Named after the debut single by Teenage Fanclub.
This blog is all about being a music lover in Glasgow; reviews, interviews, memories, old faves, new discoveries (past and present), playlists and more. Thanks for visiting - I hope you discover something amazing you have never heard before, or that you rediscover an old favourite.
Regular features/playlists; Never Ending Mixtape / Cover Version of the Month/ Trust Me.
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Last night I ventured out to the legendary King Tuts Wah Wah Hut in Glasgow to catch Kevin Harper, one of my favourite artists, performing live as part of the venues Summer Nights run.
Summer Nights is a series of shows put on by Craig Johnstone of DF Concerts during the festival season, showcasing some of the best unsigned and DIY music from across the country.
I've been following Kev since I discovered his old band Little Eskimos. Kev's passion for music is evident through his recordings and performances, his talent is all too clear to see and when you meet him, or catch him live, then you can't fail to fall for his sense of humour. That also comes across on Social Media!
Kev took to the Tut's stage alone and I was initially a little disappointed that he didn't have a band backing him. That feeling soon evaporated as Kev booted up his laptop to back him and his guitar and launched into a little tirade about 'how f**king hard it is to sell tickets for a show on a Monday night'.
The crowd was pretty quiet but the sound of music soon sent people scurrying up the stairs from the bar below and before you knew it there was a decent crowd.
Kev performed a mixture of solo material from his album 'Kingdom of Wires' (reviewed here) (BUY HERE), some Little Eskimo's tunes and 'a cover of a traditional American folk song' that turned out to be The Pixies 'Monkey Gone To Heaven.'
After the opening blast of 'Couch' Kev seemed generally startled by the response from the audience and they easily met his encouragement to step forward to the stage, immediately making the gig seem incredibly intimate.
'Legs' from Little Eskimos was treated as long lost friends, both by Kev and a few delighted female followers in the audience who Kev described as his eskimo-ettes.
'Start It Up' (also a Little Eskimos song) was delivered with ferocious passion, while 'Kingdom of Wires' was a real highlight, tugging on the heart strings.
'Jacqueline' closed proceedings (after the aformentioned Pixies cover) to roars of approval that caused Kev to admit to being genuinely taken back, the show was over. Sadly the chants for 'mmmmooorrrreee' and 'one more tune' were politely declined.
I hope there will be another show soon. Kevin Harper is a warm and natural performer - perfect for those quiet Monday nights and any other day of the week.
Anyone familiar with Harper's work from his fondly remembered band Little Eskimo's will know that he isn't afraid to pour his heart out into his songs. 'Kingdom of Wires' takes things further, Kev has lived a life, he has loved and lost, several times, friends included.
Once I had a brother a friend for a lifetime Until he left us, he suddenly left us
The title track flows superbly with guitars powering through and ringing true, much like Kev's lyrics.
Harper's love of American guitar music is evident throughout the album, perhaps displayed at best with 'Couch'. Catchy, personal and with an element of self depreciating humour, 'Couch' is brilliant.
In a year from now I will miss you still If i could tell you I'm sorry, Jennifer i will
'Get Me Down' slows things down - well a little bit. There is a sense of urgency throughout the album, almost like these songs have been stored for a while and during recording (with Harper playing pretty much everything) they were just bursting out.
'Better Ways' rumbles into life and once again Harper is opening his heart to the world. The song fizzes into life like a classic Foo Fighters single for the chorus.
'I Was A Sailor' is a song I first heard many moons ago and it is great to hear it on record. I sometimes think that Kev must have lived in America in a previous lifetime. Real humour and playfulness on this track, although again there is that sense of hurt and looking for something new.
Gotta get some light in here
I can hardly see
I gotta get some air in here
I can barely breathe
'Said It All' has another soaring chorus and the guitars across the album sound fantastic.
A secret in the morning can be a ruin by the afternoon
'Glory Box' by Portishead can ruin the day for you
So begins 'Used It Well' before the chorus explodes into life - seriously, the way the choruses flow on this album are exceptional. The closing hook 'You gotta come back down' is the killer blow.
'Forgotten Girls' starts with just an acoustic guitar and drum machine and Kev's heartfelt vocals. Synths help power the chorus to this song, rather than the usual guitars. In that sense, it does break up the album quite nicely, offering something different and leading into some slower tracks.
The album goes off in a completely different direction with 'Oxygen' with Kev singing about another lost love who has a new boy who just uses her for 'idle entertainment'. The chorus on this song soars in a different way to others, there is barely anything backing up Harper other than emotional synth sounds.
The epic 6-and-a-half minute 'Jacqueline' closes the album in spectacular manner. There is a welcome increase in the speed and urgency of the song from the previous two songs 'Majorette; (ripe for an American sync deal!) and 'Gibraltar'. This is Kevin Harper and the Heartbreakers, acoustic guitars married perfectly to synths and electric guitar.
The guitar solo is scorching and Kev even allows a nice 'alright' during it, recognising the groove he has found with this tune. The song progresses into a real synth jam - brilliant.
Kevin Harper and his band play King Tuts on July 29th. The bands on after him better be on top of there game or he is going to blow them off the stage. See you there!
Well....I have just about recovered from an amazing night on the banks of Loch Lomond courtesy of Sonny Marvello.
When the band and I were planning the promotion around the release of their Tiny Little Sparks EP we talked about a Glasgow gig, but we couldn't decide what to do. The band have already played Tut's twice this year (headlining once) and last year they played Stereo twice. We wanted to do something different, so we decided to get out of Glasgow and we found Rowardennan Youth Hostel on the banks of Loch Lomond. It has 75 beds, a nice big room for a party (usually weddings) and no curfew!
Craig and I went up to recce the venue and we met Aaron, the lovely Aussie manager. He was up for it and trusted us. The party was on.
The ticket price was kept as cheap as possible - £40 for a buffet dinner, bed and breakfast - plus entertainment from Sonny Marvello, Little Eskimos, Model Jet Pilot and Ryan Davidson (magician). Not to mention a DJ set from me. 15 beds were allocated to the band, performers and guests, ending up being 17. We then sold out of the remaining beds - admittedly the last 2 were sold on the day of the gig.
The sun was shining as I packed the car and headed into town to pick up Kevin Harper, AKA Little Eskimos. Kev's knowledge of music, film and television ensured lively and entertaining discussion en route to the venue.
We arrived and cracked a beer and welcomed people arriving. The band and sound engineer were already there and set up was almost done. Most people arrived by 5pm and there was time for a little introduction and a boring health and safety briefing before some music and drinks and then dinner.
Ryan Davidson was up first in terms of entertainment. His 35 minute magic set was genuinely impressive, shocking many, particularly as Ryan made out as if he had ruined tricks only to bring them back before our very eyes.
Next up was Model Jet Pilot, the guise of Ross Hamilton. Ross played 4-songs, enough to highlight his soaring falsetto and ear for guitar pop.
Little Eskimos were up next, playing a great 40 minute set, ending with a roaring cover of Bowie's '5-years'. Kev's songs of heartbreak and dreams went down well with the crowd. 'Get Yourself Together Kid' was a particular favourite of mine.
On to the headliners. Sonny had brought in a smoke machine and laser lights for the show and it set the mood nicely. The band have since said it has been their best gig to date and I can't argue. Stage ready after tour dates in Stirling, Perth, Inverness and Skye, the band ripped through old faves, new songs off the album they are currently recording (with 'Automatic' sounding like a future single) and then blasting through some covers especially prepared for the night. 'Maps' by Yeah Yeah Yeah's was sensational.
'Tiny Little Sparks' was epic and after the band played 'Made of Magic' the crowd kept singing the 'M A G I C, what you're made of, is magic', refrain. It was a special moment and the band looked genuinely amazed.
After the set it was drinking and dancing until the small hours....or breakfast for some.
This was a great night, I hope we can do it again next year.
I've been into Little Eskimos for a little over a year since they contributed their song 'Get Yourself Together Kid' to a charity album for Maggie's Centres.
I've caught them a few times since then, got on with their singer/songwriter (and lead Eskimo) Kevin and spoken to a number of people about them. I've never heard a bad word about the and or Kevin, with many people praising them to the hilt.
Reading between the lines, quite a lot has happened in the North Pole over the last couple of years and Kevin was a lone Eskimo for a while. May 2011 finds him with a band of fellow Eskimos and keen to push his songs forward, perhaps encouraged by winning an award at the SAMA's (Scottish Alternative Music Awards) earlier this year, or perhaps because (like me) he gets pissed off at some of the utter sh*te that is released and drooled over.
So this is the single; 'Rather Be Right' b/w 'Barcode Music' that will hopefully push the band forwards. With a number of releases and gigs planned I hope so.
'Rather Be Right' is currently on its fourth play on itunes. 5 things I've learned about 'Rather Be Right' already are;
It's quite raw at times - in a good garage pop kind of way
Kevin does indeed have a great ear for pop music as so many people have told me
The break at 2 minutes 14 seconds is dramatic, lovely and clever
The short instrumental afterwards before it picks up again is great
The song then really flows to conclusion
I'm now on the fifth play, what more can I saw. It's a good f**king song. It is straight from the heart with the hook/chorus
you don't love me like I love you, you don't love me like I do, and it's harder to hold on
The aforementioned break see's Kev calming down from the rants in the verses, such as;
i miss the things about you that used to piss me off
oh baby what a cliche, oh baby what can i say
i'd rather be right, i'd rather be right than happy
It's a great choice for a single. The b-side, live favourite 'Barcode Music' kicks off with huge crunching guitars, rocking like the Foo's. Perhaps taking the piss out of some of the bands kicking around, perhaps even an aim at himself during a writers block;
I wrote a new song, I wrote a new song, it sounds just like the last one
There is always a danger with live tracks failing to transfer to disc, but the recording maintains the ferocious live feeling of the song, but it's the a-side that does it for me, plus I'm about to nip out to play football so I need to finish this blog!
The single is out on 27th June via itunes and all other places like that. Look for the band on facebook for updates, I know they are planning a single release party in their home town of Stirling.
Well it has been a blast. Almost 5-years to the day they formed, Futuristic Retro Champions have sadly called time on their adventures in pop. As a brother, friend, fan and manager, I've had loads of fun and learned lots about working with a young band.
There have been many highlights; a support with The Vaselines in London and support from Eugene Kelly (on stage and off), artwork from Martin Creed, radio play, the endorsement of Kissy Sell Out, the Mono launch of 'May the Forth', the Hidden Lane Festival and watching a band develop into something quite special. Who knows what would have happened if they had continued with the rate of progress they built up in 2010?
FRC's, Hidden Lane Festival, 2010
It's time to move on though and I'm delighted that the band decided to go out on a high with two farewell parties and the release of an album; 'Love & Lemonade', that contains pretty much everything they recorded.
The album is available on ltd edition double cd with 26-tracks fo only £7, and a 25-track edition (not including the cover of Robert De Niro's Waiting) is available for download from itunes and other places as well.
Friday April 8th - Captain's Rest with Little Eskimos & Manda Rin (dj set)
Friday night started well. The band had a final practice session in the afternoon and were in good form at soundcheck. The venue started to fill up nicely and doors opened at 8.30pm, with the lovely Manda Rin playing a great selection of tunes to warm people up.
Little Eskimos came on around 9.40pm and it was great to see so many people coming downstairs to check them out. Lynn very kindly watched the first half and came up to take over the door to allow me to go down and watch one of my favourite bands. Kevin very kindly dedicated one of my favourite songs 'Broken Heart Bridgade' to me. It soars to places other bands can dream of. Not that Little Eskimos talents end there, far from it and I would highly recommend checking them out. They ended the set with a special cover version of FRC's 'May the Forth', turning an electro-pop gem into a bittersweet, heart tugging ballad.
I closed the door upstairs just as the first strains of 'Epic New Song' started blasting out from down below. I had actually turned a few people away due to the fact that the venue was close to over spilling, but I called them over and said they could squeeze in if possible. After the first song ended I called for Sita to ask everyone to take a step forward and that eased things slightly.
'Hi' was next, the first song the band wrote together and a few people sang along with the 'woah-oh-oh-oh, HI' chorus. The band invited their friend Fergus Weir on stage for the deep booming section of 'Let's Make Out' and it was a real highlight over the course of the weekend. The band flew through the soaring 'I want to be in your arms, I want to see all your charms, I think that we should make out' chorus.
Fergus took the time to thank the band for all the fun he has had with them and he made a short but emotional speech, reminding everyone that unfortunately the fun would be ending soon.
Harry took on lead vocals for 'Speak To Me' and the girls all joined in with the sugar sweet harmonies on the middle eight section;
'you and me are lofi, hanging out in our torn up levis, stick a record on the hifi,
and point the speakers right up to the sky'
'Strawberries & Vodka Shots' was pop perfection before 'Count To Ten' , an ode to a twee indie DJ slowed things down a little.
Ceal took on lead vocals for 'Uh Oh (No Show)', a beautiful 3-minute pop song about meeting a boy at a disco and not making it home. Not that Ceal would ever do such a thing! It was one of the last songs the band wrote and it is one of my favourites.
The downright dirty and sleazy 'DIY Lovesong' was dedicated by Carla and Sita to anyone who likes to 'do it themselves' with the bands humour shining through on the infectious chorus;
'I'm going to homebase to get some glue, so I can stick back together me and you,
it's just something I really have to do, cause I can't stand being apart from you'
Next up was the melancholic 'Isn't It Lovely?' and I have to admit to having a few tears in my eyes, the glorious refrain caused me to well up.
Not for long though as the band blasted through the trio of 'May the Forth', 'Jenna' and 'You Make My Heart' to leave the crowd gasping for more. Before the last song the band thanked everyone and there were a few cries of 'don't split up' and 'stay together'.
Saturday April 9th - the Wee Red Bar with Emelle and SPILL DJ set
On to Saturday and back to where it all began. The band all met at Edinburgh School of Art and they played their first gig there back in the summer of 2006.
I drove through with Lynn and Marty, arriving at 5pm and sitting outside in the sunshine as the band began to arrive. We left them to soundcheck and went to a cracking Japanese restaurant on Lothian Road for some dinner.
All was well when we returned, with the support act Emelle finishing their soundcheck.
Before I knew it, doors were opening and people began to pour in. Emelle played a good wee set of celtic inspired pop/rock with lots of catchy refrains. Lead singer Craig was a cool, funky wee guy.
The DJ's were the same DJ's that played at the very first FRC show at the Wee Red Bar back in 2006 and they played a fantastic mix of stuff ranging from soul and funk, through to jazz, pop and indie rock.
Futuristic Retro Champions took to the stage, well the floor and after thanking everyone for coming (112 people according to the doorman) they launched into 'Strawberries and Vodka Shots' and they just didn't let up from there on in.
'Kitten With A Loaded Gun', 'You Make My Heart', 'DIY Lovesong' and 'May the Forth' swiftly followed. It was like the band were showing off - this is how good we are.
It all got a bit too much for Sita during the next song though. 'Isn't It Lovely?' may be the most emotional song in the FRC cannon and halfway through it got too much, Sita burst into tears and couldn't continue. Harry and Carla took over and then an emotional crowd joined in with the 'ba-ba-ba, ba-ba-ba, ba-ba-ba, ba-ba-ba-ba-ba's' and handclaps. It was a moving moment.
Harry took over lead vocals for 'Speak To Me' after yet more emotion, with Carla paying tribute to their tutor Paul Carter who sadly passed away just a couple of years into the FRC's career. He had encouraged them to form a band and write music after their initial demos.
'Let's Make Out' was thrown into the set with the song dedicated to their friend Craig as 'Craig is the best at making out'. In the absence of Fergus, Craig got up to sing along. Well he shouted a bit and stood about looking drunk - it was all good fun!
'Robert de Niro's Waiting' was a blast and 'Pulling Box Shapes' was a riot, with Carla inviting former FRC trumpet player Dan to dance at the front. 'Epic New Song' wasn't so new, but it was epic, before Dan joined the band to play on their first ever song 'Hi'.
Then it was time for an emotional dedication to the bands great friend Jenna, with the band joking that tonight was her first time on the guestlist!
'Jenna' is one of the bands most loved songs and tonight it was a joy. The band held it together to get through it with everyone joining in with the chorus and handclaps and the 'E L E C T R O' section.
'I went out with Jenna last night, she looked alright, we danced all night'
That was supposed to be it, the band hadn't done an encore the night before and didn't plan to do one in Edinburgh, however the crowd wouldn't let them leave without another song, so they played 'Count To Ten', ending quite aptly with the line 'this is my religion, this is my religion.'
