If music be the food of love, play on!

It’s easy to have a love of music, most people who have stumbled onto this website probably have a passion for sounds and tunes but does it ever go that little bit further? This is the topic broached on the new single by Glasgow band The State Broadcasters.

‘Dusty Record Collection’, out now, is, in the band’s own words, a pop song about lust and vinyl. Not the sort of pop song that peppers the charts but we’re open to all hobbies and past-times and when its couched in music this good, we’re happy enough to play along.

Musically, it is one of the more upbeat offerings from the band and it is sprightly from the off. Its perfect for a pop single and it is certainly heading down the route of those famous Glasgow indie kids Belle and Sebastian. This single is certainly not as twee as most people would associate with Stuart and the gang, in fact, its quite striking in places.

Lyrically, it’s a tale we all know full well. Trying to focus on one topic when all you want to do is something else is a story that has been played out countless of times before. Have you ever entered into a conversation about a topic like politics or literature just because you felt it would impress a potential new partner?

We have….which probably explains our (lack of) success with the ladies! Thankfully the protagonist in this track manages to fare better than we usually do and with the girl and vinyl records on offer, the night sounded as though it was a winner.

Which is good because the track is a winner with us.

You can get hold of ‘Dusty Record Collection’ via Bandcamp with an option for free download:

Get the track here!!!

The band say they don’t mind if people take the free option because they are happy for people to hear their tunes…but c’mon, they’re a decent bunch of guys and gals, give them something for their efforts. It’s also available on iTunes and probably most other download places as well.

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Two new songs to enjoy (or endure)

Three nights at the Barrowlands Ballroom is the Christmas treat for all Belle and Sebastian fans this year but there is a lot of excitement to come from the group before then.

The new album, ‘Write About Love’ is scheduled for an October release….which of course seems like ages away at the moment. Mind you, we’re struggling to accept the fact that it is September already so it is likely to be with us sooner than you would think.

The following video features two new songs, some lovely shots of Glasgow and the annoying arse that is Dougie Anderson, sorry about that…the rest of it is really watchable though.

The two new songs played in full are ‘I Want The World To Stop’ and ‘I Didn’t See It Coming’…and without being top of the pile Belle and Sebastian songs, they have certainly piqued our interest enough ahead of the schedule.

Some fans have moved away from the most recent B&S albums and what they consider to be a more commercial sound but we think there’s plenty of room for plenty of styles of sounds from the band. The classic songs, EPs and albums are always going to be around, no matter what…and the newer material is a decent addition to an arsenal which loaded up in quality right from the start.

Anyone expecting a ‘The Stars of Track and Field’ or ‘Like Dylan In The Movies’ may be let down but there seems enough melodies, lyrical tales and striding poppiness to keep holding a place in your heart for one of Glasgow’s most important musical gifts to the world.

What would you write about love?

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Rock Action on a Sunday night

When it comes to liking a band, the music is the most important thing about them but other factors can come into it as well. Knowing that a band is full of folk that appear to be quite decent or use their level of fame or awareness to aid certain causes can really add to the positive feeling you have towards a band.

Mogwai tick all of these boxes.

Announcing a gig in Glasgow Stereo was enough reason to get excited but the fact that the proceeds from the night were going to the Lanarkshire Cancer Trust and to aid the victims of the floods in Pakistan made it an unmissable evening.

It’s not very often you get to see a band of Mogwai’s stature in a venue like Stereo anymore and it wasn’t an ordinary or straightforward gig for the band either. New material and old favourites mixed together well and even though it was a Sunday night and pretty much midnight when the gig ended, you would have been delighted with another hour or so of material!

We’re pretty much going to let the music do the talking from here but it was a fantastic gig by a terrific band for 2 great causes – what else do you need to know?

If you would like to know more about the Lanarkshire Cancer Trust, please visit here:

If you would like to know more about the current situation in Pakistan or make a donation, the following links could be of use: Unicef and Red Cross.

With a UK tour in February 2011, you’ll get a chance to see Mogwai again before too long but those who caught the Stereo gig should be satisfied for now…

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Well, they probably have a lot of them….

Young local talent deserves to be supported so the news that The Dirty Cuts are having the launch party for their second single, ‘Yummy Mummy’ this week caught our attention. Well, they had us with yummy mummy but a night out in Nice N Sleazy’s is always good too.

The gig is this Friday night (23rd July) and doors are scheduled for 8, so get yourself along for a night of electro-fuelled dancing fun. Support comes from Foxgang and Canary Warfare (a fantastically named band) so at £4 to get in, we can’t advocate it enough.

If you want to see what The Dirty Cuts live experience is like, this track captured by us at the band’s Thirteenth Note show in May give you an idea of what to expect in Sleazy’s on Friday night.

Given that the band proudly proclaim themselves as being catchier than the clap, we don’t know if its right to say that there is something infectious about their music but you find yourself swept away by the band’s live set.

The Dirty Cuts played at our Cold Blooded Charity gig so we’re obviously going to have a lot of time for them but the reason we asked them to get involved is because we genuinely like their music. The pictures on the site were all taken from the charity gig back in June, and its thanks to Dubcentral for letting us use the pictures.

All that aside, you get plenty of bands that play Nice N Sleazys but how often can you say the headliner is both nice and sleazy? We think this Friday night you’ll get exactly that. You bring the dancing shoes, they’ll bring the tunes and we’ll be loitering about with a drink…see you there.

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Go tell everyone you know!

The Deserters were of course one of the bands that played the Cold Blooded Charity night back in June in support of The Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre so there are always going to be a favourite of ours. However, if they didn’t, we’d still be a big fan of their music.

The band’s first Glasgow set was in the Captain’s Rest and that is where they are heading for once again this Thursday. We liked the set they played that night but they have come on leaps and bounds since then. Consider that their pre-season training and with their debut album in the bag, the gang are just hitting their stride.

If you want to get a feel for the band, we were allowed to film an Edinburgh gig of the bands back in April, so head over to this page to see the footage of the act. They were good then but as we said, if their June performance is anything to go by, they are definitely on the up.

On this page you will find some pictures of the band playing at the Charity gig, thanks to the Dubcentral collective of photographers for letting us use their pictures!

And if that date isn’t suitable for you or there is a court order out preventing you from entering Glasgow, here is the full tour itinerary:

Thu 22nd July Glasgow
Captains Rest
Sat 31st July Edinburgh
Sneaky Pete’s
Sun 1st August Glasgow
Pivo Pivo
Fri 20th August Inverness
Sat 21st August Aberdeen
Sun 22nd August Edinburgh
Sneaky Pete’s
Sun 29th August Edinburgh
Jazz Bar (Acoustic set)

The observant amongst you will have noticed that Inverness and Aberdeen do not have venues listed; this is for one of two reasons:

A) They are actually playing to the entire city on massive stages that are currently being built on the outskirts of both cities (eclipsing the Rod Stewart gig that is taking place in Inverness today (Sat 17th))
B) The venues are still to be confirmed or released to us

Both reasons work for us.

Other than saying get yourself along to one of these nights, there is not a lot more that can be said!

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MacMillan Cancer Support is a great cause to back

We’re always up for hearing about charity gigs and after we put ours on in June, we know there’s a lot of hard work and effort that goes into arranging these gigs. This means we like to pass on news about any good gigs and if they are for a great cause, all the better.

Causes don’t come much better than MacMillan Cancer Support so we hope the night is a huge success. Its on Saturday 17th July, its being held in Olivers at 20 Drumchapel Road, doors are 8pm and it’s only a fiver to get in.

Many people would be happy to pay a fiver for such a great cause but hey, there’s a recession on so it’s only natural to want to know what you will get for your money. So here’s a bit of blurb about the acts and how to find out more about them. We think you’ll agree, the value for money for your fiver is looking good already!

The organiser of the event is also the first act on the bill, so if you want to hear some music from the man who has put everything together, check out John Condron’s soundcloud site.

We’ve also got a picture of John so you know who to look out for if you want to give him kudos for the evening…but don’t buy him a pint, that would just encourage him!

Also, thanks to Tony Clerkson for use of the photograph, you can check out more of his work here.

Mark McGowan is then up next and he will be swiftly followed by Dominic Manning from Zemitones, and you can hear some of his stuff here.

After that, folky favourites Rose Parade will be taking to the stage and we like what we’ve heard of them. They’ve got a fairly laid-back sound with ‘Grace’ having a great shuffling rhythm which we’re looking forward to hearing on the night.

If you want to check out their sounds, you can hear more here.

Closing the night off with a few covers to ensure everyone leaves in the party spirit are Too Many Vices and again, you can check the gang out here.

In addition to all that, John has said there will be a few local artists jumping in for a song and two and there are going to be magicians wandering around between sets, so its sounding like a hell of a night.

At the moment, there are tickets left but with the venue having a limited capacity, its looking like its going to be a rammed night.

The venue is Olivers, 20 Dumbarton Road so if you are free on Saturday night, get yourself along and have a great night out with some local talent. And its all for a fantastic cause.

So you can have a great night out and be doing some good…not bad for a Saturday evening.

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Only in the Weeg

We caught the Teenage Fanclub set at the start of June (cripes, start of June and its now hurtling down July, where is the time going) in Glasgow and we thoroughly enjoyed it. Its not the best we’ve seen the boys over the years but it definitely showcased the breadth of talent they have with their material.

Recent album ‘Shadows’ provided a good slice of the set-list for the evening and we must admit, there are some moments from the album that we really like.

For us, the best bit in the song comes at the start of the second verse when the song kicks it up a notch with the “Well The Rolling Stones….wrote a song for me” line, purely because its one of they lines that you think someone must have written before. It sounds so obvious….which is clearly why its brilliant.

This has led us onto two things – the first one…..if The Rolling Stones did write a song for me….what would it be?

Well, it certainly wouldn’t be ‘Tumblin’ Dice’, thats for sure. As a website, the title of ‘We Love You’ is definitely for us to everyone who takes the time to read our ramblings…but again, that song was a bit snidey and sarcastic so lets not take that too seriously.

Hmmmmm…..right, give us a hand here, if the Rolling Stones wrote a song for you….what would it be?

And secondly, we like to wander around Glasgow from time to time and one of our latest travels, came across the fine van.

So you can imagine how this song has been played out in our heads since, yes, “Well The Roll N Scones…wrote a song for me!” Maybe not as sensible but certainly just us fun.

“You get a rolllllll…and there goes the tumbling die…..t”

Perhaps summer madness has finally kicked in at Cold Blooded Towers but we love this song and just wanted to pass it on to you all.

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A writer ain’t too much to love

Yes, the Cold Blooded Clarity site owes its name to the Smog song, ‘Cold Blooded Old Times’. The story telling of how father left at eight, nearly splintering the gate should suggest that Bill Callahan knows how to pull a story together.

Alongside the great music, Bill has released a few books of art sketches but now, ‘Letters To Emma Bowlcut’ is set to add another string to the bow of smiling Bill C.

We’re not sure what a novelette is but supposedly this book is one of them so we’ll know it soon enough when we get our hands on it. The book features 62 letters from an unnamed person to a woman he saw at a party.

It sounds like the sort of “upbeat, punchy” material we readily associate with Bill Callahan so we’re definitely looking forward to it and seeing how it flows from seduction to despair.

Not that we’re used to that sort of thing of course, we’re merely wanting to look on for the observational benefits!

Who knows why we love Bill Callahan, the songs, the stories, the voice, the contrariness…..but we do and we’re looking forward to see if Bill can translate us to a different world with his book the way he manages to do with his music.

What’s your favourite Bill Callahan song?

(We’ll say, ‘I Break Horses’)

It’s hard to argue with that song but there are so many great songs to choose from.

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C’mon, lets do it for Frank!

As you’ll know by now, we really rated Frank Sidebottom. We were sad when the news broke of his battle against cancer and when the news of his passing broke, it took us back.

The Cold Blooded team (like so many people) have had their family health issues to contend with this year so that’s always going to take precedence but the loss of Frank shook us up. Perhaps it was the fact that he was not quite human, the character taking a life of his own, you just thought he would go on.

Of course, Frank was powered by the genius mind of Chris Sievey…even if they both believed they were independent of each other. The attention to detail was just one of the many things that we loved about him.

That and the songs….especially that one about the fantastic arcades.

However….let’s not be sad about it – think about the smiles that were put on so many people’s faces through the songs and performances, whether in the live arena or television show. And what better way to leave a proper tribute to Frank Sidebottom than getting him to number one in the hit parade.

So…what do you need to do – CLICK ON THIS LINK:

Radio Timperley – Get Frank to No.1

They’ve got all the information you need but all you need is 79p to get yourself a copy of ‘Guess Whos Been On Match Of The Day’ which is backed with the utterly fantastic ‘The Robbins Arent Bobbins’…you’ll see!

What can you buy for 79p? Nothing…but this single (lets just imagine that no other singles exist at the moment), so get this song…now….or very soon….no, NOW!!!!!

And if you don’t buy this download, we’ll make sure you get what for from your mum….you know we will….we really will.

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Two more vids for your viewing pleasure

We’ve already brought you some videos of The Dead Weather’s performance at Glasgow O2 ABC and shared our thoughts about the gig. If you want to see the vids, get yourself over to this page…where there are three songs for your viewing and listening pleasure.

Regular readers of the site will have picked up on the fact that we are big Jack White fans but we were unconvinced by the debut album from The Dead Weather. It sounded like an album made by a band who had just met and cobbled together material quickly.

Funny that…..

However, ‘Sea of Cowards’ is a huge step on from ‘Horehound’ and is indicative of the fact that the four musicians have bonded over live performances and time.

We couldn’t have enjoyed the gig much more than what we did and it certainly went as well as we were expecting. The band would have found it much easier than their Saturday afternoon sunshine set at Glastonbury, which for all the positive vibes of the festival, must be tricky for a band that likes the dark to perform in.

Okay, we don’t need to sell it much more to you, it’s obvious we enjoyed the show so here are two more videos for you to hopefully enjoy.

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