SSl} experimenting with new techniques and in the process trtily linding their l'orm. Butler has hi‘otight otit completely dillerent dimensions to Sons and Daughters and showcased an ahility and style the hand themselyes tlltlll't cy en know they lliltl. let alone dare tise.
l’atei'sori. who later admits to heing such a tan ol the ex Suede guitarist that he had an .-\thena poster ol him on his wall as a teenager. much to the amusement ol the rest ol the hand. explains. ‘We had got to this point w here we were almost in a corner with the way we were playing and Bernard completely ohliterated that. Now we l‘eel tree to do w ltatcy er we like.’
Bethel agrees: "When we first met him he told tis that the one thing he would giye tis was conlidence. and he delinitely did that.‘
Perhaps the most signilicant change to the Sons and Daughters sound is in Bethel's \ocals. which haye gone l‘r'om deep and conyersational ta lel'toy'er l'rom her time in Arab Strap) to sweet. soaring and inlinitely more powerltil than ey'er hel'ore. Her voice is the lynehpin til-7711‘s (ii/r around which driying rhythms. roaring guitar el'l‘ects and dancing
Manga
Scotland's home of drum 8. bass bows Otit in style with this 12th birthday celebration and last ever Manga night in the company of specral guests Commix (Metalheadzl and DJ Die. Liquid Room. Edinburgh, 79 Jan.
10 THE LIST 44 " Ja" 2335
The Arches' Irish Classic Season New verSions of Brian Friel's Trans/at/ons and Tom Murphy's 5a/'/egangaire should start the theatre season off in fine style. Arches and Citizen '3 Theatre, G/asgow.
25 Jan-8 Mar. Jan.
Sweeney Todd MOre fantastically dark Victoriana from glorious mowe goths. Tim Burton. Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham-Carter. with this adaptation ot the big stage musical. Genera/ Release. 25
FEBRUARY
Cloverfield
The hype machine and internet viral marketing has been going into Overdrive for JJ Lost Abrams' enigmatic blockbuster. All we know is: there's a monster . . . Genera/ re/ease, 1 Feb.
Morrissey
The former Smiths lrontman puts the recent controverSy to one side to fOCus on what he does best: emotive. overwrought pop. P/ayhouse. Edinburgh, 2 Feb.
National Review 01 Live Art
The reopening of the Tramway is heralded With the arrival of New Territories. a festival of new performance, music. video and installation live an. Tramway, Glasgow, 6 Feb-70 Mar.