Alcohol and Music - Sailor Jerry's present Pete & the Pirates

Alcohol and music pretty much go hand in hand, I’m sure that goes without saying for many of you reading this blog!

In recent years the drinks industry has recognised the significance of the live music audience and moved to ‘get in there’ (Scottish football fans expression) and ‘get about it’ (another one). This has been tried and tested on various different levels.

This week will see Sailor Jerry’s put on a night at Stereo with Pete and the Pirates, to tie in with Sailor Jerry Spiced, with the crowd invited to get ‘torn into’ (another good Scottish expression) a number of combinations including Sailor and Ginger and Sailor and Cola.

Amazingly, I have been getting some rather good hits/visits to my blogs since I started writing regularly and someone got in touch asking if I would go to this gig. As someone who was converted to the wonder of Sailor Jerry’s by Sonny Marvello, I immediately asked if there was any space on the bill for them, sadly there wasn’t but I fully intended to go along and sample the wares anyway.

Until I realised that this weekend is absolutely manic for me and I had completely forgotten that I’m going to see Roddy Hart and the Lonesome Fire at Oran Mor on Friday.

Anyway, it got me thinking about Drinks companies and their increasing forays into the live music market, in turn prompting this blog. So I’ll look at Sailor Jerry’s, but also Miller, Guinness and Carling who have all got involved in the music scene in Glasgow over the last few years.

Sailor Jerry’s

I first heard about Sailor Jerry’s at the wedding of Sonny Marvello’s singer Stephen to his lovely wife Hayley. I was fed up of beer and needed a spirit. Low and behold, Mick and Craig from the band produced Sailor Jerry’s and with simple mix of coke and ice I was back in the mood to party, suitably refreshed and recharged. They seem to be a drinks brand going quietly about their business and generating recommendations through word of mouth and some clever advertising.

Sailor Jerry’s are no stranger to live gigs; in recent times they have put on gigs by rising bands The Joy Formidable and Mystery Jets. So they clearly have someone with their ear to the ground in terms of rising bands, indeed Pete and the Pirates latest single ‘Come To The Bar’ has been deemed ‘hottest record in the world’ by Zane Lowe. So they may just have their ear to Radio 1 rather than the ground!

Pic by Stephen Guillock

So Pete and the Pirates headline Stereo on Friday 27^th May,tickets are a mere £5 with no booking fee and they are available from www.sailorjerry.co.uk You can also visit www.facebook.com/sailorjerry where you can win a signed guitar and there will be regular giveaways through the year.

“we can't wait to play Sailor Jerry Presents and we always have fun when in Glasgow so it's going to be a great show" - Pete and the Pirates

Norman “Sailor Jerry” Collins was the father of old-school American tattooing. Sailor Jerry preserves the legacy of Norman Collins and celebrates his old-school values of independence, hard work, and unyielding standards of craftsmanship. 


So there is a good link between independent up and coming bands who like to get out on tour and .....are good. It will be interesting to see how Sailor Jerry’s relationship with music develops. They seem to be ‘targetting’ a certain market and my own opinion is that they are choosing a good selection of bands and venues and Glasgow will naturally feature regularly given our love of live music and drink.

Pete and the Pirates seem to be a band on the rise, so with the mix of some Sailor Jerry’s and an excellent venue, this could be a good night. This is the first one I’ve heard about, so I look forward to seeing who they put on next.

Miller

My introduction to Alcohol Companies using the live music market to enhance and promote their brand was through Miller Genuine Draft and their series of monthly gigs in Glasgow and Edinburgh circa 2006-2007/8 (I lose track of time). The concept was simple – get two of the hottest and best bands around, get them in a cool venue, promote it well, make it free (you had to text) and get the beers in – Miller only though of course.

I went to a number of gigs at the Mill in both Glasgow and Edinburgh and two of the bands I went on to manage; Futuristic Retro Champions and Sonny Marvello, played at the nights they put on. So looking back I can assess them as a music fan, from a band/management perspective and in reflection on what they brought to the live music scene. I can also hazard a guess at what they got out of it. So I’ll do just that!

Music fan

The Mill gigs were weekly (yes that’s right – weekly) gigs in both Glasgow and Edinburgh. I think that not only highlights the number of bands in and around those cities, but also the quality. I recently met with the girl in charge of these nights and she wouldn’t put on any old crap, nor would the brand wish to be associated with terrible music. So as a music fan you had access to regular quality music in great venues – for free!

Band/Management

The Mill (Miller) promoted the sh*t out of these gigs with adverts in The Skinny, The List and on billboards throughout each city. So if you were an ‘out and about’ type of person, you really couldn’t miss the fact that they were on. This is a major plus point for bands, they knew that there was a very good chance indeed that they would be playing to people who had never seen them before in a great venue with a great sound system (several plus points).

To make things even better The Mill gigs were filmed at broadcast quality, a superb marketing tool for any aspiring band, something that would have cost them thousands. Check out the example below.

Sonny Marvello, 'Whispering Song' live at The Mill

They were also recorded through the mixing desk – yet another plus point, I’ve lost count already. Oh and the bands got a crate of beer each!

Music Scene

Miller brought a sense of excitement to the music scene, you would often hear ‘who is on at The Mill this week’ in conversations about what to do that week/night. They also brought a sense of trust – good bands, good venue, good sound system and all for FREE. They did of course have a huge budget in which to do this.

Miller

Miller must have spent a small fortune on the series of gigs. In actual fact I know they did, and it must have run easily into the high hundreds of thousands of pounds. So was it worth it? I’m going to say yes (I also hope it was as they deserve it). They got their brand out there, they did it over a sustained period ensuring raised levels of awareness, they got people talking about Miller and they certainly got people drinking Miller. Through the gigs they got direct access to their target market, there were questionnaires and research.

I would love them to do it again. I doubt Sailor Jerry's have the budget of Miller, but it would be worth a look at their model.

Carling

Carling were the former sponsors of the O2 Academy in Glasgow. This meant that their brand was promoted to hundreds of thousands of people through listings, tickets, adverts, promotions and through the actual sale of the lager in the venue.

So if Miller adopted a ‘hands on’ approach you can certainly say that Carlin were going in at a much higher level. Now I could only guess at how much Carling paid per year to sponsor the Academy. It must have been a fair whack.

Guinness

Going at things in a different manner (as you would half expect from the Irish) are Guinness who sponsored Snow Patrol’s Bellahouston Park show last year. I was up in Inverness for Rock Ness at the time, so I don’t know what extent they sponsored the show to, but I do know that the second stage for unsigned bands was sponsored by Guinness. Putting on a big show like Bellahouston costs a small fortune, so to have the backing of a major company like Guinness eases the burden. It probably kept the ticket price down by a good few pounds! I’m also sure Snow Patrol like their Guinness!

So to summarise

Well it isn’t rocket science. Alcohol companies can align their brand with cool bands, get direct access to cool people (yeah OK, we’re not all cool, more of their target audience) and research opinions. In a way I guess this is ‘direct marketing’, just in a clever roundabout way.

And bands get a boost in promotion and occasionally some money in their pocket, certainly a drink in their hand!

It would appear that if the drinks company do their job well, the bands put on a show and people turn up, then everyone is a winner..?

Echo & the Bunnymen - Ocean Rain

I was too young to get into the Bunnymen in their 80's pomp, however when they released the glorious 'Nothing Ever Lasts Forever' in 1997 it was enough to prompt me to explore their back catalogue; especially after catching them at the Barrowlands that year. McCulloch was icy cool, the band were bathed in dry ice, this was guitar pop with ambition, style, an edge and confidence.


My friend has just bought us front row tickets for their Glasgow Royal Concert Hall performance of their 1984 self proclaimed masterpiece 'Ocean Rain'. So I thought I would revisit the album.

As opening songs go 'Silver' is impressive. It flows along and McCulloch is in great form

'just look at you with burning lips, you're living proof at my finger tips'

The song, like a lot of the album, is allowed the space to breath and develop, with acoustic guitar underpinning everything, allowing Will Sergeant's chiming guitar to shine when used and the strings lift the song towards the end.

There is quite a dramatic change in style for 'Nocturnal Me' with the bands love of The Doors (they later covered and released 'People Are Strange') influence shines through. The music has an operatic feeling to it with a military style beat at moments. The 35-piece orchestra employed by the band for this album get free reign to add to the dark and moody atmosphere.


You can pack a lot into a 2 minute and 26 second pop song, as admirably demonstrated by the Bunnymen with 'Crystal Days' . Like 'Silver' the acoustic guitar drives the song along without being over-bearing, almost in the background. I wonder how much of the album was written on acoustic guitar.

Here am I

Whole at last with a golden view

Looking for hope

And I hope it's you

Splitting my heart

Cracked right in two

The pleasure of pain endured

To purify our misfit ways

And magnify our crystal days

McCulloch uses every trick he can on this album and the recurring use of 'hope' in each verse is extremely clever. The first verse has the line above and the second verse is;

Where are you

In shadows only I can see

Looking for hope

And you hope it's me

While the third verse goes back to the first but replaces the second 'hope' with 'know'. It is so simple, yet so effective. As is the electric guitar riff that kicks in after every chorus, I could probably learn it in a day. Simple and pure pop.

The song is under two and a half minutes long yet there is still time for a lengthy solo with strings,  'Crystal Days' has become one of my favourite Bunnymen songs.

'The Yo Yo Man' revisits some of the darker LA bands from the 60's like The Doors and Love. 

(I'm the yo-yo man)

Flames on your skin of snow turn cold

(Always up and down)

Cold is the wind that blows through my headstone

Collecting the bones of my friend tonight

Sowing the seeds in a fruitless land

You know when prayers all hit the ground

There is no higher hand

If I'm honest, it isn't one of my high points of the album, yet it still showcase the bands music ambition and McCulloch's poetic skills.


'Thorn of Crowns' is one of the strangest songs in the Bunnymen cannon, sounding like a loose jam at times with crazy lyrics, exploding into a glorious yet all to brief riff at 1 minute 27 seconds (and 2mins35) at others, white noise and feedback on occassion.

C-c-c-cucumber

C-c-c-cabbage

C-c-c-cauliflower

Men on Mars

April showers

If 'Thorn of Crowns' sounds like it was conceived out of (or is) a jam, then the remaining tracks on the album are absolutely sublime examples of songwriting and the Bunnymen at their majestic best.

'The Killing Moon' is just f**king fantastic. It flows and it glows. Mac is at his poetic best

In starlit nights I saw you

So cruelly you kissed me

Your lips a magic world

Your sky all hung with jewels

The killing moon

Will come too soon

The song rises at the right moments, it takes the listener on a journey and Mac is the pied piper, with songs like this it is no wonder that devoted fans followed the band around the UK to places as exotic as Shetland as they attempted to mark out a tour map in the shape of a bunny!

The strings are gorgeous, Sergeant's guitar knows when to be heard and when to remain silent and yet again the acoustic guitar lets the song breath and flow. The song got to number 9 in the UK charts when released as a single. Check this video of the band playing it live on The Tube back in the day.

If 'Crystal Days' shows what the band can do in under three minutes then 'The Killing Moon' is the platform for them to show what they can do in just under six - stunning!

'Seven Seas' keeps the momentum going and it is more pure pop with acoustic guitar, chiming electric, Mac crooning and strings soaring. The bass riff holds it all together.

'My Kingdom' gets into the groove from the off and McCulloch is in playful mood with his lyrics and delivery, all underpinned by by Will Seregant's acoustic guitar before he lets loose on electric at the end. McCulloch's love of the Velvets/Lou Reed is highlighted with the 'do do do do do' section.

I've lost and I've gained and while I was thinking 

You cut off my hands when I wanted to twist 

If you know how to dance to Boney Maroney 

He's doing the ballet on both of his wrists 

'Ocean Rain' 

i

s heart breakingly beautiful, f**king gorgeous, so slow and aching it hurts. It all sounds so simple and easy, yet this is songwriting and music of the highest quality.

All at sea again 

And now my hurricanes have brought down this ocean rain 

To bathe me again 

My ship's a sail 

Can you hear its tender frame 

Screaming from beneath the waves 

Screaming from beneath the waves 

All hands on deck at dawn 

Sailing to sadder shores 

Your port in my heavy storms 

Harbours the blackest thoughts 

'Ocean Rain' (album and song) is the sound of a band in top form, they show off their skills, influences and ambition. The orchestra reaches for the stars in the break at 2 minutes 30 seconds, the guitar riff /solo is just exquisite and McCulloch's croon is Sinatra-esque. 


What makes the album so special - well all of the above. Th albums stands up as a body of majestic work and at its peak it reaches truly magical moments that the vast majority of bands can only dream of. The Bunnymen had the look, the attitude and songs to inspire genuine passion amongst fans, on a cult and international scale. 


Check it out if you don't own it.

The Man In Blue - Definitive Daft Punk

While browsing through various trends on twitter on Friday I discovered this


http://daftpunk.themaninblue.com/


It is utterly sublime, 23 tracks by Daft Punk mixed seamlessly with taste and style by 'the man in blue' into a little over 6 minutes.

I actually can't really put into words how much I have enjoyed this - just go to the website and watch in graphics how he has mixed the tracks in, download it and then spread the word. 

The tracklisting:

1. Daft Punk - Da Funk
2. Daft Punk - Aerodynamic
3. Daft Punk - Too Long
4. Daft Punk - Oh Yeah
5. Daft Punk - Steam Machine
6. Daft Punk - Television Rules The Nation
7. Daft Punk - Tron Legacy
8. Daft Punk - Alive
9. Daft Punk - Burnin'
10. Daft Punk - Around The World
11. Daft Punk - Voyager
12. Daft Punk - Crescendolls
13. Scott Grooves - Mothership Reconnection (Daft Punk Remix)
14. Daft Punk - Digital Love
15. Daft Punk - Harder, Better, Faster
16. Daft Punk - Human After All
17. Daft Punk - Face To Face
18. Daft Punk - Short Circuit
19. Daft Punk - Daftendirekt
20. Daft Punk - Revolution 909
21. Daft Punk - Technologic
22. Ian Pooley - Chord Memory (Daft Punk Remix)
23. Daft Punk - One More Time

For Abel @ Stereo, 14th May 2011

Last night I headed to Stereo in the centre of Glasgow for the album launch of 'Greater Inventions' by For Abel.


You can listed to all of For Abel's album on Soundcloud at http://soundcloud.com/forabel/sets before deciding if you would like to buy a copy through Flowers In The Dustbin (who released Nevada Base's debut single) or itunes.

I arrived at Stereo at 8.45pm and I didn't have too long to wait until For Abel took to the stage. They started as they meant to go on with a rather epic Joy Division-esque number. 


If For Abel have any desire to headline a festival, they got a good indication of what it was like to play to a crowd with a 10 yard gap in between them, as their fans stood well back, not wanting to be 'down the front.'


Not the band cared one bit about that. They were 'in the zone' with frontman Robert Armstrong easily moving from literary musings to simple guitar pop-punk.


I'm still learning the names of For Abel's songs, however the opening track from their album 'Telephone' was excellent; spiky guitars and the kind of New Wave pop punk feel that gets straight to the point with the chorus delivered in under 45 seconds.

'I just wish that you would pick up your telephone to me.'

'On TV' was sharper, faster and more lively than the recorded version and the crowd responded accordingly with some dancing at the front, while 'Yorkshire' was one of my personal highlights; the ferocious guitar and bass riffing reminded me of Senseless Things from my youth.

When For Abel are at their best they have fantastic potential, although I must admit the odd song did pass me by. It will be interesting to see what kind of stuff they record next, as some of the stuff was clearly aiming for the stars; 'First Kiling' is one example.

'Broken Hands' is another, it lasts for over 5-minutes on the record, last night it must have gone on for well over that. By this point the band were really going for it, clearly tight on stage and off it. The atmospheric opening breaks into a melodic guitar riff that builds in time with the vocals.

'this could be with you, lets be somebody, lets just make things new, like anybody too'

For Abel are certainly able (sorry) and when they are at their best they bring Joy Division and The National to mind (they were once called The Nacional). It was a good gig, the sound system in Stereo is one of the best in Glasgow and they also have one of the best sound engineers in Shona. It will be interesting to see what they do next.

Full credit to Flowers in the Dustbin for releasing records by Nevada Base and For Abel already this year; clearly a label with a good ear for music in Glasgow.

Music in May

May is a busy month for music in Glasgow, yet there are two events that I am particularly looking forward to and it should be no real surprise that they involve the acts I am managing.

Thursday 19^th May – Sonny Marvello live at the Apple Store

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=177283152322424

Taken from the Apple website;

6:00 pm - 6:30 pm
Rocket Science Recording Studio 
Sonny Marvello’s producers Ross Hamilton and Michael Bannister will give us insight into how Apple devices make their workflow more dynamic. At Rocket Science Recording Studio, Ross and Michael rely on a MacBook Pro to record the music, an iPad 2 to wirelessly control Pro Tools and an iPhone 4 to capture HD video of the live sessions. Come along and find out more at this special event.

6:30 pm - 7:30 pm
Sonny Marvello: Music, Marketing and the Mac 
How can a pop band record, market, film and network successfully — all using Apple products? Find out from Glasgow’s own Sonny Marvello, a group that’s been compared to Beatles-era McCartney, classic Sparks and the Monkees crossed with ELO. Hear how they recorded their new acoustic mini-album, 100 Club, in only one day. They’ll close this special event with a live acoustic set.

Sonny Marvello - Fire Went Out

Post event Sonny Marvello will be playing a guerrilla style gig somewhere in Glasgow City Centre and following that there will be an exclusive aftershow party for members of the Sonny Marvello 100 club.

What is the Sonny Marvello 100 club?

It isn’t easy for a non-electronic act to find a studio and producer that they trust. It also isn’t cheap. Thankfully Sonny Marvello have found two producers who ‘get’ their sound and who bring out the best in them in the studio – Ross Hamilton and Michael Bannister from Rocket Science Studios.

Ross and Michael produced the bands ‘Pull Me Up’ EP and the band were so impressed that they went on to record three more songs with the duo with a view to getting an album together. Those songs; ‘Tiny Little Sparks’, ‘Paint The Sky’ and ‘Don’t Wanna Be Held’ were paid for out of EP sales. Once the kitty had run dry the band were faced with the task of generating more cash to fund studio time. So the band and I came up with the concept of the 100 club – an exclusive club with 100 memberships available at the cost of £10.

A tenner gets you;

•  A download of the song ‘Who Needs Somebody’
• A strictly limited edition mini acoustic album featuring the songs; ‘Welcome to the 100 club’, ‘Invisible Girl’, ‘Charlie Sheen (you’re living my dream)’, ‘Hold Me Sway’ and ‘Fire Went Out’ (check the video of ‘Fire Went Out’ back at the top of this blog) 
• Access to a secret gig
• A 100 club members badge
• Chance to appear in a video
• Mention on the website
• Future exclusives

Not bad value for a tenner in my humble opinion. Everyone is a winner, the band generate £1,000 to fund a few days in the studio and fans get some goodies and future exclusives. At the time of writing the band are on course to sell the last dozen or so memberships before the Apple Store gig.

So by the end of the summer, Sonny Marvello should have finished the recording, mixing and mastering of their album and it is going to be a belter. The band (and in particular singer-songwriter Stephen Farrell) have been on emotional rollercoaster of a ride over the last two years and that comes across in their songs of love, hope, dreams and at times despair (highlighted in the song ‘Land of the Lost Cause’ recorded last week. The band wear their hearts on their sleeves, there are no gimmicks, no magic tricks, this is a band that write and sing songs that many people will relate to and that upon hearing, people will find themselves singing along to.

Check them out and consider signing up to the 100 club at www.sonnymarvello.net

Tuesday 24^th May – Miaoux Miaoux single launch at Mono with special guests Japanese War Effort, Nevada Base and Peenko dj set http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=179453722104970

It is just over a year since I started working with Miaoux Miaoux and it has been an incredibly productive period. The next 6-months fill me with a real sense of excitement as Julian works towards the completion of his album, tentatively titled ‘Arcs of Brilliance’ and I look to see if I can find a label to release and promote his music. Miaoux Miaoux has developed very naturally over the last year with word-of-mouth playing a huge part. People check him out and recommend him to friends, blogs write about him and enquire about what is happening, and if he is booked to play somewhere he tends to get booked again or recommended to a fellow promoter/venue.

The phase begins with the release of a summer single through the small label Eli & Oz, run by Jen Anderson (also of Euphonios) who has a good ear for music and a good track record. I recently discovered the lovely Bear Bones through her label. 

Miaoux Miaoux's songs in question are the insanely catchy and summery ‘Hey Sound’ and the beautiful instrumental ‘Cloud Computer’. The single will be a digital only release and are the first fruits of the album Julian is working on.

When I first heard ‘Hey Sound’ I left Julian’s studio with a huge smile on my face. It is probably his most ‘commercial’ song to date. I was the same with ‘Cloud Computer’. The infectious guitar riff is etched in my brain and I found myself humming it as I walked along the West Highland Way on holiday lately.

The single will be launched with a show at one of my favourite venues in Glasgow – Mono, on 24^th May, the day after it is released. Expect a video in the week leading up to the release and you’ll be able to listen to the songs online soon.

With support from the lovely Jamie of Japanese War Effort (Jamie is also one half of Conquering Animal Sound who have released one of my albums of the year to date) and recently confirmed special guests Nevada Base it is shaping up to be quite a night.

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