MUSIC LIST
BEYOND THE LIMITS?
Fine Young Cannibals (Glasgow Barrowlands Friday 11 , Edinburgh Oueen’s Hall Saturday 12) have come in tor a lair bit at surprisingly vicious critical stick- surprising, since there are so many others more deserving at it, and even some who grasp alter it with both hands. But accusations at being the ideal City Limits band (!) are probably the last things that worry Andy Cox and David Steele (once guitar and bass tor the wondrous Beat) as they
; dance that laintly ludicrous jig across § the stage, and Roland Gilt as he puts t lorth that plaintive soultul voice.
What the band have done is to take a
' broad base at soul and sprinkle it with a ; mixture ot jazz and blues and bring it
into the charts, their lirst single,
5 Johnny Come Home, reaching number
7. This is surely something to be
j praised, each oi their singles a three-minute reliel irom the Tears tor
Fears and Madonna on eitherside. Nevertheless, to describe the talented
Roland Gilt as a young Otis Redding is pretty wide at the mark. Fine Young r Cannibals play the music they love
} SATURDAY 12
f? (and as well as Elvis' Suspicious
i
g ' I "6A, Minds, that includes Ever Fallen in Love? by The Buzzcocks), but will they
ever be anything better or worse than a time warp? Time will tell. (Mab).
' 0 FM The Venue, Sauehiehall Street.
0 Phobia Shadows. Bath Street. 0 Steam Jenny Scott‘s Corner.
Edinburgh
0 Fine Young Cannibals Queen’s Hall,
Clerk Street. See panel. 0 Skanga Jailhouse, Calton road.
. 9.30pm. Free. Principally a reggae
: band. and a good one, but
i incorporating more diverse elements
of black music into their sound of late. Trying for the big one.
Glasgow
0 Swing the Cat (Yuk) at the Halt Bar. Woodlands Road.
0 Bill Fanning Big Band Shadows. Bath Street. Free. Afternoon programme.
Duniermline
0 Deal Heights Cajun Aces Warehouse, 23 Kirkgate. Back doing their usual thing, recreating
the depths of Louisiana in their
inimitable wav.
SUNDAY 13 Edinburgh
0 Jennlter Rush Playhouse Theatre, Greenside Place. 7.30pm. £8.50, £7.50, £6.50. Top-selling singles artist of 1985, singer of MOR pop
like The Power of Love and. . .er,
the other one. Mainly easy on the
3: ear, veering to mawkish.
0 Billy Jones Duke of Wellington, 1 Duke Street, Leith. 8.30pm. Free.
E moquv14
: Edinburgh
0 Cactus World News Hoochie Coochie Club, West Tollcross. 10.30pm. Beloved of U2‘s Bono (but then so were The Alarm), and signed to his label. they‘re more traditional sounding than their mentors and
sound strangely like Australia’s Moodists in places.
0 Channel 2 Preservation Hall, Victoria Street. 9pm. Free.
0 The Healers Jailhouse. (‘alton Road. 9.30pm. Free.
TUESDAY 15 Edinburgh
0 Breadline Preservation Hall, Victoria Street. 9pm. Free. Good old rhythm ‘n’ blues.
0 Fat Sam’s Band Jailhouse, Calton Road. 9.30pm. Free.
0 Billy Jones Chez Fred, Spittal Street. 8.30pm. Free. Folk/pop.
Glasgow
0 The Blue Monkey Experience Shadows, Bath Street. Free.
WEDNESDAY 16 Edinburgh
0 Battle oi the Bands Jailhouse, Calton Road. 8pm. Free. No line-up
. fixed yet, but could be worth a visit.
: 0 Billy Jones Loch Inn, Loehend
Road. 8.30pm.
Duniermline 0 Sister No Warehouse, 23 Kirkgate.
THURSDAY 17 Edinburgh
0 Future World Moves Preservation Hall, Victoria Street. 9pm. Free.
‘ O Bobbln' John Jailhouse, Calton
Road. 9.30pm. Free. 0 Billy .lones Lord Darnley, West
Port. 9.30pm. Free.
Glasgow
0 Deja Vu Shadows, Bath Street. Free.
0 Stranger and Brothers The Sugarbeat, Daddy Warbuck’s, West George Street.
0 Rattling the Cage Midas. Free. Try to catch this one.
LISTEN !
NOTEBOOK
0 WHAT! I don’t believe you! About time too . . . LISTEN llnally has some good news on the live gig lront. Following up our Barrowland Ballroom story oi a lew weeks ago it is a reliel to ilnd that the venue will not be closing because the current lease-holder is not renewing his involvement. The lease oi the building (including responsibility torthe bar, security etc) is being assumed by a Mr Mclver and the promoters, Regular Music see no problems about putting on live music at the venue. That being said, the lirst date Regular have at the ballroom is PIL in May, but you can see Fine Young Frogs, sorry, Cannibals there next week . . .
o The Painted Word have signed a recording deal — at last-wlth ‘Mother Records' irom Ireland. Watch the next Issue tor a review oi their debut
single . . .
0 Talking about The Painted Word, lorrner hot act Sunset Gun (remember them?) who split last year are back on the tracks. Deirdre and Louise, the singers in the group, are currently demo-lng a couple 01 songs by Alan Thompson oi the Word . . . and good luck to them too . . .
0 Sharon irom Amazqu turned up in Glasgow last week on a record shop tour to promote their new single with a black eye irom being attacked in a London restaurant . . .
0 Pop Wallpaper, the Edinburgh outtlt with an extraordinary lemale vocalist (somewhere between Pavarotti and Billy McKenzie) release a new single this week, ‘Strawbeny Letter 23’I‘Nothlng Can Call Me Back‘ on Rosebud Records. Rosebud are a new label who babble things like “the obvious may seem pleasing to the consumer but to be consumed by the obvious is another matter. . .’ Right On Man!
0 Little Known Facts Part 3089 - Neil Arthur irom Blancmange is a non-smoking vegetarian, allergic to tannen, cattelne and claustrophobic. Apart irom that he's OK. . .
0 LISTEN out tor the jlngles on ubiquitous local station Radio Clyde because the new station slg ls sung by the ever dulcet tones ot Pat Kane irom Hue And Cry. Nice work it you can get It
0 Little Known Facts Part 3090 - Pim, the delicious, young, handsome and talented guitarist in ‘pop stardom is great’ group Hipsway ls currently negotiating a contract with Phonogram Records. Apparently he was not included In the initial deal with the band...
0 LISTEN out tor the new single by Liverpool pop group ‘The Tempest' called “Didn’t We Have A Nice Time?’ Mike Shearing, the raving loony oi the group has also calmed himsell by giving up meat and alcohol . . .
Would-Be Popstars In Sensible Shock! The band eternally ‘most likely to', Wet Wet Wet, have, along with local indie The Precious Organisation, just invested in their own 16 track
studio. . . The band are currently recording their debut single “Wishing I Was Lucky' and plan to play the Albert Hall in May. . .
RECORD REVIEW
Pop Wallpaper Strawberry Letter 231Nothlng Can Call Me Back (Rosebud). A lalrly strange record this. Pop Wallpaper’s great strength is I singer Audrey Redpath, possessor at a i
line strong voice and almost operatic delivery, in a Red Crayola sort ot way. Untortunately this asset has its drawbacks. The way the rest oi the
bead tries to lit in with her delivery results in a very polished but somewhat sluggish pop/tunk sound. Their cover at The Brother Johnson’s Strawberry
Letter 23 Is very well played, but
there's a chronic lack ol hooks. Nothing Can Call Me Back is more lively, but not danceiloor material, by any stretch ot
the Imagination. Were Pop Wallpaper
to write or cover a song that was
periectly suited to their disparate abilities I would buy it like a shot, but i there two tail to hit the mark. Keep a 1 close eye on them though. =
MAB’S PLAYLIST
1. The Housemartlns: Anxious (Melody Maker giveaway).
2. New Order. Subculture (Record
Mirror giveaway).
3. Soup Dragons: It You Were The Only Glri . . . (Pure Popcorn llexi). ‘ 4. Jesus Couldn't Drum: Beat The Dog (Catalogue llexi).
5. Steve Vai: The Attitude Song (Guitar Player llexi).
The hills may not be alive with the sound at music, but in May and the months iollowing, Princes Street Gardens will be. For this year’s Spring Fling, organised by Edinburgh District Council's Arts Outreach Dept, will like last yeartake place at the Ross Bandstand in the Gardens and quite logically be called Rock at the Ross. Last year’s Spring Fling has been pronounced a great success, so once again we will get the chance to relive Woodstock as we wallow in the open air, loving nature and sweating under the relentless pounding ol the Scottish summer sun. Oi the series at gigs taking place at the bandstand, the big one is on 31 May, headlined by The Shop Assistants (who will probably be accustomed to playing tootball stadia il ' things carry on at this rate), and ieaturing Pop Wallpaper, Red, The New York Plgiunkers and Botany 500, all compered by Rapper Boogamax.
Another large gig is set tor 17 May, although the line-up hasn't yet been contirmed (Blood Uncles?) and bands , will be doing individual sets at the Ross ' iurther into the summer. J
The List 4 — l7Apri|17