Sonny Marvello and The Insomniac Project

The second Everything Shakes night at The Admiral was held last night. DJ's played vinyl only and two of the best bands around were invited to play live.

The Insomniac Project were on first; a 6-piece from the outskirts of Glasgow - they soon won some new fans with their electro/disco infused tunes. Vocals were shared between Andrew, Mikey and Deborah - with Deborah's vocals absolutely soaring and generating conversation amongst the crowd. The first song was a standout, another song that may or may not be called No Smoke Without Fire was also brilliant, flowing superbly and Mikey did his best with the small space he had on stage to dance and get the crowd going.

The band played a full 40-minute set with their songs flowing well, saving debut single In And Out (Of My Head) to last - blogged about previously HERE - is an absolute belter. Euphoric electro disco pop.

This was only their fifth gig and they displayed enough in their 40th minute set to show that they have bags of potential and they are bound to generate some interest. They have clearly spent a good bit of time developing their sound - crisp and clean - with the ability to soar.

Sonny Marvello had brought a good crowd with them - this was their first show in Glasgow in a few years. The band had gone off the radar to record an album which they released under the guise of Flash Talk. It is a synth pop rock masterpiece, check my review HERE

The band have gone back to a more organic approach and decided to go back to the original name of Sonny Marvello. They opened with a quartet of new songs; Follow The Yellow King had echoes of The Flaming Lips while The Book Of Rays had echoes of Macca in his Wings days.

Mysteries in Motion was the song that generated the best response from the crowd. It is exceptional - full of hooks, a superb breakdown and a chorus you will be singing a-long to on first listen. I can't wait to hear this recorded.

The band then blasted out a couple of Flash Talk numbers; the powerful Tiny Little Sparks and the Bowie meets Kraftwerk Synthesise to the delight of their fans.

Then it was back to old school Sonny Marvello with the closing double header of Pull Me Up, 3 minutes of pure guitar pop and then Made of Magic with the false ending and again it is a song that has the ability to get people singing on first listen.

Sonny Marvello are made of magic; brilliant musicians led by a singer with songs pouring out of him, it is great to have them back.

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.

The Insomniac Project

In And Out (of My Head) is the debut single by new Scottish band The Insomniac Project and it deserves your attention - remarkably fresh and polished, upbeat and flowing superbly with euphoric male and female vocals.

The band themselves describe it as disco infused electronic pop - and I can't argue with that description and I probably can't top it either!

There is a sense of urgency to the verses that is taken further when the female vocals kick in, but then when you listen to the song a few times in a row it kind of feels like there are 3 or 4 different choruses - it is just constant; flowing superbly, building all the time and keeping things going with cowbell and little twists and turns - bringing in guitar, adding more synths. A brilliant debut.

The Insomniac Project play only their fourth show (and first real official show) at Nice n Sleazys on Friday 4th September, so if you want to get into a band with huge potential from the off then you could do a lot worse than The Insomniac Project.

If In And Out (of My Head) is the shape of things to come then I am in for the ride. It is available on i-Tunes and all the regular places on 31st August. Get a note in your diary.