Radar recommends: 12 - 18 Dec

[The Twilight Sad: bringing the festive decibels to Edinburgh and Glasgow]

Status Quo are rocking all over Scotland this week (well, Aberdeen and Glasgow to be precise), so surely there's nothing more to be said for live music over the next seven days? What can possibly survive in the wake of the ponytailed rock gods, you ask?

Well, if Francis Rossi & co don't satisfy your cultural appetite (and what's wrong with you?), then you can at least take your pick from this lot...


Aberdeen
Luke Leighfield
Wednesday @ The Tunnels / 8pm / £5
Piano-based pop from the globe-trotting 22-year-old, in support of his recently release pay-what-you-like download album Have You Got Heart?
Also playing Cabaret Voltaire, Edinburgh on Thursday


Dundee
Findo Gask, Popolo
Saturday @ Dukes Corner / 8pm / £5
Glasgow's deranged electronic pop purveyors ply their trade at the Dukes on Saturday, with support from highly rated Popolo. Bring your dancing shoes.

Dividing the Line, Proceed, Paradian
Sunday @ Dexters / 8pm / £6
A night of screamo-emo action at Dexter's as part of the 'Fezant is Present Tour'. There will be shredding riffs (and shredded fringes).


Edinburgh
Trampoline All Day Event: Mitchell Museum, Lyons, Jonnie Common, Debutant, The Scottish Enlightenment, Jill Leighton, Esperi, Lady North, Conquering Animal Sound
Saturday @ Wee Red Bar / 2pm / £5 (£3)
Over the past few months we have recommended no fewer than six of the acts on this all-dayer from Trampoline, so all that's left to say is get down there if you want to hear some of the best new music in Scotland. Simple really.

Hey Enemy, Gatechien, The Fatalists
Monday @ Sneaky Petes / 7pm / £4
Post-punk beats from London's Hey Enemy on tour with twisted French duo Gatechien. Support from local noiseniks The Fatalists
Also at The Tunnels, Aberdeen on Sunday

The Pineapple Chunks, The Leg
Tuesday @ Wee Red Bar / 7pm / free
You'd be hard pressed to find a more gloriously ramshackle, insane gig than this eccentric pairing of Edinburgh bands.

**UtR's gig of the week**
The Twilight Sad
Tuesday @ Voodoo Rooms / 7.30pm / SOLD OUT
Fresh from taking on the USA yet again, the strangely uplifting home-grown miserablists play a pre-Christmas show. If you have a ticket, enjoy, if you don't, too bad.
Also playing Nice'n'Sleazy, Glasgow on Wednesday

Little Comets
Wednesday @ Cab Vol / 7pm / £7
Recent Columbia signings Little Comets bring their major label alt-pop up the road from Newcastle, with support from local indie-rockers The Debuts.

Pulled Apart By Horses, Taking Chase
Wednesday @ Sneaky Pete's / 7pm / £6
Energetic and highly-rated hardcore from Leeds' Pulled Apart By Horses with support from Edinburgh's own melodic rockers Taking Chase. Lots of ruckus in one very small room.

Hardcore Christmas Party: The Colour Pink Is Gay, Corpses, Shields Up, Hey Vampires, Fights & Fires
Friday @ Bannermans / 8pm / £6
Good value hardcore punk rock christmas bonanza featuring some of Scotland's freshest talent, plus Worcester's Fights and Fires.
Also at Nice N Sleazy in Glasgow on Thursday 17th


Glasgow
The Phantom Band, Lord Cutglass, Sparrow and the Workshop
Saturday @ The Arches / 7pm / £10
Chemikal Underground double whammy as the Phantom Band celebrate having one of the albums of 2009 in Checkmate Savage.

Remember Remember, Happy Particles, Cheer
Saturday @ CCA / 8pm / £4
The lovely Remember Remember wants to say Merry Christmas - and how better than to share beautiful looping tinkly tunes in a party with the equally pretty Happy Particles.

eagleowl, Woodenbox, Withered Hand
Monday @ 13th Note / 9pm / £tbc
E(e)agleowl have a very nice new single called 'Sleep the Winter' which they are launching in Glasgow on Monday. Dan of Withered Hand and Ali of Woodenbox are both keeping it solo in their support slots.

Paper Planes, Peter Parker, Symbolics
Thursday @ Pollokshields Burgh Hall / 8pm / £3
Lucky Number Nine and Say Dirty records team up for a Christmas piss-up in the southside - with UtR-loved Paper Planes and added DJ action from Chris 'Beans' Geddes and Andrew 'Divine' Symington.

Panda Su, Kid Canaveral, The Darien Venture, Tokyo Knife Attack
Thursday @ 13th Note / 9pm / £tbc
Those Glasgow PodcART chaps have good taste, eh? And not just because it's similar to ours. Proceeds from this festive frenzy go to the Yorkhill hospital Christmas fund - which should give you a warm seasonal glow.

Big Ned, Nacional, Black Jash, If You Lived Here You'd Be Home By Now
Friday @ Captain's Rest / 8pm / £1
"Doom'n'roll" Stooges-esque topless cowboy fun from Big Ned, for the Green Door studios birthday bash.

Words: Craig Dickson, Elaine Liddle

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

Radar recommends: 13 - 19 Sep

[Findo Gask at Sleazy's on Saturday: "Imagine Crufts but with just men"]

It doesn't really come under our purview (a Malcolm Tucker reference there folks), but last week we mentioned a certain midweek football game. So we should probably let all you sports-hating music fans know what happened.

Scotland lost - in that valiant, heads-held-high style of losing we specialize in. And now with nothing but the depressing prospect of two big Glasgow teams battering wee diddy teams week in week out for the next year, at least we can console ourselves with plenty of live music...

Dundee
Hip Parade, Colour Coded, The New Times
Friday @ Fat Sam's / 8pm / £6
Tabloid-friendly rock schlock. Not exactly recommended but the good people of Dundee need something.

Edinburgh
Jeremy Jay, Tissø Lake, The Colourful Band
Monday @ The Bowery / 7pm / £7
Californian Jeremy Jay does the whole frail-voiced, affirming thing, and does it very well.

Second Hand Marching Band, Withered Hand, Wounded Knee
Wednesday @ Wee Red Bar / 7.30pm / £4 (£3)
One question arises from this: how do you fit Scotland's biggest indie marching band into the Wee Red Bar? Turn up to find out, and witness two of Edinburgh's most interesting songwriters in support.

Banjo or Freakout, Dead Boy Robotics
Friday @ Sneaky Pete's / 7pm / £5
London-based Italian Alessio Natalizia goes by the name of Banjo or Freakout and does lo-fi covers of Burial and LCD Soundsystem. DBR need no introduction to readers of this blog.

Gang Of Four
Friday @ HMV Picture House / 7pm / £18.50
The original post-punk iconoclasts return. Well, half of them do anyway, to play their best album, Entertainment! Also playing ABC, Glasgow on Saturday.

Emily Scott, Beerjacket, Julia and the Doogans
Saturday @ Wee Red Bar / 7.30pm / £7
Trampoline presents a night of stellar acoustic talent, with UtR-tipped Emily Scott and Beerjacket, plus the moonlit lullabies of Julia and the Doogans.

The OK Social Club, Black Alley Screens, Sebastian Dangerfield
Saturday @ Sneaky Pete's / 7pm / £5
Scuzzy indie rock from The OK Social Club, with local support.

Glasgow
Brother Louis Collective
Monday @ Capitol / 7pm / £tbc
Please your ears by getting them near this orchestral-pop marvel. Featured a few weeks ago right here; check it.

Theoretical Girl, Tango in the Attic
Monday @ Captains Rest / 8pm / £5
Posh sounding chamber-pop hottie swims up from London to hook up with a few boys from Glenrothes. Sounds like a match made in personal ad heaven.

Aidez Moi, Cursive Hearts, Clear Air Turbulence
Tuesday @ Nice'n'Sleazy / 7.30pm / £4
Keyboard-wielding, electro-loving, post-industrial Aidez Moi - describe them however you like and enjoy the pop tunes.

Clara Belle, Earl Grey & The Loose Leaves, D Bass Collective
Wednesday @ Nice'n'Sleazy / 7.30pm / £tbc
Scottish/Japanese Clara Belle's sweet voice captures the heart with delicate melodies strummed along by ukelele. Expect things to get jazzy with tea-obsessed Earl Grey and multi-member D Bass Collective.

Codeine Velvet Club
Wednesday @ Classic Grand / 7.30pm / £8
Jon Fratelli takes time from his day-job and pairs up with cabaret-loving singer and Glasgow Club Noir regular Lou Hickey.

Times New Viking, Copy Haho, Mellifluous, Surreal Knights
Thursday @ Nice'n'Sleazy / 7.30pm / £7
Fuzzy, loud and fun lo-fi rock from Ohio's Times New Viking perfectly complemented by indie/pop fun from Copy Haho.

Cassidy, Three Blind Wolves, Paper Planes
Thursday @ Oran Mor / 6pm / Free
They've got wood; and they're not afraid to use it. All acoustic four piece joined by a couple of Glasgow's darlings. FYInteresting information, Three Blind Wolves were formally Ross Clark and the Scarfs Go Missing.

Sugar Crisis
Thursday @ The Apple Store / 7pm / Free
Glasgow duo Sugar Crisis offer a taste of their sweeter than sweet electro-pop (think Bis but even more hyper) with this free in-store gig.

Come on Gang!
Thursday @ Captains Rest / 8pm / £tbc
Come on then! What are you waiting for? Like you have anything better to do on a Thursday night than get a little closer to this sexy three-piece.

Zoey Van Goey
Friday @ Oran Mor / 7pm / £6
Recent Chemikal Underground signings Zoey Van Goey play from their acclaimed debut album.

Charlotte Hatherley
Friday @ King Tuts / 7pm / £7
Out of the Ashes... hmmm... might just stay well clear of that pun. Sometime Bat for Lashes guitarist, multi-instrumentalist brings it to Glasgow solo-style.

The Phenomenal Handclap Band, The Declining Winter, Second Hand Marching Band, Burnt Island
Friday @ Captain's Rest / 7.30pm / £5
The live arm of Is This Music? returns with New York's Phenomenal Handclap Band, plus UtR favourites the Second Hand Marching Band and the melodic Burnt Island, a musical venture from author Rodge Glass.

Our Lunar Activities
Saturday @ King Tuts / 8pm / £5
Placebo rip off or not Placebo rip off, if you have yet to see this band you should. Even if it's just for the plain fact that they have been around for so long.

Boycotts, The King Hats, Popolo
Saturday @ Captains Rest / 8pm / £tbc
Boycotts are celebrating a birthday and everyone's invited. If you want to see the best new music from Scotland get there sharp.

Stereo Open Day: Correcto, Jacob Yates & the Pearly Gate Lockpickers, Tut Vu Vu, DeSalvo, Fox Gut Daata, Gummy Stumps, Furhood, Schnapps, Peter Parker, Chlorinide and Nanobots
Saturday @ Stereo / 3pm / £5
With this lineup, Stereo and organisers Huntleys & Palmers Audio Club are really spoiling us. All day sharp post-punk/"Doom wop"/screamy masked terror/MCs/rock'n'roll/etc fun for a bargain price.

Sounds in the Sububs: The State Broadcasters and Vinny Peculiar
Saturday @ The Woodend Tennis and Bowling Club / 8pm / £7
This Jordanhill venue might be out of the way but it's worth the trip to hear this Americana-inspired six-piece, playing from debut album The Ship and The Iceberg.

**UtR's gig of the week**
Crufts #1: Findo Gask, The Happy Particles, Popolo
Saturday @ Nice'n'Sleazy / 7.30pm / £4
Former UtR guest bloggers Findo Gask present the first of four monthly nights at Sleazy's. Members of Remember Remember, Stapleton and Simplestorm make up The Happy Particles and UtR-tipped Popolo join the bill. Top dog.


Words: Elaine Liddle, Aimi Gold, Nick Mitchell

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

Under the Radar podcast #3

It's been a while 'in development' - or more accurately, 'on the backburner' - but at long last we present our third podcast to new music fans everywhere.

This time we paid a visit to Mr Stevie Kearney's home studio in Leith for the recording. Stevie is a regular UtR contributor and a genuine audio whizz, having presented his own shows on Fresh Air as well as setting up his own podcast over at Dylan and the Mule.

The third instalment is all about the music: we have an exclusive new track from Trapped in Kansas, a Springsteen cover by Beerjacket and new singles by UtR-featured Randan Discotheque and The Seventeenth Century.

On top of that, Stevie caught up with Edinburgh band White Heath for a chat at their recent EP launch, and there's more music from Glasgow/Dundee math rockers Popolo, a band we haven't featured yet (shock) in My Tiny Robots, and Small Town Boredom, the Paisely duo who were offered a record deal a couple of hours after appearing on UtR (yes, that's the sound of us patting our backs).

Hope you enjoy the show...

Play: Podcast #3


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Running order:
00:55: The Seventeenth Century - Roses in the Park
06:22: Beerjacket - Dancing in the Dark
10:15: Popolo - Or Optimism
13:45: Interview: White Heath
17:20: White Heath - Election Day
21:30: Trapped in Kansas - Carpathia
24:53: My Tiny Robots - Other People Matter
30:01: Randan Discotheque - Daily Record May 18th 1993
35:10: Small Town Boredom - White Cart Water

Words and podcast: Nick Mitchell, Stevie Kearney

Previous UtR podcasts

On the radar: Popolo

Play: Or Optimism


Play: Friendship Injection


Aside from forays into electronica, post-rock and metal, this blog has swayed towards bands with acoustic and/or folk tendencies.

This hasn't been any deliberate strategy on our part; it just so happens that some of the best new bands around these parts (and especially Edinburgh) are using folk elements in especially forward-thinking ways.

But there's another kind of music gaining traction in Scotland, one that can be heard in the slinky electronica of Errors or the disciplined dynamics of Galchen. However you want to describe it, it's music that aims not to soothe but to jolt, unsettle and excite.

Popolo's short, sharp guitar jams extend this style of unnerving dance-rock in another new direction. The quartet - based between Dundee and Glasgow due to work committments - accept that the reason they make music isn't to set the listener at ease, but neither are they aiming to blow minds.

Guitarist /synth player Tom Ogden: "We're playing music mainly because we're all good friends and thoroughly enjoy challenging music which is easy enough to swallow. It's a convenient way of hanging out as well as creating something worthwhile that hopefully people will enjoy."

Together since January last year, Popolo are now being name-checked across the country as a band to watch, winning notable fans including artist David Shrigley, who gave them their very own logo »

The cartoonish, pop-art style suits a band with a sense of humour, and Popolo, who cite their influences as "all forms of techno, pushing the boundaries of fast food intake, post-gig-drive-home-sing-songs, 'Iron Man' by Black Sabbath and Fast Times at Ridgemont High" evidently like a laugh.

While the tracks posted above exude Popolo's almost robotic, no-nonsense essence, Ogden expects upcoming material to be a significant leap forward.

"We have very high hopes for the next batch of songs which will form our EP," he says. "We've started working on a couple of songs, one of which was demo'd in February, and it's coming along really well. The overall sound is far more powerful and as such everything that our earliest songs hinted at is exposed and exploited in a bigger way."

And Popolo are equally optimistic about the scene they're threatening to break out of.

"The Scottish music scene will almost always be at the vanguard in terms of the wider British scene and I think that's definitely true right now," Ogden says. "Bands like Findo Gask, The Ballad of Mable Wong, Errors and Copy Haho are pretty obvious examples of how strong it is right now."

Words: Nick Mitchell

Like what you hear? Catch Popolo live at the Captain's Rest, Glasgow on 19 Sep with Boycotts, and check their MySpace for future gig action.