Camera Obscura at Kelvingrove Bandstand

Wednesday 5th June saw me race from a work meeting in Edinburgh back home to Uddingston to ditch the car, get changed, grab some dinner and hop a train to the Exhibition Centre. No, I wasn't going to see Lionel Ritchie like most of the other people in my carriage, I was heading into the stunning Kelvingrove Bandstand for a triple mini-festival style indie bill - Camera Obscura with support from The Vaselines and The Cords.

The Cords were the reason for my dash. They were scheduled to go on at 7pm, but thankfully they came on at 7.20pm, just after I had got in and secured a nice pint of IPA. £7 a pint! Ouch!

It's been so pleasing and heartwarming to see how more experienced bands have taken The Cords (Eva and Grace) under their wing, recognising their talent, potential and unbridled enthusiasm. Support slots in Glasgow and on tour have ensured that the young teenagers are road ready and experienced, while their debut album is recorded, mixed, mastered and ready to be unleashed later this year. I can't wait to hear it.

The Cords from up the back

Kelvingrove Bandstand was already reasonably full for them coming on. Eva's naturally melodic voice over raw guitar and beats has a wonderful charm to it. The melodies seem to come naturally and they will have won even more fans from the Bandstand and from their dates in London, Leeds and Liverpool supporting Camera Obscura. 

Next up were a 6-piece Vaselines band with Stevie Jackson from Belle & Sebastian guesting on 3rd guitar. What a glorious racket they created! The Vaselines absolutely blitzed through their set and while I missed the usual banter between Eugene and Frances, I was enthralled by the rocky sound of Dying For It (The Blues), one of my favourites, like a garage nuggets pop punk tribute to Motown.

I'd like to give a special mention to two songs that I think get better with every year and every listen. Jesus Wants Me For A Sunbeam is a three chord gem. Seemingly so simple, but so deep and moving. Eugene and Frances singing together is such a beautiful sound and the three guitars crashed and collided beautifully.

The Vaselines

And then we have Son Of A Gun, fuzzed up to be more like the Nirvana cover version thanks to the three electric guitars. Is this the best chorus by a Scottish band ever? It felt like it last night. Teenage love and poetry. Beautifully pure.

The sun shines in my bedroom, when you play

And the rain it always starts, when you go away

The verse is also like a chorus, super catchy, Eugene singing over a primal beat, building and leading to Frances singing the chorus. I hope The Vaselines get some more dates in the diary soon. I think I'll venture through to Dunfermline to see them in August.

On to the headliners. I was beginning to regret only wearing a t-shirt and light cagoule by the time Camera Obscura took to the stage! The skies had turned from blue to grey and there was a chill in the air. 

Traceyanne Campbell's voice could warm the coldest of days. I spoke with Lou (Mum of The Cords) about how beautifully she harmonises with Donna Maciocia on keyboards, while at others I marvel that it is just Tracyanne singing alone. Somehow it sounds like she is harmonising. What a voice!

Camera Obscura wisely played a couple of their 'hits' early on to get people down the front. Let's Get Out Of This Country and The Sweetest Thing sounded glorious, despite the grey skies overhead beginning to empty on top of the crowd.

Campbell did make a little joke about the £50 ticket price; 'you must be our rich fans', and it was a fair point. The Bandstand should have been sold out for a triumphant homecoming with excellent support. I have no doubt that it would have been if the tickets had been around the £35 mark. 

A couple of miles west, Lionel Ritchie would have been belting out Dancing On The Ceiling, while at Kelvingrove some die hards down the front were dancing in the rain, determined to not let the mini downpour dampen their spirits.

Bass player Gavin Dunbar had dressed for the occasion in a super sharp suit and white shoes, his riffs and grooves held everything together and allowed all kinds of flourishes over the top.

As the set and night progressed the rain eased and more people came down the front to dance, or they rose from their seats to let themselves loose. And no wonder. Who could stay seated to French Navy when the flowing chorus kicks in? 

I wanted to control it

But love I couldn't hold it 

Then we have Lloyd I'm Ready To Be Heartbroken, and was that still rain running down some peoples cheeks during Razzle Dazzle Rose? Or was it tears of emotion and joy? What a truly beautiful song that tugs on heartstrings in all the right ways. 

Camera Obscura formed in 1996, wouldn't it be nice if they returned to the Bandstand in glorious sunshine for their 30th anniversary next year?

Eugene Kelly at The Doublet

I really love The Doublet bar in Park Road, Glasgow. It's handy for Kelvinbridge Underground, Kelvingrove Park, Woodlands, Great Western Road and Gibson Street. But it's still just nicely out of the way to stand on its own.

The Doublet is a traditional old boozer, beloved by musicians and artists. So, when they announced they were putting Eugene Kelly with support from Molly Linen on in their upstairs function room, I knew I would have to be quick to grab a ticket.

Eugene is an artist I fell for back in my teens and I guess I have been extremely fortunate that a lot of the bands and artists I discovered back then have had long careers; Teenage Fanclub, Eugene and The Vaselines, The Pastels, BMX Bandits, Primal Scream, The Jesus and Mary Chain, The Lemonheads, Dinosaur Jr ... all still making music.

Upstairs at The Doublet holds 50 at a squeeze, so this was a special intimate show. Molly Linen played a beautiful set, her voice is gorgeously pure and her guitar playing is intricate, clever and melodic. Linen released a 10-inch EP via Lost Map at the end of 2019 and I will certainly be checking that out and hoping to see her again in the future.

On to Eugene Kelly of The Vaselines, or one-time of Captain America until Marvel Comics threatened to sue him, so he changed the band name to Eugenius 'which no-one could spell or say.'

People were literally sitting (on the floor) at the feet of a Scottish indie legend last night. The intimate setting was informal and friendly and Eugene dove way back into his catalogue to play songs of love, lust, frustration, bitterness, tenderness and humour.

The opening Wow! and Bed In from the Captain America days translated easily to an acoustic performance, making me appreciate them all the more.

New songs, School Sports Day and Dogs Best Friend, made me long for a follow up to Eugene's 2003 album Man Alive, from which he played a number of songs. Eugene brilliantly combines raw punk energy with brilliant pop melodies, riffs and hooks and it was thrilling to see him perform in such an intimate setting.

Jesus Don't Want Me For A Sunbeam is a song that has traveled around the world thanks to Nirvana covering it on their Unplugged album, here we were watching its author perform it in his local pub - a joy.

New song Is She Into Me? was brilliant - hilariously brilliant. The lyrics and melodies flowed as Eugene told a story about a guy doubting himself through a string of events. I so hope he records it.

Eugene ended with classic Vaselines songs Mollys Lips and Son Of A Gun to rapturous applause. This was a very special show from someone who displayed his very special talents.

My only disappointment was that Eugene didn't have time to play If I Could Talk which he co-wrote with Evan Dando and The Lemonheads recorded.

But hey, what a night!

500,000 page views

Page views on the morning of 13th September 2019

Everything Flows Glasgow has reached 500,000 page views.

I have no idea if this is good or terrible, but it is a landmark for me!

It works out at an average of 680 per blog. I'll take that. Blog views these days tend to be from anything as low as 50 to 500. Occasionally they will go higher - see below for reasons why.

I began the blog simply because I enjoy writing about music. I wanted to be a journalist as a kid and loved the weekly buzz of walking the long way to school to buy the NME and Melody Maker on a Wednesday morning. I used to devour Uncut, Mojo, Select, Record Collector and many more. I must have spent a fortune on magazines in my teens and through to my mid-20's.

If just one person finds my blog and discovers something that they haven't heard before, or something that makes them go back to check an old song or album they haven't listened to in ages, then that is ultimately what makes me happy.

Feedback is always welcome. Someone once bought me a pint in Stereo because of my blog - thank you if that was you!

Everything Flows Glasgow - most viewed blogs

Higher page views tend to happen for the following reasons;

a) luck - it happens to get RT's or shared by the right person or the bands involved. Example - one of my highest viewed blogs is on Hot Chip, band members individually RT'd as did the bands account and their side projects.

b) timing - writing a live review immediately after a gig can really help with views (see The The in my highest viewed blogs), however I don't always do that and sometimes leave it far too late to even bother. I really should have blogged on Martha Reeves playing Glasgow in June!

c) the subject - One of my blogs that still gets regular views is on Nirvana covering The Vaselines, it is the kind of thing people google regularly. Likewise with the Stone Roses Amsterdam show I attended when Reni walked off the stage.

Meeting Mani in Amsterdam back in 2012

d) all of the above - the prime example being my blog on Gerry Cinnamon last summer. Gerry doesn't do media, so the mainstream media don't tend to write about him. As a result my blog is probably one of the few places his fans can read anything about him. On a daily and weekly basis this blog still generates page views.

Thank you very much for taking the time to read my blog. I intend to keep it going for a while yet and I'd love to try and get into the habit of doing a monthly podcast.

Current regular/semi- regular features include;

• Cover version of the month - approaching the 50th blog on cover versions
• Never Ending Mixtape - regular round up of songs added to my Never Ending Mixtape on Spotify, now at 1,142 songs
• Trust me - just a song and the lyrics (I might start to add in a little commentary)
• 10 from - newly introduced feature that started this month with The Vaselines

I'll write about anything I like - live show, old band, new band - whatever I enjoy and very largely depending on time. So please don't be offended if you send a press release through for an album review. You'll see from my blogs that I really don't do that many.

Please don't hesitate to get in touch with any feedback.

Many thanks
Murray

10 from The Vaselines

I always enjoy lists of bands, songs and albums. So welcome to a new feature where I'll choose a favourite band or artist of mine and then list and discuss 10 of my favourite songs from their career. 

First up - The Vaselines

I remember going into Missing Records on Oswald Street in Glasgow to buy The Way Of The Vaselines, a compilation of all previous releases by the band. It came out in 1992 when interest in the band was reignited thanks to Nirvana, one of the biggest bands in the world, covering Son Of A Gun and Molly's Lips on their Incesticide album. I was a mere 16-years old and the cool girl that served me seemed pretty impressed that I even knew who The Vaselines were, never mind that I was asking after their album. If Kurt Cobain and this cool girl in Missing were into the band then they must be good! The Vaselines had a new fan.

The Vaselines had already broken up by the time I got into them. Eugene went on to form and lead Captain America/Eugenius and release a brilliant solo album, Man Alive (definitely need to do a blog on that at some point) before getting The Vaselines back together with Frances in 2006. Since then they have released two new albums and played shows all around the world.

A number of years after buying the album I went looking for it in my then alphabetised CD collection and it was missing! I hated my brother or sister taking stuff without my permission but I was pretty impressed to find that the CD was in my sisters room along with some other great albums she had 'borrowed'.

Somewhere along the line, a few years later, my sister Carla emailed Eugene out of the blue to ask if would contribute to a dissertation she was doing at Art School on pop music and pop art. She was amazed that he replied and since then they have become really good friends, playing numerous shows together and recently Carla JOINED THE VASELINES as their keyboard/synth player.

AMAZING!

The Vaselines are such a fun band. There early material is pure punk pop. Some songs sound like they were almost made up on the spot and that has helped their songs sound fresh decades later. Their post reformation songs and albums definitely keep the fun and innuendo at the heart of everything, but there is a more mature sound to songs like the gorgeous Single Spies. Live, the bands warm guitars and onstage banter between Eugene and Frances can't help but bring a smile to my face.

So The Vaselines are one of my favourite bands and here are 10 of my favourite songs that they have released to date;

Teenage Superstars
All 4 songs from The Vaselines 1988 Dying For It EP released on Stephen Pastels 53rd and 3rd Records feature on this blog. They are raw, pure and in many cases, including this one, they are electrifying. The beat is primal, Eugene lets rip on his guitar and sings lyrics mixing sex, religion and youth rebellion leading to an incredible closing 80 seconds of  Frances and Eugene yelling I'm a teenage Jesus superstar with the energy leaping out and grabbing you. This is brilliant punk pop that sounds raw and dangerous.

Molly's Lips
The great thing about early Vaselines material is that they really sound like they were in their own world not giving one f**k about anything else going on in the world. Molly's Lips is well under 2-minutes yet there is time to pack in 3 verses, 3 or 4 choruses, a horn and a great break to a guitar solo.

High Tide Low Tide
The lead single from 2014's V for Vaselines album. This is so catchy. I love Eugene singing about playing hard to get, there are bah bah bah bah bah's, warm noisy guitars, a video with Eugene and Francis in leathers, on scooters, hoola hopping and playing crazy golf. Pretty much everything I love about the band in song and on film!

Single Spies
With Single Spies The Vaselines capture something quite beautifully in a way I don't think they ever have before. Absolutely sublime. Almost mature - in a Vaselines way of course! Eugene and Frances voices combine and entwine so naturally.

Stop denying

That it meant nothing

You're lying

Sex With An X
The Vaselines 2010 comeback single and album. Frances dressed as a nun and Eugene as a vicar in the video! This is a delicious romp of a song with The Vaselines innuendo and sense of pop pushed to the fore. It's like it is just one big long chorus with a glorious guitar solo and handclaps. Brilliant. Their comeback show at the ABC in Glasgow around this time was a joy.

I Hate The 80's
From the aforementioned 2010 comeback album, Eugene and Francis display their knack for catchy punk pop by filling it full of brilliant observations with pure cheek. You put a bullet in a Beatle, started beating on the people is an incredible lyric! The where did that girl go, what did that boy know hook is infectious, as is the it wasn't all Duran Duran Duran Duran line.

Check this great live version - live on KEXP.

Dying For It
I kind of like to think of Dying For It as a garage nuggets pop punk tribute to Motown....by way of Glasgow. I'm not sure if anyone else thinks of it like that but the way Eugene and Francis sing the hook I'm hanging out, baby I'm hanging out really does make me think of the kind of hooks Motown would produce. A glorious racket with pop melodies. The sound of a band having fun.

The Day I Was A Horse
Possibly my favourite live Vaselines song. They fizz through it and the kiss off line on the chorus I think I'm on a f**king trip is sheer brilliance. This is 90-seconds of catchy punk pop brilliance that sounds fresh, energetic, fun and vital.

Jesus Wants Me For A Sunbeam
For me this is one of the most beautiful songs ever by a Scottish band. The handful of chords, stunning vocal, the imagery in the lyrics, the cello and the whole feel to the song - just perfect. Listening back to some of the early Vaselines material, they really captured something on the recordings - there is a rawness and purity to them, beautiful.

Son Of A Gun
Eugene and Frances at their very, very best. The way this song flows is perfect, so perfect that I think I could listen to the chorus on repeat all day long. The whole song is super catchy, the verse is like a nursery rhyme, but that chorus ... with Frances singing;

The sun shines in the bedroom when we play

And the raining always starts when you go away

From Olive Us To Olive You

The lovely Lloyd who runs Olive Grove Records has brought his label family together to celebrate Christmas and to raise awareness and funds for a cause close to his own family's heart.

All of the profits that are made from the album are going to be donated to CDH UK, a charity who support and advise families who are affected by Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia (CDH). My son Luke was born with CDH three years ago this month, so it means a lot to me to be able to give something back to families who might not have been as lucky as ours.

You can find out more at http://www.cdhuk.org.uk/

The Olive Grove Records family have done Lloyd proud with an eclectic and beautiful album. 

Pocket Knife really caught my ear and demanded an immediate repeat listen with a song called Half The Presents which addresses Jesus being such a capricorn and assesses some of the traits that make him such. 

There is an early Belles bassline that keeps a loose indie groove throughout the song, spoken word starsign patter and a great melody and humour throughout. This is rather brilliant and rather promising for what Pocket Knife will deliver in 2018. Can't wait to see them live.

My own sister has 3-songs on the album including 2 duets with Eugene Kelly (Vaselines/Eugenius/). Carla's natural sense of melody and flow pours out on to Christmas Eve Alone and talks of her love working late while she wants an open fire, to be toasting marshmallows and watching Christmas movies. In turn Eugene promises he'll be home for Christmas Eve to the sound of Christmas bells ringing. The song breaks into a real flow and the voices combine beautifully.

Carla's song Spending Every Christmas Day With My Boy (about her old cat!) was on her Homemade Lemonade album and it has another heartfelt melodic flow to it.

The trilogy is complete with another cracker (xmas pun!) It's Starting To Snow (Please Be Mine). You would never guess that she counts Phil Spector's A Christmas Gift For You as a favourite! :-)

You are my winter sunshine

You are my Christmas time

Campfires In Winter simply call their song Christmas Song and call to burn the tree, have fun and get out of hand. The performance mataches the lyrics - great fun, great sound.

Randolph's Leap drop in with a fragile beauty that contains some great lyrics, sung with tender care over a sparse acoustic guitar that rises with the introduction of some considerate beats, organ, percussion and keys.

There were moments when Santa Claus

Wasn't sure who he was

He's got a sleigh to ride

But baby it's warm outside

As the climates change

That doesn't seem so strange

Henry and Fleetwood come up with the goods, The State Broadcasters have that tender gorgeousness that Lloyd seems to spot in artists and  Woodenbox come up with a wonderfully warm soaring song that captures all of their strengths. Then we have Jo Mango with a beautifully slow and melodic song and The Son(s) with some glorious guitars.

There really isn't a bad track on the album. The initial pressing has already run out but head to Monorail or Love Music in Glasgow for physical copies. You can download from Olive Grove's band camp page or stream on Spotify.

Citz Sessions

The Citizens Theatre is a beautiful venue in the Southside of Glasgow, just a short walk from the centre. The magnificent Victorian Theatre is looking to start putting on live music (and also to raise funds for the Theatre Redevelopment Fund), so decided to ask a few people to curate some special nights under the banner of The Citz Sessions.

The first night was curated by Ann McDonald from The Shop Assistants, although Ian Smith, my friend and co-founder of Last Night From Glasgow, was also involved. This delivered a brilliantly eclectic line-up.

As Ian had a front row seat I thought I would ask him to write a blog on Friday night at the Citizens.

Citz Sessions - curated by Ann McDonald of The Shop Assistant

Guest blog by Ian Smith

So on Friday Night I attended the first of 3 Citz Sessions concerts, specially curated events run to raise funds for the Citzens Theatre Redevelopment Fund. 

The evening began with 4 songs from Annie Booth, Annie spends some of her time as a member of the fabulous Edinburgh band Mt. Doubt. Those who know me, will know Ive been raving about their debut album all year. I'm also a big fan of Annie, her songwriting talents belie her years, part Sandy Denny part Christine McVie - both fragile and commanding at once. She walks that dreadfully tricky line where contemporary folk meets traditional, her voice demands complete silence and the audience duly oblige - its a stunning start to what will prove to be a genuinely wonderful evening of music.

Next up is Fennela (Mairi Fennela Whittle to be exact). Mairi is the daughter of a good friend of mine and is a classically trained musician, who truly understands the voice as a musical instrument. She begins with a frankly staggering rendition of My Funny Valentine, her effortless jazz stylings bring comparisons with Billie Holiday and  Cleo Laine, it is however - in my opinion - when she drags us into the darker world of her songwriting that she truly shines, her closing track I Will Not Win much more Martha Wainwright or Sharon Van Etten than anything that came before - its a change of style from much of her set but as the chap behind me in the audience said "that was worth the entrance fee alone"

Third up - our very own - Emme Woods, Emme brought a full entourage - Barry James O'Neil (Kassiday) on Keyboards and Vocals, Neil McKenzie on Trumpet and TTV's very own Jamie Logie on Guitar. The band looked dashing suited and booted to compliment the sophisticated surroundings. Emme (Morgan) was on fine form, the change in this artist over the 10 months that I have known her is staggering. She is now a commanding front woman with a voice to die for. In Barry she has found a perfect foil both as a songwriter and as a performer, they wrap around each other beautifully and the added colour provided by Neil and Jamie turned the Citizens into a David Lynchesque Desert soundscape for 20 minutes. Their cover of God Only Knows was a particular highlight and brought some shade to what was otherwise the heaviest set of the evening.

View from the front for Emme Woods

A small break for the bar was next before we were treated to the occasionally bewildering but always delightful world of Frances McKee. Referencing a song from Sex with an Ex and the presence of Eugene Kelly in the audience, she quashed our curiosity "Never - only ever professional" "I shagged everyone else in the band though" she said before "Only Joking".

No performance from Frances would be complete without the odd forgetten lyric or misplaced note but that has always added to the charm for me. She remains one of the City's if not Country's most important song writers full stop.

Now came what I personally had been waiting for. When asked to get involved with this event I pitched an idea that would see all the acts performing with only a grand piano, clearly this was not to everyone's liking but to my absolute delight TeenCanteen grabbed the opportunity and took the stage adorned in black. It was a nice, if cruel touch to put Debs (so used to hiding behind the drums) front and centre. We were treated to reworking of several TeenCanteen classics (yes you can say classics after only a few months) and a Shop Assistants Cover Version. The opening - Sirens - has been one of my favourite songs for over 2 years now but on Friday night, it took on a whole new life as Carla's lead vocals wove in and out of the frankly heartbreaking accompaniment provided by Sita, Debs and Chloe. Kung Fu Heartbeats - just four vocals, handclaps and finger snaps was another highlight from a cracking night in a wonderful venue.

TeenCanteen - harmonies and a Grand Piano

Another very short break before the final act, I have to say I was both excited and fearful of what Clare Grogan and Altered Images might turn out to be. The new band, a three piece all girl combo were tight and funky as hell and Clare's vocals were heard long before she was seen, it took a loud Wegie "I'm behind you" for the audience to turn around and see our local Diva atop a chair and reclining in a Marlene Dietrich stylie. She reached the stage and delighted us with a stripped back, lively and note perfect journey through early 80's pop. I Could Be Happy and Happy Birthday were unbridled joy but it was Don't Talk To Me About Love that reminded the audience of what a talent she was and on this performance still is.

Claire Grogan captured in full flight

Nirvana play The Vaselines

Cover(s) of the month #3
Nirvana cover The Vaselines

The Vaselines were (originally) an small but influential alternative rock band from Glasgow that had released a couple of EP's and an album in their (initial) short career, before promptly breaking up.

Fanzine culture carried their songs across the ocean to a young fan in Seattle who promptly fell in love with them, leading to him corresponding with The Vaselines Eugene Kelly by mail. There was no instant communication online in those days.

That young fan happened to be Kurt Cobain who always remained true to his roots; Nirvana covered The Vaselines not once, not twice, but three times. Nirvana and Cobain also helped to promote Eugene's later bands; Captain America and Eugenius - through support slots, mentions in interviews, t-shirts and a guest appearance by Eugene at the Reading Festival.

I've been listening to Nirvana quite a bit over the last few months; marvelling at their unique urgency, Cobain's exceptional vocals and ferocious guitar playing, the brilliant rhythm section of Novoselic and Grohl, the sense of togetherness - a real band/gang.

Nirvana and Cobain were always quick to display their influences, churning out a load of covers for sessions, EP's, b-sides and at live shows. To cover 3 songs by The Vaselines alongside songs by the likes of The Velvet Underground, Bowie, Devo and Kiss is real evidence of Kurt's love for the Glasgow bands sense of fun and knack for melody.

Two of the covers are on the Incesticide album of b-sides, session tracks and demos.

The Vaselines Dying For It EP contained 2-tracks covered by Nirvana

Molly's Lips is so simple, Cobain fuzzes and scuzzies the guitar riff and remains true to the melody but just speeds and punks it up.

Son Of A Gun is sensational, the band tear through it and Cobain hammers home the chorus again and again with unbridled pop punk joy.

The sun shines in the bedroom

When we play

And the rain it always starts

When you go away

Cobain and Nirvana played some incredible covers on their MTV Unplugged show, 6 in total; Bowie's The Man Who Sold The World, 3 songs from The Meat Puppets who joined Nirvana on stage, Where Did You Sleep Last Night by Leadbelly and The Vaselines Jesus Don't Want Me For A Sunbeam.

It is a beautiful version, very true to the original, Cobain's voice is beautifully raw and soulful. You wonder what the next Nirvana album would have sounded like; would it have taken a more mellow and acoustic route?

Cobain's take on Bowie, his astonishing transformation of the Meat Puppets songs and his spine tingling version of Leadbelly's old song are truly incredible - an artist on top of his game, happy to display his love of music through covers.

Nirvana covering 3 songs by The Vaselines eventually led to the band reforming and having a worldwide audience. Would this have happened without Cobain and Nirvana? Almost certainly not. That The Vaselines have now recorded 2 albums in the last few years is something to be thankful for, their ear for pop and sense of fun and humour is still evident and it has been great to see them at the Barrowland Ballroom and the Wickerman Festival in the last 2-months; new songs mixing well with the early classics.

Cobain's take on The Vaselines is joyful, he injects real punk pop into Molly's Lips and Son Of A Gun and extra tenderness on Jesus Don't Want Me For A Sunbeam.

Wickerman Festival 2015 review

 Pic by Gordon Reid - Wickerman burning 2015

Wickerman 2015; a kaleidoscope of sunshine, fire, fireworks, friends, music and good times. What a weekend!

The Everything Flows team expanded to 4 for the weekend; expect blogs to come on Example, Optimo Espacio, Hector Bizerk, Jimmy Cliff, Neneh Cherry, BMX Bandits, The Vaselines, Miaoux Miaoux, Neon Waltz and more.

In the meantime; this is a bit of a round up of some of my own highlights that took place over the weekend;

The weather - the forecast changed dramatically in the week leading up to the festival, at one stage 2-hours of rain was forecast for the Friday night! Instead it was mainly dry with large periods of sunshine, particularly on the Saturday after some rain around noon.

The site - the Wickerman site is beautiful lush rolling green hills that lead down to a natural stage setting. There is plenty of space, yet everything is within easy walking distance, including the campsites.

The atmosphere - Positive, friendly, family friendly yet with space to party, everyone out for a good time. I even attended a wedding at noon under the Wickerman but had to run as unfortunately the heavens opened for the lucky couple. Thankfully the sun came out for them afterwards!

The fireworks were the best in the 6 visits I have enjoyed at Wickerman.

The crowd during Jimmy Cliff - pic by Gordon Reid

Jimmy Cliff - My award for performance of the weekend goes to this guy and his incredible band. They smashed it out the park with a set jammed full of classics in the glorious Wickerman sunshine leading to sunset. I Can See Clearly Now was absolutely beautiful, I don't mind admitting that I had a tear in my eye and my hands in the sky dancing and singing with friends when this was on.

Jimmy Cliff - sensational performance; pic by Gordon Reid

Stereo MC's - They came, they saw, they conquered Wickerman with an energetic set that saw singer Rob Birch cover every inch of the stage and wow the crowd with hits like Step It Up and Connected. The whole set had a real clubby feel to it and got the crowd dancing and singing. It was a particularly important set for the main stage after the unfortunate cancellation of the Sugarhill Gang who many were looking forward to. The main stage hadn't had a moment, the crowd hadn't had a chance to dance...they got one.

Rob Birch - Stereo MC's; pic by Gordon Reid

The line-up - Synergy Concerts have joined the Wickerman team as bookers and they used their skills, knowledge and experience to create a brilliant eclectic line-up that fully utilised the incredible music scene in Scotland. We had indie legends like The Vaselines and BMX Bandits, young up and coming artists like White, Neon Waltz and Kloe, top quality ska by the likes of Esperanza and The Amphetameanies and it was all ended in style by the incredible Optimo Espacio team - gotta be invited back next year?

The Amphetameanies - pic by Gordon Reid

BMX Bandits - I have to give a special mention to the BMX Bandits who headlined the Phoenix Tent last night. There cannot be many, if any, bands who can create the warmth and love that Duglas T Stewart and his friends are capable of making. I've always thought they would be perfect for Wickerman and indeed they were, playing a set spanning their full 30-years and giving older fans some long lost classics and wowing new fans who chose to end their Wickerman Festival with them. Girl At The Bus Stop was an absolute delight and Duglas rolled out Kylie's Got A Crush On Us for the first time in 20-years to the delight of those around me.

Please, please, oh please take the same bus as me

Two different generations enjoying BMX Bandits; pic by Jim Burns

TeenCanteen presents The Girl Effect for Scottish Women's Aid

My sister Carla is the singer and songwriter in the band TeenCanteen and she has decided to organise a rather special night for her birthday this year in aid of Scottish Women's Aid.

Artists including Scottish indie legends Eugene Kelly (The Vaselines) and Duglas T Stewart (BMX Bandits) along with up and coming artists like Machines In Heaven, Flash Talk, Solareye and Henry and Fleetwood, will be covering songs of their choice by girl groups.

All artists have donated their time for free, as has the venue and technicians working on the show. So fingers crossed a lot of money is raised for Scottish Women's Aid. CLICK FOR TICKETS

Eugene Kelly has already confirmed he will be covering the All Saints classic Never Ever! Surely worth the £10 admission fee alone!

TeenCanteen have also confirmed that the songs Modern Girl by Sleater Kinney, the classic Nowhere To Run by Martha Reeves and the Vandellas, Freak Like Me by the Sugababes and the still incredible Push It by Salt n Peppa will be covered on the night.

But by whom..... you'll need to go to find out.

I caught up with my sister to find out why this event is so special to her and to hear about her love of girl groups ranging from the 50's through to present day.

 1) Why are you holding The Girl Effect in aid of Scottish Women’s Aid? 

On the 2nd May I turn 30 this year (sorry to disappoint any TC fans - TeenCanteen is a way of life and not an age) and I am really looking forward to entering the next decade of my life. I'm excited about it! I feel like I've been stuck in my twenties forever.

As happy as I am about turning thirty, this year also marks it being 15 years since my Dad passed away. He passed away on 9th May exactly a week after I turned 15. I'm sad he hasn't seen the kind of person that I've turned out to be and often wonder what he would have thought of the choices I've made in life. For me turning thirty is cause for celebration, but it's also time for me to shut the door on feeling this way and move on. Because I'm sure his passing has greatly affected the choices I've made and the person I'm turning out to be. I wanted to do something for my thirtieth that was positive, that took my mind off negative feelings and promoted the things I believe in. I wanted the 9th May to be a date to look forward to and not one to dread. 

That's the personal reason...

The main reason.

I'd love to live in a world where organisations such as Scottish Women's Aid - wonderful as they are - don't need to exist because as a society we had managed to end gender inequality and we'd been able to treat and stop the causes of domestic abuse.

I hope that one day such a society will exist because I have two beautiful nieces that I want to grow up believing they can achieve anything they want without fear or prejudice. Until such a world exists I feel I should do my part to try and get it there. 

Scottish Women's Aid mission statement - to end violence against women by tackling its root cause, which is gender inequality. SWA do amazing work to ensure that services and support are available across Scotland for women, young people and children with experience of domestic abuse - both physical and psychological - their work is vital. Scottish Women's Aid promote women's equality and children's rights and campaign for responses which actively prevent violence against women. They provide safe spaces - whether that be living spaces or online spaces - for women to share and communicate, seek help and get support

2) How did you choose the acts on the bill? 

I've been lucky to play alongside a lot of bands that have become friends over the years. When organising an event like this you don't know who is going to say YES to playing - you ask and find out. I couldn't belive the overwhelming response from everyone I asked. My inbox filled up with YES.

It's a lot to ask - 'can you learn new songs, come and play Edinburgh and oh, by the way, can you do all this for free?' I wouldn't say I 'chose' the bands - I didn't deem one band worthy of asking over another. I just asked those whom I thought would share my same enthusiasm for, what has become, a project. Those who I knew I could work well with. There wasn't a back up plan in case everyone said no. 

Chloe, Debs, Carla and Sita - TeenCanteen

Photo by Kat Gollock

It was important to me to have a varied bill of bands - it makes for a more exciting evening. I have no idea what any of the performances will be like - that's a big part of the appeal - the anticipation. I can tell you that all the bands involved were asked because I have seen them live and thought they were sonically brilliant in their own individual ways. Throw in some Destiny's Child and (inevitably) glitter face paint courtesy of our bass player Sita - I know it'll be an exciting night. It'll be fun, hectic, we'll all be running around the place, I'm sure someone will forget a guitar lead or a keyboard stand and some of us might be singing off of sheets of paper - I CAN'T WAIT.


3) Can you remember the first girl group you heard and were into? What attracted you to them? 

I can't remember what the first ever girl- group record was that I ever listened to. At all. I can only assume from my age that it must have been Bananarama. I significantly remember Shakespears Sister and Shampoo being on Top of The Pops. I remember Eternal but I didn't want to be in Eternal or emulate them in anyway. I was never a fan of their songs. I'll never forget the first time I saw The Spice Girls - they were so amazingly scruffy in the Wannabe video - so thrown together. I didn't so much as think of them as a girl group but as a girl gang. I wanted a gang! It looked like a lot of fun.

I'll never forget the day I first heard Arlene Smith's (The Chantels) sublime vocal burst out of my record player on the song He's Gone. I think I was 19. Her voice soared out of my speakers and epitomised heartbreak. She's one of the best female vocalists and songwriters of the last century. Or the first time I heard Mr Lee by The Bobbettes, a young and feisty girl group -  whoops and hollers of girlish delight from girls aged between 12 and 15 singing about a crush on their teacher.

I've been fortunate to witness Ronnie Spector sing live at The Arches when we went in 2009. The audience was full of young and old. Women, men, girls and boys. At one point we were standing next to an older couple who were hugging each other and crying. Ronnie was singing Be My Baby. I asked the couple why they were crying. They said to me 'it's the sound of our teenage years.' Have you ever heard anything so beautiful in your life?'

I looked at Ronnie on stage. Frail and sitting down, but still with masses of hair piled high on her head, war paint red lipstick and magic marker eyeliner singing straight from the heart.

I hadn't heard anything so gloriously youthful and universal in my life.

4) You know some of the songs that groups are covering; can you share them with us? 

Everything is under wraps other than those mentioned above. 

5) Finally could you tell us about 7 of your favourite girl group songs and why you like them? 

SO HARD TO PICK!

I'll go for Top 10 Girl Group songs I just simply couldn't live without:

1. The Cookies - Don't Say Nothing Bad About My Baby - The Cookies are my number one favourite ever girl group. I love Earl Jean's voice, it's like an iron fist in a velvet glove. This song is what spurred me onto my life consuming girl group obsession. I couldn't belive what I was hearing when I put the needle on the record. It changed my life forever. 

2. The Chantels - He's Gone - as mentioned before. Quite simply breathtaking. Unbelievable harmonies. Unbelievable lead. Gorgoues melodies.

3. Honey Cone - The Day I Found Myself - Darlene Love's kid sisters band. They were amazing! Holland Dozier Holland wrote a lot for them. The brass on this is phenomenal. Classic sisteryly advice song. 

4. The Jewels - Opportunity - Fantastic piano intro, girl gang hand claps. Great bass vocal harmony and bounces along with so. Much. Sass. 

5. The Blossoms - Good Good Lovin - A great classic love song. I love the delicious 'oooohs' when they come in. Not so much a girl group as sounding like a woman group. Sultry pop. 

6. Laura Nyro and LaBelle - I Met Him On A Sunday - Laura Nyro is perhaps my favourite songwriter and singer of all time. Gloriously mental arrangements. She has a habit of taking her songs into places you just weren't expecting them to go. This is her cover version of 'I Met Him On A Sunday' featuring girl group Labelle. I think it was recorded in her flat? It's so joyful when it all kicks in. 

7. The Fuzz - Leave It All Behind - One album in 1971 ' The Fuzz'. One of the first popular recordings to feature female spoken word. A lot of written by Sheila Young. I wish there had been more albums. 

8. The Cinderellas - Baby Baby I Still Love You - Quite simply I think this is one of the best pop song recordings ever. It has everything I need

9. The Bobbettes - Um Bow Bow - mentioned them above. They had a habit of writing nonsensical lyrics. But they ALL make sense to me. I still can't get over how young they were. 

10. The Ikettes - It's Been So Long - I love Northern Soul as much as I love girl groups. Well, not as much. It's maybe my second favourite genre! This ticks both boxes. I found this on a Kent compilation a while back. Me and my friend Jenna used to play this a lot back in the days when we used to DJ together. 

2014 review by Everything Flows

I started 2014 by buying quite a lot of new music, then tended to delve back into a lot of older music as nothing new was exciting me enough to buy it. Just when I was feeling a little downhearted I got into the albums by War On Drugs and First Aid Kit.

There are songs and albums that have been released in 2014 that I will discover years down the line and kick myself for not buying them at the time and seeing the act live - so I thought that I would use my blog to ask bands, artists, labels, writers, fellow bloggers and friends to do their own mini-review of 2014 so I might discover some music released in 2014 that I might have missed.

So throughout December you can expect to read mini-reviews from Vigo Thieves, Kevin Harper, Olive Grove Records, Skinny Dipper, Woodenbox, Crash Club, TeenCanteen, Model Aeroplanes, Duglas T Stewart, Hot Gem Records, Atom Tree, Machines In Heaven and more.

In the meantime - here is my own mini-review.

1. Singles/songs that have been released in 2014 have stood out for me

Seasons - Future Islands
I'm not the only person who fell for this after seeing the Letterman performance on YouTube. A brilliant song performed with real passion and panache.

You're Still Mine - TeenCanteen
Vagabond (live) - TeenCanteen
You're still mine is Phil Spector mixed with New Order, whilst the live video of Vagabond is jaw droopingly gorgeous 3-part harmonies and heartfelt lyrics.

This Love - Vigo Thieves
Epic anthem from Vigo Thieves, a taster of the epic new material they have been working on this year. I have been fortunate to hear some demos, 2015 will be their year.

Desired Effect - Atom Tree
Ones to watch in 2015, building a superb collection of songs. Electronic wonder.

Blue Moon - Beck 
Heart Is A Drum - Beck
2-tracks from Beck's beautiful album. Melodies delivered in real style and with true soul.

The Secret Of The Tibetan Grapefruit Is...? - Dr Cosmo's Tape Lab
(Return To) Nineteen Canteen - Dr Cosmo's Tape Lab
2-tracks also from Glasgow's Dr Cosmo's Tape Lab. The first is pure Beta Band while the second is rammed full of McCartney melodies

Sweet Discontent - Tuff Love
I loved this track on first listen and still do, great guitars and soft melodic vocals.

My Girl Midge - BMX Bandits
Duglas T Stewart comes up with a real heart breaker. Soulful vocals and Stewart always has a knack for a melody.

Single Spies - The Vaselines
This is a real stand out from The Vaselines album. The melody flows superbly. 

My Silver Lining - First Aid Kit
The gorgeous First Aid Kit won my heart this year with their album and live show at the Old Fruitmarket. This is stunning, check them out and they may win your heart too.

Inspector Norse - Todd Terje
Strandbar - Todd Terje
Playful and melodic electronica. This album was on in my car for ages and these 2-tracks in particular.

An Ocean In Between The Waves - The War On Drugs
Under The Pressure - The War On Drugs
2-tracks from one of my albums of the year, it is so easy to get lost in this album. 

Tears of Joy - Slow Club
The opening track from their fantastic album, modern day soul.

I've also fallen for the Frozen soundtrack and whilst my daughter Zoe's fave track is Let It Go, I absolutely love Do You Wanna Build A Snowman? Genius.

2. Albums released in 2014 I have enjoyed

Morning Phase - Beck
Beautiful on first listen, loads of depth to come back to, an exceptional album.

Stay Gold - First Aid Kit
Stunning harmonies and melodies, First Aid Kit have raised the bar for themselves. An exhaustive tour has taken them around the world and won them many new fans. 

Lost In The Dream - War on Drugs
Springsteen fed through a reverb machine with echoes of Dylan as well. This blew me away.

Ever Evolving Lounge - Dr Cosmos Tape Lab
Home grown psychedelia - two friends in Glasgow get together and record on an old fashioned 4-track and produce staggering tunes that recall the Beatles and the Beta Band amongst others.

It's Album Time -Todd Terje
Superb electronic melodies and a guest appearance from Bryan Ferry. This album was on in my car for about a month.

V for Vaselines - The Vaselines
Raw guitars, hooks and melodies are all over V for Vaselines. It sounds like the band enjoyed making it and that transfers with ease to the listener.

Tied To A Star -J Mascis
We get to hear the mellow side of Dinosaur Jr's J Masic on this gorgeous solo album. The guitar playing is still exceptional, Mascis' vocals still strain, and with J Mascis you are always going to get some majestic moments. 

Complete Surrender - Slow Club
I was late getting into this album so I'm kicking myself for missing live shows this year. Slow Club come of age with a beautiful soulful album. Fantastic song-writing and they've found a producer who has brought out a whole new side of them.

3. Old music/bands I have discovered/gone back to in 2014

I still have loads of CD's that I haven't transferred on to iTunes, so I'll still wander in to look at my collection and pick an album to play in the car. I was amazed that I hadn't transferred Flaming Lips Yoshimi album, so I dug it out and played it for about a week.

Earlier on this year I discovered Controversy by Prince after a friend made me a mix. It is an incredible song and I have played it regularly through the year.

I've discovered loads of good stuff through the DJ Greg Wilson who regularly posts his mixes on his sound cloud page. He'll play anything from The Smiths to disco, house, electro and gospel - basically anything good. His taste is impeccable and his re-edits are sublime.

Summer shows by Belle and Sebastian and Teenage Fanclub caused me to delve into their extensive back catalogues (not that I need much excuse). 

I enjoy buying Northern Soul compilations and discovering some classic tracks via friends who are part of the scene in Scotland.

I've been listening to a lot of Chic since watching them at Wickerman in summer 2013. I can't believe no-one has brought them to Glasgow other than for a Ryder Cup Gala performance!

4. Musical highlight of 2014?

Teenage Fanclub at Kelvingrove Bandstand was just perfect - sunshine, friends, beer and a trawl through the Fannies extensive back catalogue. The mass outbreak of pogo-ing down the front was brilliant.

5. Plans for 2015

I'm looking forward to Teenage Fanclub and The Charlatans releasing new albums and playing live. These bands have been helping to soundtrack my life since 1991.

I hope to get to at least one festival, attend gigs as often as possible and to discover brilliant music - be it stuff from the 60's or brand new bands.

I'd love to see Vigo Thieves get the record contract they deserve and go on to release a brilliant album  and smash it. They have the songs up their sleeves, their progression over the last 2-years has been staggering.

My sisters band TeenCanteen are going into record some songs in the new year and I hope they can get enough money together to finance a full album, then hopefully get someone to release it.

Elsewhere on the Scottish music scene I think Atom Tree have all the makings of a good album and Dr Cosmo's Tape Lab have already announced their second album will come out in March.