Scottish Gig Highlights – October 2014
Happy October! The leaves have gone all tertiary on you, and you've probably just spent a month guiltily realising your autumnal aspirations for productivity were doomed, from the off, to be aggressively ignored along with that academic diary you wasted 15 quid on. You tried – that should be rewarded. Harness that devious little pixie inside you, get out the flat you're not yet centrally-heating "because it's only October," and sink your teeth into the nourishing musical spread that the central belt has laid out this month.
If indie rap is your cup of tea, the 'indefatigable' Atmosphere are paying Glasgow a visit (O2ABC on 2 Oct), bringing with them a scintillating new release spanning 20-tracks long and a rainbow of genres wide. They’re famous as the daddies of backpacker hip-hop with the notoriety of early mixtapes of their adolescence, but in latter years Slug and Ant have incorporated extra players and emerged a brooding hunk of an act. Long-time fans might feel intimidated by their breaching the barricades of original hip-hop sounds – but have faith that all the jazzy keys, classical instrumentation and squidgy beats are a welcome seasoning to the sound – and imperative to protect all the mantra-chant lyrics from getting a bit Macklemore.
Nestled snugly in the synth-pop craze with which we’ve all become well acquainted, Conquering Animal Sound’s most recent EP could be easily dismissed as a sheep in a vast electro-herd, shepherded by gurning collies with a hankering for crackly drops and Gameboyish trills. Honestly, On Floating Bodies does owe some of its charm to time-tested tricks and hooks. But the album relies not on its enigmatic ambience and catchiness – rather, it is a thoughtful construction of dirty electro-drones, arresting vocals and calculated percussion. Think Laura Mvula on a spaceship. Stereo, 3 Oct.
If you’ve been following our music section even from afar since August, you’ll have gathered we’ve got a bit of a thing for FKA Twigs – and for good reason. Her records are immaculate, her performances are stratospheric. Head down to Òran Mór on 6 Oct and have your imaginations and eardrums imprisoned by this wizard of music.
Post-punk 'Wegians Casual Sex are coming home to sing some sleaze into the microphones of Glasgow's CCA (6 Oct) following the release of their AA-side A Perfect Storm. Though mostly post-punk/krautrock, their tunes sometimes feature subtle interludes of funk, meaning a live show might just give you the chance to dance along to something a bit tweaky and upbeat without it reeking of Pharrell for once.
Emperor of easy-listening, Dan Croll’s debut LP brings a satisfying combination of guitar, African polyrhythms and cucumber-cool vocals. Released in March, it piggybacked through spring on the backs of those looking forward to beer-gardens and rooftop barbeques, so you might be worrying that it’s a little too zesty to be enjoyed this late in the year. Sound about right? Don’t be such a grumpy bastard. Forget about your dissertation for a night and have a boogie to the summery pipings of Sweet Disarray. Pretend you’re in Benicàssim spilling Estrella all over your t-shirt if it makes things easier. Edinburgh's Liquid Room, 17 Oct.
The eccentric Robyn Hitchock is ceaselessly interesting – his staggering discography including 20 original studio records speaks for itself. For some indecipherable reason, fewer people take notice of him these days, so his following has become a little more culty than before. That’s alright, we’ll just smugly feast together on his recent LP, a glorious collection of original tracks and clever covers. It’s worth a listen just for the devastatingly lovely San Francisco Patrol. Exhibiting a triumphant interaction between Hitchcock’s candid vocals, whispery harmonic murmurs and flutters of cello, and you’d be a bit foolish to pass up on the chance to witness this masterpiece in person. Find him in close quarters at Edinburgh's Electric Circus on 19 Oct.
Get a second serving of post-punky glam-rock from The Pop Group on 20 October at the Voodoo Rooms. After disbanding in the 80s, the band reformed in 2010 and have been promising us a new record ever since. It’s set to be a pretty exciting gig if the reunion statement was anything to go by: "There was a lot left undone ... Let's face it, things are probably even more fucked now than they were in the early 80s... and we are even more fucked off!" See precisely how fucked off at Edinburgh's Voodoo Rooms, 20 Oct.
Nearly ten years since they last touched down in Scotland, our September cover heroes Death From Above 1979 are back in musical matrimony and heading over to Glasgow Garage this month (22 Oct) to slam us head-first into their new album, The Physical World. Underscored by a tangible urgency, Grainger’s primal yowling and the spiralling guitar and make for a record more filthy and frantic than a misguided fumble in the back of a taxi. The album was produced by Dave Sardy, who, according to bassist Keeler in an interview with Rolling Stone, is “really good at making records that annoy people.” We’d beg to differ – The Physical World achieves a careful equilibrium between focused production and benefit-of-the-doubt rawness that makes for an album which, despite its melodrama and angst, is rousing and thoughtful in equal parts.
DO NOT MISS: THE PLEASANCE SESSIONS, EDINBURGH, 9-18 OCT
What? You haven't heard? After last year’s sessions went down a storm, EUSA have convened a posse of local promoters this autumn, offering ten whole nights of music, spoken word and theatre for you to get stuck into. We’ve gone ahead and curated one for you on 18 Oct, bringing together some incredible Scottish acts, so save the date now and start looking forward to Birdhead, Remember Remember and The Phantom Band. We’ll be there shindigging along to this gorgeous pile-up of home-grown talent, and we’re cordially extending the invitation to you, merry reader, to join us. See listings and our cover story for a full rundown on the players.