Live Music Highlights – July 2011

Taking place on the weekend of the 2nd/3rd of July and marketing itself as a ‘boutique festival’, the Kelburn Garden Party provides a tantalising alternative to the larger summer festivals, whilst still offering three stages and a dance tent, as well as a unique and beautiful west coast location. In addition to must-see sets from the likes of Sons & Daughters, Hidden Orchestra and JD Twitch, the line-up features hordes of exciting up-and-coming Scottish acts including Foxgang and Earl Grey and the Loose Leaves. Anyone looking for a friendly, chilled festival experience this summer should check www.kelburngardenparty.com for more info.

Ultra-confrontational no wave icon Lydia Lunch will give a solo performance entitled Sick with Desire at Glasgow Stereo on 7 July. Never one to mince her words, we expect nothing less than a profanity-laced exploration of sex, violence, degradation and other such Lunchian staples. Polarising shit, yo – don’t say we didn’t warn you.

With a spanking new LP, Player Piano, on the racks this month, Memory Tapes (aka New Jersey native Dayve Hawk) will play The Arches in Glasgow on 8 July. With a propulsive, danceable sound that takes in electro, ‘80s pop and hazy electronica, Memory Tapes more than make up for their relative lack of showmanship through their relentless deployment of dreamy hooks and thumping technoid drum patterns.

Three albums deep and the unlikely pairing of Isobel Campbell and Mark Lanegan continues to bear fruit. Sure, their live performances aren’t the most rowdy affairs, but there’s few outfits that can bring these kind of sultry, noirish ballads to life with such understated elegance. See them at Glasgow's Grand Ole Opry on 12 July.

With recent album Share the Joy having surfaced to only modest fanfare, NYC trio Vivian Girls will roll up to Glasgow’s Captain’s Rest on 18 July with the intention of reminding us all why we fell in love with them in the first place. Thankfully their charmingly off-key girl-group vocals and hard-strumming fuzz-pop chops are still present and correct, now augmented with a more refined approach to songwriting. Lovely stuff.

Continuing the recent tradition of old-school bands reforming with sod-all original members, Pop Will Eat Itself have tentatively scheduled a comeback gig for 21 July at Glasgow’s The Garage. We don’t expect Clint Mansell to show his face, but we do expect a nostalgia-tastic romp through industrial-pop classics like Wise Up! Sucker and Def Con One.

Combining a frenzied balls-to-the-wall ethos with a palpable reverence for classic pop and blues, Exeter’s The Computers bring a refreshing twist to the established hardcore punk template. With support coming from local favourites Bronto Skylift, their shows at Glasgow Captain’s Rest on July 19, Inverness Mad Hatters on 20 July and Edinburgh Sneaky Pete’s on 21 July will be amongst the most energizing that this month has to offer.

Pulverising Glasgow crew Citizens get busy this July with a headlining show at Edinburgh’s Banshee Labyrinth on 1 July plus a couple of support gigs behind Shields Up and Broken Few at Glasgow’s Bloc on July 21 and Edinburgh Sneaky Pete’s on 24 July. Hideously deformed, bastard-heavy riffs and deceptively infectious grooves mark these noise-mongers out as ones to watch.

The family-friendly Wickerman Festival – taking place near Dundrennan in south-west Scotland – celebrates its 10th birthday on 22nd/23rd July with a line-up of Brit-rock survivors including James, Echo and the Bunnymen, The Damned and many others. We’ll be down the Solus tent for their usual snapshot of the contemporary Scottish scene – which this year includes sets by Desalvo, RM Hubbert, Miaoux Miaoux, Trapped in Kansas and Dam Mantle. Known for its positive vibe, relaxed atmosphere and midnight burning rituals, Wickerman is a great option for those looking for a unique festival experience without the usual bullshit. Visit www.thewickermanfestival.co.uk for details.

Nicolas Jaar’s Space is Only Noise is one of the best and most unorthodox electronic LPs we’ve heard this year, blending an austere down tempo techno aesthetic with playful avant-pop motifs and delicate, limpid melodies. Eschewing the hunchback-with-a-laptop cliché of most electronic music producers, Jaar’s live show includes live vocals and instrumentation, making his performance at Glasgow’s The Arches on 29 July a must-see for any open-minded music fan.