The reopening of Bar Bloc

The Bloc Party goes on.

Last night I was lucky enough to be invited to the reopening of Bar Bloc on Bath Street.

Innovation, creativity and guerrilla marketing have helped Bloc become an established and vital part of the Glasgow music scene; well loved and recognised by artists such as Louis Abbot (Admiral Fallow) and Glasgow mavericks Detour (Ally McCrae and David Weaver).

An eclectic roster of regular nights is enhanced by Bloc having its own orchestra (Blochestra) and record label.

Bloc's eclectic music policy and reputation for looking after bands and artists has resulted in all kinds of secret shows from big name acts. Before closing for the refurb the venue hosted an incredible last minute show by Paws with their friends We Are Scientists in tow. It has yet to be confirmed if that was the mental night that pushed them into the refurb - although  reports and pictures from that night are pretty damaging!

We Are Scientists at Bar Bloc

Only kidding! But Bloc has been well loved over the years and a refurb had been planned for some time.

Bare brick walls and cool lighting enhance the vibe, moving the bar back a few feet has added more space, a new sound system will only improve Bloc's reputation for live music, the toilets have had a radical overhaul and the nice cobbled effect out the front just helps keep Bloc that little bit different.You step off one of Glasgow's busiest streets and into another little world.

What else has changed?

Well the menu - last night guests were fortunate to sample all kinds of delightful food courtesy of @furiousFoodBloc, the burgers were delicious!

Last night wasn't mental, it was a chance for Bloc to open its doors and show off the look and feel. Regulars that I spoke to were very happy with the improvements and pleased that the vibe was still distinctly 'Bloc'.

The mental night will probably come on Saturday night when Roman Nose bring their electro techno noise to the party crowd.

Bloc did treat guests to 3 fantastic solo performers. Adam Stafford was in excellent form, creating little riffs and noises from his guitar, looping them and flourishing them with all kinds of melodies and noises, looping them too and then singing over the top.

I hadn't seen Adam playing live for a while and he is always astonishing to watch; inventive, creative and most definitely talented. There is no-one else like him. His last two albums (Build A Harbour Immediately and Imaginary Walls Collapse) are pretty incredible and well worth checking out. The song Shot-down You Summer Wannabes is a particular favourite of mine.

I caught up with Adam for a beer after his set and fans of his music and talent will be delighted to know that he is working on his next album. Congratulations to Adam on the birth of his daughter - I am sure that will inspire some excellent new work.

Adam Stafford

Ella the Bird (Siobhan Wilson) was up next and she produced a mesmerising performance; sitting at her keyboard at first and then picking up an electric guitar for the second half of her set. Her voice was utterly gorgeous, dreamy at times and then capable of soaring effortlessly at others.

I thoroughly enjoyed the set and bought her Glorified Demons mini-album afterwards. This is a special talent.

The night was running behind schedule which meant that I was leaving just as Rick Redbeard was starting his set. 

Bloc is back - and it means business. The look, feel, roster and the creative and hard working team at its heart will ensure many more brilliant nights in the future.

Music in May

May is a busy month for music in Glasgow, yet there are two events that I am particularly looking forward to and it should be no real surprise that they involve the acts I am managing.

Thursday 19^th May – Sonny Marvello live at the Apple Store

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=177283152322424

Taken from the Apple website;

6:00 pm - 6:30 pm
Rocket Science Recording Studio 
Sonny Marvello’s producers Ross Hamilton and Michael Bannister will give us insight into how Apple devices make their workflow more dynamic. At Rocket Science Recording Studio, Ross and Michael rely on a MacBook Pro to record the music, an iPad 2 to wirelessly control Pro Tools and an iPhone 4 to capture HD video of the live sessions. Come along and find out more at this special event.

6:30 pm - 7:30 pm
Sonny Marvello: Music, Marketing and the Mac 
How can a pop band record, market, film and network successfully — all using Apple products? Find out from Glasgow’s own Sonny Marvello, a group that’s been compared to Beatles-era McCartney, classic Sparks and the Monkees crossed with ELO. Hear how they recorded their new acoustic mini-album, 100 Club, in only one day. They’ll close this special event with a live acoustic set.

Sonny Marvello - Fire Went Out

Post event Sonny Marvello will be playing a guerrilla style gig somewhere in Glasgow City Centre and following that there will be an exclusive aftershow party for members of the Sonny Marvello 100 club.

What is the Sonny Marvello 100 club?

It isn’t easy for a non-electronic act to find a studio and producer that they trust. It also isn’t cheap. Thankfully Sonny Marvello have found two producers who ‘get’ their sound and who bring out the best in them in the studio – Ross Hamilton and Michael Bannister from Rocket Science Studios.

Ross and Michael produced the bands ‘Pull Me Up’ EP and the band were so impressed that they went on to record three more songs with the duo with a view to getting an album together. Those songs; ‘Tiny Little Sparks’, ‘Paint The Sky’ and ‘Don’t Wanna Be Held’ were paid for out of EP sales. Once the kitty had run dry the band were faced with the task of generating more cash to fund studio time. So the band and I came up with the concept of the 100 club – an exclusive club with 100 memberships available at the cost of £10.

A tenner gets you;

•  A download of the song ‘Who Needs Somebody’
• A strictly limited edition mini acoustic album featuring the songs; ‘Welcome to the 100 club’, ‘Invisible Girl’, ‘Charlie Sheen (you’re living my dream)’, ‘Hold Me Sway’ and ‘Fire Went Out’ (check the video of ‘Fire Went Out’ back at the top of this blog) 
• Access to a secret gig
• A 100 club members badge
• Chance to appear in a video
• Mention on the website
• Future exclusives

Not bad value for a tenner in my humble opinion. Everyone is a winner, the band generate £1,000 to fund a few days in the studio and fans get some goodies and future exclusives. At the time of writing the band are on course to sell the last dozen or so memberships before the Apple Store gig.

So by the end of the summer, Sonny Marvello should have finished the recording, mixing and mastering of their album and it is going to be a belter. The band (and in particular singer-songwriter Stephen Farrell) have been on emotional rollercoaster of a ride over the last two years and that comes across in their songs of love, hope, dreams and at times despair (highlighted in the song ‘Land of the Lost Cause’ recorded last week. The band wear their hearts on their sleeves, there are no gimmicks, no magic tricks, this is a band that write and sing songs that many people will relate to and that upon hearing, people will find themselves singing along to.

Check them out and consider signing up to the 100 club at www.sonnymarvello.net

Tuesday 24^th May – Miaoux Miaoux single launch at Mono with special guests Japanese War Effort, Nevada Base and Peenko dj set http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=179453722104970

It is just over a year since I started working with Miaoux Miaoux and it has been an incredibly productive period. The next 6-months fill me with a real sense of excitement as Julian works towards the completion of his album, tentatively titled ‘Arcs of Brilliance’ and I look to see if I can find a label to release and promote his music. Miaoux Miaoux has developed very naturally over the last year with word-of-mouth playing a huge part. People check him out and recommend him to friends, blogs write about him and enquire about what is happening, and if he is booked to play somewhere he tends to get booked again or recommended to a fellow promoter/venue.

The phase begins with the release of a summer single through the small label Eli & Oz, run by Jen Anderson (also of Euphonios) who has a good ear for music and a good track record. I recently discovered the lovely Bear Bones through her label. 

Miaoux Miaoux's songs in question are the insanely catchy and summery ‘Hey Sound’ and the beautiful instrumental ‘Cloud Computer’. The single will be a digital only release and are the first fruits of the album Julian is working on.

When I first heard ‘Hey Sound’ I left Julian’s studio with a huge smile on my face. It is probably his most ‘commercial’ song to date. I was the same with ‘Cloud Computer’. The infectious guitar riff is etched in my brain and I found myself humming it as I walked along the West Highland Way on holiday lately.

The single will be launched with a show at one of my favourite venues in Glasgow – Mono, on 24^th May, the day after it is released. Expect a video in the week leading up to the release and you’ll be able to listen to the songs online soon.

With support from the lovely Jamie of Japanese War Effort (Jamie is also one half of Conquering Animal Sound who have released one of my albums of the year to date) and recently confirmed special guests Nevada Base it is shaping up to be quite a night.