A SERIOUS MAN With new project Human Don’t Be Angry Malcolm Middleton is showing his sensible side . . . kind of. Nicola Meighan manages to bring out the worst in him
‘I set out with three unbreakable rules,’ states alt.pop saviour Malcolm Middleton. He’s referring to his brand-new solo endeavour Human Don’t Be Angry. ‘Rule one: don’t do interviews. Rule two: act like you know what you’re doing. Rule three: no beer onstage.’ Ever the iconoclast, Middleton trashes these
edicts before The List’s very eyes. The erstwhile Arab Strap melodist grants us an interview, for starters. And then he admits he’s not entirely sure as to where the project is headed. ‘Two out of three broken already!’ he triumphs. We’ve yet to see any beer onstage,
so there’s still an original rule intact. There was nary a snifter when Middleton premiered HDBA’s compelling, semi-instrumental psalms at the Fence Collective’s recent Away Game festival on the Isle of Eigg; and the stage was similarly booze- free for his ace and heady second show at Glasgow Platform’s Eastern Promise.
Why the new direction? ‘HDBA started as an antidote to having to write
another MM album,’ he explains. ‘I was a bit sick of writing songs of that ilk and feeling a bit confined, so giving myself an open playing field brought a sense of musical freedom which I hadn’t felt for years.
‘The main difference with HDBA is that the guitars come first, and words second – if at all,’ he continues. Indeed, his on-stage set-up comprises a Gretsch guitar, Fender amp and myriad FX pedals. He sings occasionally too,
but the words tend to feature as lyrical
loops. ‘Drum machines and synths will come later . . . I’d like to have other musicians join me at some point . . . I want to see how the songs develop live and then record something,’ he speculates.
Is he liberated by his new appellation? ‘It does feel like
having a disguise,’ he nods. ‘Even though everyone knows it’s me, at least I’m able to fool myself.’ ■ Human Don’t Be Angry will play the acoustic room at The List: 25 Years. www.malcolm middleton.co.uk
MEMORY MAKER Jonny Ensall speaks to Graeme Ronald, the sweetly melodic soul behind Remember Remember
Graeme Ronald makes collages of undulating rhythmic loops and melodic jingles under the recording name Remember Remember. Previously a solo project, Ronald worked with a new band to record tracks for new EP ‘RR Scorpii’. The murmuring riffs, twinkling glockenspiels and winnying strings that looped over in such entrancing patterns on Remember Remember’s self-titled 2008 debut album are still all present on the new release, but Ronald has made the leap forward from bedroom technician to live performer, with a ‘realer’ sound to boot. ‘One of the things that a lot of people picked up
on on the first record was the use of everyday objects for percussion,’ he says. ‘I was sequencing recordings of kicked cans and snapping staplers and stuff like that as percussion. But to be honest a lot of that came from not having a drummer.
‘I’ve done enough of the gentler kind of music.
It’s still basically pastoral or lush sounding but I really wanted to have more of that driving, danceable feel. Live drums definitely make a difference.’ There is one song on ‘RR Scorpii’ that isn’t a
collaborative effort. ‘The track that’s called “Aria” . . . I was just messing around with a borrowed octave shifting pedal, and was playing around with my guitar in my living room, and got really excited and ran through to tell my girlfriend that I’d made my guitar sound like a woman singing. Which was quite amusing for her I’m sure.’
Put simply, Ronald has managed to soundtrack some of the more idyllic moments in life, without having to pick them apart. ‘For me the best music that I write just comes to me, just before going to bed or whatever,’ he adds. ‘There’s something really pure about when an idea forms in your head without even having to make it happen.’ ■ Graeme Ronald plays solo in the acoustic room at The List: 25 Years. ‘RR Scorpii’ is out on Rock Action, Mon 1 Nov. EP launch party at Stereo, Glasgow, Fri 5 Nov. www.myspace.com/rememberremember
THE LIST: 25 YEARS
A LITTLE HELP FROM OUR FRIENDS
The line-up for The List: 25 Years is now complete. Here’s some info on the performers
ERRORS Our cover stars last issue, Glasgow’s finest instrumental dance/rock crossover band have just finished a tour of the UK in support of their latest album, Come Down With Me. A remix album featuring Mogwai and The Twilight Sad among others (Celebrity Come Down With Me – of course) is out next month. The List: 25 Years will be their last Glasgow show this year so make sure not to miss it. www.myspace.com/weareerrors
DEN HAAN Optimo-approved cosmic electronica from Glasgow. Andrew Gardiner and Matthew Aldworth make space disco that’s rich with Italo influences and obscure references to Russian boat commanders. Their live show is a heady, late- night mix of smoke and lasers, designed to make dancefloors bubble. A long-awaited debut album, modestly titled Gods From Outer Space, is scheduled for release in December this year. www.myspace.com/denhaan ALASDAIR ROBERTS Marcus Mumford he ain’t. Not nu- folk, freak folk, folktronica or any other diluted sub genre, Roberts has an unwavering commitment to traditional music. His songs are beautiful, tender and arresting, putting the Scot up there with the likes of Will ‘Bonnie Prince Billy’ Oldham as the best in this folkin’ business. His love of the melancholy is showcased on brilliant recent album Too Long In This Condition. www.alasdairroberts.com
JG WILKES (OPTIMO/SUB CLUB) Jonnie Wilkes is one half of the team behind the legend that was Sub Club’s Optimo (Espacio) Sunday night. Having hosted the much-loved weekly event at Sub Club for more than a decade he’s now presiding over new Subbie Sunday, Hung Up, as well as playing to adoring audiences across the globe. Not to be missed at The List: 25 Years, but if you do he’ll be at Subculture at the Sub Club on Sat 23 Oct. www.optimomusic.com JOE HOWE A synthesizer wizard, Howe’s numerous projects include Gay Against You, Germlin and Ben Butler & Mousepad. He’s just finished work on an opera in Berlin (about synthesizers, what else?), and he’s releasing a new EP next month. He’ll be playing a DJ set in The Arches’ foyer for The List, but you can also catch BB&MP at the Captain’s Rest, Glasgow on 21 Oct, Alison House, Edinburgh on 26 Oct and Glasgow School of Art on 31 Oct. See music listings for more info. bbandmp.tumblr.com
21 Oct–4 Nov 2010 THE LIST 11