Live Music Highlights – December 2012
This month's live music highlights, including an unmissable show with The Twilight Sad, We Were Promised Jetpacks and Holy Mountain, and plenty more highlights from the likes oof Beth Orton, Gary Numan and Malcolm Middleton
As we all know, Christmas is the traditional period where we remember the smell of millionaire vigilante Bruce Wayne, and commemorate the holy moment when his young ward, Robin, laid an egg. But enough of fusty traditions and ceremonial nonsense – what's happening on the gig scene? The answer, thankfully, is 'hunners.'
Kick off December with a nostalgic trip down synth-pop lane with proto-goth Gary Numan, who brings a selection of classic hits and re-worked tracks from his last LP to Edinburgh's HMV Picture House. Aeroplane enthusiast and reformed Tory Numan will also be premiering tracks from his forthcoming album, Splinter (4 Dec, £25).
On 5 Dec, you can catch Bostonian post-punkers Mission of Burma in Glasgow for a rare intimate set at Mono (£12). Their latest album Unsound was well-received here at Skinny towers, and with over a decade of touring and recording under their belts, you will be in capable hands if you head down to shake a tailfeather. Support comes from native garage combo Palms and Ex-Teens (also ex-Dananananakroyd).
Also on 6 Dec, estranged New Order bassist Peter Hook and his new band, The Light, come to Edinburgh's Liquid Room (£20), performing a set largely comprised of classic Joy Division album Closer. They're also performing their debut Unknown Pleasures in full at Aberdeen's Garage (4 Dec) and new Dundee venue Non Zero (formerly Dexter's, 5 Dec). If you have a burning urge to hear that fluid bassline to Love to Tear You Apart at full bore, we're sure Hooky won't disappoint.
St. Deluxe make us come over all nostalgic-like – they embody the stoner-rock, grunge ethic of our '90s past, with shades of Pavement, Sonic Youth and Dinosaur Jr. all dressed up in reverb-drenched, My Bloody Valentine noise. As former members of BMX Bandits, they're Scottish indie veterans, but this particular guise sees them breathing new life into the musical tropes of The Skinny's 90s adolescence. Miss them at your peril, at Nice 'N' Sleazy on 7 Dec (£5).
13 Dec offers a difficult choice for music fans, as heart-melting folk-rocker Beth Orton tours her lush new album Sugaring Season, swinging through Glasgow's Òran Mór (£18.50). Up against Beth are Baltimore's electronica-influenced Lower Dens, touring to support their spectral second LP, Nootropics. On a dream-pop, ketamine Sunday kind of tip, come and get comatose to the 'Dens at King Tut's (£9)
By 14 Dec, we're into Festive Extravaganza territory, as all the indie-folk royalty come out of the woodwork and prepare to rock Scotland with their sensitive guitar balladry. At The Glad Café, Olive Grove Records Christmas Party has Randolph's Leap (profiled this issue in our New Blood feature), alongside multi-instrumentalist Aberdonian songwriter Jo Mango, and The State Broadcasters (£6). The same night, you can catch Sheffield folk duo Slow Club at Òran Mór (£10).
15 Dec is the date of our unmissable gig highlight of the month (see below), but if the cream of Scotland's indie-rock aren't your thing (you fool!), why not head along to Tinderbox Fest at Summerhall in Edinburgh, an all-day event with bands, stalls and performances from a whole host of local talent (£12/10). There's also perennial Skinny favourite Malcolm Middleton, who plays Tut's in Glasgow on the same night, leaving behind the acclaimed Human Don't be Angry to showcase tracks from his forthcoming album (£14).
On 19 Dec, De Rosa frontman Martin John Henry rocks it solo at Glasgow's 13th Note (£5). Back over in Edinburgh, celebrate the end of human history and civilization as we know it (maybe) at a new Edinburgh event called Rally & Broad, which unites music, spoken word and frantic dancing under the banner of 'art.' Oh yes. They've got apocalyptic doom-crunk merchants Church Of When The Shit Hits The Fan, followed by something they're calling The Awry Psychegaelic Ceilidh, along with some of Scotland's finest poets (£5).
On 22 Dec it's another folk-rock extravaganza, in the form of the Christmas Songwriters Club. It's a veritable who's who of Scottish alt.folk and indie, with sets from Withered Hand, Adam Stafford, The Machine Room, We See Lights, Very Well, Eagleowl, John D McIntosh, Easy Tigers, TeenCanteen, Jesus, Baby!, and local hip-hop heroes Stanley Odd. Get thee down to The Queen's Hall. Guaranteed no cover versions! (£10).
DO NOT MISS: The Twilight Sad, Barrowlands, 15 Dec
It's been an incredible year for The Twilight Sad – No One Can Ever Know was unleashed back in January, and their distinctive brand of majestic, layered, synth-led rock began to capture hearts and minds up and down the country and worldwide. Justly acclaimed for their first two albums, which saw them hailed as leading lights in the indie rock continuum, No One Can Ever Know was colder, deeper, and more daring than anything the band had previously attempted. A justly-lauded remix album followed recently, with big—hitters the Horrors, Liars and Com Truise all taking a track. Finishing up 2012 as one of the most talked-about Scottish bands of the year, they welcome doomy rockers Holy Mountain and pop-punkers We Were Promised Jetpacks as support for what is sure to be a barnstorming end-of-year extravaganza at the Barras.