Live Music Highlights – February 2012

Comprised of Travis Stewart (Machinedrum) and Praveen Sharma (Braille), Sepalcure did a pretty good job of consolidating the countless splinters of modern dance music with their eponymous 2011 debut. Abstracted vocal samples and limpid synthetic syncopations are the backbone of their sound but their love of restless, insistent rhythm and warm, enveloping bass will be guaranteed to get feet moving at Glasgow Sub Club on 2 Feb and Edinburgh Sneaky Pete’s on 12 Feb. Lush and lively.

Crushingly legit netlabel Black Lantern Music come through big-time with a free label showcase at Glasgow School of Art on 2 Feb featuring live performance from doom-crunk destroyers Church of When the Shit Hits the Fan with support from sharp-shooting bass-poets Morphamish and Texture. Attendees can also look forward to acidic hip-hop missives courtesy of Tickle and improvised poetronica from experimental duo Opul. In addition you can also check Morphamish alongside Asthmatic Astronaut, Krowne + Black Lantern DJs from 11pm-3am at Edinburgh Third Door on 24 Feb (£3 before midnight, £5 after).

Wu-Tang's 'backbone of the whole shit,' Gza takes the stage at Glasgow’s Arches on 13 Feb for what is undoubtedly a must-see event for all connoisseurs of the boom-bap. Whether or not the rumours that he’s planning to road-test some unreleased joints from the semi-mythical Liquid Swords II have any validity is something of a moot point – The Genius is a legend for a reason and precious few rappers bring the heat (or the wordplay) like this dude.

The Big Pink split the critics when they turned down the guitars and dialled up the bounce on new album Future This, and they’ll be looking to prove they’re still a fierce live proposition when they play Glasgow King Tut's on 14 Feb. We confidently predict a stormer.

Sultry, underrated duo High Places have just about managed to perfect their unique blend of recondite vocals, suggestive electronics and hypnotic minimal electro/techno. It’s a refreshing, beguiling sound and we expect their shows at Edinburgh Sneaky Pete’s on 15 Feb and Glasgow’s Arches on 16 Feb to be utterly compelling.

Real Estate’s talent for crafting lilting guitar pop saw them transition from underground sensations to potential mainstream playas in 2011. Expect hypnotic guitar riifs, robust chiming melodies and good vibrations at Glasgow Arches on 18 Feb.

Field Music have delivered one of their most concise statements thus far in the form of their delicious new LP, Plumb – a supple yet substantial art pop gem if ever we heard one. We’ll be looking forward to an unorthodox blend of creative songcraft, audacious hooks and willowy funk when they play Edinburgh’s HMV Picture House on 6 Feb and Glasgow Stereo on 18 Feb. Class.

Celebrating the multifaceted relationship between film and music, Glasgow Music and Film Festival will showcase a number of special events between 16-26 Feb. We’re especially looking forward to Wet Sounds at North Woodside Leisure Centre on 19 Feb (a cinematic electro-acoustic event in which a beautiful Victorian swimming pool is transformed into a live resonating art space) and OV’s A Psychocinematic Ritual at The Old Hairdressers on 23 Feb (a collab between members of Desalvo, The Unwinding Hours and Sons & Daughters which will employ ritual, coincidence and magick to explore the beauty and cruelty of war). See facebook.com/glasgowmusicandfilm for more info.

The second event organised by The Tidal Wave of Indifference blog takes place at Edinburgh Wee Red Bar on 25 Feb and features a headline performance from superfuzzy pop-punk outfit PAWS with support from local favourites Edinburgh School for the Deaf, Americana disciples Sebastian Dangerfield and Broken Records’ frontman Jamie Sutherland. A varied bill in a tiny room that you trust will go off in a big way.

Although Warp have had a few fairly shady signings of late, we reckon they’ve done well hooking up with producer and multi-instrumentalist Kwes (check his killer No Need to Run EP on Young Turks) – a talented youngster who’s already worked with the likes of The xx, Micachu and Leftfield. He’s fairly new to the live game but we anticipate a bullish showing of dazzling technicolour productions and spicy beats at Glasgow School of Art on 25 Feb.