list.co.uk/fi lm HIP HOP KENDRICK LAMAR O2 ABC, Glasgow, Wed 16 Jan
When Dr Dre, Snoop Dogg and The Game crown you as the ‘new King of the West Coast’, you’ve got a lot to live up to. Luckily, Compton rapper Kendrick Lamar is doing just that.
The California-native, who goes by the full name
of Kendrick Lamar Duckworth, has been making his mark on the hip hop scene since 2009 with a string of successful mixtapes and one of the best digital rap albums of 2011, Section.80, his debut studio release. In October 2012, the 25-year-old released another album – this time after signing to a major label, the bombastic, all-round excellent good kid, m.A.A.d city. The concept album has received critical acclaim for its storytelling raps, intricately-crafted flows and clever (domino-referencing) wordplay on the complexities of Compton life.
The mellow low-key production on the album has
also reaped a positive response – if you wondered what Pharrell has been up to, he is responsible for the subdued sounds of good kid – and Just Blaze takes credit for the G-funk-style composition on ‘Compton’.
good kid, m.A.A.d city also features guest vocals from Mary J Blige and Drake as well as realistic-sounding skits emphasising the running themes of family, faith and gang culture. Lead single ‘Swimming Pools (Drank)’ received rave reviews, becoming Zane Lowe’s Record of the Week and gathering over 18 million video views.
Duckworth, who has been compared to Tupac, Eminem
and Nas, has already performed two sold-out shows at Camden’s Electric Ballroom earlier this year, and this date will be his first ever Scottish show. Needless to say, for fans of their hip hop, this one comes with no small amount of big expectations. (Lauren Gelling)
FESTIVE FUNCTIONS CHRISTMAS PARTY ROUND-UP Various venues, Glasgow and Edinburgh
It takes a strong will and an even stronger stomach to get through the slew of festive functions at this time of year. However, we have a selection of alternative and highly enjoyable ways to blow off steam this Christmas. First up, fledgling Glasgow micro-label Olive Grove Records are hosting a good ol’ seasonal knees-up at Pollokshaws café/community arts centre, The Glad Café, featuring a glittering selection of OGR alumni, headed by the wonderfully odd Randolph’s Leap and supported by Jo Mango and The State Broadcasters. Money from this event will also be going towards helping local charities, so dig deep! (The Glad Café, Glasgow, Fri 14 Dec, £6.)
In stark contrast, The Art School’s Jimbo Crimbo at SWG3 is a decadent all-night mash-up of boundary- pushing local musicians and visual artists, with DJs, installations and live performances providing the perfect
avant garde X-mas antidote. Performers include Mother Ganga, The Life of Grime and the GSA choir. ( SWG3, Glasgow, Sat 14 Dec, £8/£6.) In Edinburgh, Electric Circus hosts the ten-year
anniversary party of Is This Music.com, which sees ITM favourites, Ballboy, warming up a close-knit crowd of contributors, fans, artists and anyone else who wants to get merry in very good company. Adam Thompson from Glasgow’s We Were Promised Jetpacks, and We See Lights round out this nice little winter warmer. (Electric Circus, Edinburgh, Fri 13 Dec, £6.)
Last but certainly not least, Kid Canaveral’s
Christmas Baubles returns, for a third helping of beautiful Christmas madness. This year’s line-up is as fantastic as the last two, with Malcolm Middleton (above), King Creosote & FOUND, Meursault, RM Hubbert and Josie Long joining the lovable KC and guest DJs for an all-night Christmas party well worth the hangover! (The Caves, Edinburgh, Sat 22 Dec, £16.) (Ryan Drever)
Previews | MUSIC EXPOSURE
DAUGHTER
One daughter and two sons, this London trio will be all over the January tips-for- the-year lists with their un- nervingly, transfixing model of emotionally derelict am- bient alt-folk. Having spent the last few months bedding in with a handful of singles, two EPs, His Young Heart and The Wild Youth, festival appearances galore and dates opening for Beirut, Daughter are set for a big one in 2013
What’s their story? Originally the solo pseudonym of vocalist, guitarist and songwriter Elena Tonra, Daughter became a band when guitarist Igor Haefeli and later drummer Remi Aguilella joined the fold. They’d been play- ing together as a three-piece for just 18 months when 4AD swooped for their signature.
Their lyrics aren’t exactly . . . cheery, are they? Awash with toxic love, Tonra’s words employ a mixture of moody poetry and bloody literalism. ‘Landfill’ lays bare her double- edged affection for a guy who makes her feel like shit: ‘I want you so much/ but I hate your guts.’ On the bewitchingly beautiful ‘Youth’ Tonra proves that broken hearts are for sissies: ‘you broke my chest,’ she sings, in a deceptively sweet and mellow tone.
Goodness, she’s not had much luck with the fellas. Tell us she has at least some reliable lads in her life . . . Yes indeed, a fine talented two- some in Haefeli and Aguilella, whose Explosions in the Sky- esque vapour-trail guitar lines and softly rumbling rhythms are a lesson in restrained playing – think The xx on an alt-folk tip – and give subtly ambient backing to Tonra in her full-on evocations of romantic heartache. Or chest-ache, rather. (Malcolm Jack) ■ Oran Mor, Glasgow, Mon Jan 21.
13 Dec 2012–24 Jan 2013 THE LIST 107