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Iornorrr ', rrru'w’, today It", l',',.‘.'.’ Copy Ha‘no
Lord Reith, founder ot the BBC, was born in Stonehaven, and so was Robert William Thomson, inventor of the pneumatic tyre and the fountain pen. And Lewis Grassic Gibbon went to school in the town. These are some pretty impressive names, but we can’t see any of them challenging Copy Haho’s default title as the town’s best-ever musical export Copy Whoho? itrkkr erl. Stuart ly‘ralnt'rslt. HM arrl Scott and srnger and gurt'rrrst Joe Hearty. ,Vll()tra/t;trr:r;rr’(r'y'ar‘fl rrrther' r rrrre'rt rllfgltlllr'lllffllf;|.'l(§(t?r)(l41l(;()f)'/tl(tll() 'r Ir was aroar d for a year pre'.'.or.s. and known as Polrtrkr Therr sound rs drawn trorrr arr estatflmhed mm of propulsive. slrghtly angular rndre rock. and they earn ‘,’)l'l{,{rll',r’;llf, to the lrkes of l’axenrent, Sonic Youth and Built to Sprll 'Hllll rrnpres'n'a: prrrtrr,rr:rrcy There's a lrttle brt of pre tame Snow Patrol rn there as well, so they ".trrke a more rgrrrrrrrercral balance, A word about their live pedigree. The l laho', have been playrrrg regularly around Scotland and further alreld for a whrle rzrrw, and therr strpport (lV's rrnpressrve The lrkes of Hot (Llub [)e Pans, lrrghterred llalhrt. Blood Red Shoes and l)anrrrrarrarrr'rvkroyl have all walked lllr: same stages, and thrs lot deserve srrnrlar levels ul rratronal attentron. Where can I hear more? lhe band have already released two lrmrted edrtrorr «'rn srngles ‘Bookshelf' "Desert Ilelle' err I l ly Sprttrres and 'You Are My Goal Mrne' '(Zuttrng ()ut lhe Had' on Teenage l ust and therr next recordrng rs out rn l ebruary '09 on Brg Scary Monsters. The Bred for Skrlls and Magrc l I) wrll leature lrve tracks. and wrll he lollowed by a tour Wllll fellow Scots lhe Xcerts. ll)avrd Pollock) Sneaky Pete's {rd/nhurgh, Mon 2 I eh. for more of the best new We mus/c around yrs/t wwwl/stcrrule’exposr/re
PREVIEW (IFI llC CONNECTIONS MICHAEL NYMAN Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Mon 26 Jan
[)esprte hrs ongorng lrustratron at berng shunned by the BBC Proms, Mrchael Nyman remarns the most wrdely heard of contemporary 'serrous' composers in the UK. An early experrmentalrst rn the (30s avantrgarde. Nyman rs one of the very small hand of contemporary composers who has reached out to a mass audience.
The key to that achrevement was the success of hrs scores for film soundtracks, rncludrng a strrng of Peter Greenaway's enrgmatrc creatrons. and hrs most emblematrc success. the haunting theme from Jane Campron's The Piano — a work wrth a Celtrc connectron lurkrng rn the background.
'The character Ada rn the film was dumb, and the musrc was lrterally her only vorce,‘ says Nyman. ‘Since the actress who played her, Holly Hunter, was not a prolessronal prahrst. rt had to have a certarn modesty to rt. and srnce Ada was Scottrsh, rt made sense to use Scottish folk tunes and songs as rts basis. Once I had decrded on that, rt all fell rnto place.‘
Nyman wrll lead hrs own pertormrng ensemble rn thrs concert, whrch wrll feature a cross-sectron of hrs work over the years. Addrng to an intrrgurng double brll rs a chance to hear Carthness pranrst and composer James Ross' Chasrng the Sun. commissioned by the Blas Festrval and premiered to consrderable acclarm rn the Highlands rn September. Ross rs rorhed by multi-rhstrumentalist Fraser Frlield and members of Mr McFall's Chamber, as well as visual input from photographer Catriona Murray. (Kenny Mathreson)
REVIEW ()IlAIlllY GIG
ROCK THE BOAT
The Ferry, Glasgow. Sat 10 Jan 0...
Shelter Scotland were the benefrcrarres of thrs charrdee shrndrg on the Clyde, organrsed by Glasgow label Mrster Tramp Records. whrch encouraged its bands to let therr harr down for the nrght and play a slrghtly out of the ordrnary set featurrng covers. rarrtres or new songs.
Upbeat beardres Mitchell Museum worked a currous lrne of borrowrngs from The Platters, Marrlyn Manson and Tings Tings amongst therr own stuff. which — remrniscent of the effervescent, fuzzy altpop of early dEUS - was pretty impressrve. You Already Know brought the spacey. rock noise, and plenty of rumprng — always good, except perhaps for when Its all over Talkrng Heads' “Psycho Krller' — after whrch Evan Crrchton toned things down wrth some fine ornate, swayrng rndre.
Dark post-tolkers De Rosa managed to pull oft the most unlrkely cover of the nrght rn the shape of Take That's ‘Greatest Day', before playing materral from therr grand. rf bleak, forthcomrng new album Prevent/on. fun not exactly berng the band's forte, but by then there had already been plenty of that to go around. (Malcolm Jack)
I wvwv. soot/and. shelter. org. uk
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REVIEW |Nl)ll I’()I’
THE BALLET
Half My Heart Beats @ The Flying Duck, Glasgow, Sat 10 Jan «0
Travellrng thousands of rnrles from New York Crty to Europe tor a tour rs not somethrng you'd expect a band to do half heartedly, so rt was a sharrre to see Big Apple electronrc rndre pop softres The Ballet performrng here rn Glasgow wrth a trrnrdrty that bordered on the apologetrc.
Shyness rs a given from an outfrt of therr lrterate, brttersweet rlk. But thrs bunch have got some great songs, and srnce a sr/eable and receptive audience turned out to hear them, there was lrttle excuse for the band not to be crankrng up the volume and lookrng rnargrnally less lrke they wanted dearly, rn spells, for the floor to open wrde and swallow them.
‘The House on Frre' recalled the chrrpy synths and beats of Au Revorr Srmone. whrle much of the rest of The Ballet's tunes. ‘In My Head' the standout amongst them, were strarght from the school of strurrrmy melodrc wrstfulness whose alumnr rncludes The Magnetrc Frelds, the Hrdden Cameras and Belle and Sebastran — groups who have learned not to let therr rnherent aversron to a crowd prove a hrndrance to a good live show. (Malcolm Jack)
I w. rnyspace. corn/srssypopbarrd
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22 Jan—5 Feb 2009 TflE LIST 57