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.
Insta - @everythingflowsglasgow
We start with the slick, soulful and funky disco of 'Le Freak' by Chic
We the glide into Patti Jo's gorgeous 'Make Me Believe In You', the lyrics are just pure 'heart on sleeve' stuff.
We then storm into Martha Reeves & The Vandella's with the classic 'Nowhere To Run'. Martha will be playing Celtic Connections in Glasgow in January 2012.
Keeping up the pace we fly into Spanky Wilson with 'You', written by a certain Stevie Wonder.
This week ends in serious style courtesy of The Stones and this outrageous take on 'Sympathy For The Devil' from the memorial concert for Brian Jones in 1969.
Today is the anniversary of the death of John Peel, the legendary Radio 1 DJ, a man of the people, a man for the people.
Peel was a voice and an outlet for independent music of all kinds. He embraced bands that went on to be huge; Nirvana (with tracks from their sessions going on to be on Incesticide) and the White Stripes (for example) and he also loved more obscure bands like The Fall and it was through Peel that I got into The Misunderstood. They left their guitars feeding back during a Peel session and went outside for a smoke, picking up their guitars on return!
The Smiths and New Order are two other bands that benefitted from Peel's backing throughout their careers. Looking back through a list of Peel's Festive Fifty listings just makes me want to spend the weekend listening to music. Peel was the first DJ to play Joy Division, Bernard Sumner delivers a heartfelt thanks below.
As a kid I would listen to Peel's show semi-regularly. At times I would turn off, I didn't get some of the music he played. At other times I listened intently for sessions by PJ Harvey or enjoyed some obscure Jamacian dub record.
Peel Sessions were released on a tiny DIY label called Strange Fruit and I have many of them in my record collection. My favourite would be (not surprisingly) the Teenage Fanclub Peel Session. The guitar sounds are better than ever on 'God Knows It's True' and there is a fantastic version of 'Alcoholiday' (see below)
Peel gave independent Scottish music a national platform, one that has deteriorated rapidly since his death. Ally McCrae's weekly show is currently under threat and anyone that tunes into Radio 1 will realise who far downhill in terms of music. Peel could get something on to the A-list. Correct me if I am wrong but I think he was instrumental in Cornershop's 'Brimful of Asha' going to Radio 1's prime daytime playlist.
Ballboy, TFC, The Delgadoes, Mogwai, Arab Strap and Belle and Sebastian are a handful of bands that can thank Peel for a leg up in their careers. Check out some banter with John from his Christmas special with Belle and Sebastian below.
I also miss Peel on the Glastonbury coverage, somehow Fearne and Reggie don't seem to 'get it' in the way that Peel undoubtedly did. The Beeb used to cut to footage of Peel dancing in an obscure field to an obscure band with a smile on his face.
R.I.P John Peel
This was his favourite track, pure punk pop by The Undertones.
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.
This week's Five for Friday digs deep into my CD and record collection for some tunes I haven't played in ages.
We start with Looper, fronted by Stuart David the former bassist of Belle and Sebastian. The song was used in the Vanilla Sky movie which has a tremendous soundtrack.
We then head Stateside for the sublime 'Such Great Heights' by The Postal Service, released on that lovely label that is Sub Pop.
Staying with Sub Pop we have the gorgeous harmonies of Beach House and 'Take Care' from their lovely album 'Teen Dream'. I still kick myself for not going to see them at Oran Mor.
Going back a little further and sticking with the Sub Pop vibe, we have one of my favourite tunes. It has been a while since I listened to it. It's one of those tunes I like so much that I have it on CD and vinyl. I remember buying it from the old Missing Records on Oswald Street back in the early 90's. The chiming guitar hooked me from the off and Lou Barlow's lyrics and voice just hooked me further. 'I think our love is coming to an end, I know our love is coming to an end'. Heartbreaking and life affirming at the same time. 'Saying goodbye, was so much fun.'
We go off on a slight tangent with the last tune, originally released on legendary Scottish label 53rd & 3rd, but I didn't get my hands on that EP, although a certain young Kurt Cobain in Seattle somehow did. However later on Sub Pop released the compilation 'The Way Of The Vaselines', another CD I bought from Missing Records. The innocence on this, the sheer sense of fun and the catchiness just brings a smile to my face every time.
Enjoy
'The sun shines in my bedroom, when you play,
and the rain it always starts, when you go away.'
Look out for the ferocious Nirvana cover version on Incesticide.
The rumours that the Stone Roses are reforming will be confirmed at a press conference tomorrow. The news excites me, it also frightens me.
Why? Why would the reformation of my favourite band frighten me? Well there are a number of reasons that make me wonder if all would be rosey in the Stone Roses garden if it happened.
There are also a number of reasons that leave my spine tingling.....lets look at both sides of the coin.
The bad
1. Ian Brown's singing There is no denying it. Ian Brown's voice (never particularly strong and certainly helped by the backing vocals of Reni in the Roses) has gone backwards. Probably shot by years of heavy dope smoking.
Now I have seen and heard Ian Brown sing fantastically well, notably when he toured with the Complete Stone Roses as his backing band and played a string of Roses classics.
However I have also cringed at his vocals at times. Last year at Rock Ness I walked away from his set. His voice was truly awful. I was a little heart broken.
Brown also seems to try to compensate for this by continually asking the sound engineer to turn his mic up to the extent that it booms over everything else and distorts.
I can only hope that Brown has been taking singing lessons.
2. Are they only doing it for the money? The Roses were shafted by Silvertone so they have never made the money they deserve for their debut album. However they got a fortune from Geffen for the Second Coming. There are still stories of Ian Brown walking round Manchester handing cash to the homeless.
Brown used to say they would only reform for charity. Brown's solo career has taken a dive, there is no denying that. The size of his concert venues have also dropped, understandably when his material isn't up to much, nor is his vocal performance.
Mani would do it at the drop of a hat, he would probably pay to do it.
Squire is making a living from his art, an alright one at that I would imagine considering his work is going for £5k plus for an original.
Reni has been very quiet since the Roses parted company with him. Although I did catch him at King Tuts fronting his band The Rub. They soon disappeared with Reni. I can't imagine Reni is particularly fond of Squire, but time is a healer and all that.
I don't think the Roses are only doing it for the money, they had and have too much soul and style for all that. They do have unfinished business though.
Could they do a tour and still all be friends though? There has been no love lost over the years between Squire and Brown.
3. Squire's art
Squire's artwork produced in March 2009 doesn't exactly say that he would never reform the Roses. It does however make his intentions clear - lets hope that if the Roses do reform that Squire doesn't let it end like it did at Reading in 1996 with fans walking away in tears as the group crumbled before them.
4. New material Squire's post Roses output is pretty shit, lets be honest. That never stopped me going to see him live with The Seahorses or solo. But that was largely because I hoped to hear Roses tunes. There was one special secret show he played at Tuts when he came on looking cool as fuck and played the outro to resurrection before going into She Bangs The Drums and Waterfall. A special moment.
Brown has had his moments, notably with F.E.A.R and Be There (with Unkle). Moments worthy of the Roses.
Have they got anything special left in their lockers? I fear it would be a major letdown and if they are going to play then just play the old stuff.
The good
1. The songs I would love to hear guitar pop nuggets like Mersey Paradise, Sally Cinnamon and She Bangs The Drums blasting out, I'd love to see Reni and Mani locked in the groove of Fools Gold, One Love and Adored. I'd love to hear Squire's guitar chiming Ten Storey Love Song and see Brown shimmy to I Am The Resurrection.
2. Inspiration The Roses had the look, the attitude, the songs, the patter, the clothes.... a truly special and and they were responsible for guitar pop bands starting up all over the UK.
We could do with some of that now. Turn on the TV and the news is depressing, the country and the world seems pretty fucked. The Roses coming back would put smiles on faces.
And you can bet they would have a few words to say about things.
3. To leave in a good way. Reni leaving (being sacked), Squire's mountain bike accident causing them to cancel their Glastonbury headline appearance (having their thunder stolen by Pulp), Squire quitting and Mani and Brown playing on without him......the drugs.
It ended in a mess. Could you grudge such a great band the chance to get back together again and sign off in a blaze of glory and make a lot of people happy?
CONCLUSION When you love someone you can fear that they could hurt you, cut you deep. You also know that they could make you feel incredible.
I'll attempt to buy a ticket (possibly several if there is a tour) if they announce some shows.
5 tunes I may or may not play when I am drunk this weekend and in charge of decks at Sonny Marvello's Loch Lomond bash.
They tend to get the party started or keep it going......honestly.
Anyone who doesn't dance to this isn't worth having at your party. Little Michael's vocals soar.
One from my youth, glorious riff, so upbeat, always makes me smile.....and....... JUMP, MIGHT AS WELL JUMP!
Daft Punk don't remix or edit any old tune. They don't do too much to this magnificent guitar pop offering from Franz Ferdinand, a few nips and tucks here and there....
Guitar punk pop at its best.
And one to raise the roof. Everyone seems to know this....even if they don't.
Being a music fan in Glasgow means that you can discover bands in a variety of manners. I found out about The Moth & the Mirror (TM&TM) through speaking to a lovely guy called Kev who worked in Grassroots in Woodlands Road. We chatted regularly and I told him I was going to the Connect Music Festival that Sunday, primarily to see Sigur Ros.
'Oh you should come and see my band, The Moth & The Mirror.'
It turns out that Kev plays bass with them. He is a nice guy, so I went along to check them out and I really liked what I saw and heard. I caught them a couple of times over the next year or so and then it all seemed to go quiet. I know from speaking to Kev that they were recording, a certain Louis Abbot went on to have great success with his 'other band' Admiral Fallow and Gordon Skeene was recruited by Frightened Rabbit....so it has taken some time to get around to releasing this abum.
The Moth and The Mirror certainly do nothing to dispel any myths about the Scottish music scene being rather incestious!
In truth it is simply the fact that Glasgow is a small place and like minded people tend to get to know each other and help each other out. We are a friendly bunch.
Opener 'Everyone I Know' starts with the rhythm section locked into a groove and develops into a rather epic song with singer Stacey Sievwright declaring 'I don't have the heart for this.' As openers go, this is a clear declaration of intent, a band wanting to prove their talents.
'Soft Insides' slows things down. A picked guitar riff is joined by glockenspiel and Stacey's vocal talents get the chance to shine. 'You build a wall so you can hide...'
'Fire' sounds familiar, so I'm guessing I must have heard it live. Either that or its upbeat nature just attracts me immediately. Or maybe it is the fact that Louis Abbot steps forward for a duet with Stacey. 'Fire' isn't a million miles away from the feel or sound of 'Boots Met My Face'. As an admirer of that album, that is a good thing. The song ends with a glorious refrain of 'thoughts of you, keep me warm' .
'Boxes' slows things down again, a sparse guitar riff is picked out on an acoustic guitar with Stacey's vocals all hushed and whispered. There are some gorgeous harmonies on this number until it all changes with guitars and drums crashing in. I have to confess that I prefer the first half of the song.
'Beautiful Creature' comes in at under 2-minutes long, yet there is enough time for TM&TM to experiment with sound and timings. Stacey sounds like a bit of a seductress on this one.
The title track 'Honestly, This World' flows on nicely from 'Beautiful Creature', good work on the tracklisting. If TM&TM have a 'sound' then this is a bit of a departure from it, reminding me of the likes of Jefferson Airplane at times. JA are not my particular cup of tea though, nor is this track.
Stacey's vocals are one of the real strengths of this album and of the band. Her ability to soar and to change style from line to line is quite remarkable on the right song. 'Hope Is An Anchor' is a song that really suits her. 'He just went away, put on a shining armour, he'll be back to get you some day'.
'Germany' is one of the more upbeat songs on the album in terms of the feeling to it. There is a great breakdown in the middle of the song when there are some lovely 3 or 4 part harmonies. The song really flows from there on in ending with Stacey shouting 'shake me up, shake you out'. A definite highlight.
'Closing Doors' is one of my tracks of the year. The feeling and production on this are just exceptional. Stacey's vocals are all hushed 'My eyes are bleary at this time of day....'. The cello on this is beautiful, as is the slide guitar, so delicate and soulful and the Emmylou Harris style 'oooh's'. A moment of genuine magic.
TM&TM's debut album flirts between styles throughout, so I was intrigued to see what they would come up with to close it. 'Oceans & Waves' starts gently before slow beats come in. The song veers off into new territory with searing guitar riffs, leaving the acoustic guitar and Stacey far behind. This song has epic stamped all over it, taking the listener on a real journey, as does the album.
All in all this is a good album with some particular stand outs. My personal favourites being 'Closing Doors', 'Germany', 'Hope Is An Anchor' and 'Fire'. Well worth checking out.
