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EXPOSURE
BIG NED Self-declared proponents of Doom‘n’Roll, Big Ned made one of 2009’s best albums, a self-titled effort released on Optimo Music. Andrew R Hill caught up with them to discuss David Lynch and cowboy hats. How did the band form?
Dave [Clark] and I’ve been brothers of the bevvy for ages. We partied with [drummer] Dev and began recording stuff. To begin, it was just Dave and I fannying about, then it got more serious. Keith from Optimo was right behind us and got the album out. Your music is often described as ‘Lynchian’. How important is David Lynch as an influence? Why does Lynch have a co-credit on ‘Bad Angel’?
Well, I’m more of a sport and porn kinda guy, to be honest. Cinema is a great influence though, Gummo and Dead Man’s Shoes especially. Telly too – that Red Riding Trilogy is very Big Ned – I draw lots of inspiration from that – some of it wholesale but I’ll disguise it well. I’ve only seen Fire Walk with Me and Dave drew my attention to that nightclub scene with subtitles – the band that play over that are our biggest influence to date, I reckon. Lynch had to be co-credited for obvious references to ‘The Pink Room’. Don’t get Ego Bob (our bass player) started on Lynch. He’s met him and gave his son the CD recently. The live shows are known for their intensity. Is the topless cowboy thing an act, or just the opposite – the realisation or expression of the true self?
It’s both, but it would be wrong to say where the act ends and the truth begins – I don’t even know myself. I’m a tops-off and cowboy hat guy all the way. I see some bands wearing kagoules, looking like they’re off on a school trip – not on my watch, soldier.
What’s next?
The sound is getting weirder and darker. Dougie’s got some fantastic riffs for newer, faster material. We’ll try out new live tracks and think about taking those into the studio next year. ■ Big Ned play at The Captain’s Rest, Glasgow, Fri 18 Dec. www.myspace.com/bignedwantsyou
REVIEW ELECTRONICA BROADCAST Stereo, Glasgow, Wed 9 Dec ●●●●●
REVIEW INDIE NEON INDIAN Captain’s Rest, Glasgow, Tue 1 Dec ●●●●● REVIEW INDIE POP THE PAINS OF BEING PURE AT HEART Stereo, Glasgow, Thu 3 Dec ●●●●●
Throughout their career, Birmingham’s Broadcast have created a brand of ghostly electronic pop which could be described as comforting. Yet this latest live incarnation, promoting new EP ‘Broadcast and the Focus Group Investigate the Witch Cults of the Radio Age’ and comprising only founder members Trish Keenan and James Cargill, removes the pair quite decisively from their comfort zone. Of course, Keenan – wearing a bohemian tunic top and a straight chestnut fringe, and performing in front of a projection of random psychedelic images – is integral to the Broadcast sound. Her high, spectral voice sounds as if it’s being radioed in from another planet, and is a grounding factor in a gig which sees the pair stood behind trestle tables of electronics at either end of the stage. The almost entirely synthesised versions of those particularly out-there new songs and noise-laden reworkings of their old tracks sacrifice a little of their conciseness for heaped-high sonic invention, although a couple of new tracks played near the end do suggest that the value of a good hook hasn’t been forgotten. (David Pollock)
Playing the opening night of their first European tour, Alan Palamo’s most recent outfit paid great homage to the synth-pop sounds of the 80s on debut LP Psychic Chasms. Songs like ‘Deadbeat Summer’ and ‘Shouldn’t Have Taken Acid With You’ show the band at their nostalgic, offbeat finest, but Alan Palamo’s vocals – which are drowned out throughout the entire set – aren’t particularly strong, and lack any of the passion displayed in his lyrics.
Unfortunately, despite the
aforementioned stand out tracks, and some excellent sampling, Neon Indian have about as much stage presence as a stuffed cat, making the short set seem somewhat indefinite.
If tonight’s show is anything to go by, this is one act most definitely undeserved of the recent hype piled upon them. Certainly, there are several moments during the show that would seemingly justify the interest, but these are far and few between. And while Palamo definitely has an eye for lyrical content, as well as some excellent ideas, he needs to realise that two great songs, does not a good band make. (Zaineb Al Hassani)
Pains of Being Pure at Heart joke that they keep returning to Glasgow (this is their third show here in a year) out of a desire to find ‘Scottish husbands’. Singer Kip Berman specifically wants ‘one who looks like Jim Reid,’ according to keyboardist Peggy Wang-East. Which hints at another reason why
the Brooklyn indie pop denizens surface here so frequently – their fuzzy, thumping, dreamy sound takes its lead from a raft of Scottish bands – Reid’s Jesus and Mary Chain, Orange Juice and The Pastels. Yet before we all start blushing, it’s worth noting that they’ve been touring almost everywhere for the last year and more. And it’s apparently taken its toll: POBPAH (a clumsy acronym if ever there was one) feel run down tonight – voices are hoarse, faces look peaky.
Sparks fail to fly during their best song, ‘Young Adult Friction’. But Berman’s way with a burrowing melody – full of melancholy and longing – is undeniable, and they’ve warmed up nicely by the end, and a feedback-strewn blast of full-on JAMC-homage ‘Gentle Sons’. Haste ye’s back, and we might get down on one knee next time. (Malcolm Jack)
REVIEW INDIE MODEST MOUSE O2 ABC, Glasgow Thu 10 December ●●●●●
The stage in Glasgow already looks slightly overcrowded with a vast array of instruments including a large viola and two drum kits, even before a six–strong Modest Mouse emerge. Lead singer Isaac Brock is clearly a passionate musician, but seems reluctant to take on the frontman role, instead tackling the limelight almost shoulder-to-shoulder with his band mates and positioning himself at the far right of the stage. Interaction with the crowd is kept to a minimum, briefly pausing only to complement the quality of cough syrup he has discovered in Scotland. Similar to their early albums, the live
set consists mainly of mid tempo numbers with prolonged and admirable instrumentals making full use of the diverse equipment on stage. The biggest fan reaction comes from the 2004 hit ‘Float On’ which gets most of the sold out crowd singing along and stamping to the heavy bassline. The biggest asset on display has to be Brock’s vocals, quirky as ever and shifting seamlessly from growling to subdued – tonight with many thanks to the quality of Scotland’s cough syrup. (Mark Petrie)
17 Dec 2009–7 Jan 2010 THE LIST 73