The Riveras take the stage!

This blog has given me an opportunity to introduce readers to some of Glasgow’s most exciting new bands – from Majestic Dandelion and Dirty Sally to Gogobot – and I have one more band to point the spotlight at: The Riveras.

This five-piece indie rock band consists of Ben Smith (vocals), Scott Whitehall (guitar), Gary McCrossan (guitar, vocals), Calum Purse (bass, vocals) and Martyn McInnes (drums, vocals). The band sees their style to be a mixture of garage rock, new-wave and post-punk.

You can hear that the band have incorporated influences from throughout the decades of legendary British guitar music – from iconic groups such as The Beatles and The Smiths to punk bands like The Jam and Gang of Four – into short, lively three minute bursts like Job Seeking and Electric Lines.

In 1970, John Lennon said that “the best stuff is primitive enough and has no bullshit. It gets through to you; it got through to me, the only thing to get through to me of all the things that were happening when I was 15.”

This is exactly what The Riveras are trying to do – they aren’t trying to reinvent guitar music, but like all great bands they take the music that influenced them and write their own songs that relate to a new generation of music fans.

This band have all the ingredients to become successful but the number of bands with potential who break up before their time outweighs the bands who make it – we can only hope that The Riveras get the chance to make that next step and fully establish themselves as one of Glasgow’s best new bands.  

Visit The Riveras on Facebook

Gogobots are go!

L to R: Gordon McNeil, Marko Kelly, Rosie McClune

Gogobot are a three-piece band from Glasgow, consisting of Marko Kelly (vocals, guitar), Rosie McClune (bass), and Gordon McNeil (drums). Describing their songs as “synth anthems, pounding rock base [with] infectious pop melodies”, they weave influences as disparate as Scissor Sisters and Muse to create a unique dance-rock sound that sets them apart from their peers in the Glasgow music scene.

The band have been growing from strength to strength recently and have a fantastic live pedigree for a young band – from supporting Glasvegas to appearances some of the country’s biggest music festivals, such as T in the Park, Rockness and Wickerman.

The band describe their attitude as “DIY” – even going as far as building their own studio so they could control how they recorded their music. 2011 saw the band release the ‘See Saw Series’ – a run of six singles released throughout the year climaxing with a headline gig at Glasgow’s legendary King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut.

I think this is definitely a band to watch for the future – their darkly humorous lyrics and use of synths give them an edge over the homogenous indie guitar rock that typifies so many up-and-coming bands in Glasgow. The band are clearly making waves in the British music scene - from working with famed LA music producer Paul Lani to persuading Mock the Week comedian Stewart Francis to appear in the music video for single Do You Remember? Special guest slots with pop acts such as JLS and Olly Murs suggest they may also be capable of becoming popular beyond rock and indie fans.   

Visit Gogobot online

Free Olympics gig in Glasgow

Glasgow’s George Square will host one of four free concerts to commemorate the visit of the Olympic Torch on Friday, 8^th June.

The gig, presented by Coca-Cola will feature Scottish-born Emile Sande, singer-songwriter Eliza Doolittle and indie rockers General Fiasco. The concert is part of a 66-day long celebration as the Olympic Torch tours the UK and Coca-Cola are encouraging Glaswegians to get involved and celebrate the Olympics with friends and family at the gig.

Playing in Glasgow will be particularly special for Emile Sande, who studied at Glasgow University. She said: “As a proud Scot I’m thrilled to be performing in Glasgow’s George Square and the prospect of entertaining a home crowd as part of the Olympic Torch Relay celebrations is incredibly inspiring. I can’t wait to share in the excitement and energy that the Olympic Flame will bring to Scotland.”

I think getting some of Britain’s most exciting young musical talent to help celebrate the 2012 Olympics is great. Hopefully the weather will stay nice and there will be a real carnival atmosphere that Friday when the Olympic Torch visits Glasgow. The only downside is that there won’t be more Scottish talent on display that day – in recent years we have seen home-grown talent such as KT Tunstall, Sandi Thom and Franz Ferdinand have success beyond Scotland and it would be nice to see more of our young and talented musicians given the chance to play in front of a massive crowd.  

Fans can apply via ballot for up to four tickets, with a proportion of the 16,000 allocation also being reserved for local residents.

Apply for up to four tickets via ballot

The Bay help out young talent

Glasgow has long been recognised as the epicentre of exciting new music in Scotland. Key to this has been music venues that give new artists a chance to cut their teeth in front of a live, and sometimes rowdy, audience. We’ve heard about the popularity and influence of the Barrowland Ballroom and King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut, but the city is also home to smaller venues that also open their doors to aspiring musicians.

One such place is The Bay, situated at 142 West Regent Street.  The venue is open to bands of all styles and do not charge the bands for playing so that any money made from ticket sales go straight to the band.

Anyone who visits The Bay will be in no doubt that this is a place in thrall to classic rock, with vintage posters paying homage to musical greats such as The Beatles and The Doors. I think the venue deserves a lot of credit for supporting Glasgow’s burgeoning music scene and giving bands the opportunities to develop their careers. 

Dirty Sally - Oceans

One such band, who has played there more than once, is Dirty Sally. Influenced by rock bands such as the Foo Fighters and Scotland’s own Frightened Rabbit, the band is made up of Mark McMillan on guitar and vocals, Scott McPartlan on bass and vocals, and  Andrew Black on drums. The band describes their sound as “edgy, searing guitar music with indie undertones and pop overtones” and anyone who has seen the band will see that as an apt description.

Songs like Is Everything to be Alright and Oceans see the band mine the same quiet/loud dynamic and soaring choruses that have seen Biffy Clyro become one of Scotland’s most successful bands. These songs fill out the tiny space that is The Bay with ease; it’s not hard to imagine these songs ringing out in much larger venues. Hopefully with the continued support of Glasgow’s music venues more bands like Dirty Sally will have the opportunity to reach their potential.

Visit The Bay on Facebook

Visit Dirty Sally on Facebook

Record Store Day comes to Glasgow!

Saturday, April 21 marks the UK’s fourth annual Record Store Day, helping to support independent record shops that have become increasingly marginalised by massive entertainment chains such as HMV and online digital download stores, like ITunes.

The day sees a number of exclusive releases from major artists such as Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds and Arctic Monkeys that are available only through independent shops.

Watch John Lydon speak to The Quetus about Record Store Day

The hope is that fans will be enticed to their nearest participating Record Store Day shop by these exclusive releases and help to create a passionate community of fans that will support the stores year-round.

In a climate that has seen the closure of big-hitting entertainment companies such as Zavvi and Borders, record stores have been hit the hardest with numbers falling from 900 to an all-time low of 269 in 2009. However, there has been a small rise up to 281 in 2011 and it is believed that Record Store Day has made a positive impact.

Organiser Spencer Hickman said: "Record Store Day is everywhere now. There are performances in every part of the UK. It's like an urban Glastonbury. The fact that we have seen new stores opening this year shows that there are still music lovers who want to buy physical music from people who are just as enthusiastic as they are. There are lots of people who still want music as an art form not just a download."

I think this is a fantastic idea during a time when independent record shops really need our support. Since the rise of online shops and digital downloads music lovers have missed being a part of a grassroots community like the old Rough Trade shops of the 1980s, which helped to bring innovative independent music to a captive audience. They also helped to give a voice to genres of music being ignored by the mainstream, such as punk and reggae.

However, events such as Record Store Day can only go so far and eventually buying physical music at all will become as niche as collecting old vinyl records. Like other forms of media, music is moving online and CDs will become as obsolete as cassettes in years to come. Last year CD sales dropped by 13 per cent to 86 million, while online sales jumped a quarter to 27 million. Interestingly vinyl sales are at its highest point since 2005 with 337,000 sales last year. There will always be a niche market for vinyl that Record Store Day should continue to attract, but CDs will likely soon follow the cassette into oblivion and independent music stores will need to adapt once more.

Glasgow has four venues involved in Record Store Day:

Love Music
34 Dundas Street
G1 2AQ

That’s Entertainment
217 Argyle Street
G2 8DL

Rubadub
35 Howard Street
GL1 4BA

Monorail Music
12 Kings Court
G1 5RB

Visit Record Store Day UK online!

Scream in the Park

Primal Scream

Glaswegian rock band Primal Scream have landed one of the prestigious support slots for The Stone Roses’ first Heaton Park show on Friday, 29^th June 2012.

The band joins The Vaccines, The Wailers and Kid British in an exciting line-up for the first of three huge hometown gigs for the reformed Manchester band.

The Scream are one of Glasgow’s most famous exports and have been responsible for some of the best British albums of recent times, such as 1991’s Screamadelica and 1999’s XTRMNTR. They are renowned for changing their sound and incorporating different genres, such as blues rock and dance music.

I think this is an amazing honour for the band to play at one of the most highly-anticipated British gigs in years. With a fantastic pedigree as a live band, stretching back over two decades, I believe the band will prove incredibly popular with a demanding Manchester crowd that will be impatiently awaiting the return of The Roses.

Most recently Primal Scream headlined Edinburgh’s annual Hogmanay bash by playing their Screamadelica album in full. The band have been working on new material and hope to release a follow-up to 2008’s Beautiful Future later this year. A replacement for bassist Mani, who left the band to re-join The Stone Roses, has yet to be announced.

Primal Scream’s highest chart song was 2006’s Country Girl, which reached number 5 in the UK singles chart. Watch the band perform it at T in the Park below:

Visit Primal Scream's Official Website.

Stone Roses Resurrected

Stone Roses re-united (photo: Pennie Smith)

Late last year we got the news that all Stone Roses fans were praying for – the band were reforming for a world tour and new album.

After selling out three dates at Heaton Park in their hometown of Manchester, they announced a series of other headline gigs and festival dates – including this year’s T in the Park.

There has been plenty of discussion about whether these shows can make the same cultural impact as the legendary Spike Island, Manchester show – when 27,000 people witnessed the band hit the big-time in 1989.

However, the band holds another gig even closer to their hearts – Glasgow Green in 1990. In front of 7,000 people under a massive tent, the Roses powered through songs from their classic eponymous debut album, such as I Wanna be Adored and I am the Resurrection.

Stone Roses Live at Glasgow Green, 1990

In 2010, pre-reunion, bass player Mani told the Daily Record:

"I would love to bring the Roses back for some shows. And, of course, we would play Scotland.

"I will forever remember that night on Glasgow Green, it was one moment when something special happened where we took a nation to our hearts and they took us to theirs.

"There is no one as loyal to the Roses or the Scream as the Scottish people and we will love them forever more for it. I would love to bring the Roses back. It is on my mind constantly and I will do everything in my power to make it happen."

Debate has raged about whether the band can pull off the reunion. The band have never played gigs this size and their performances during their first time around were erratic at best.

Personally, I don’t see why the band can’t pull it off. Ian Brown was never the greatest live singer to begin with, while guys like Mani and John Squire have honed their trade in bands such as Primal Scream and The Seahorses. The fans will definitely be up for these massive gigs and will create an atmosphere that will hopefully allow the band to thrive.

Maybe Stone Roses fans should be hoping for a performance that matches Glasgow Green, rather than an event that matches the status of Spike Island.

Stone Roses Official Website