Edinburgh
0 Hurrah The Venue, Calton Road. 10pm. See panel.
0 Dead Cert Preservation Hall, Victoria Street. 9pm. Free. What the Flyboyz are calling themselves these days.
0 Double Trouble Canny Man‘s, Morningside Road. 9pm. Free. See Mon 26.
IIflEfliYE- Glasgow
0 The Speedie Ducks Shadows, Bath Street. 9pm. Free. OK, the name is bad enough fora Shadows band — but the music is surprisingly good. with a funk/soul orientation rather than the dull heavy metal trash we have come to expect. Which probably means they will not get too great a reception from the regular crowd — so go along and help them out.
Edinburgh
0 Tonight At Noon Preservation Hall, Victoria Street. 9pm. Free.
0 Last Orders CIOWns. High Street. 9pm. Free.
0 Eat the Peach The Cavern. Cowgate.
WEDNESDAY 4 Edinburgh
0 Loo Acka Bop Boston Bean Co. St James Centre. 9pm. Free.
0 Billy Jones Canny Man’s. Morningside Road. 9pm. Free. Pop/folk.
0 Dead Man's Jive The Cavern. Cowgate.
THURSDAY 5 Glasgow
0 Victorian Kitchen Midas, St Vincent Street. 10.30pm. Free. Start oflive gigs again at Midas for 1987. Some interesting bands can often be found here. but not tonight.
0 Microdisney Fury Murrys. Maxwell Street. 10.30pm. With a new album out. Microdisney take in Fury Murrys as part of a mini tour. Good oftheir type. but lilter to appeal to fans only.
Edinburgh
0 Shame The Venue. Calton Road. 10pm. Formed from ex-members of TV21 and Another Pretty Face, Shame have an EP out on Canadian independent Shake The Record Label.
0 We Free Kings and Role Kapelle (to be confirmed). Rumours. Lothian Road. Another odd couple. Scotland‘s wildest folk band, very definitely going places. with the unclassifiable Balerno noisemakers. Rote Kapelle. veterans of two singles now. may not share your sense ofhumour. but there’s no denying their driving. compelling beat.
0 Billy Jones Lord Darnley, West Port. 9pm. Free. POp/folk.
0 Obsession Clowns. High Street. 9pm. Free.
0 Mr Rhythm (to be confirmed). Preservation Hall. Victoria Street. 9pm. Free.
0 Three Dancers The Cavern. Cowgate.
MUSIC LIST
0 Personal considerations shouldn't make a dltterence, but viewing live music is a very subjective thing, isn't it? Anyway, the newly-opened Venue (tamer bikers’ haven The Jailhouse on Calton Road), looks like being the most congenial place in Edinburgh to see bands, despite a rather strange arrangement ot the dance iloor, separated trom the stage by several rows oltables, which nonetheless works surprisingly well.
A smart, red-curtalned stage stretching the width at the building gives ample room to any bands who are likely to play there, and plenty oi seating qnd a warmer colour scheme provide happier surroundings than The Jailhouse’s previous battleship-grey utilitarian appearance (the whole lloor has, in tact, been radically redesigned). A shame, then, that your correspondent should be verbally abused and unceremoniously turled out at tire building tor an action that, in his entire history oi pub-, club- and gig-going, he has never seen a single person so much as warned about. Enjoy The Venue, but it you don’t want to end up back out in the snow, dispose at your ash very, very carelully.
o Other interesting live dates in Edinburgh commence on the 29th, when Political Asylum and The Thane: (tormeriy The Green Telescope) plus another local band will be playing in Rumours, Lothian Road, in tront ot the cold, hard lens ot a video camera. The idea oi videolng the weekly gigs comes irom the Avalanche record shop in West Nicolson Street, where casual browsers who would otten ask to hear records by local bands can now see the videos replayed. The tollowlng week it’s the turn ot We Free Kings and Role Kapelle, and other gigs are being negotiated right now. Eventually a video cassette is to be released, compiling the best at the Rumours pertorrnances. Worth saving up the pennies tor, Listen! says.
0 Alter being impressed by his rendition oi the satirical Hams Droppin’ on Acropolis How last year, we here at Listen! are pleased I) hear that West ot Scotland singer/songwriter Peter Hardinl will be
Jessy. See Record Review.
playing on The Tube on the evening oi Fri 6 Feb. The happy engagement has come about due to The Battietieid Band, who share the same management as Hardlni and took a trip down to Tyne Tees TV to record a slot tor a completely dltterent show. A copy ot Hardlni’s album tell into the hands oi The Tube’s executive producer Aalcolm Gerrie, who demanded that he man play on his programme as soon as possible. One hopes that, as in the case at Billy Bragg, the public will suspend their prejudice against solo singer/guitarists, and maybe go out and buy the album themselves. it’s not that long ago that Hardlni and Bragg both played a benetlt in Glasgow where young William was the unknown quantity.
0 Ageing Pop Stars The Pet Shop Boys (and yes,we do all know what a Pet Shop boy is now, so less at the smut) have been uttered a staggering $100,000 to play the Budokhan in Japan . . . watch out tor their only scheduled Scottish date coming up in spring at Edinburgh Playhouse . . .
o Unhappy Popstars l-lipsway have sacked their manager and bass player -the two MacAlone brothers Jerry and Johnny. Rumours oi litigation on both parts are rite but meanwhile the band are being managed by lead singer and ex-cappucino waiter Graham Skinner. and best at luck to all oithem - expect to see more irom MacAlone’s latest prodigies ’Camlno Royale’ . . .
0 Happy Almost Popstars The Big Dish are to be congratulated at their excellent new single ‘Christlnas World' taking the national chart by storm and crashing into the number 99 slot this week . . . any chart placing tor The Dish is long overdue . . .
o Charitable Popstars Part One: 3 April is lntematlonai AIDS day and musicians all over the UK will be playing on that day to raise lunds tor research. A large-scale concert is planned in London - names being handled lorthe event are Motorhead, Aswad and Queen (and here's a bucket ot salt). But in Scotland the tirst plans tor publicislng and tundralslng are just under way. Any musician willing to
" “9 5‘1; ’
contribute his services or management/publicity people with good ideas please contact this column.
' a Part Two: 1987 is also lntematlonai
Year at Shelter tor the Homeless and plans tor a Glasgow compilation LP are under way. Any artists wishing to be involved in this project please contact this column. All proceeds are going to ‘Shelter' . ..
0 New Popstars Age Di Chance whose version at Prince's ‘Kiss’ is easilythe best indie-released cover version oi the year (wiping the tables with the pathetic ‘lnto The Groove’ by Clccone Youth) are to give up those indie rags to sign to Virgin Records. Let’s hope that they don’t disappear irom view altogether like so many oi their indie coHeagues...
RECORD REVIEWS
Jassy: Wild Eyed Boy/Tuesday (Dur Dwn)..Athree-plece irom Dunbar, only six months old, all leather, tattoos and sweatbands, but you can tell they’re such nice boys, really. Passing over Tuesday which is a blatant retread at The Ciash's London Calling, the A-side is mid-Atlantic rock, melodic, with convincingly good harmony vocals. Someone should give these boys a lid-track studio tor that authentic Foreigner sound.
The BMX Bandits: The Day Beiore Tomorrow (53rd at 3rd). The highlight oi The Legendi’s abysmal Christmas show at Wilkie House (at which David Shop Assistant and Margarita Fizz Bomb/Garon/Kapeile had the audience pleading with them to abandon the stage to save their reputations-true!), was the solo spot by the Bandits’ angelic singer Duglas, doing taithlul renditions of old Christmas lamlly tavourites. Alter a dip in quality with the turgid Cat From Outer Space, he’s at his cloying best here, an immaculate parody oi the showbiz personality in much the same way as, dare I say it, Max Headroom. Either your mum will love this record and it will drive you up the wall, or the precise opposite. Duglas’s sheer gall may weaken betore he makes it on to his own chat show, but at least he’s given us a smile and a song. The song, incidentally, is called Sad, and versions have been on both Bandits 12in. Desperation?
The ideal Giants: Citizen/T he Fabulous Salamander: The Mayenne (Amphibian). With two tracks each band this mouthtul is hencelorth known as The Amphibian EP. A York-based label, but both groups have members living in Edinburgh. I like the ideal Giants songs a lot now, though they’re slow growers. Citizen could have come from the early Postcard years. BMX Bandits and Talulah Gosh will doubtless wear out their welcome and tade, but bands like the Giants are the real cult with no name- a seam ot serious, committed and restrained bands, so unassuming that when one lades away another will carry on the tradition with nary a llutter. The Fabulous Salamander maybe need a little time to get themselves together. The vocalist seems to owe overmuch to Mark E. Smith as he leads us through tales ot a world askew, though i can see them at some stage setting J.G. Baliard’s wilder accomplishments to music quite impressively.
The List 23 Jan — 5 Feb 29