Live Music Highlights - August, 2008

Edinburgh

Ratatat kick things off in Edinburgh on 1 Aug with a gig at Cabaret Voltaire. Those who are wondering how well this twosome will translate their lush, processed sound into a live setting could well be in for a pleasant surprise – these guys have been refining their sound for years and have a tight, high-energy stage show and an embarrassment of dancefloor-friendly chongs. Look sharp.

Sweden is good at pop - this we know. Further proof of this natural law can be observed at Cabaret Voltaire on 7 Aug when Shout Out Louds will be flaunting their atmospheric and emotive chops. We reckon this venue will suit their sound well, so make sure you’re down the front to better soak up this classy troupe.

Edinburgh’s bright young hopes Broken Records are keeping it local with a gig at the Liquid Room on 17 Aug. They’re garnering rakes of national interest at the moment – and with good reason. Their unusual instrumentation and ability to write stirringly powerful songs marks them out as future big-hitters. Should be a great evening.

Straight outta Brooklyn and direct to Cabaret Voltaire on 28 Aug comes Clare and the Reasons. With a grab-bag of influences and some seriously talented collaborators, her orchestral, retro-inflected pop goodness is winning her lots of friends at the moment. Her vibe may be a little MOR for some, but her charms are undeniable.

Glasgow

Icarus Line will be laying down a set of hard rock & roll at King Tuts on 6 Aug. These days sounding quite a lot like the Rolling Stones, only on even more drugs, this is a band who always put on a good show. They’re not quite as unhinged as back in the days when Aaron North was onboard, but hey, you’re less likely to get hit in the head by a flying guitar. Whether that’s a positive or negative is up to you to decide.

Veteran Texan three-piece Reverend Horton Heat will be laying down some rockabilly thrills at the Garage on 7 Aug. With almost 25 years of white-knuckle rock & roll history under his belt already, Reverend Heat sure knows how to put on a show – this’ll be a devilish night out.

Every scene needs its trailblazers, and as far as psych rock goes, they don’t come more intense than Acid Mothers Temple. Mixing traditional melody with hyper-aggressive playing techniques and improvisation, Kawabata Makoto and his posse of sonic outlaws attempt to redefine their sound with every gig they play. Take the risk at Nice N Sleazy on 8 Aug.

Seeming relatively tame by comparison, fellow psych disciples The Warlocks imbue their sound with layers of dreamy pop goodness, but they’re an exciting proposition nonetheless. Walls of fuzzed out guitar, menacing drones and woozy melody lines complete the package. All hands on deck for an old school freak out, Barfly 18 Aug.