Newsbits: From 'Scottish krautrock' to Tweet music

[Mitchell Museum: set to entertain the Twitterers of Edinburgh]

Tweet music
The Edinburgh Twestival, the capital's meet-up for those who prefer to live their life in 140 characters, has unveiled its musical line-up. Glasgow's madcap experimentalists Mitchell Museum and new Edinburgh outfit Pose Victorious will entertain the iPhone-clutching audience, with DJ sets from George Wallace and members of Idlewild. It takes place on Thursday 25 March at the new Ghillie Dhu venue in the west end of the city. More acts are expected to be announced this week.

And in case you didn't already know, the generous Mitchell Museum are giving away their new EP We Lost First Prize on their new website.

Frabbits burrow through blogosphere
Frightened Rabbit's third album The Winter of Mixed Drinks was unveiled to the world last week, and we've been interested in the way it's been received outside Scotland's cosy bosom. For instance, self-styled Twitter reviewer (and respected rock critic too, it has to be said) Chris Weingarten, tweeted this on his @1000timesyes account: "Arcade Fire-ready hooks, given a lovely new life as Scottish krautrock.#7.5"

And since "Scottish krautrock" only returns 94 hits on Google, it looks as if we have a new genre on our hands.

In other FatCat news, the label's other Scottish high-fliers The Twilight Sad have been announced as main support for Biffy Clyro's UK tour next month, which includes a date at Perth on 29 April.

Silver Columns 'unmasked'
Not since Burial's shadowy presence on the London dub scene has there been so much Guess Who?-style whisperings over an anonymous musician... Silver Columns set tongues a-wagging late last year with their slinky electro beats lighting up Hype Machine's blog barometer. But in case you didn't hear via Twitter, the protagonists behind the project are none other than Fence Collective co-founder Johnny "The Pictish Trail" Lynch and Adem, the man behind the Takes covers album.

The duo have an upcoming 12" single called 'Cavalier' that's due out on 19 April via Moshi Moshi, and with both halves playing Fence Homegame this weekend, we're hoping for an impromptu show in Anstruther.

Peter Bjorn & John - It Don't Move Me (Silver Columns remix)


Belle & Sebastian set for return
Scots twee-pop legends Belle & Sebastian are set to return from their very long hiatus. In a message sent out to their mailing list, the band said that they have been writing new songs in Glasgow recently and are about to head to Los Angeles to record a new album. But if you want to see them live this summer, you'll have to travel, as the only festival dates announced so far are in Scandinavia and Japan - although more could well be added.

Back to the Futureheads
The Futureheads, the forgotten-but-not-gone Sunderland outfit that once broached the Top 40’s upper echelons with a Kate Bush cover will headline The Mills’ (sort of) two-year birthday bash in Glasgow. The shindig takes place in Oran Mor on Thursday, 29 April, with local tune-churners Lions.Chase.Tigers and Admiral Fallow propping up the bill. In just a couple of years The Mill has seen over 200 acts playing stages in Edinburgh and Glasgow. Given how little most of us achieve in our early years – being unable able to go to the bathroom independent of Pampers Ultra and having no vocabulary beyond ‘waaah’ –it’s an impressive feat. Tickets for the night are £5 and can be found here.

Making Tracks
The good people at TenTracks have launched yet more luscious bundles of music for your listening pleasure. For just a pound you can hear ten specially selected tracks (there’s no subtlety in the name, is there?) from Leith Records that includes such esteemed acts as Over the Wall, the 10:04’s and Come On Gang. For another 100 pence you can own a tasty selection of cuts from last month’s wonderful Hidden Door festival, that includes a ‘hidden mic’ piece composed of conversational clips taken throughout the day.

Meursault? More so
Can’t wait until 24 May to get your paws on Meursault’s new longplayer All Creatures Will Make Merry? Well, if you’re attending the launch nights in Glasgow (Captain’s Rest, 7 Apr) or Edinburgh (Cabaret Voltaire, 10 Apr) you’ll be able pick up a sneaky limited edition pre-launch copy if you pre-order at Song By Toad records here. Based on the band’s recent live excursions with Xiu Xiu, ACWMM (how’s that for an acronym...) looks set to be more volumised than Pissing on Bonfires..., with frontman Neil Pennycook describing the sound as ‘epic lo-fi’, which strikes us a bit of an oxymoron. Anyway, on the back of the new album the Auld Reekie quintet will be jetsetting around Europe in the hope of finally getting the acclaim the deserve.

Mark Linkous RIP
In much, much more sombre news, acclaimed multi-instrumentalist and singer/songwriter Mark Linkous committed suicide on Saturday. As the man behind the wonderful Sparklehorse, Linkous released four albums of extraordinary psych-folk. He also produced Daniel Johnston’s 2003 album Fear Yourself and collaborated with Danger Mouse on Dark Night of the Soul. A statement from Linkous’ family said: “It is with great sadness that we share the news that our dear friend and family member, Mark Linkous, took his own life today. We are thankful for his time with us and will hold him forever in our hearts. May his journey be peaceful, happy and free. There’s a heaven and there’s a star for you.” A tragically depressing day for music.



Got news for us? Let us know at utr.scotsman@gmail.com or tweet us @under_the_radar

Mixed Drinks, bacon rashers and Songs of Praise: The return of Frightened Rabbit

If it were possible to plot the trajectory of a band in graphical form, Frightened Rabbit's would form an upward curve, growing slowly around 2006's Sing The Greys and then rocketing skyward since the follow-up. The Midnight Organ Fight stood out from the pack in 2007; a set of raw, compelling songs that sent the Selkirk natives well on the way to wider recognition.

After two years spent packing out sweaty venues wherever they lay their guitar cases, the newly expanded quintet are set to release the follow-up, The Winter of Mixed Drinks next week. UtR cornered drummer Grant Hutchison for his take on the new cut from 'The Frabbit'...

You recorded the album in Crail. Why this location, and what effect did it have on the end result?

It was actually just the demo-ing of the new tracks that was done in Crail but the location still had a big impact on the songs. There's definitely a nautical theme to a lot of the tracks and a feeling of testing yourself to the limit which the sea plays a big part in. Scott had a daily routine of walking along the beach until an idea came into his head and he would then turn round and develop it on the way home. He would then eat two slices of bacon from the local butcher and record a version of the song. Another reason for Crail was the access to a very kind friend's house in exchange for a bottle of wine!



How does The Winter of Mixed Drinks develop the themes of The Midnight Organ Fight? Do you see it as a continuation or a clean break?

It's definitely not a complete swerve from TMOF but it's by no means a break-up album. Some of the songs are about getting up and dusting yourself off and realising what's left after something like a break-up but it's turned out a lot more positive this time. Still far from happy but more positive! The subject of the record is different. There's no angst directed towards this one scenario and if anything it's even more personal as it's all about one character rather than a relationship involving more than one person.

Where did you take the samples you use on the record from?

We've sampled some bands who shall not be named for fear of being sued eventually! There's no plagiarism there but most of the people who are on the record know they are there so that's fine! The sample at the end of 'Man/Bag of Sand' was taken from a film that was on the TV when Scott was demo-ing in Crail and it just seemed to fit so it made it on to the record! There's also a tiny section of Songs of Praise on there too!

Since the last album Frightened Rabbit have become one of Scotland's most popular bands. Was there added pressure going into this?

There was pressure this time but it's not the first time we've been under pressure, it just came from a different source this time. When recording TMOF we were restricted by the small amount of time we had in the studio so we worked under pressure to do that too. I think it's more productive to have some kind of pressure whether it's time or consistency or even financial. I think it always brings the best out in a person if there's a bit of fear involved.

Despite the international touring, do you try to stay close to your roots? What do you make of Scotland's music scene since you broke through?

Scotland has always had a strong music scene. I think since we started it's become really strong with bands like The Twilight Sad, We Were Promised Jetpacks and Tommy Reilly making really good starts to what will hopefully become long careers in music. Also the emergence of Biffy Clyro from Glasgow's favourites to nationwide heroes has been great for Scottish music. We'll always be close to our roots and even now after the short time we've been touring internationally it's still great to come home and find that people here who have seen us maybe ten times are still coming out to shows and supporting us. There are also a lot of bands coming up to continue the current trend of quality like John Knox Sex Club, Three Blind Wolves and Woodenbox with a fistful of Fivers.

What advice would you give to bands starting out?

The best and really only way to gain experience is to get stuck in straight away. It was a long time before we actually said no to the offer of a gig and although you feel bad asking your mates to come and see you week in week out it's the only way to get your name out there. The next step is to find an enthusiatic booking agent who can stick you in a freezing van for four weeks, opening for bands you don't always like and making you wonder why you're in a band! That's the true test of how commited someone is to making something of their band. Not giving up says a lot for a band and spending years to get to where you want is not something we're afraid of and nor should any other band starting out.



You finished third in a recent scotsman.com readers' poll of Scottish bands of the Noughties, behind Biffy Clyro and Franz Ferdinand. How do you feel about that?

Extremely happy. We beat some pretty good bands and although we maybe shouldn't have come out on top of the likes of Mogwai and Belle & Sebastian it feels nice that people felt strongly enough to put us there!

Interview: Nick Mitchell

The Winter of Mixed Drinks is released on 1 March on FatCat Records.

Newsbits: EMI losses, Japanese War Effort and Unwinding Hours album releases, plus TITP

If today’s news is tomorrow’s chip paper, god knows what that makes our music news. Either way, we’ve been scraping our barrel of press releases to bring you the latest news, gossip and conjecture from the world of the music industry.

Blame it on the Moog, eh...
UtR’s favourite ambient-pop minimalist Japanese War Effort will release his second album ‘I Will Leave You Now, And Two Loudspeakers Will Take My Place’ on 8 March. The follow up to his 2008 debut 'Snowbird' contains, what the press release says are, “some of Martin Moog’s strongest and most interesting work to date”. On first impressions, ‘I Will Leave You’ is certainly more dense in texture than its predecessor while continuing Moog’s liking for complex, star-chasing slinks. No doubt you’ll hear a lot more of said record on these pages in the months to come.

‘Gramme pair to unwind...
Aerogramme fans rejoice, The Unwinding Hours album is scheduled to launch into your lugholes in less than two week, on 15 February to be precise. The debut LP of Ex-‘grammers Craig B and Iain Cook will be released through Chemikal Underground and, if early reviews are anything to go by, looks set to be one of the Scottish records of the year. Can’t wait to hear it? We’ll here’s the track listing for you...

Knut
Tightrope
Little One
There Are Worse Things Than Being Alone
Solstice
Peaceful Liquid Shell
Child
Traces
Annie Jane
The Final Hour

Frightened Rabbit pour another one...
To celebrate the impending release of their third studio album, The Winter of Mixed Drinks, the next Snow Patrol, aka Frightened Rabbit, want you to make a diddy of yourself on the web. All their asking you to do is post a video of you making your favourite mixed beverage, no doubt in a particularly foolish manner, and you’ll be in with a shout of winning two tickets to an upcoming gig and have a drink with the band afterwards. If you fancy putting yourself up for undeletable, everlasting internet ignominy then click here. If you’d just prefer to watch the band’s latest video, press play on the video below:


Frightened Rabbit on MUZU

A £1.75 billion dEMIse...
Hands up if you know what £1.75 billion looks like? No-one. Okay, hands up if you know what minus £1.75 billion looks like? Come on EMI don't be bashful, raise those paws.

That’s right, one quarter of the ‘Big Four’ in the music industry announced a pre-tax loss of close to 2 billion smackers (what's £0.25bn?) for the financial year to the end of March 2009. Following the news that owners Terra Firma were asking financial backers for £100m to meet loan repayment commitments, you’d be forgiven for thinking the London-based major was spluttering its way to a long overdue box in the ground. Y’know, with the maggots, worms and other such icky stuff.

But there appears to be some semblance of hope for the fading giant. A billion of the losses were caused by Terra Firma’s accountants insisting on an 'impairment charge'. A what? Well, the perceived value of the EMI catalogues and the company's corporate reputation was cut which impacted on the firm's ‘bottom line’. Also, ongoing restructuring costs used up over £100 million and interest payments on the loan Terra Firma took out to buy EMI in 2007 cost the company several hundred million more.

All in all, it means that, although EMI’s record labels sunk lower than an ex-England football captain on a night out with his mates missus, a boost in music publishing revenues has made the company itself just about operational. But hey, that doesn’t mean they’re not drifting paddle-less up a creek of defacation. Rumours are abound that EMI is on the brink of collapse and that Terra Firma are looking to cut their losses. Some even talk of mergers with Warners *shudder*.

Desperate times, eh? Funny thing is, we can’t decide whether a collapsing big gun is a good or a bad thing.

Balado go for another three years...
Good news for those who prefer their camping trips on the more hedonistic side. Perth and Kinross Council has agreed to keep T In the Park in Balado for another three years.

Now in it’s twelfth year of holding Scotland’s biggest outdoor festival on the disused airfield, DF Concerts had its licence application approved by the Council’s licensing committee.

Capacity on the campsite was also bumped up to allow 5,000 more inebriated punters to spend the night, rather than attempting to stagger their way through a sea of plastic cups to the night bus home. The campsite will now cater for 25,000 people on the Thursday evening and 70,000 on both Friday and Saturday nights.

This year’s T in the Park runs from Friday 9 July through to Sunday 11 July at Balado. Kasabian are headalining but there’ll be many more worthy acts for you to get your lugs around, no doubt.

Words: Billy Hamilton

Got news you want to share? Let us know by emailing utr.scotsman@gmail.com

Lisa-Marie Ferla: My year in music

Under the Radar writer Lisa-Marie Ferla looks back on her transatlantic adventures of the past year and the music that soundtracked it...


Like many such stories, this one starts with a boy.

His name? Dan Willson. Quiet, unassuming and I doubt he noticed me that night in the 13th Note. The man behind Withered Hand (pictured above) was dishevelled and delirious and concentrating on his songs, these intensely personal, angst-ridden ramblings at once beautiful and profane. Eyes closed, he probably didn’t even notice the girls in the front row singing their lungs out to his 'Religious Songs' like another kind of hymn.

The thing is though, there was another boy. In the dying days of the job I lost earlier this year I saw a message on Twitter that Nick Mitchell and Under the Radar were looking for writers and, armed only with a promo CD by a Glasgow-based electronic act called The Lava Experiments who had seen my own blog I thought I would give it a bash. Nick knew who I was, vaguely – one of my photos of singer-songwriter Beerjacket had actually ended up on the site a few weeks previously – and the interview I put together was good enough to merit me being taken on.

2009 has been a bit of a rollercoaster year for me, but as I have struggled to come to terms with my changing place in the world the opportunity offered to me as a writer for UtR has opened my ears to a whole new world for a girl who, musically, has always looked towards the horizon. That’s not me saying that my taste is expansive, incidentally – more like the music I listen to tends to sound like roadtrips and car chases and epic American sunsets.

There has been a lot of navel-gazing, on this site and others, recently – talk that the Scottish music blogosphere “bigs up” its own undeservedly. It made me laugh because, for years, I turned away from the local. Scottish music was, to me, Texas and my much-loathed Belle and Bloody Sebastian, and the fact that half of Sauchiehall Street wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for MySpace and everybody’s kid brother in some dreadful Britpop tribute band. So focussed was I on my limited edition US import alternative country vinyl that I was oblivious to the wealth of talent on my own doorstep.

This year I saw a US legend older than my father go down a storm at a rainy Hampden Park, and punched the air as my new favourite band rocked a basement in Cincinnati, Ohio. I cried along to my favourite song in the world, live; and blew a kiss at Elvis Presley’s grave (after having my photo taken in front of the plane that bears my name and that of his daughter’s). But among all of these adventures, two moments stand out: both of which were punctuated by Scottish bands and both of which couldn’t have taken place further from my blustery Glasgow home.

It was February, as London ground to a halt in the middle of the sort of snowstorm we turn our noses up at north of the border my best friend and I fought to make the train that would take us away for a birthday week in Bath. As I tried to drag my little wheeled suitcase along a particularly treacherous pavement, cheeky voices in rough harmony poured out from my earphones. “Don’t go outside in the rain and the snow!” warned the Second Hand Marching Band (above), but while it was too late for us at least we made it to Paddington in time.

Halfway across the world, another friend and I crossed the Wolf River from Memphis into Arkansas just to say that we did. As we turned around for the drive back into Tennessee a tremendous crack of lightning split the sky in half, and I caught my breath even as the in-car playlist hummed along with some live version of Frightened Rabbit’s 'Good Arms vs Bad Arms'. What I went to America to find, the sound of my soul, was reflected in a band with its roots not a hundred miles from my home.

What a ride. Joyous, life-affirming and essential. In 2010, I continue my education, and I can’t wait to hear what’s out there. An album for Julia and the Doogans, hmmm?

Withered Hand: No Cigarettes


The Lava Experiments - The Release


Second Hand Marching Band - A Dance to Half Death


Julia and the Doogans - New York

My Christmas: Grant Hutchison (Frightened Rabbit)

When we asked Frightened Rabbit drummer Grant Hutchison for his Christmas message, he replied with an original Christmas poem. An instant classic, we're sure you'll agree...


As the first snow falls on the glistening ground
The sound of drunk songs can be heard all around
The smashing of glass and the kissing of faces
And two f***ing neds drawing blades at ten paces

The lights on Buchanan Street glimmer with pride
And shoppers they come and they go like the tide
It's Christmas in Glasgow and everything's rosy
With Buckfast galore to keep one and all cosy

It's a chance for us all to just and sit in our pants
And pile on the pounds and have X Factor rants
As cards are replaced with a mass festive text
We wonder which Christmas song will Cliff bastardise next?

Exercise makes way for Trivial Pursuit
The only thing healthy is booze soaked fruit
Unwanted presents are a thing of the past
As Amazon's wish list makes shopping easy and fast

Our wages are spent before we even know
On Spongebob guitars and cans of fake snow
Jamie, Nigella or Delia Smith?
Who's turkey tastes better when burnt to a crisp?

And once it's all over it's back to real life
Where the people are sadder and normality's rife
But at the end of all that it's a sure fire thing
That at least you were drunk so won't remember a thing!


Frightened Rabbit - It's Christmas So We'll Stop


Frightened Rabbit play the ABC, Glasgow on Tuesday, although it sold out long ago.

Craig Dickson: My gig of 2009

[Photo: The Queen's Hall]

Our 2009 round-up continues today as new UtR writer Craig Dickson nominates his favourite gig of the past twelve months...

Frightened Rabbit, The Queens Hall, Edinburgh
Tuesday 18 August

Frightened Rabbit have been playing material from The Midnight Organ Fight across Europe and the US for over a year now, and it shows. For this Edge Festival gig the band was tight, the performance polished, but the sincerity of the music still clearly apparent.

Everything seemed to come together, with the sell-out crowd in the palm of their hands from start to finish. The atmosphere was first-rate, the fans responded with complete warmth, singing every word back to the band and creating that interaction that's one of the hallmarks of a great show.

Combined with impeccable sound, an electric atmosphere and a sensational performance, this was pretty much everything you could ask for in a gig, and a reminder of just how vital and exciting live music can be.

What was your gig of 2009? Let us know below...

Halls of fame: The Queen's Hall

It's a cliché you often hear from fledgling reviewers, but live music at its best can seem like a religious experience.

One such occasion for me was watching Spiritalized singer Jason Pierce's comeback show at the Queen's Hall a few years ago, when he gave his normally raucous repertoire the semi-acoustic, gospel choir treatment.

But it wasn't just the music that was the trigger for the emotive impact of the night; the venue was just as important.

The Queen's Hall opened under the intriguing title of the Hope Park Chapel of Ease in 1823, and it continued as a church under several names until its closure in 1976. The gig venue opened in its present guise after substantial refurbishment in 1979. With its narrow upper tier and church-like seating plan, it has retained its character of old, and marketing manager Andy Catlin believes this is what appeals to musicians.

"Bands love the atmosphere, the intimacy and the acoustics of the venue. Audiences love being able to be close to artists as well as being able to hear them at their best," he says.

Although known as a platform for classical, folk and jazz music, Catlin believes the venue also has a part to play in Edinburgh's local band scene: "We do have a role supporting all types of musicians - classical music only makes up around 25% of our overall programme. We've previously hosted local events like Battle Of The Bands and Spectrum, which is where Broken Records first played as an unknown band and now can sell out the Queen's Hall [pictured above].

"We do work with literally all types of musicians - indie, jazz, folk, roots, pop, country, blues, classical, world - and would like to do more with young bands. It's about finding the right set-up for them working in a 900-seat venue."

As for the Queen's Hall's future on the capital's notoriously changeable live music circuit (latest casualty reported by Song by Toad here), Catlin says the priority is to secure reliable support from its funders and to "start on £7 million building redevelopment plans which would make the bar a lot nicer and create a small second space that we could use for rehearsals or working with emerging artists."

And as if to prove that a century old former church is perfectly at home in the 21st century, the Queen's Hall is also an avid Twitterer.

Words: Nick Mitchell


A perfomer's memory...

Frightened Rabbit frontman Scott Hutchison played the venue during the Edge festival in August. The experience defied his expectations.

"I always thought The Queens Hall might be a bit too posh to have us play. What with its rather reverend pew-style seating and the right royal title, I thought it may be too dignified for a band that says 'c***' sometimes and 'f***' a fair bit more.

"Yet the night we played turned out to be one of the most raucous in the history of the band. The place may well have had beautiful acoustics, I just couldn't really hear the specifics over the sheer volume of the audience singing the words back. The whole evening somewhat overwhelmed us, yet there was a homely feel.

"When you travel about a bit and see various venues, it strikes you that most them are pretty shite. 90% of them are just a room with some speakers in them, one blue light, one red, one yellow and that classic aroma of ammonia and bleach. The other 10% is where the Queens Hall sits: stately yet hip, warm, woody and not even a bit wanky. What a f***ing wonderful c*** of a night!"


An UtR writer's memory...

Lisa-Marie Ferla: You know how your favourite music can act as a time machine, transporting you back to some of the most important nights of your life? I might only have been to one gig at the Queen's Hall, but since it was the night my two best friends got together (Ani diFranco with Hammell on Trial, 4th June 2003) it's probably one of the most memorable I've ever attended.

The hall was set out like some old time lounge bar, with us seated at candlelit tables and Ani - smaller than I thought she'd be from her powerful songs that were all I was listening to at the time - mere feet from us.

We stayed at some small hotel I can't remember the name of, and drank red wine from sugar bowls because there weren't enough glasses to go round. My friends have had some tough times lately, but over six years on and they're happier than ever.



View Larger Map

Website: www.thequeenshall.net

What's your favourite venue in Scotland?
Where should we feature next?

Auld Reekie set for Oxjam Takeover

All this week we'll be previewing the Oxjam festivities. First up, Billy Hamilton looks at the Edinburgh billing...

Edinburgh’s music scene has mushroomed so quickly over the past twelve months that this week’s Oxjam jamboree could moonlight as a who’s who of Auld Reekie’s musical glitterati.

With over 20 bands playing five venues throughout the city, the Oxfam-affiliated Oxjam Takeover offers punters the chance to familiarise themselves with the grassroots of Edinburgh’s expansive musical lawn, while chipping in to help the world’s poorest communities fight mother nature’s ire at the effects of badly planned mass-industrialisation, better known as climate change.

Ali Millar, Edinburgh Oxjam’s Regional Manager, says: “Oxjam Edinburgh 09 forms just one part of a movement taking place throughout the country. Here in Edinburgh we are lucky to have such a great musical community who are keen to come forward and help Oxfam to fight poverty. It’s a great way to raise money, have a good time and promote the talent that there is in the city at the moment.”

A smattering of worthy bands such as the omnipotent Meursault, Frightened Rabbit, Woodenbox with a Fistful of Fivers, Deadboy Robotics and Conquering Animal Sound have signed up to help promote the Oxjam cause.

Gigs are strewn across Cabaret Voltaire, Sneaky Pete’s, The Bowery, The Wee Red Bar and The City Cafe, and with a sling of scene-friendly local faces turning their hands to the wheels of steel the fun a frivolity is set to last all night.

Jamie Scott, one half of Conquering Animal Sound, explains his reason for getting involved.“Oxfam, to me, is one of the most fundamentally important charities we have... In addition to campaigning against the arms trade or social inequality, Oxfam and charities like it can be found in places where governments and politicians have failed their people, providing and caring for those who need it most. As a student in a prosperous western nation, I am very aware of how much better off I am than the vast majority of people on the planet, and it shames me to admit that I do very little to address this."

He continues: "In playing Oxjam, hopefuly I am in someway addressing my lack of charitable work and donations, and helping others to do so as well. It is all too easy to avoid charity workers in the street with sign up sheets or collection buckets, but when Oxjam comes right to our doors, into our social spaces, into our music, where these issues should rightly be, the least we can do is be part of it in some way."

Words: Billy Hamilton

Oxjam Edinburgh takes place on Friday 23 October 2009. Tickets are £7 and can be bought here.

The current line-up (which is subject to change) is as follows:

City Café
Conquering Animal Sound 4.10-4.55
Paper Beats Rock 6.30 - 7.15
The Last Battle 5.20 - 6.05
Pose Victorious 7.40 - 8.25
Le Reno Amps 8.50 - 9.45
Come on Gang 10 - 10.45

Sneaky Pete's
Chutes 7 - 7.40
The Little Kicks 8.05 - 8.50
Woodenbox with a Fistful of Fivers 9.15 - 10

Wee Red Bar
Snide Rhythms 7 - 7.40
The Shellsuit Massacre 8.05 - 8.50
My Electric Love Affair 9.15 - 10

The Bowery
The Occasional Flickers 6.30 - 7.15
Y'all is Fantasy Island 8.25 - 8.50
Jesus H Foxx 9.35 - 10
Meursault 10 - 10.45

Cabaret Voltaire
Dead Boy Robotics 5.45 - 6.30
Boycotts 6.55 - 7.40
Three Blind Wolves 8.05 - 8.50
Frightened Rabbit (Scott solo) 9.15 - 10

And if you can't wait till Friday there is an Oxjam preview gig at Sneaky Pete's tonight (Monday) with Super Adventure Club, Shields Up and Cuddly Shark.

Editorial: Can unsigned bands go it alone?

Remember what music was like 'B.I.' (before internet, pictured right)? Before file sharing, iTunes, MP3 blogs, Last FM and Spotify, not to mention social networks like MySpace, Facebook and Twitter.

A time when the only outlets for new music were record shops, radio stations and gigs, and when bands were reliant on the music magazines and newspapers to spread the word on their latest single.

And what did these outlets have in common? They were easy to commercialize. CDs, radio playlists and gig tickets can all be quantified, controlled and monetized. Nothing slipped between the cracks, and the record labels were the custodians of the cashflow and the message, taking their sizeable cut of the profits.

How times change. In today's wired world a band can expose their first rudimentary recordings to the listening public within days or weeks of forming. Album sales have tanked, record shops have vanished and some of the best music magazines have ceased to exist (or remain relevant).

This would appear to indicate a power shift away from the corporations. But is it as simple as that, and is it really possible for a musician to achieve career-sustaining success without the backing of a record label?

Canadian band Metric decided to self-release their fourth album this year. Fantasies peaked at a respectable #6 in their native album chart, and guitarist Jimmy Shaw said at the time: "We might go down in flames, or it might be the best move ever. Either way it will have been on our terms, and that for us is success.”

And as The Guardian's music blog reported, London band The Boxer Rebellion recently self-released their comeback single 'Evacuate' and sold over half a million downloads on iTunes. That success led to a new kind of deal, not with a label but with retailer HMV. In effect, the high street chain invested in the band, paying for a physical release and funding the promotion in return for a cut of revenue and a string of exclusive in-store gigs.

The other side-stepping option is to set up your own label. The Futureheads' career may have gone off the boil, but a couple of years ago they set an example to other bands languishing on a major's roster by setting up Nul Records. True, they already had two records behind them, and most unsigned acts can't just summon such finance, but at least they showed that labels can be bypassed with a bit of hard work and self-belief.

Or can they? A popular path for many unsigned bands these days is to record a self-financed debut LP or EP, send it off to carefully chosen shops and journalists, and secretly hope that the word-of-mouth buzz reaches a label scout. Frightened Rabbit's Sing the Greys led to a deal with Fat Cat and the album's reissue, and it's doubtful whether the Scottish indie-rockers would have been able to achieve the transatlantic success they now enjoy without the marketeers, gig bookers and miscellaneous hype stirrers that a label can provide.

Chemikal Underground founder and former Delgados man Alun Woodward (now flying solo as Lord Cut-Glass, pictured right) was pragmatic when we asked him whether bands can really do it themselves:

"I think the answer to the question is yes but only if you had a management company acting like a record company, in which case the answer is actually no, because you have basically started a new record label. As for a new band making an album, putting it up on iTunes and generating a career, I don't think it is feasible."

Another argument against self-releasing is based on perception. Often it's the most hard-working, self-promotional bands who become the most wearisome. We don't necessarily want to hear musicians tell us why we should buy their album. We just want them to get on with making music and let the media take care of the hyperbolic chatter.

It's something to do with protecting music's status as an artform, not an enterprise. Bands who ceaselessly promote themselves might attract the right kind of attention, but they also risk becoming public irritants.

Today there are more ways than ever of making a living out of music if you're good enough...

1. You can remain unsigned and retain complete independence, although you'll need to have a dedicated online fanbase and put in some hard graft of your own.

2. You can pay to record your first release with the hope that a discerning indie label comes along and sends you on your way to a wider audience.

3. If you have a blatantly commercial streak, you can hold out for one of the 'big four' (EMI/Sony/Universal/Warner) and sign away your credibility in exchange for corporate muscle and a fast track to the mainstream.

There is fourth option however. Forget the money, make the music you want to make, and to hell with the career plans.

Words: UtR

Can a band forge a career without a record label?
Are record labels hopelessly clinging on to an outdated business model?
Can endless self-promotion put you off an artist?

Discuss...

Radar recommends: 16 - 22 August

[Frightened Rabbit: happy bunnies]

So the Scottish summer is in its last death throes and all we have to look forward to are shorter days and worse weather ahead, right? Wrong. Wrap up warm and get yourself down to one of the good-looking gigs happening in Scotland this week. One word of warning though: avoid Hampden Park like the plague on Tuesday.


Aberdeen

The Fire and I
Friday @ The Tunnels / 8pm / £4
Bathgate-based two-piece The Fire and I take their grungy power pop to the Granite City. One bass, one drumkit, a whole lot of noise.

Fudge Present: Element 106, Scandal Extracts, Ded Rabbit
Saturday @ The Moorings / 8pm / £3
Ear-splitting progressive death metal from local heroes Element 106. Lo-fi grunge rockers Scandal Extracts and Highland blues rock outfit Ded Rabbit round out one of the week's more eclectic gigs.


Edinburgh

Retreat!
Sunday @ Bristo Hall / 11.30am - late / free
Okay, here goes...Wounded Knee, Tisso Lake, Hexicon, Jo Foster, Moustache of Insanity, Allo, Darlin', Withered Hand, Rob St. John, My Tiny Robots, Enfant Bastard, Come In Tokyo, The Pineapple Chunks, Meursault, The Leg. You know there's only one place to be this Sunday.

Broken Records
Monday @ Queen's Hall / 7pm/ £10
Heart-string plucking lilts and bombastic throbs of instrumentation from the 4AD-signed local boys.

Frightened Rabbit
Tuesday @ Queen's Hall / 7pm / £11
Frantic guitar caterwauling? Check. Mushy lyrics bellowed by Scottish brogue? Check. Borderline irksome sing-a-longs? Check. Yep, that must mean Frightened Rabbit are back in town folks. Support comes from Meursault.

Alex Cornish
Tuesday @ Sneaky Pete's / 7pm / TBC
Acoustically strummed ballads from a man who continues to divide the UtR offices like a melody making fraction.

Snoopy!! The Musical
Wednesday (actually, every day until 21 August) @ Venue 45 / 10.35am / £6
Oh come on, don't be so po-faced. This is music. It's happening in Edinburgh. It gravitates around Snoopy. What's not to like?

The Phantom Band
Wednesday @ Electric Circus / 7pm / £8
Can't decide whether this mob are the next Beta Band or the next no-hit wonders? Here's your chance to decide.

Bang Bang Club: Paul Vickers & The Leg
Thursday@ Guilded Balloon / 12.30am / £7.50
Depending on which way you look at it, this is either a late or early showing from decibel-pushing psycho babblers Paul Vickers & The Leg.

Sparrow & The Workshop
Thursday @ Sneaky Pete's / 7pm / tbc
Another chance to see one of Scotland's finest purveyors of woodland pop

cryoverbillionaires, The Strands, I See Shapes
Saturday @ Sneaky Pete's / 7pm / tbc
We do like a spot of cryoverbillionaires' shake, rattle'n'rock here at UtR so this gig with The Strands and I See Shapes is just the ticket.

Zoey Van Goey
Saturday @ The National Portrait Gallery /5pm/Free
Sugar-coated folk-pop will be sprinkled all over the National Portrait Gallery by this long-touted Glasgow band. Be in attendance if you want a sweet little pick-me-up that could have you buzzing like a four-year-old who’s had his run of the treat cupboard.


Glasgow

Enfant Bastard, The Foundling Wheel, Asthmatic Astronaut
Tuesday @ Pivo Pivo / £3 / 8pm
A trio of Edinburgh acts invade Glasgow. Enfant Bastard and The Foundling Wheel make esoteric noise-core, while Asthmatic Astronaut deals in dark hip hop beats.

A Band Called Quinn
Thursday @ The Dive / 8pm / £5
One of the first bands 'on our radar', stylized glam rockers ABCQ launch their new single at this intimate gig.

Smiths/Morrissey Tribute Night
Friday @ King Tut's / £8 / 8.30pm
Even if you're not a devotee of Mozza, there's enough musical talent on offer at this charity gig night to entertain you, including UtR-tipped Miss the Occupier and Woodenbox With a Fistful of Fivers.

Woodenbox with a Fistful of Fivers, Ming Ming & the Ching Chings, French Wives and Sol Diablos
Friday @ Corinthian/Lite Bar / £5 (£4) / 8pm
On the same night those busy Woodenbox boys play another gig with two of our recommended bands in Ming Ming and French Wives, as well as Sol Diablos.

Words: Jodi Mullen, Billy Hamilton, Nick Mitchell, Aimi Gold

What have we missed? Tell us below, or add it to our gig guide by emailing utr.scotsman@gmail.com

Tweet Nothings, feat. Frightened Rabbit, The Vaselines, De Rosa

We could sense the anticipation building in the blogosphere, but the wait is over. It's time for part deux of our now regular (until the sheer inanity of it all hits us like a Tyson uppercut to the chin) Twitter round-up. This week: band news, recommendations and even a spot of film criticism.


Tango in the Attic have a hair-raising time in Stirling...
@TangointheAttic: Just back from Cape in Stirling - fun gig, the mics gave us all electric shocks! Ouch!"

Miss the Occupier set up Twitter account, fail to tweet...
@MisstheOccupier: "______________"

Come on John B McKenna! We're not as bright as you...
@JohnBMcKenna: "Annona humboldtii Dunal [Monogr. Anonac. 64, t. 3. 1817] (= Annona humboldtiana Kunth)"

Frightened Rabbit threaten to go all Big Brother on us...
@FRabbits: "Getting a camera tomorrow so we might film ourselves making dinner if that's ok with you? Suggestions for ingredients welcome..."

While My Latest Novel threaten to go all rap on us...
@MyLatestNovel: "On the way home from our session for Marc Riley on 6Music. Felt good. Real good. In the hood. Don't be rude."

Jonathon of My Cousin I Bid You Farewell consults his inner film critic...
@mcibyf: "Michael Bay needs an editor badly. Seriously. I completely lost interest. I miss the theme tune too. 'Transformers! Robots in Disguise!"

We Were Promised Jetpacks big up their Mancunian contemporaries...
@wwpj: "In case anyone was curious, Tell You So by The Longcut is the best song ever."

The Gothenburg Address make a half-hearted attempt at a gig plug...
@gothenaddy: "playing 13th Note this wednesday .. come doon .. unless your at the ATP premiere .. which would be understandable .. "

The Vaselines have some good news...
@the_vaselines: "We've been writing new tunes this evening. Cant wait to finish them so we can play them for you. Soon."

While De Rosa have some bad news...
@wearederosa: "To all who listened. De Rosa has come to an end. If you liked our music or came to see us play we'd like to thank you all. Goodbye, De Rosa."

Words: Nick Mitchell (and Twitter)

Musicians of Scotland: Tweet something interesting/funny/newsworthy this week and you too could feature in Tweet Nothings. Just think how proud your Mum will be.

Spotted any other tweeting gems we've missed out on? Share your favourite weekly tweets with us below...

Revealed: Edge festival line-up

[Malcolm Middleton: playing in Edinburgh this August]

The Edge Festival, formerly known as T on the Fringe, today announced its line-up for 2009.

The main draw for many will be ex-Talking Heads man David Byrne, who recently wowed fans in Glasgow during his Songs of David Byrne and Brian Eno world tour.

The other big-hitters are The Streets and The Stranglers, while acts further down the bill include Múm, Enter Shikari, Mumford & Sons, The Bluetones, Amanda Palmer, Andrew Bird, Emiliana Torrini and Foy Vance.

The Scottish quota isn't particularly expansive, but it is stylistically eclectic: Calvin Harris, Malcolm Middleton, Young Fathers, Unicorn Kid, Broken Records and Frightened Rabbit.

There is also a showcase for YourSound, the new talent initiative from King Tut's Wah Wah Hut, so perhaps there will be a few more UtR favourites in the mix come August.

Gigs are scheduled from August 8-27 at venues including the Playhouse, HMV Picture House, Sneaky Pete's, Studio 24, Cabaret Voltaire, Queen's Hall and the Corn Exchange.

Words: Nick Mitchell

What do you think of the line-up? Cutting-edge or in need of a sharpening?

On the radar: Sick Kids Sunday

This Sunday [10 May] sees a fantastic array of talent come together for ten hours of live music at Edinburgh’s GRV to raise money for the Sick Kids Friends Foundation.

Glasgow based quartet Frightened Rabbit will be along to play an acoustic set, which may well be worth the £8 admission fee alone. Their 2008 album ‘The Midnight Organ Fight’ was a sensational collection of rousing tunes and a stripped down showing of these dark, and often hilarious, songs promises to be a fascinating listen.



The terrific Jesus H Foxx also join the bill, fresh from the launch of their limited edition EP ‘Matter’, while Edinburgh luminaries Chutes, Come on Gang, Withered Hand, Le Reno Amps and Cancel the Astronauts complete this stellar roster.

Members of Broken Records and FOUND will also be DJing during the event.

If you can’t find something you like in this line up, you may need to consider a trip to the audiologist.

- Stevie Kearney

Sick Kids Sunday runs from 1pm - 11pm on Sun 10 May at Edinburgh's GRV. Tickets are £8 and the full line-up can be found here