Scottish music scene - 4 sign to majors

The Scottish music scene is in a particularly rich vein of form right now with 4 young artists signing deals with major labels since the turn of the year and many more turning heads and gathering attention.

Here is a quick run down on the 4 acts that have been snapped up, it will be interesting to see how they develop and if the labels allow them time to do just that;

Neon Waltz, a young band hailing from Wick, captured the attention of many by seemingly coming out of nowhere with their home made demos, covers and videos, signing with the same management company as Oasis and then subsequently to Atlantic Records. Their young front man has something about him and the band gel superbly. They are still very much in their infancy but 2016 could be a big year for them.

I caught them live at Wickerman recently and they had a few stand out songs as well as many more that sound promising; they look good, the frontman stands out a mile and demands attention, their duelling guitars create a brilliant sound and they really do gel superbly.

Fatherson went about things the complete opposite way from Neon Waltz - working hard, playing loads of shows, self releasing and building a bigger and bigger following. Their young manager Michael Lambert teamed up with Idlewild's manager Bruce Craigie to form A Modern Way - a management company and record label; very handy and indeed - very modern. Fatherson's I Am An Island that they released in 2014 only increased the interest in the band leading to an incredible performance at T in the Park where they packed out the King Tut's tent (see video below). Their hard work has paid off and they recently signed with Easy Life Record, an offshoot of Sony.

Singer Ross Leighton is in this for the long haul and I have heard many people compare them to Biffy Clyro; not just for their Ayrshire roots but for their growing sound, reputation and fanbase - they could be building to something pretty special and now they have the backing to do it.

White burst on to the scene last year and my friend Gordon alerted me to their fantastic song Living Fiction. The song mixed Franz Ferdinand with LCD Soundsystem and all kinds of 70's and 80's pop, funk and disco. It sounded fresh, vital and fun.

Another friend Sam told me that they had labels coming up to see them rehearse - there was a buzz. White have now signed with Sony and released a second single Blush which shows more signs of promise and the band are attracting more and more interest through the media and radio, things are building up nicely. From a personal point of view, the drummer Kirstin is absolutely lovely and I am delighted for her that things are going so well.

Model Aeroplanes are a young band from Dundee that have been attracting interest since they formed in their teens (some of them may well still be in their teens). I first saw them live supporting Vigo Thieves back in late 2013 and really liked the look and sound of them - playing cracking guitars, looking too young to be in the venue and having an ear for a pop tune. I was also very impressed with their musical talent - these boys can play, just check out the variety of their live and acoustic sessions on YouTube for evidence.

The band have been working extremely hard since then under the guidance of their lovely manager Paul who has been working his socks off for them. As someone who managed bands I always root for a good young manager and I am absolutely delighted that Paul's work and the bands talent has landed them a deal with Island Records.

The hard work continues - this good looking young bunch of lads who can really play could take off in a big way if they get a hit single. Best of luck to them.

It is fantastic to see labels venturing north of the border for talent - there is plenty of it and I wouldn't bet against other acts being snapped up in the near future. Here are just a few that might also get a major label deal;

Man of Moon could well be described as the buzz band in Scotland at the moment. A young 2-piece from Edinburgh, they have been working hard under the guidance of a lovely guy called Jamie Webster and recently released their debut single on indie Melodic Records to rave review. Festivals and sold out shows have added to the buzz. Watch them go.

Kloe is a young teenager from the outskirts of Glasgow creating a real buzz. I thoroughly enjoyed her set at Wickerman; the way she strutted around the stage, fell to her knees, posed for the cameras and treated us to a display of modern pop written by a teenager for teenagers. Word on the street is that a new EP will be coming out before the end of the year. if it generates anything like the response of her debut single then she may well get snapped up. Young, ambitious and talented. Definitely one to watch.

Vigo Thieves have been working hard on writing and recording and I have been fortunate enough to hear some exceptional new songs. These boys are going for it big style and I sincerely hope they get the deal they deserve. Stevie Jukes is a star in the making, he has the look, voice, soul and songs to go all the way.

Other acts to keep an eye on that should certainly attract label attention (perhaps not a major) include; Catholic Action, TeenCanteen, The Insomniac Project , Atom Tree and Crash Club. Oh and if Gerry Cinnamon's forthcoming self released debut does well then he may well get snapped up too - that is if a label doesn't come in before he released it himself.

There are bands and acts all over, DIY labels and nights, blogs, podcasts, radio shows, venues, nights - and it is all exceptionally accessible in the modern day and age. Scotland continues to punch above its weight - producing an incredible amount of fantastic bands and artists for a country with such a small population.

Enjoy this brilliant time for music.

Introducing TeenCanteen

Introducing my sister Carla's new band... TeenCanteen

TEENCANTEEN are comprised of four girls in their mid-20’s: Carla Easton (lead vocals, keyboards), Sita Pieracinni (vocals, bass), Emma Kullander (vocals, guitar) and Deborah Smith (vocals, drums).

Their songs incorporate sunshine pop, girl-group harmonies and multi-melodies and last week they played their debut gig as a full band at Henry’s Cellar Bar in Edinburgh, having previously road tested a few songs at a few open mic nights and Art events across the city.

TeenCanteen formed out of the ashes of Futuristic RetroChampions and like the Retro Champs they are split between Edinburgh and Glasgow with Carla Easton who wrote the FRC songs and played keyboards adding lead vocals to her repertoire in her new band and Sita Pieraccini going from lead vocals to playing bass (which she had never played before) and backing Carla on harmonies.

Carla and Sita are joined by their friend Emma Kullander on guitar and vocals and Carla’s best friend since High School, Deborah Smith on drums.

After managing Futuristic Retro Champions I have made a conscious decision not to manage my sisters new band and it has been pleasing to watch them develop so quickly since the four got together for their first practice session. I think they had 6 practice sessions before booking some studio time at 45-a-side records in May with money left over from FRC’s and they spent it well, recording 4-tracks in 2-days and taking 3^rd day to mix and master.

TeenCanteen is a much more organic sound than FRC’s. The fact that Sita had never played bass before and that this is Emma and Deborah’s first band (both had never been in a studio) just adds to the sense of innocence and a welcome rawness (so much music is just too polished these days) on the recordings that should be released in late summer. The EP also features guest appearances by Eugene Kelly (Vaselines/Eugenius) on guitar and backing vocals, Duglas T Stewart (BMX Bandits) on vocals, Roy Moller on guitar and Daniel Wilcox on violin.

Anyway, you can watch a short 4-minute film about the recording of the EP over on their vimeo channel at www.vimeo.com/teencanteen

Lets get on to the live show;

People piled into Henry’s from 7pm, aware that TeenCanteen were on at 8pm. There were plenty of familiar faces from the FRC days and a good few new faces as well which was nice to see.

  

The girls shy humour shone through from the offset and it was smiles all round as they went into the opener 'You're So Analogue', the tale of a girl who is up to date with her Social Media falling for a guy who is more into his books.

'I think that you're so analogue, because you don't even write a blog'

 and

'I log on 15 times a week, but you never show in my news feed.' 

'One More Night' continued the good vibes before ‘How We Met (Cherry Pie)’ which was a real stand out, the chorus flows better than any I have heard for a long time;

Like rain that falls without a warning, on a sunny morning, this is how we met

Like sugar in my cup of coffee, apples dipped in toffee, this is how we met

Like snowfall showing in the summer, with massive claps of thunder, this is how we met

Like missing puzzle pieces meeting, with joys of seasons greetings, this is how we met 

'Atlas' talked of falling in love and running off to visit the Star Wars set in Tunisia, yet also being happy just going camping in Scotland. The flowing vocal melodies are probably going to become a bit of a trademark for TeenCanteen.

'Fireworks' is one of the first songs that Carla wrote for her new project and it has already been recorded by the BMX Bandits for their forthcoming album. The TeenCanteen live version was very different with Deborah abandoning her drums to share a mic with Emma for excellent 4-piece harmonies.  Duglas T Stewart was in the crowd and he joined in with a kazoo solo at the end.

Emma then took over lead vocals for the verses of 'It Could Be Beautiful' before all 4-girls came in with the catchy chorus;

Go on an say you'll be my man, you know I'm willing and I can

Before Carla surprised everyone in the crowd with a Scottish rap that referenced Katie Perry and contained the line;

'Don't you wait an hour before you text me back, 

cause that is so High School and I am so over that

'Under My Cover' was the last song of the night with BMX Bandit Duglas T Stewart called up to the stage to guest on vocals. Duglas also sings on the recorded version. It was all endearingly ramshackle with Duglas looking genuinely moved at the opening lyrics;

Sometimes I need to realise, the reason why I'm alive, maybe I could be special

You can find a VERY lofi demo version of the song at www.soundcloud.com/teencanteen

That was that, the band had no more songs and had to politely refuse the audiences attempts for an encore. That was until the host for the evenings entertainment Lach (a beat poet from NYC and legend of the antifolk movement - involved in the first releases by the likes of Beck and the Moldy Peaches) asked if there was any way they could play one more.

As the band were clearing up around her Carla played some warm chords on the keyboard a few times and then started singing...it was a lofi cover of Kylie's 'All My Lovers' and it was genius. Sita joined in on backing vocals and tambourine and the other girls also joined in when they knew the words. Lach got up behind them and got the crowd clapping along. They somehow pulled it off, transforming an electro pop song into a total lofi heartburner. A great moment. I hope they go on to record a version.

I look forward to the bands first release and some future gigs, they already have some festival appearances lined up.