Newsflash: Going for a gong

[Dananananaykroyd: in the running for award. Photo: Su Anderson]

In an attempt to stave off the general ennui of the first few weeks of the year, when we're all coming to terms with the return to work/school/studies and the weather's still pelting us with sub-zero sleet, people make up awards.

Have a glitzy, booze-fuelled party and cheer up, the thinking goes.

Earlier this week we told you about the Scottish Alternative Music Awards (see below), and today we've got wind of a few more.

Radio station Xfm have launched their New Music Awards for 2010, which considers any bands who have released a debut album over the past year. You can vote for whoever you like here, but they have published a list of suggestions, which includes Scots acts Broken Records, We Were Promised Jetpacks, Wake the President and Dananananaykroyd.

But as long as La Roux doesn't win we'll be happy.

In other award-related news, Under the Radar is up for another gong, in the Scotblog Awards 2010. As anyone could nominate anyone, there's a massive longlist of 142 Scottish blogs, and you can vote for as many as you like. Other music sites in the running include The Pop Cop, Peenko and Aye Tunes.

Cast your vote here.

And finally... Celtic Connections starts in Glasgow today, with over 200 artists set to take the stage over the next fortnight. There are opportunities aplenty to discover new talent, especially at the Danny Kyle Open Stage, and we'll pick a few of our favourites in Radar Recommends this week and next.

Got any other Scottish music news tips? Send them to utr.scotsman@gmail.com or get in touch via Twitter

Newsflash: Eurosonic | SL Records | Festivals latest | alt.music awards

Scots bands at Eurosonic

Two of Scotland's most blogged-about bands will be playing a music industry conference in Holland this week that acts as a showcase for summer festival bookers across Europe.

A disproportionately high number of agents, promoters and bookers will be in the crowd when Broken Records and We Were Promised Jetpacks (pictured) ply their live wares at the Eurosonic conference in Groningen, which takes place from Thursday to Saturday.

Developments at SL Records

Edinburgh-based SL Records have announced that they're now working with local anti-folk dude, Les Enfant Bastard. They have three of the songwriter's lo-fi albums available and reveal that he's currently working on a new, Gameboy-inspired LP. More info here.

In other SL-related news, Paul Vickers and The Leg are to return with a new album in February. Itchy Grumble is billed, intriguingly, as "a rock opera album concept; an epic in which an immortal anti-hero is given the task of revolving a lighthouse on the Firth of Forth."

You can listen to some of the album tracks on the SL Records site.

Festivals off

After a grim year for Scotland's major music festivals in 2009, it looks like 2010 isn't going to be a whole lot better. Connect, Outsider, Big in Falkirk, Live at Loch Lomond and EH1 are among festivals shelved in the wake of poor ticket sales and funding problems. The more established events, including T in the Park, Rock Ness, Wickerman and Belladrum, are to go ahead as planned.

Full story in The Scotsman.

Festivals on

But it's not all bad news, especially if you prefer a smaller-scale festival experience. Two such events which debuted in Glasgow last year are set to make their return. Stag & Dagger, a one-night, multi-venue event which last year featured the likes of Cold War Kids and The Phantom Band, returns on Saturday 22 May. And Hinterland, a similar event over two days which had well-documented problems with ticket sales, makes a surprising return, but (perhaps having learned their lesson) takes place on a single weekend day, Saturday 3 April.

And that's not all. Edinburgh gets in on the action with a brand new mini arts festival at the end of this month. Hidden Door takes over the Roxy Art House and The Bowery with a wide selection of leftfield delights, from the bright electro of RBRBR to the anarchic racket of The Leg.

Polls open in alt music awards

Promoter Richy Muirhead has launched his Scottish Alternative Music Awards for 2010. Anyone can vote in the four rock-focussed categories, with bands featured including UtR-tipped names like Trapped in Kansas, Bronto Skylift and The Darien Venture. The winners will be announced at a ceremony at Classic Grand, Glasgow on 24 February. More info here.

Words: Nick Mitchell

Got any other Scottish music news tips? Send them to utr.scotsman@gmail.com or get in touch via Twitter

Radar recommends: 28 Nov - 4 Dec

[There Will Be Fireworks at The Caves on Tuesday. Not the deathtrap it sounds.]

Let's face it. We're rapidly heading into festive season, so you might want to give your wallet (and your liver) a rest this week in preparation for the month of parties, work nights out and gigs ahead.

But we're not letting you off the hook that easily. Gig temptations coming your way...

Aberdeen
Frightened Rabbit
Tuesday @ The Warehouse / 7.30pm / £12
The popular Fat Cat signed band tour new material ahead of the release of their third album in the new year.
Also playing The Ironworks, Inverness on Sunday and Fat Sam's, Dundee on Wednesday.

Dundee
Saint Jude's Infirmary, Kid Canaveral, Panda Su, Hookers for Jesus
Sunday @ West Port Bar / 7.30pm / £5
Scottish music blog Manic Pop Thrills puts on another fine billing of up and coming talent.

Edinburgh
The Little Kicks, The Void, He Slept on 57, Salute Mary
Sunday @ The GRV / 7pm / £5
The hard-gigging Kicks return to Auld Reekie to showcase their polished indie-pop to the Sunday night crowd.

Johnny Foreigner
Sunday @ Cabaret Voltaire / 7pm / £7.50
Brummie's most mental noise-pop three-piece, much loved by the kids over on DiS.

Ringo Deathstarr, The Manikees, The Debuts
Thursday @ Sneaky Pete's / 7pm / £6
Not Ringo Starr, not the Deathstar, rather a disturbing combination of the two in musical form. The Austin Texas nu-gaze quartet's first UK tour hits the Wee Red Bar on Thursday.
Ringo Deathstarr also play the Captain's Rest, Glasgow on Friday.

**UtR's gig of the week**
There Will Be Fireworks, Broken Records (solo acoustic), Saint Jude's Infirmary, Meursault (solo acoustic)
Thursday @ The Caves / 8pm / £5 (£3 in advance from Avalanche)
Back in July There Will Be Fireworks burst on to the scene with an impressive, impassioned debut LP that had us scrabbling for adjectives. And we're not the only ones. Avalanche record shop has selected the Glasgow band for their next Album Club, and this launch party looks like a great night of music. More info here

Ten Tracks: Found, Meursault, Panda Su
Friday @ Roxy Art House / 7.30pm / £7-£10
The Scottish music download service is offering free entry to this gig if you buy a £10 annual subscription. That's mightily tempting when they've pulled together three of the east coast's most promising acts, including our recent blog guest Panda Su. More info here.

Glasgow
Woodlands Creatures
Sunday @ The Halt Bar / 7pm / Free
Either stay in and try and name as many woodland animals as possible, or go to this event. I suggest the latter.

We Were Promised Jetpacks, Dupec, Jesus H Foxx
Sunday @ King Tut's / 8.30pm / £7
Feeling patriotic? The part of Homecoming Live that isn't wallowing in 80s nostalgia.

Regina Spektor
Tuesday @ o2 Academy / 8pm / £22
Get your 'crispy, crispy Benjamin Franklins' out and buy yourself a ticket to see this quirky songstress.

Neon Indian, Zhyrlings, Tangles
Tuesday @ Captains Rest / 8.30pm / £6
With recently remixers Grizzly Bear, this promises to be an audio/visual delight you shouldn't miss.

Casino Brag, Foxgang, Satellite Underground
Wednesday @ Nice'n'Sleazy / TBC / £TBC
Have a punt on these post-punk players and support.

Lords, Holy Mountain, Citizens
Wednesday @ Captains Rest / 8pm / £6
Yes all round, have a look at Citizens' UtR profile here....

The Pain Of Being Pure At Heart
Thursday @ Stereo / 7.30pm / £12
Melancholy pop from this New York band, who've kind of made Glasgow their second home.

Lightning Dust, Early Day Miners
Thursday @ Captains Rest / 8pm / £9
Black Mountain side project comes to rest at the Captains.

Titus Gein, Black Sun
Friday @ 13th Note / 9pm / £TBC
Any band citing Trans Am and Lightning Bolt as influences deserve a gander.

Ringo Deathstarr, Silvermash
Friday @ Captain's Rest /8pm / £TBC
The aforementioned Deathstarr, this time with support from Fife shoegazers Silvermash, playing their first Glasgow gig.

Words: Aimi Gold, Nick Mitchell, Craig Dickson

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

T in the Park review: Sunday

[Sunday in pictures, by Su Anderson; music by Findo Gask]

Saturday was a hard act to follow with great shows from Broken Records, Bronto Skylift and Young Fathers, but Sunday did not disappoint as UtR returned to an over-populated airfield in Balado. If only we could work the waterproof poncho look...

Findo Gask
BBC Introducing Stage, 12.30pm

Sunday’s opening act on the BBC Introducing stage is a sight for sore eyes and a sound for cold ears. Led to the fore by luminously attired frontman Gerard Black, Findo Gask’s melody-stained motifs brilliantly shake away the day’s rain-sopped inception.

The zig-zagging splendour of Korg and percussion emanating from this nerdish quartet has a bulging crowd jigging from the off; with tracks like 'Go Faster Stripe' and 'Va Va Va' revisiting the gleeful slurps of jangle-friendly vanguards Orange Juice.

But where Edwyn and co glossed up a distinctly New Pop finish, Findo Gask fashion out demented sonic lightning bolts that sound equally at home on the moshpit of a muddy field as they do an indiekid’s darkened bedroom.

Pirouetting across the stage one final time, Black bows his head to a bluster of clapped hands. If they maintain this heady momentum, there’ll be much, much more to follow. [BH]

Barn Owl
T Break Stage, 12.50pm

Barn Owl's shimmering, melancholic indie rock is the perfect accompaniment to a dreary and hungover Sunday afternoon at T in the Park. That said, with the heavens pouring down outside, it's not entirely clear which is the bigger draw: the band themselves or the sheltered confines of the T Break Tent.

Either way, Barn Owl take it in their stride, delivering a dreamy and gentle set to a chilled out crowd. Occasionally, the Glasgow five-piece meander into a soaring chorus, slightly reminiscent of latter-day Idlewild, but calm is soon restored and we return to emotive minor chord progressions, accompanied by rich and resonant percussion.

Indeed, Barn Owl's elaborate percussion ensemble is one the more intriguing aspects of the performance, a collection of bells, chimes and xylophones adding a wistful, ethereal dimension to their sound. As the set draws to a close, the clouds outside finally break, revealing a thin crack of blue sky.

But, even as the sun makes a fleeting appearance, still the punters try to push their way inside the packed tent. It seems Barn Owl don't need the Scottish weather's help to fill the canvas arena after all. [JM]


Tango in the Attic
T Break Stage, 1.30pm

Every year there is one T Break band who do the pre-show legwork to ensure they're not playing to a wind-whipped, half-empty tent. Judging by the discarded flyers that litter the ground, the makeshift banners held aloft and the fans clad in branded t-shirts, this year that band is Tango in the Attic.

But at least the chirpy Fifers repay the sizeable crowd they have amassed with an energetic performance of their sun-flecked guitar pop grooves. Embellishing the standard garage rock set-up with an antique organ and sax, the smiling quintet belie their band-next-door image with tightly-coiled, sonically distinctive jams.

When they kick into the double-speed, Vampire Weekend-esque beat of 'Blunderground', their branded fans go wild with the kind of enthusiasm that no exhaustive marketing could inspire. [NM]


The Twilight Sad
BBC Introducing Stage, 2pm

It's slightly ironic that the sun breaks out over Balado and the rain finally stops as The Twilight Sad begin their show at the BBC's Introducing stage. The hyped Kilsyth band make the kind of brooding rock that's more apt to soundtrack rolling thunderclouds than blazing sunrays.

But any contextual niggles are soon rendered irrelevant as the band launch into one of their best, albeit briefest, live shows in recent memory.

In a half-hour set it seems daft to select highlights, but 'I Became a Prostitute', the disturbingly primal new single from their upcoming album, is undoubtedly it, closely followed by traditional set-closer 'And She Would Darken the Memory'.

Before they leave singer James Graham jokes, "What the f*** are ye daein' here? The Saturdays are on!" Evidently some T in the Parkers still value good music over good looks. [NM]


We Were Promised Jetpacks
T Break Stage, 6.40pm

It can be a challenge for bands in the T Break tent to do anything more than give the audience a taster of their burgeoning opus in the alloted 30 minute slot. But when fast-rising Edinburgh-via-Glasgow band We Were Promised Jetpacks inspire a mass of sweaty kineticism and unprovoked clapping, it feels like an occasion.

It's not that the cherub-faced four-piece do anything special to rouse the 1,000-odd folk in attendance. But then they don't need to, because their rough-edged, propulsive indie-rock is performed with such effortless gusto and untamed aggression that you can't help but be taken along for the ride.

Like most of the tracks from recent debut album These Four Walls, 'Thunder and Lightning' has added drama today, and when they launch into 'Quiet Little Voices', it really does feel like a T in the Park moment that will live long in the memory. [NM]


Dananananaykroyd
BBC Introducing, 8pm

Scotland's most ridiculously named band need little introduction to native audiences after blazing a path across the country with their anarchic gigs over the past few years. But to anyone stumbling across them for the first time, this was a fitting first encounter.

Boasting two drummers, two guitarists and two singers at various points in their set, the now all-male Glasgow group (having dropped bassist Laura) are an assault on the senses, albeit a non-threatening one.

Because when they ask two halves of the audience to part and run towards each other, the goal is not a 'Wall of Death' but a 'Wall of Cuddles'. Perhaps unaccustomed to trying this out on such a tightly packed crowd, this time it results in half the onlookers falling like dominos before laughingly helping each other up.

While their debut album Hey Everyone can be a trying listen, Dananana... are designed to be experienced up, close and personal, and with their endless crowdsurfing and cuddling, it doesn't get much more personal than this. [NM]

Words: Nick Mitchell, Billy Hamilton, Jodi Mullen

T in the Park: 10 essential acts

[Findo Gask: BBC Introducing Stage, Sunday]

It's that time of year again. The time when 80,000 singing, drinking, welly-booted, fluorescent, sunburnt, hat wearing punters - and perhaps even a few music fans - converge on a disused airstrip near Kinross.

And while it's not everyone's cup of T, Scotland's biggest music festival is so - well - big, that even the most discerning muso can plot an entertaining path through the line-up. You just have to know where to look.

This week we've introduced you to four bands who we'll be watching at Balado: Barn Owl, Tango in the Attic, Trapped in Kansas and Bronto Skylift. But that barely scratches the surface, so while you're dusting down your tent and packing your wet wipes, have a listen to a few more must-see acts...

Dead Boy Robotics
T Break Stage, Friday

"Bound by the idea of making guitars squeal like Gameboys, the duo have rapidly escalated from late night drone to melody laced avant-gardism and cemented themselves as one of the capital's most alluring live spectacles."

Ming Ming & The Ching Chings
T Break Stage, Friday

"Orchestrated by Craig Wilson’s howling shrill, Ming Ming fuse the visceral horror-schlock stomping of The Cramps with Josef K’s iconoclastic rumbling to produce a sound that’s rawer than an acid burn laceration."

Broken Records
BBC Introducing, Saturday

"Bastions of Edinburgh's bulbous music scene, the baroque-swaying Broken Records get back to the nitty gritty of the live domain, tautening up new numbers and bellowing out old faithfuls."

Sucioperro
T Break Stage, Saturday

"Heavy rock with a melodic sensibility, this band are starting to make waves in Scotland's hardcore rock community"

Paper Planes
T Break Stage, Sunday

"Their style draws heavily on a wide spectrum of Yankee sounds, from the elemental pop of the 1960s to wild alt-rock via drawling outlaw country, all energised with propulsive rhythms."

Unicorn Kid
BBC Introducing Stage, Saturday

"17-year-old Oliver Sabin is the epitome of the bedroom DJ, except he also has a nationwide and American tour lined up and is fast becoming a worldwide hit with his ringtone-friendly electro-pop."

Findo Gask
BBC Introducing Stage, Sunday

"Formed just two years ago, the band have indented the Scottish music scene with smoulders of zigzagging electronica and Indie-Pop melodies."

The Twilight Sad
BBC Introducing Stage, Sunday

"...chasmal atmospherics reverberating to the shrill of ruminative guitars and James Graham’s strangulating crow."

We Were Promised Jetpacks
T Break Stage, Sunday

"Formed in Edinburgh but switching to Glasgow, they blend post-rock with folk-flecked tendencies and even the jagged angst of Biffy Clyro to create a full-on noise best experienced live."

My Cousin I Bid You Farewell
T Break Stage, Sunday

"Reminiscent of Arcade Fire with undertones of Bruce Springsteen, MCIBYF's haunting darkness adds to these influences and it just works."

A few of us Under the Radar bloggers will be at T in the Park this weekend, trying our best to fit in some live music between all the interview chasing, video editing and bar queueing. You can keep up with all the coverage on the blog or at scotsman.com/tinthepark09.

And if you've not got a ticket and all this preview stuff is driving you mad, we'll have a wee guide of what brave souls have dared to stage a gig elsewhere in Scotland this weekend...

Radar recommends: 7 - 13 June

[Miss The Occupier: playing The Twisted Wheel on Sunday]

In the past we've been guilty of catering only to the gig-goers of Edinburgh and Glasgow in these here Radar Recommends. Granted, that's because 95% of the best gigs take place in Scotland's 'big two'. But we don't want to be seen as narrow-minded Central Belters (especially when one of us hails from wind-battered Thurso), so this week we've tried to cast our nets a bit wider.

Miss the Occupier, Come in Tokyo, We, The Last Men
Sun 7 Jun, The Twisted Wheel, Glasgow. Doors 7pm, FREE
Widely touted as one of Scotland's most exciting bands, Miss the Occupier make clattering, vampish alt-rock in the style of Sonic Youth and Sleater Kinney. We featured them on the eve of their Hinterland show, and this date, with support from bluesy Edinburghers Come In Tokyo and local hardcore trio We, The Last Men, promises to be unmissable. [NM]

Play: Miss The Occupier - Whilst I Stared


Teitur, The Seventeenth Century, Empires
Sun 7 Jun, King Tut's Wah Wah Hut, Glasgow. Doors 8pm, £8
The Faroe Islands may be just beyone our musical radar, but that doesn't mean we can't recommend you head along to this gig by Teitur, an inventive singer-songwriter who opened for Radiohead at the Roskilde festival last year. Especially when he's playing with recent UtR stars The Seventeenth Century and Glasgow rockers Empires. [NM]

Play: The Seventeenth Century - Traffic


The Void, cryoverbillionaires
Tue 9 Jun, The Tunnels , Aberdeen. Doors 8pm, £tbc
Big, swooping indie always has a place on the UtR stereo and The Void are quickly becoming regulars on our shamefully beat-up tape deck. Both anthemic and anathemic, the Glasgow/Edinburgh ensemble produce effervescent, guitar driven totems tinged with sleek college rock production. No stranger to these pages, the hard-working cryoverbillionaires expel chiming chasms of riff across taut, hairpin percussion to produce a sound that quivers neck hairs and shudders the soul. [BH]

Unicorn Kid, Soft Toy Emergency, Crayons, Skitten
Tue 9 Jun, King Tut's Wah Wah Hut, Glasgow. Doors 8pm, £tbc
Not since The Proclaimers wrote a song about that very long walk has Leith known a success story like that of Unicorn Kid. 17-year-old Oliver Sabin is the epitome of the bedroom DJ, except he also has a nationwide and American tour lined up and is fast becoming a worldwide hit with his ringtone-friendly electro-pop. [NM]

We Were Promised Jetpacks
Wed 10 Jun, Doghouse, Dundee, 8pm
If it’s indie-pop you’re after then look no further than the spikey guitar riffs of We Were Promised Jetpacks. The quartet's new album These Four Walls is due out on 15 June and has been produced by Ken Thomas, who has previously worked with the Sigur Ros and David Bowie. Featuring guitar driven pop ranging from 70s influences such as the legendary Gang of Four to more modern tracks reminiscent of British Sea Power, their sound blends seamlessly over Adam Thompson’s distinctly Scottish vocals. [SK]

Play: We Were Promised Jetpacks - Quiet Little Voices



Punch and the Apostles
Thu 11 Jun, Captain’s Rest, Glasgow. Doors 8pm, £3
If you're in Glasgow this Thursday evening, head along to Captain’s Rest to catch the wonderful Punch and the Apostles, who will be performing a new show complete with visuals by Graham Tiler. For the uninitiated, Punch and the Apostles bring a frenetic energy to their live set with stylings not unlike a mid-80s freak show era Tom Waits crossed with some Balkan plate smashing. A mysterious and eclectic band, fans of the musically diverse will be delighted to find something macabre straight out of the leftfield. [SK]

Trampoline featuring Meursault, Wounded Knee, The Foundling Wheel
Sat 13 Jun, The Wee Red Bar, Edinburgh. Doors 7pm, £5
Another month, another stellar line-up at Trampoline. Local luminaries Meursault need little introduction, their startling folk-tronica having already broached public consciousness over the last 12 months. Less renowned, the hymnal rabble of Wounded Knee and The Foundling Wheel's serrated electro-bending are just as beguiling; both beginning to ripple waves of interest in Edinburgh's oceanic scene. [BH]

Woodenbox With a Fistful of Fivers, Wilson Tan, The Parsonage
Sat 13 Jun, King Tut's Wah Wah Hut, Glasgow. Doors 8pm, £tbc
You only need to ponder their name for a moment to realise that Woodenbox With a Fistful of Fivers are more than a little indebted to one Ennio Morricone. There's a distinct Wild West feel to their trumpet-led folk-rock, so get your Winklepickers out and mosey on down to Tut's for on Saturday, where you'll hear more Americana stylings from Wilson Tan and The Parsonage. [NM]

Words: Stevie Kearney, Billy Hamilton, Nick Mitchell

Have we missed something? Tell us about it below, or add it to the gig guide...

Newsflash: Jetpacks launch UK tour

Scotland’s latest dispatch of heroic tunesmiths, the mightily monikered We Were Promised Jetpacks, will embark on their first major UK tour this summer.

Coinciding with the 4 May release of single 'Quiet Little Voices' and the June-time follow up of their much anticipated debut LP These Four Walls, the Fatcat-signed quartet will stop in at a slew of Scottish cities, including two stints at this month’s Hinterland Festival.

Dates are as follows:

30 Apr - Hinterland Festival, Glasgow
1 May - Hinterland Festival, Glasgow
14 May - Water Margin, Brighton (FatCat Showcase - Great Escape Festival)
15 May - DrownedinSound Stage, Brighton (Great Escape Festival)
23 May - Liverpool Sound City, Liverpool (supporting Sky Larkin)
09 Jun - Cabaret Voltaire, Edinburgh
10 Jun - Doghouse, Dundee
15 Jun - King Tuts, Glasgow
16 Jun - Night & Day, Manchester
17 Jun - Bodega, Nottingham
18 Jun - The Lexington, London
19 Jun - The Cockpit, Leeds
20 Jun - The Head of Steam, Newcastle
28 June - Outsider Festival, Rothiemurchus – Cairngorms National Park
24 July - Wickerman Festival, Dundrennan

UtR has had a sneak preview of These Four Walls and it’s safe to say it’ll be trimming the top of every tastemaking hitlist come the end of the year.

In the meantime, to keep your lugholes nicely oiled in anticipation, we’ve got our paws on a stream of We Were Promised Jetpack’s veracious new single 'Quiet Little Voices'. So sit back, relax and let these Jetpacks take off...

Play: We Were Promised Jetpacks - Quiet Little Voices

UtR news: April

[Panda Su - photograph by Portis Wasp]

Our latest track of the month comes from Fife-based artist Panda Su. Her debut is produced by Steve Mason from Beta Band/ King Biscuit Time, and she's set to play at the Fence Homegame festival in Anstruther on 18 April.

Panda Su - Moviegoer


Another act tipped by Under The Radar, We Were Promised Jetpacks, have recently returned from SXSW in the US. The band's showcases were completely sold out, mainly as a result of being played on Seattle-based independent radio station KEXP late last year – exposure which resulted in their song Quiet Little Voices being downloaded by more than one million Americans. The track will be released as a single by Fat Cat on 4 May, and their debut album, These Four Walls, is out on 15 June, ahead of a full UK tour.

Providing a snapshot of the hottest talent in Scotland, the Hinterland Festival will take place in Glasgow from 30 April-1 May across a dozen venues in the city. Acts taking part include We Were Promised Jetpacks, Sons & Daughters, Broken Records, Meursault, Juno, Manda Rin and many more.

Edinburgh College of Art has just announced the release of a live DVD, filmed in the Wee Red Bar, featuring 20 acts with ties to the college.

Bands include St Jude's Infirmary, The Shellsuit Massacre, Futuristic Retro Champions, Action Group and others. The DVD is currently on sale from various independent outlets, including Avalanche Records, The Fruitmarket, Analogue Books and online at www.artschooldance.com

Since its launch in late 2007, Edinburgh's weekly Limbo night has established itself as the place to go to check out new talent and the club played a significant role in its host venue, the Voodoo Rooms, picking up the PRS Music Pub Of The Year award last year.

During the past 18 months many of the gigs have been recorded and 23 April sees the release of the limited edition Limbo Live CD, which includes tracks by Found, Punch and The Apostles, Meursault, Isosceles, Over the Wall, Come On Gang, A-lix and Kid Canaveral.

Record Store Day takes place on 19 April and will see independent record shops throughout the UK celebrating new releases, new formats and all things independent. From 10am there will be free in-store performances and DJ sets in thousands of stores. To celebrate there will be lots of free goodie bags, new releases and an exclusive Record Store Day vinyl and CD release (limited to just 500 copies).

This column appeared in The Scotsman on 30 March 2009

SXSW: The Scottish invasion

If you've picked up a music magazine, logged into Twitter or listened to the radio in the past week, chances are you'll have spotted mention of four letters: SXSW.

That's because South by Southwest is, quite simply, the place to be right now. The annual music, film and digital industries showcase takes place in Austin, Texas, where the city becomes one big, amorphous bubble of hype every March.

This weekend a selection of Scottish bands have been trying to make themselves heard in this hubbub, with gigs by new and not-so-new names.

So for those of you (and us) unlucky enough to be missing out, we've trawled YouTube for a round-up of some of the Scottish acts rocking Texas...

We Were Promised Jetpacks

The young Glasgow band have just signed to Fat Cat records, the label that hosts The Twilight Sad and Frightened Rabbit. Expect similar success for these likely lads.

Found

These artful Edinburgh guys are tipped for similar success. Interesting behind-the-band angle for the video.

Camera Obscura

Long-standing Glasgwegian indie favourites who look to have stepped up their game since signing to 4AD recently.

Glasvegas

It seems hard to believe that just over a year ago Glasvegas were virtually unknown. They hardly need the exposure now.

Primal Scream

The same can of course be said for Primal Scream, here with a brief snippet of 'Rocks'.