‘I DON'T THINK WE'RE QUITE THE FINISHED ARTICLE LIVE YET'
The shock of the new
Prepare to be spooked by the magic of The Phantom Band, a band Doug Johnstone finds are unafraid to wander off the musical beaten track
he Phantom Band are a riddle wrapped in a mystery wrapped inside an enigma. ()K. they‘re not really. they ‘re just si\ guys liy ing in (ilasgow making music. but as their ephemeral name there is something shadowy and unfathomable about both the band and the e\traordinary sounds they make. llaying formed a l'ew years ago (that‘s as accurate as they get abotit ill. the band started performing e\perimental one-off~ shows wearing hoods to disguise theinselyes. shows which featured smoking wolf heads or. on one occasion. a Stairmaster on stage.
stlL'L'esls
These shows were undertaken under a \ariety ol
dil‘l‘erent hand names. including the likes of Robert RCLITOI'LI. \Vootlell Trees and Tower ol- (iil'ls. the hand unable to agree on a moniker that suited.
Hut 3000 has seen The Phantom Band emerge blinking into the limelight. and the reason is their remarkable debut album. ('lii'i'kniuli' .S'ui'ugr'. released last month by (‘heniikal l'nderground to uniyersal critical acclaim.
The album takes Krautrock. l‘olk. post-rock and blues and mashes them into an unholy whole. an atmospheric journey through a strange Scottish hinterland ol' bones and beasts. incantations and burials.
That it does so while also being coinpellingly engaging and unashamedly melodic is the key to The Phantom Band‘s particular skewed genius. sounding
at times like timeless pop songs dug out the ground or
distilled from the haar. That organic l‘eel is absolutely key to the songwriting process. according to the band.
“We usually spend a bit of time before we start practising our set just jamming and making stut'l' tip and we come up with ideas then.‘ says singer Rick Anthony. a man blessed with a sumptuously deep and sonorous croon. 'lmproyising for an hour or so
60 THE LIST ‘9' Fen-5 My 350:3
tisually comes up with something
It‘s not all done oil. the cull. though.
‘We record a lot ol' our practises as well.‘ says keyboard player .»\ndy Wake. “so that we can then go back and pick things out that are interesting and
deyelop them. I don't know how many years of
practises we’w got. all on ('I)Rs. which we can go back to.‘
‘Yeah. w e'\ e got the next two albums ready to go.‘ deadpans Anthony.
‘Steady'. the yast majority of them are just stupid crap.‘ laughs Wake.
The sttllT that made it onto ('llr'r'k‘mulr' .S'ut'ut't' stiggests a band bursting with ideas. willing to take risks and keen to haye fun. and is reminiscent of the likes ol‘The Beta Band or Super liurry Animals. while also haying a deeper connection with Scotland‘s traditional musical heritage.
:\ll ol which comes into its own when the band play liye. Seemingly ramshackle but definitely exhilarating. the band rattle through their set with gleel'ul abandon. bashing on homemade instruments and hollering along like there's no tomorrow. They ‘re not about to rest on their laurels. though.
‘I don't think we're quite the finished article liye yet.~ says \‘y'ake. ‘There are nights when it really works. but I always think we should be doing more. both \‘isually and inusically.‘
‘\\'e used to look a lot more era/y when we played. a lot more all (net the place.‘ says Anthony. ‘.\Iusical|y w e‘ye put a lot ol' el'f‘ort into honing down the tracks and getting them into a complete state. but I think we should maybe get some of the era/iness back.‘
'lt‘ll get better.~ says Wake. ‘I promise.’
The Phantom Band, King Tut’s, Glasgow, Thu 26 Feb; Tollbooth, Stirling, Sun 28 Feb.
I'I'f“
-.~i, 5:» ' i ‘ [v ».\ T l I-‘y;f.tn f‘.‘ ‘
THE BEST Rock'rdiziiii'z‘z‘s FOLK
=1: Shhh! Zoey Van Goey and My Latest Novel take on the task of performing a live musical interpretation of a classc film in one of the Glasgow Music and Film Festival's more imaginative events. The Arches. Glasgow. Sun 22 Feb. (Rock 8 Pop)
:2: Butcher Boy The launch for React or Die. the second album of thoughtful orchestral indie from the man behind Glasgow's joyous National Pop League. Queen '3 Park Bowling 8 Tennis Club, Glasgow. Sat 27 Feb. (Rock 8 Pop)
:2: Withered Hand, Mount Analogue and Panda Su A Drive Carefully Records night to showcase the dry wit and raw skill of Scotland's most compelling folk punk. 73th Note Cafe, Glasgow, Sat 21 Feb. (Rock 8 Pop)
:2: Yahweh Expect the sort of lovely ambience reminiscent of The Field for this album launch of one of our latest electronic talents. Mono, Glasgow, Sun 22 Feb. (Rock 8 Pop)
2: Bombskare, The Amphetameanies and Big Hand A tremendous triple bill of ska-ness from Scotland's three most accomplished acts. This is the launch of A Fistful of Dynamite is the new release from Bombskare. Studio. Edinburgh, Fri 27 Feb. (Rock 8 Pop)
2%: Amadou 8: Mariam Mali's most beguiling musical duo bring rich, happy tones to the rather more grey climate of our nation. They will make you smile. The HMV Picture House, Edinburgh, Sat 28 Feb. See preview, page 61. (Rock 8 Pop, Folk)
rt: Marmaduke Duke Electro- funk Biffy Clyro side-project. See feature, page 20. Bongo Club. Edinburgh, Sat 28 Feb. (Rock 8 Pop)
>l< Franz Ferdinand and The Soft Pack A hometown gig for FF. Maybe you've heard of them? Barrow/and, Glasgow, Wed 4 Mar. (Rock 8 Pop)