MUSIC LIST
O Blueilnger The Cavern, Cowgate, 2265641. Blues ’n’ boogie.
0 Toto and The Bostons Preservation Hall. Victoria Street, 226 3816. 2pm. Free. Evening band (£1) not yet confirmed.
o The Meadows Festival The Meadows. 1pm. Free. Full programme. including music by We Free Kings. Bop Sh‘Bam. the Alice House, Famous and the inimitable Swamp Trash.
SUNDAY 7 Glasgow
0 Sonic Youth Rooftops, Sauchiehall Street. 10.30pm. Still favourites with the music press despite the ridiculous side project, Ciccone Youth who came up with ’Into The Groovy‘ last year. Don’t see anything exciting in them at all, but that should not deter their hard core fans.
Edinburgh
g Street Talk and Fool’s Gold Soundcheck Rock Club. The Venue, Calton Road, 557 3073. Heavy rock/metal.
o Tam White and The Dexters Preservation Hall, Victoria Street, 2263816. £1 after 9pm. See Sun 31.
O Brodie Fry The Amphitheatre, Lothian Road, 229 7670. Doors open 10pm. £2.50. Halfprice before 11pm. Opportunity Knocks winner struts his stuffon this Red Stripe promo night.
MONDAY 8 Glasgow
0 Rosie Vela Pavilion Theatre, Renficld Street, 332 1896. POSTPONED. Cancelled because ofa bout of bronchitis. Likely to be rescheduled for September, which is worth bearing in mind.
Edinburgh
0 Nyah Fearties and We Free Kings The Venue, Calton Road, 557 3073. Doors open 7.30pm. See panel.
0 Cry Preservation Hall, Victoria Street, 226 3816. 9pm. Free. Another of the Pres‘s heavy rock nights.
0 Driving Sideways The Canny Man‘s. Morningside Road, 447 1484. 8.30pm. Free. See Mon 1.
o The Nick Robertson Band Négociants, Lothian Street, 225 6313. 9pm. Free.
TUESDAY 9
Glasgow
0 New Order Barrowland, London Road. 7.30pm. £5. Ifyou live in a bedsit and have just failed all your exams, why not go and get cheered up by New Order. Is there a connection between the suicide rate and exposure to New Order music? I would not take the chance.
0 Chicane Riverside Tavern, Gorbals. 9pm. Free.
Edinburgh
0 The Fizz Bombs The Cavern, Cowgate, 226 5641. Friends of The Shoppies, and with a format not too dissimilar, Fin Bombs recreate the era of the great girl groups with slightly dodgier drumming and much fuzzier guitar.
0 Double Trouble The Canny Man’s. Morningside Road, 447 1484. 8.30pm. Free.
0 The Peristalsis Brothers Negociants. Lothian Street. 225 6313. 9pm. Free. See Tue 2.
0 Alan Ness Preservation Hall. Victoria Street. 226 3816. 9pm. Free. Solo acoustic rock. possibly with addition of keyboard player tonight.
WEDNESDAY 10' Glasgow
0 Lyin’ Rampant Bruce Hotel. East Kilbride. 8pm. The music is about as subtle as the name. They have an LP out soon on Prism Records. a heavy metal label. It is called Caught in the Act and tracks include ‘Fantasy Girl‘ and ‘lndoor Games'. Sexist. anyone?
0 Chicane The Bowlers. Tullis Street. Bridgeton. 9pm. Free. Residency.
Edinburgh
0 Beyond Time—The Cliff Richard Gospel Tour Playhouse Theatre. Greenside Place. 557 2590. First night of four. wherein Cliffjacks in all this secular rock ‘n‘ roll rubbish . . . but when. in the last 20 years. has Cliff released a song that wasn‘t religious at heart?
0 Danny Wilson The Venue. Calton Road. 557 3073. Doors 0an 7.30pm. Raved-about new group from Dundee with painstakingly-written songs. a great deal ofmusical ability and a new LP out on Virgin. They sound heavy-going and derivative to these ears, but these cars are in the minority.
o Crocodiles in Cream The Cavern, Cowgate, 226 5641.
0 Billy Jones The Canny Man's. Morningside Road. 447 1484. 8.30pm. Free.
0 The Peristaisis Brothers Boston Bean Co, St James Centre, 5560111. 9pm. Free. See Tue 2.
THURSDAY 11 Glasgow
0 Richard Thompson Daddy Warbucks, 46 West George Street. 10.30pm. Regaining some of the acclaim thrown awayjn the Seventies, this could be an extremely interesting gig. Whether it will be as enjoyable is not so certain . . .
0 Same Animals Midas. St Vincent Street. 9.30pm. Free. Another chance to see the Same Animals, who are recommended by Zeke Manyika, among others . . .
Edinburgh
0 Beyond Time —The Cliii Richard Gospel Tour Playhouse Theatre, Greenside Place. 557 2590. Second night of four-night run. See Wed 10. O Gaye Bikers On Acid The Venue. Calton Road, 557 3073. Doors open 7.30pm. Lock up your daughters! Bleedin‘ 'orrible longhairs playing loud music. But can the music live up to the name?
0 Close Lobsters (To be confirmed), The Onion Cellar, The Mission, 225 6569. 9.30pm. See panel.
0 Little Wolves Preservation Hall. Victoria Street, 226 3816. 9pm. Free.
o DEACDN BLUE’s debut album (reviewed below) is the guinea pig of a new marketing strategy by their record company CBS. In selected shops around the country potential customers will be able to buy a cassette of the album on a ‘no risk no buy’ basis, meaning that if they don’t enjoy it the cassette can be returned to the shop within a few days tor a full cash reiund. CBS claim to have full confidence in the band. ‘It is a measure oi our complete belief in Dean Blue and our commitment to them,’ says a CBS spokesperson. ‘lt's getting harder to break new acts into the UK market place and we simply want as many people as possible to hear this record- because once they have they'll be hooked.’ The spokesperson seemingly declined to discuss the possibility that customers could copy the album on a blank cassette before bringing it back. Perhaps they’re thinking of making buyers sign a form declaring they have no access to tape-to-tape equipment. 0 A WDRRIED CAVERN MANAGER pulled the plugs on the first Edinburgh appearance oi A Fistful Di Arseholes, leariul that their blue language was disturbing the delicate sensibilities of the customers. A better reason for banning them would have been the backing singer’s lurid psychedelic disco jumpsuit, but there’s no accounting for taste. The Flstles, none of whom have slept with Paula Yates (yet), now claim that they’ll split up if they ever manage to complete a set and, no, they have no intention of sacking the one member who actually knows how to play. Listen! thought it was all rather jolly, but a group of Bon Jovie fans who’d stumbled in looked decidedly squeamish . . .
0 BACK TO RECORD COMPANY business, and a gathering of 200 execs met in London to discuss the advent of Digital Audio Tape (DAT), a development which would enable owners of machines to produce multiple copies of compact discs with no discernible loss of quality, and is threatening to knock the bottom out of the rapidly-growing CD industry. Demonstrated at the meeting was
Coycode, which prevents copying by an -
inaudible signal on the CD, picked up by the DAT machine which then packs up and refuses to work. Japanese manufacturers are understandably resisting its implementation. Plratical old Listen! is dodging the issue and sticking with plain old crozcsos . . .
ALBUMS
o Deacon Blue: Raintown (CBS) Glasgow’s great white hopes turn out their debut set: 11 tracks of precise playing and shiny surfaces. State-of- the-art rock/pop, where the rich sound and production makes it a heavy meal. My only real complaint about Deacon Blue is the inflexibility at their sound. Maybe Simple Minds can get away with
11 mini-epics per album, but Ricky Boss's narrative lyrics reaulre more room to breathe. They’re a great live band, but the rough edges have been smoothed over in the studio, leaving individual songs without the distinctive personalities they’re crying out for. Having said that, Deacon Blue are definitely a band totake seriously in the national stakes. The single, Dignity, glows, and deserves to be a hit, no matter how many re-releases it might take. Raintown (and the cover is a grainy picture of Glasgow, iact fans), sounds like a hit album to me, and it it isn’t Top 30 within a fortnight then there’sfurtherantl-Scottlsh hyping going on - and it won't be the first time. 0 Various: Wide Open (Cracked) flow out of place the poppy New York Pigiunkers sound on this compilation at Edinburgh bands. it's not a definitive overview of the city, since any bands with proper record deals are left out, but it shows that the current crop are pretty left field. A Whole New Jungle impress, with a great rock sound topped by a mercilessly echoed lead guitar, Jackhammer live up to their name despite the poor sound quality of the recording, Shattered Family unfortunately choose a bitty track that doesn’t hang together well, In The Head, debuting here with their Paul McCartney dragged through the White Album backwards song Good Morning Sunshine, are a lot more fun than their predecessors Rip Strip ever were. And of the rest, Good And Gone are Good and scratchy, Close also seem out of place with their jazzy early Prefab Sproutisms, Leith Band Agnes, as well as having a brilliant name, sound pretty weird and Acoustic Youth do a pretty good Rots retread. Also included is a track by The Clan, good in itself, but not a patch on the single they released when they changed their name to Goodbye Mr Mackenzie and wrote The Rattler.
SINGLES
0 Lip Machine: Our World (Disposable) ‘Don't try to tell me you're better than me/Just say your wallet’s iatter,’ sings Rab King on Lip Machine’s defiant second single, and the hip-hop lniuences can’t cover up King and Macleod’s liking for a good catchy pop tune. A much stronger song that the previous Rocket Love, with a better chorus and great little squiggly synth tourishes, fast becoming Lip Machine's trademark.
0 Roe and Cry: Labour Of Love (Cir) interesting how everyone’s turning to ethnic sources to express discontent these days. This steamy protest song Iambasting our desires to be dominated by those we vote ior has a host of black influences spiced up with a Latin flavour, and a 29-piece string section arranged by Sinatra and Streisand arranger, Jimmy Biondollllo. This would really lend itself to soul revue style choreography.
The List 29 May — l 1 June 33