O2 Love Music Column – January 2013
Having survived the twin assaults of the Mayan apocalypse (that’s the last time we’ll mention it, honest) and the rather more realistic threat of festive indulgence, what better way to clear the mental cobwebs, burn some calories and celebrate your survival than some good old fashioned heavy metal? The Sword have been cranking out such shiz for nearly a decade now and roll into the O2 ABC on 7 January in support of their successful fourth album Apocryphon. The title refers to ‘secret teachings about things that maybe shouldn’t be known,’ according to guitarist Kyle Shutt. Make sure you’re down the front for this particular class.
Though sometimes billed as a ‘Celtic pop group’, Kila (O2 ABC, 19 Jan) are far too long in the tooth to allow such a lazy genre tag to adversely affect them. Indeed, they’ve been at this game, however they may choose to label it themselves, for over two decades, growing from intimate gigs in Irish pub lofts to the likes of this appearance as part of the Celtic Connections festival. Yet there is certainly an immediacy to their mix of traditional and electric instrumentation that befits a ‘pop’ tag and as such makes the venerable troupe a wise choice to kick off the two-week festival.
Billed under the lawsuit-avoiding Animals and Friends umbrella, legendary guitarist and producer Steve ‘The Colonel’ Cropper joins the current incarnation of the sixties stalwarts under the straight-up moniker of Steve Cropper & The Animals (O2 ABC, 28 Jan). Expect some well-loved gems from their various back catalogues including Booker T and the MG’s Green Onions, The Animals’ classic House of the Rising Sun and a nod to Cropper’s tenure as a Blues Brother with Soul Man. There’s no doubt they’re on a mission from God.
Aimee Mann (O2 ABC, 30 Jan) has had her ups and downs over the years, something she wonderfully sent up with her amiable but down-beat appearance on hipster-baiting TV show Portlandia. But 2012 saw her return to the real world with eighth album Charmer, which included a duet with Shins main-man James Mercer and came with glowing reviews. It marks a perfect time then for Mann to make this long overdue return to Glasgow and prove once more that she has longevity beyond many of her peers.