Last Night From Glasgow - 2nd birthday

In only 2-years Last Night From Glasgow has released albums, singles and EP's by Mark W Georgsson, Emme Woods, Stephen Solo, TeenCanteen, Be Charlotte, BooHooHoo, a live Christmas album,  Medicine Men, Radiophonic Tuckshop, Sister John, Sun Rose, Annie Booth, The Gracious Losers, L-Space and Zoe Bestel .... I hope I haven't forgotten anyone!

What would have happened if LNFG hadn't arrived? How many of these releases would have been pressed on to vinyl, or even released at all? Last night in Glasgow (pun alert) wouldn't have happened - and it was amazing!

So much about the label makes sense. So let's just revisit that before I go on to review the second birthday bash.

• LNFG is a crowdfunded label.

• 200 members pay an annual membership fee of £50 (with optional donation that many choose to make)

• For that £50 they receive all planned physical and digital releases plus access to launch shows! 

• Members are the core of the label. They raise the capital to allow LNFG to run and to release records.

• Physical/digital releases are also available to buy/stream for non-members and (get this) almost 100% of sales go to the artists!!! LNFG is a not-for-profit record label with everything directed towards supporting and rewarding artists. In addition to support through sales, LNFG pay our artists well for shows.

There are still a few membership places for our 2018/19 year. Why not take a chance? We will be releasing albums by Zoe Bestel, Radiophonic Tuckshop, Gracious Losers, BiS and one more TBC, plus you'll get access to all these launch shows.

Talk about great value for money.

Anyway, on to last night.....

Stereo was the setting for the 2nd birthday party. It's a glorious hub of leftfield musical, artistic and vegan activity down a cobbled lane just round from Central Station with a fine selection of drinks. Well worth checking if you have never been,

Birthday parties should be celebrations and this was no different. I guess there was an added sense of occasion for those that had been involved from the off - the founding members - and also for those that became label members from the off - investing into nothing more than an idea. We swapped stories and favourite memories from the last two-years. And for relatively new label members, they got to experience something special, something magical - a sense of community.

I guess that is probably the most amazing thing of all, the community that Last Night From Glasgow has created, friendships, trust, a platform of creativity.... last night was special.

Stephen Solo opened proceedings, bursting into a sun drenched blitz of psychedelic pop with LocoCoco. Solo has an incredible talent for melody and for taking the listener on a journey, his songs are packed with glorious breaks, middle-eights, hooks and choruses.

Behind Your Eyes from his debut album contains the most beautiful Albarn-esque chorus, Think Strange from his latest album is brilliant inventive pop music and you have to remember that this guy recorded both his albums on his iPhone. For me, Stephen Solo is a genius.

Sample tweet

Ross Hastings‏ @Ross_Hastings 23h23 hours ago

Just saw Stephen Solo at the @LNFGlasgow show; it was weird and beautiful and fucking marvellous

Photo courtesy of Brendan Waters

Sun Rose were on next. This was only their second ever gig. The band (Albert, Gus and Callum) created their glorious The Essential Luxury album in the studio and online, never really intending to play it live. When they did create a live band, it was a 6-piece, with 4 of the members living Manchester. It was special (blog here). So how would they fair as a 2-piece? They smashed it - Gus and Albert mixed things up live on stage with synths, samples and Albert on guitar. Their voices combined beautifully and as the smoke billowed behind them, they created a real clubby feel with Dry In The Water soaring and flowing superbly. Stereo was rammed and before a glorious climax with Counting Upwards Albert had to ask the crowd to take a couple of steps forwards.

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Carla J. Easton‏ @CarlaJEaston 3h3 hours ago

#6forSunday Can't stop thinking about how good Sun Rose were last night. 'The Essential Luxury' might be my favourite album from last year. Closer #5 - Counting Upwards (Sun Rose) THAT SYNTH CRESCENDO!

Photo courtesy of Brendan Waters

L-Space followed, playing a trippy dreamy set to the biggest crowd of their (so far) short career. They look and sound superb, playfully weaving melodies from synths, keys and guitar together, all underpinned by a groovy bass. Blue Flowers is already a contender for one of my songs of 2018. I previously described it as Mazzy Star meets Portishead and i stand by it. I can't wait to own it on vinyl. Lead singer Lily looks super cool and her imaginative lyrics are set to widescreen sounds with Gordon Johnstone on guitar looking like he was having the time of his life.

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@stephenwattspit

@Lspace_band were glorious at @LNFGlasgow last night. A band still sheathed in shyness in the purest and most positive way.

Photo courtesy of Brendan Waters

On to headliners BiS. The band shot to fame in 1996, being the first unsigned band to appear on Top of the Pops with their glorious and furious Kandy Pop. The band have aged well in terms of appearance (not that they are old!) and on the strength of last nights performance and the poptastic new song that they dropped, they haven't lost any of their energy or sense of fun. They tore through a hit packed set (this song got to number 37) with urgency and the enjoyment on stage was matched by the packed crowd. Eurodisco was a real highlight for me and I know how much it means to label leader Ian Smith to have this band on the label.

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Charity Chic‏ @charchicmusic 21h21 hours ago

@LNFGlasgow ,@thebandbis Bis were the absolute bisters

Futuristic Retro Champions - the last weekend

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.'


Thanks FRC's, it was a blast.

Love and Lemonade
Murray
xxx