ALASDAIR CAMPBELL AC PROJECTS / COUNTERFLOWS
NICK HERD BRAW GIGS
CRY PARROT
‘It is an absolute pleasure and privilege for me to have been able to work closely with Fielding over the last four years. When I left my job at the Tolbooth to go independent and start
Counterfl ows and AC Projects, Fielding became a natural ally and supported what I was trying to do from the outset. It is this collaborative
spirit that sets Fielding apart among the vagaries of the music world, that and his sheer love of the music. Fielding has done so much for the scene across Scotland that it is really hard to quantify. His unfl appable manner disguises a huge strength that he focuses on making every performance that he produces the most important event in the history of music. He can appear laid-back but he is never shy of telling it how it is. The Cry Parrot community is a really beautiful thing. My favourite Cry Parrot moment so far has to be Heatsick’s Extended Play with special guests Golden Teacher and Joe McPhee (of course, musicians from Whilst and others
joined this jamboree of magic) at the Glasgow School of Art at Counterfl ows 2014. The throng of revellers were still dancing when the lights came on at 3am. Four hours of ridiculous
musical pleasure.’
KEITH MCIVOR AKA JD TWITCH, OPTIMO
‘I’m very happy for Fielding and know he will do fantastic things for the fabulous Cafe OTO but this is a real loss for Glasgow. Fielding has consistently been perhaps the most daring
promoter that Glasgow has ever seen, bringing
untold brilliant acts to the city who might
never have played here otherwise.
He is also very rare among promoters in that fi nancial success seemed to be actually very
low on his list of priorities. He absolutely epitomises the spirit of free-thinking DIY
passion that has such a strong current here
and I sincerely hope someone steps up and tries to at least partially carry on the
great work he has done, even though this is
undoubtedly a very hard act to follow.’
‘As a co-promoter for the Group Inerane show
with Emily [Roff] and Fielding, there was a specifi c buzz in the air on that miserably cold and windy evening in 2011. It was probably a
combination of it being upstairs in the Kinning Park basketball court, setting up a cheap and very generous pop-up bar and having such an incredible live act in Scotland for the fi rst time – total synergy. Just one of those nights where
everything aligned in the most righteous manner with the perfect mix of community,
DIY and Saharan exoticism in the same confi ned space. A defi nite highlight!’
STEWART SMITH THE LIST’S JAZZ
AND WORLD MUSIC REVIEWER
‘Cry Parrot has been a real game-changer, arguably the most important thing to happen
to the Glasgow music scene since Optimo started in 1997. They have a lot in common
with Optimo: open-minded and internationalist, but with strong Glasgow roots. Moreover, they know how to bring the party. Fielding and his cohorts have built on the great work done by punk and indie-oriented DIY promoters like Nuts & Seeds in the ‘00s, while also engaging with experimental music and underground club
scenes. The results have been a joy. To pick a favourite Cry Parrot show is a near impossible
task. I could go for Group Inerane’s blazing Tuareg rock at Kinning Park Complex or the righteous blast of post-punk and jazz that was The Ex & Brass Unbound, but perhaps the most magical of all was the most recent: Joe McPhee and Chris Corsano at Nice’n’Sleazy. A beautiful, intimate show from two endlessly creative masters of free jazz and improvised
music. McPhee previously played the Cry Parrot co-curated Counterfl ows festival in
April, throwing himself into glorious party jams with Golden Teacher, Heatsick and Whilst. The 74-year-old saxophonist and trumpeter is an inspiration. That Glasgow has taken him to its heart is testament to Fielding and Cry Parrot’s
great achievement of bringing amazing underground music to a wider audience.’
13 Nov–11 Dec 2014 THE LIST 25