The Acute
"We're the most beautiful thing in Scotland today because we are so fucking honest and true in what we do!"
We hate all music today, fucking quote me on that one barks Stephen Perkins, the vitriolic frontman of The Acute, a physically slender relic from the Ziggy Stardust era but with a tongue as sharp as his cheekbones - heretofore unseen in Scotland since the heyday of the KLF.
This three-piece (also consisting of Ross Ramsay (bass) and Douglas Macdonald (drums)) are quickly generating a buzz in the capital with their highly individual blend of heavy, pounding, yet atmospheric rock that lands somewhere in between the metallic leanings of Muse and the glam/goth side of Placebo. "After brit-pop died, nothing happened, suddenly a Pandora's box of shite opened up and an overload of shallow and meaningless bands got airplay. Not a single one of them write about things I can relate to. Fucking 'I bet you look good on the dance floor, get pissed and pull' is all there is. This band is devouring my social life, where is the band that write about being young and introspective?"
The so-called interview has quickly turned into a fiery, impassioned manifesto declaration... "We're the most beautiful thing in Scotland today because we are so fucking honest and true in what we do, I remember listening to early Manics as a teenager and being carried away by the lyrics, their honesty and depth moved me and today there's a huge gap where the Manics used to be at one point, we aspire to fill that."
Formed from the ashes of emo band August '81, The Acute were founded in September 2004. Buried in their studio for over a year, the trio honed their skills and perfected their sound before they were willing to hit the stages in Edinburgh. It was a good move, because onstage the wall of sound created by the intense drums, the crushing bass-lines and the distinct guitar riffage is enough to absorb you from the first chord. "We want to put the theatre back into rock music, who wants to see a band that makes you feel indifference? I see indifference as the biggest insult of all, I much rather prefer the cunt who chucks a bottle onstage in pure rage, provoked by my make-up or my disgustingly skinny body than the back row overly-analytical indie-shmindie crowd."
When sneaking in a question about the future amid this verbal cyclone, surprisingly, it appears there's not a second's doubt that The Acute won't toe the line. "I'll gladly suck corporate cock to get out there and play, do it the old fashioned way, play day after day, play the forgotten countries that the industry is forgetting." And why shouldn't it happen? The boys' DIY recordings are currently being played four times a day on Mexican radio, circulating in NYC's premier bandstand, (Interpol and The Bravery are supposedly admirers after picking up their demo from a DJ at a Denver club called Lipgloss) whilst Japanese girls are sending them pictures of themselves with Acute lyrics scribbled over their bare bodies. "If we can get away from the back-stabbing, bitchy shit-hole that is the Edinburgh music community we'll gladly embrace the world if the world wants to embrace us."
The Acute play I Fly Spitfires at Cabaret Voltaire on Feb 19
http://www.theacute.com