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

T in the Park review: Saturday

[Broken Records on stage at T. Picture: Su Anderson]

The Radar-mobile raced up the M90 on Saturday morning (without breaking the speed limit, officer) to scope out the best new music at T in the Park this year. Already a bit miffed that we'd missed sets by Ming Ming & the Ching Chings and Dead Boy Robotics the previous night, we were determined to make amends over the two days by going where the tabloid hacks fear to tread. And what a day Saturday turned out to be ...


The French Quarter
T Break Stage, 1.40pm

With rumours that the band had broken up floating around Balado earlier in the day, it's both a pleasure and a relief to see Stirling's The French Quarter take to the stage.

Awash in swathes of blue light and shimmering guitars, the band play a sublime set, taking the emergent song structures of post-rock and adding melancholic vocals and elaborate layers of instrumentation, from keyboards to xylophones. The brave decision to play new material, recorded with members of Mogwai, whets appetites for what will surely be great things to come from the band.

The majestic 'Time to Leave' closes the set, its ethereal keyboard and slide guitar intro gradually giving way to a steady, pulsating rhythm and leaving no doubt as to why The French Quarter are regarded as one of Scotland's premier unsigned acts. [JM]


Sucioperro
T Break Stage, 2.30pm

Having secured a timeslot clashing with Lady Gaga on the main stage, Sucioperro were always going to prove a draw for punters hungry for substance over spectacle, but the Ayrshire alt rock outfit have surpassed all expectations by packing the T Break tent to capacity.

The band's enthusiasm is somehow surpassed by the crowd's, with a circle pit forming within seconds of the first chord of opener 'Tem V Com' ringing out, in spite of the baking heat. Though somewhat hampered by muddy sound, Sucioperro's eight-song set delivers choice cuts from new album Pain Agency as well as a sprinkling of older material, with penultimate song 'The Final Confessions of Mabel Stark' a particular highlight. [JM]


Unicorn Kid
BBC Introducing Stage, 3.30pm

Just 17, Unicorn Kid (AKA Oliver Sabin) isn’t even old enough to sip the nectar that sponsors the Balado shindig. But that doesn’t stop the electro-bending prodigy kicking up one hell of a storm on the BBC Introducing stage.

Adorning his obligatory lion-shaped headgear, the Leith-born prodigy blurts out reams of Gameboy-inspired bleeps and wonky synth notes to an insatiable contingent of similarly aged hip-flingers. Teasing the crowd into a Haribo-induced frenzy, Sabin struts his hyperactive stuff as if playing to a house party of Skins worshipping teens and not one of the UK’s largest music festivals.

Once the last deranged beat drops into the ether, a sweat-soaked Sabin greets his adoring masses with full moonbeam smile and a triumphant shake of the fist. Perhaps next year he can celebrate with something a little stronger than Orange Juice? [BH]


Young Fathers
BBC Introducing Stage, 5pm

Lauded throughout the blogosphere’s hype-driving microcosm, Edinburgh’s Young Fathers have a right to feel disappointed in the sparse turnout for their TitP showing. Maybe it was a question of scheduling or perhaps their glam-hop fare just didn’t fit with Balado’s alcohol-intense disposition, but as the psychedelically garbed trio took to the stage the polite smattering of applause was telling.

Yet what ensued over the next half-hour was worthy of a more illustrious and appreciative platform. By battling the initial ambivalence with a spate of Outkast-like beats and tongue-knotting rhymes, the band’s party-time ethos rose to the fore; stirring the attention of curious waifs and strays making their way back from the Main Stage

And if their hook-heavy tunes weren’t enough to convince that this is an act on an upward trajectory, their perfectly choreographed dance routines and pistol-quick quips, surely, remove all doubt.

Today’s TitP show might have been lightly-attended, but this time next year Young Fathers should be preparing for much, much bigger things. [BH]


Broken Records
BBC Introducing Stage, 7.45pm

It’s been a tumultuous 18 months for Edinburgh’s Broken Records. After an inaugural baptism of praise, the instrumentally-endowed septet’s debut LP, Until the Earth Begins to Part, was shredded by the sharpened claws of the UK’s music press core.

Champing at the bit to prove they’re more than just a flash in TitP’s airfield-sized pan, the group storm through a set brimming with the same feral intensity that made the early day showings such breathless propositions.

Breakneck renditions of live favourites ‘If the News Makes You Sad...’ and ‘A Good Reason’ fizz the crowd into a sea of flailing limbs and sweaty torsos that verges on utter discord. Thankfully, closing candle-burner ‘Slow Parade’ restores order; uniting punters and band via the glory of heart-struck song.

The slog’s been troubled, but on this performance Broken Records prove they’re more than up to the challenge. [BH]


Bronto Skylift
T Break Stage, 8.20pm

Confounding all logic, Glasgow two-piece noise rockers Bronto Skylift somehow manage to be the loudest band to grace the T Break tent all weekend. On stage, the secrets behind Bronto's massive wall of sound are revealed quickly enough, with frontman Niall Strachan jacking into no less than four amps at the same time and wielding an impressive array of pedals.

It's all too much for some people to take, with a few casualties staggering out clutching their ears as Iain Stewart's snare drum hits reached ear-splitting levels. Those who do stay, however, are rewarded with a breathtaking set and an impromptu jam session with the band, as Strachan takes his guitar into the crowd to close the show, paying no heed to minor details like instrument cables and panicking stewards. [JM]


Trapped in Kansas
T Break Stage, 9.10pm

After only a year in existence, Trapped in Kansas are headlining the T Break stage. That’s no small feat, but could the West Coast band back up their billing? At least they don’t seem nervous, cheekily announcing themselves as The Killers.

Aside from a few sound problems early on, the aplomb with which they take such complex musical wares to the live table casts any doubt aside.

An enthusiastically vocal crowd – most of whom seem to be cheering on guitarist Gregor – obviously appreciate their brand of yearning, icily melodic post-rock, and by the end of set-closer 'The Idiot' they have grown into their headliner status, delivering a set that turns out to be much more killer than filler. [NM]

Words: Billy Hamilton, Jodi Mullen, Nick Mitchell

Our verdict on Sunday will be online later this week...

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...

Promoter profile: Power Up

It's been a while since Kurt Cobain, Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic played Studio 24, the shadowy, split-level club in that hinterland between the Canongate and Calton Hill.

But one local promoter hopes to return the venue - so often threatened with closure by the encroaching Caltongate (see what they did there?) redevelopment - to its former grungey glory.

Last month Dan Schmitz of Orange Slice Records launched Power Up, a gig showcase with a roster of guitar-wielding talent that featured Hundred Reasons and Johnny Foreigner. This month's bill focuses on Scottish acts, with the verbose Glasgow livewires We Are The Physics leading the charge.

Play: Sucioperro - Don't Change


Unlike many gig nights, the support bands are definitely worth showing up on time for too: Sucioperro make heavy rock with a melodic sensibility, while The Fire And I are a "Bathgate/Mexico City"-based duo (we know, insane) who make polished avant-rock.

And anyone old enough to remember Nirvana first time around might be interested to know that close contemporaries Mudhoney have just confirmed that they'll open their European tour at Power Up in October.

Play: The Fire And I - Revenge To The Bloody Angel


Power Up: Tonight (8 May), Doors 7pm, £8

- Nick Mitchell