THE MAIN ATTRACTION
Napoleon Dynamite is coming to a town nearyou soon. Who? Well, the imperial upstart is travelling underthe brand name of Elvis Costello And The Attractions, which is conlusing enough until one considers the rest of the idenitity games that the Pope of Pop has played over the years. The bespectacled, awkward-looking angry young man who stared out from the cover of My Aim Is True, ten years and eleven albums ago, a useful, protective mask tor 22 year-old songwriter Declan McManus, was joined by some character called The lmposterwhen he turned up to sing a McManus song called ‘Pills and Soap’. Costello lound himself killed off and, driven underground, McManus did a series at gigs with the semi-legendary T-Bone Burnett as The Coward Brothers, who both joined up with a variety of American sessionmen (including Elvis Presley's old band) underthe bannerThe Costello Show, with Declan Patrick Aloysius McManus making his lirst credited appearance as a songwriter, and guitar and vocals by comebody called LHC -The Little Hands of Concrete.
Now a new LP by McManus who, for reasons best know to himsell, is indulging his regal obsessions (rememberlmperial Bedroom and King ol America?) by calling himself Napoleon Dynamite, has disinterred pop star Elvis Costello, reunited him with his old band The Attractions and sent him lleeing round the country to promote it.
It’s perhaps tempting to'see this lack of seriousness about identity as a sign of Schizophrenia, and indeed, rumours of prolonged and heavy indulgence and bitter drunken arguments with The
that there is music beyong the Jesus And Mary Chain in East Kilbride. They are the kind ofband that you will either love or hate. [won‘t be there . . .
0 Scheme Rooftops. Sauchiehall Street. 10.30pm. £3.50. Bigin Balarnock. Cool in Castlemilk. World domination expected next week.
Edinburgh
0 UB40 Playhouse Theatre. Greenside Place. 7.30pm. £7. £6. See Tue 2.
o The Peristalsis Brothers Boston Bean Co. St James Centre. 9pm. Free. Actually. they‘re not called The Peristalsis Brothers any more. But since nobody. not even the venue they play at. knows their new name. that‘s how it‘ll have to stay. 0 Billy Jones Canny Man‘s. Morningside Road. 8.30pm. Free. Pop/folk.
THURSDAY 4 Glasgow
0 UB40 Barrowland. Gallowgate. 7.30pm. Just back from the USSR. this is a rescheduled gig. I hear that they were more successful in Russia than Celtic.
0 Loose Cut Shadows. Bath Street. 9pm. Free. Sounds like a cheap
MUSIC LIST
Pogues (whose Cait D'Riordan he has now married), tollowed by the release of a coverversion of The Animals' ‘Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood’, prompted one intrepid journalist to make a major inquiry into his psychological state.
The Declan McManus he discovered was a man who serenely proclaimed his contentment with lite. Indeed, his last two albums have been his most lyrically straightforward, mainly tree ol the impenetrable word games that have cluttered up his work in the past, and least gloomy tor a long time. His love at Country and Western and Rhythm and Blues has injected his work with a clarity and bite that’s been
brand ofcigarettes.
O 0 His Latest Flame Fury Murrays. Maxwell Street. 10.30pm. Ifonly they were as good live as on their two singles. Maybe thistime . . .
0 11th Hour Midas. West Regent Street. Free.
Edinburgh
0 The Woodentops and Miaow Coasters. West 'l'olieross. The Indie-Group-Most-Likely-To came a bit ofa cropper when their debut LP wasn‘t everything the early singles had promised. but live they‘re still an exuberant. joyful thrash. with tunes brimming out of their ears. Great stuff.
0 Billy Jones Lord Darnley. West Port. 9pm. Free. P0p/folk.
0 Red Smithereen Stag‘s Head Hotel. High Street, South Oueensferry.
FRIDAY 5
Glasgow
0 Haze Shadows. Bath Street. 9pm. Free.
0 UB40 Barrowland. Gallowgate. 7.30pm. For some reason. UB40 are huge in Glasgow. so get your ticket soon.
0 Mary Kianni Willi‘s Bar. Virginia Street. Free. Willis is the type of place where you expect to see Graeme Souness recovering from his
missing loryears, dragging it back lrom the nadir of 1984’s ‘Goodbye Cruel World’.
Ouite what name he will assume in the credits of Alex (Sid and Nancy) Cox’s new film Straight To Hell, lor which he spent a good part at the aummerlilming in the southern foothills ol Spain alongside Dennis Hopper, Grace Jones, Joe Strummer and The Pogues, remains to be seen. (He plays Hives the butler and no, I don’t know it the butler did it.). But McManus, Coward, Imposler, LHC, Dynamite, Costello even, there’s llie in him yet, as he’ll no doubt show at the Edinburgh Playhouse on 5 and 6 December. (Mab)
injuries. Otherwise, a pleasant singer in a pleasant environment.
0 Straight Men The Riverside, Gorbals. 9pm. Free. Cassette album to be released soon. Bet you can‘t wait . . .
Edinburgh
0 Elvis Costello Playhouse Theatre, Greenside Place. 7.30pm. £8.50. £7.50. See panel.
0 Big Country and the Big Dish Ingliston Showground. Return of the conquering heroes. . . Iguess. Recycling the first album in a flatter and more diluted form each time.- they may be shown up by Glasgow‘s pop contenders The Big Dish.
0 Jesse Winchester Wilkie House. COWgate. Louisiana singer- songwriter. Could well be worth a visit.
Dunlermline
0 Toy Dolls Warehouse, Kirkgate. Cartoon punks of Nellie The Elephant fame. who seemingly went down rather well the last time they played.
SATURDAY 6 Glasgow
0 Mary Kiannl Baby Grand. Elmbank Gardens. Free. 0 Spandau Ballet SECC. 7.30pm.
Some tickets left. Spandau seem to have the lasting power that their contempOraries lacked. Maybe it‘s because they keep writing good songs. More likely they‘ve managed to keep off drugs. Or at least keep their vices away from the tabloid press. The biggest surprise is that
there are one or two reasonable tracks on their new album. Not
worth the extortionate ticket prices when a local radio station (renowned for its coverage of local music) is recording it anyway. At least then if you don‘t like it. you can switch off.
Edinburgh
0 Elvis Costello Playhouse Theatre, Greenside Place. 7.30pm. £8.50. £7.50. See Fri 5.
o Bald Cormorant Lord Darnley, West Port. 3pm. Free. See Sat 29. 0 Road Runner Preservation Hall, Victoria Street. 9pm. Free.
Dunlermline
O The Painted Word Warehouse. Kirkgate. Glasgow band receiving much attention. Next big thing. I suppose.
SUNDAY 7 Glasgow
0 Spear of Destiny Barrowland, Gallowgate 7.30pm. £5. They‘re back! They‘re back! Not that I shed any tears when they split up anyway.
Edinburgh
0 A-Ha Playhouse Theatre, Greenside Place. 7.30pm. SOLD OUT.
0 Billy Jones Lord Darnley. West Port. 9pm. Free. Pop/folk.
o Tam White and The Dexters Preservation Hall. Victoria Street. 9pm. Free. See Sun 30.
MONDAY 8 Edinburgh
0 Status Guo Playhouse Theatre. Greenside Place. 7.30pm. £8.50. £7.50. Hmmm . . . thought they‘d split up. Attend at your peril.
0 Culture Coasters, West Tollcross. 7.30pm. £5 on door. £4.50 in advance/student/UB40. Legendary Jamaican reggae trio. augmented by band. Should be good.
0 Double Trouble Canny Man‘s. Morningside Road. 8.30pm. Free.
0 Sing the Blues Preservation Hall, Victoria Street. 9pm. Free.
0 The Jasmine Mlnks Onion Cellar, The Mission, Victoria Street. Still on the Creation label. good 60s-style jangly stuffin places.
TUESDAY 9
Glasgow
0 Sound Control Clinic Shadows. Bath Street. 7.30pm. Muso-night out. Well known names demonstrating equipment. And not a heavy metal band insight . . . Ithink.
0 Status Guo SECC. 7.30pm. Status Quo have become an institution. Liking Status Ouo is the musical equivalent of liking the Tory government.
0 Culture The Plaza. Victoria Road. 8pm. £5. A recently reformed jamaican trio. who. not surprisingly, specialise in reggae.
40 The List 28 Nov — 11 Dec