Newsbits: Ballroom, blogs, Biffy and Berliners

[The Little Kicks - strictly ballroom this weekend. Photo: Nick Mailer]

• We'll be the first to admit that Aberdeen doesn't always get the recognition it deserves from the central belt music meeja. But three bands who graced this blog in 2009 are about to play a special show called Live at the Ballroom - so allow us to take this opportunity to give them a wee plug.

Following in the footsteps of The Beatles and Pink Floyd, local acts The Little Kicks, Indian Red Lopez and Cast of the Capital (along with The Underkills) will grace the stage of the city's Beach Ballroom this Saturday. It's a must for anyone involved in the Granite City scene, and more information can be found here.

• This week Under the Radar came 6th in a vote for the best so-called 'mainstream' blogs. We're quite happy to rub shoulders with political pundits like Brian Taylor and Iain MacWhirter, even if we'd have probably been more at home in the music category. Musn't grumble though, and thanks if you voted for us.

• In other X Factor-esque news, Ayrshire trio Biffy Clyro came out on top in scotsman.com's readers' poll of the best Scottish bands of the Noughties. A result sure to raise a few eyebrows, even if it does reveal a lot about how more adept some bands are at organising their online marketing than others. Good showings for Frightened Rabbit (3rd) and The Twilight Sad (9th) too.

• Teutonic tunage will be the order of the day when Born to Be Wide celebrates its sixth birthday tomorrow (Thursday) at Edinburgh's Voodoo Rooms. With a promise of "All you need to know about the German music scene", the event boasts a seminar with bookers, journalists and agents, a German music quiz, DJ sets (including Mark Chung of Einstürzende Neubauten) and a performance from Berlin band Jeans Team. More information here.

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

Radar recommends: 20 - 26 Sep

[French Wives: playing Sneaky Pete's on Saturday]

We've been busy recording our latest podcast today, hence the later-than-usual appearance of the weekly gig guide. Apologies for the disruption, normal service will be resumed now. Please remember to take all your bags and possessions with you. Ticket barriers are in operation.

Confused? I know I am.

Aberdeen
Trapped in Kansas, Cast of the Capital, El Dog
Wednesday @ The Tunnels / 7.30pm / £4
We've already called Trapped in Kansas 'Scotland's most accomplished math rock act'. They'll be playing with Aberdeen upstarts Cast of the Capital in this Freshers' week gig which is open to people who aren't even Freshers. Such equality!

Right Hand Left, Jack Butler
Thursday @ Snafu / 9pm / £4/3
A little bit Franz Ferdinand, a little bit Television and a little bit something of their own. One of the best live bands in Aberdeen headline this week's Dirty Hearts Club.

Dundee
Sucioperro
Friday @ Dexter's Lounge Bar / 8pm / £tbc
According to the band they try to write a great rock song before they 'Sucio' it. You can hear another reason why there must be something in the water in Ayr as Sucioperro play Dundee.

Edinburgh
Drever, McCusker & Woomble, Heidi Talbot, Boo Hewerdine
Monday @ Brunton Theatre / 7.30pm / £13.50 (£11.50)
Folkster trio led by the shaggy-haired Idlewild frontman.

The Pineapple Chunks, Jesus H Foxx
Wednesday @ Wee Red Bar / 7.30pm / Free
Huey Lewis and the News tribute band The Pineapple Chunks are joined by Edinburgh punk-funkers Jesus H Foxx.

Jeniferever, Midas Fall, Beerjacket
Thursday @ Cabaret Voltaire / 7pm / £9
Swedish post-rock from Jeniferever, while Glasgow's fast-rising Beerjacket will be strumming along in support.

**UtR's gig of the week**
French Wives, The Occasional Flickers, Cancel the Astronauts
Saturday @ Sneaky Pete's / 7pm / £5
If you want a taste of some of the best new music Scotland has to offer, look no further.

The Low Miffs & Malcolm Ross
Saturday @ Cabaret Voltaire / 7pm / £tbc
Whether it's The Low Miffs and Malcolm Ross or Malcolm Ross and the Low Miffs, one thing is clear: this gig will feature both the Low Miffs and Malcolm Ross, and comes highly recommended.

Ladyfest: Sellotape, Zorras, Hailey Beavis, Jo Foster
Saturday @ The Bowery / 7.30pm / £3
All the ladies of the world... diverse bill of local female-fronted acts join forces. Watch out men!

Glasgow
David Thomas Broughton, Twi the Humble Feather
Tuesday @ Captain’s Rest / 8pm / £tbc
Experimental folk, making use of samples and found sounds. Also playing on Wednesday at Sneaky Pete's in Edinburgh.

The Atlas Skye, The Darien Venture
Thursday @ The Mill (Oran Mor) / 8pm / FREE
Darkly melodic local rock and roll from Atlas Skye, paired with The Darien Venture’s sonic explosion.

Fuck Buttons
Thursday @ Stereo / 8pm / £8.50
Beats, blips and noise from naughtily-named experimental Brighton duo.

Le Reno Amps, Super Adventure Club, Peter Parker, The Elvis Suicide
Thursday @ 13th Note / 9pm / £tbc
Melodic punk from Glasgow underground superstars. The madcap world of Super Adventure Club provide support, along with Peter Parker and The Elvis Suicide.

Sunny Govan Community Radio Fundraiser
Thursday @ Fairfield WMC / 7.30pm / £5
Five acts for five pounds in support of Govan’s community radio station. The Hellfire Club, ID Parade, Ballachulish Hellhounds, Alkotron and Stephen Maguire provide the entertainment.

Wounded Knee
Thursday @ Box / 8pm / FREE
Under the Radar favourite hits the west coast this week!

Chuck Prophet, Otis Gibbs
Friday @ King Tut’s / 8.30pm / £13.50
Aware that describing a band as the missing link between Big Star and the Replacements is going to endear them to nobody but me, let’s just say that Chuck Prophet’s sound is classic Americana-infused rock. Support from the deliciously gravel-voiced Otis Gibbs.

GGI Festival
Saturday and Sunday @ Stereo / 2pm / £12 (day), £20 (weekend)
Two-day punk extravaganza showcases local talent alongside bands from further afield. Catch Fleas and Lice (the band, not a reflection on the venue) with Poison Sisters and The Bucky Rage on Saturday, while The Plimptons and The Amphetameanies are among the draws on Sunday.

Slow Club, Cate Le Bon, Young States
Saturday @ Classic Grand / 7pm / £7
Hotly tipped harmonious boy-girl indiefolk duo. Cate Le Bon is a Welsh singer-songwriter with a voice like Nico, while Young States complete the bill with gorgeous, local pop in the Frightened Rabbit vein.

Words: Lisa-Marie Ferla, Andrew Learmonth, Nick Mitchell

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

On the radar: Cast of the Capital

Play: Stone Breaking


Cast of the Capital make music that sounds like it's been forged in a widescreen expanses, with empty roads trailing off into the horizon and mountains looming in the distance. That's not to say they sing in drawling accents, soundtrack barn dances or indulge in Ry Cooder-esque levels of slide guitar.

But their music is ingrained with that unmistakably American 'openness'; like The Shins or Band of Horses, it's possesses that wholesome, pristine quality that just doesn't seem native to our cramped nation's drab towns, grey skies and deep-fried diet.

Which would be fine if it weren't for the fact that brothers Matthew and Steve Morris, who formed Cast of the Capital with Alastair Naylor and Jamie Watt, all grew up in Aberdeen, not Austin, Texas. Maybe it was just all that fresh North Sea air?

Unsurprisingly, Steve reveals that their influences run the transatlantic gamut: "We listen to a lot of American bands such as Rogue Wave, The Shins and Death Cab For Cutie. However some Scottish acts have also really inspired us. Bands like Stapleton and Frightened Rabbit write such amazing songs, and I find myself listening to their music almost every day. Non musical… We all love to travel. I guess the feeling of discovering new places and meeting new people has influenced our music, I’m just not sure how."

Together for three years, it seems that the pace is finally starting to gather for the quartet, with a calendar virtually fully booked until the end of September (when they embark on a mini-tour with UtR-featured Trapped in Kansas) and a debut EP due for release that same month.

It seems that healthy ambition rather than unreal expectations is the band's current outlook. "We would do anything to have a career of writing music and touring," Steve says. "This is going to sound cheesy, but the idea of spending the rest of my life with the other three members of the band doing just that is totally awesome. We are going to try really hard to make it happen. For now, we are excited about our forthcoming EP and playing another couple of Scottish festivals over the summer months."

While the Aberdeen music scene has been both praised and panned on this blog by different north east acts, Cast of the Capital are upbeat about the city's sonic industry: "The Aberdeen music scene is excellent, if you look in the right places. With a bit of hard work and promotion you can get a really good gig any day of the week. Venues like The Tunnels and The Lemon Tree are perfect for rock shows, it’s just a shame that so few touring bands come up here to use them."

Words: Nick Mitchell

Like what you hear? Watch Cast of the Capital live at the following shows:

24 Jul @ Tiger Tiger, Aberdeen
25 Jul @ Mambo’s, Peterhead
28 Jul @ Westport Bar, Dundee
30 Jul @ Snafu (Dirty Hearts Club), Aberdeen
31 Jul @ Pitstop, Forfar
1 Aug @ Cosmopol, Glasgow
2 Aug @ Cape, Stirling
7 Aug @ Belladrum Festival (Seedlings stage, 15.15), Beauly, Inverness-Shire
15 Aug @ The Lemon Tree (Wizard Festival Showcase), Aberdeen
28 Aug @ Wizard Festival, New Deer

Play: Passing The Horse


Play: Tampa Am

Tweet Nothings, feat. Errors, Bronto Skylift, Edwyn Collins

Swine flu, golfing grannies, poolside cocktails and Refreshers all crop up in this week's Twitter round-up. It's enough to make you sick...


Errors catch a roadside virus...
@weareerrors: At tebay services. If I didn't have swine flu already then I've just caught it at this granny festival

... while Bronto Skylift drummer has a bout of leprosy...
@brontorawks: has anybody got a new pair of hands for our drummer?

Boycotts take a lead from Talking Heads and stop making sense...
@Boycotts: We're back from tour and all i'm saying is there were no Dolphins with Jetpacks and no-one's arsehole was turned into a footprint x

Edwyn Collins spills the beans on his sporty ancestry...
@EdwynCollins: watching the golf. My Granny won a ladies tournament at Turnberry in the twenties. Yes she did.

Glasvegas are happy to be a rock'n'roll cliché...
@Glasvegas: watching four sexy spanish girls play beach volleyball is the perfect pick me up after a night of sinking cocktails and trashing hotel rooms

And Dananananaykroyd live it up with the oldies down under...
@dananananaykroy: Relaxing morning in/by the pool. Same for The Specials. We saw them relaxing by the pool.

Cast of the Capital tweet from the playground...
@castcapital: Love Hearts or Refreshers? I want a serious answer.

Yahweh get into the Pagan spirit at Wickerman...
@Yahwehtheband: HEAAAAAATHENSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

And Epic 26 reveal their tasteful reading habits...
@Epic26: @under_the_radar, great links to great bands and interesting reading. Follow follow...

Words: Nick Mitchell (and Twitter)

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