MUSIC LIST/ROCK
BALCONY DOGS
Balcony Dogs are coming our way. Balcony Dogs? Why should we have heard of them? Well. until nowthey‘ve been known as the Sex Gods. the group founded by Echo and The Bunnymen drummer Pete de Freitas when he suffered an unspecified crackup and shot off to New Orleans to put together some songs with Echo roadie Andy Eastwood. Julian Cope guitarist Stephen Johnson and Tim Whittaker.
drummertrom the seminal Liverpool
group DeafSchool.
The sojourn sparked the first. unfounded. rumours. of a Bunnymen split. but now. even with his old group apparently on the rocks. de Freitas will notbejoining this configuration otthe group he helped found. despite rumours to the contrary. preferring to stay in London with his ‘very pregnant‘ partner.
As surviving founderStephen Johnson explains. ‘Pete‘s still a friend. He‘s been involved in making a video for us. along with Andy.‘ but there is still much confusion as to who actually does play in the band. Forthe record. Gary Dwyer of Teardrop Explodes and Colourfield fame is inthe drumseat. former Psychedelic Fur Michael Mooney and Johnson share the guitars. Wah! and Pete Wylie bassist Washington is still slapping hisfour stringer. and roadie-turned-Sex-God Andy Eastwood sings. But he's no longer a Sex God. None of them are. Which brings us to the second misconception surrounding the band: that they changed their name before a prudish Chris Blackwell would agree to sign them to his Island label. Not at all. sastohnson.
‘Sex Gods was not supposed to be one of those bands that got signed to a proper label. We‘d just done along Echo tour and we thought we‘d go to
5 Jamaica and record some demos with
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I Odd Ray Music i lalt liar. li~|i\\ l'iltllttlltl\ Road. 332 131“ “pm. I iee
Edinburgh
I The Thieves \‘entie. ( 'altoii Road. 5*" 3H"? ( )rie ol the llllillx'h-llp lll our hand
2' the money we‘d saved on the tour. We
hit on Jamaica because Pete was born in Trinidad and he really wanted to go back there. We were just going to release the tracks independently. Anyway. there were a lot of ups and downs with Pete. and he went back to the Bunnymen. We decided it was mad
: being called the Sex Gods because they 5 don‘t exist any more. Most of the songs
on the album are group compositions. and we aren‘t the same group any more.
‘The name was an idea of Andy‘s. He used to live in a block of flats in Hackney. and on the next balcony to him there wasthis dog thatjust used to live all the time on the balcony. We thought it‘d never had its feet on the ground. We wrote a song called “Balcony Dogs“ and took on the name ourselves.‘
Backtracking a little to their New Orleans sojourn (they ended up staying there when they met some friends who had a studio. and so never made it to Jamaica). which their press people
would have it ‘has gained a certain
legendary aura in rock‘n'roll annals‘ through tales of excessive indulgence.
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GLASGOW FOR FIFE AID
Sunday 18th September at Rooftops
featurin
Erk Alors
'l'he Hummingbirds, The Orchids 'I'he Elliots The Dream Coyotes £3 at the door, £1.50 with 0340
Doors open 89th.! st band 609 organised by few Studios
46'I‘IIC I.I.\I If) -:‘I September I‘IBN
on stage: 8.30pm
l
what was the attraction of the place? Was it a case of cool Liverpudlians getting turned on by hot jazz?
‘Well. kind of. We were all pretty into jazz. and atthe time looking for somewhere to go on holiday. We wrote a song called “Rings of Saturn" over there. which is a weird. psychedelic. slow thing. but I don‘t analyse it too much. Like. when l was watching Julian Cope write songs. he‘s not too worried aboutthings like, Oh. I used that chord progression on my last song, he just goes ahead and does it.‘
We‘ll hearthe fruits of their labours on their LP. released on the Island subsiduary Blood Line. next month. In the meantime there‘s the eponymous single and theirfirsttouras Balcony Dogs. which takes in The Venue in Edinburgh on Friday 23. The post being what it is I haven‘t received a copy of anything yet. so I can‘ttell you what it‘s like. Instead I ask Johnson what they‘re not.
‘We‘re notglib. we're notelectronic. we're a good rock‘n‘roll band. I don‘t think there's too many ofthem about. andlthink it‘swhatwe‘re bestat.‘ (Mab)
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FRIDAY 23
Edinburgh
I Balcony Dogs Venue. ( ‘alitm Road. *7 .ill‘.‘ Seepaiiel.
I Very Very \quie Bin. Vietoi‘ia Street. 31“ I‘ll.\ LI attei “pm
I The Max Torque Band \ enue . ( 'altori Road. 55" 3|le Rh} thin 'ii' I‘llle\
I The Rootsie Tootsie Blues Band I oi‘d I).iirile\ . West Port. 23" I N] Illprn I-iee.
I Six Appeal I’texen .‘illoii ll.iII. Victoria Street. 331381!» LI .iltei ‘l .‘~llpin.
SATURDAY 24
Glasgow
I The Cottonfield Boys l Iall liar. Ifill Woodlands Road. 333 III“ ‘lpni I‘ICL‘ More highly ehai‘eed ioek and
roll [‘\}L‘lltilllll_\ . I ilrink
I Odessa Hail .-\\\ ( 'Iirli. ‘( tuit- Plat-e
‘lpiii. l'ir'ee ’\ ( ilaxgtm litixed li‘io. \\ ho
Iiax e had .i eoiiple of singles out . \\ Iiieh hurt .it .i \ophrxtieated pop. dariee \ound
. Edinburgh
I Metallica I’|.i_\ home I heatie. ( il'L‘L‘ll\ltlL‘ I’lttt'e'. 5‘29)” 5 .Illj‘lll LN. 9.“ Sec
panel
I Excalibur .lIItI Seeing Red \ t~iiiie.(‘..liun Road. 5*" SH"; Iiiatlliiid I I.\I Ixiiid \\lIII
new hare-huttocked 1-1? out. featuring material from two year-old radiosession. I Strategy Lord Darnley. West Port. 22‘) 4341. lllpm. Free. See Sat 17.
I The Bootsie Tootsie Blues Band Cavern. ('owgate. 320 SM I . Rhythm ‘n' hlues again.
I Wraygun and The Rockets Negoeiants. I.othian Street. 325 6313. 9pm. Free.
I Bon Ton Boulez Preservation I Iall. \‘ietoria Street. 236 3816. {I alter“).3(lpin.
SUNDAY 25 Glasgow
I Trashcan Sinatras and Julia Please I’aixlex Arts ( ~entre. Ne“ Street. 8pm. £3 'I’hix eouId he good: The 'I'i‘axhean Sinatras li.i\ e a good \lllgel and some good songs. as do .Iulia I’Ieaxe. who hax e been around a hit longer. 'I‘he l’ttisle} Arts (‘entre also u ins approx aI as a venue it is an intimate hut aeoiistieaII} sound I5llxeal theatre.
Edinburgh
I Metallica I’Ia_\ house 'I'heatre. ( ireenxide
I’Iaee. 557 25‘)“. / .Allpm. £8. {7. See
panel.
I Lixx Soundeheek Roek ( 'Iuh. Venue. (‘alton Road. 557 RIP}. 7.3llpm. £1.51). Ioeal group. from the elamm} endol metal. Mini—II’. ‘I ,oose on You‘ selling: \\ ell.
I The Dan Blocker Experience I’i'exen ation IIaII. Vietor'ia Street. 330 38H». (‘ountry and \\ extern.
I Billy Jones Lord I)ariiIe_\ . West Port. 2304341. Illpm. I-ree. See ’I'hurs 32.
I Bluetinger \ltrxie Bo\. \‘ietoria Street. 2le I708. Rhithm ‘n' hluex.
MONDAY 26 Edinburgh
I The Groovy Little Numbers i'l‘lit ‘) Venue. (Hilton Road. 55" 3H7“. Ihe BNIX Bandits irieluded. this group |tl\l ha\ e to he the thee-ext on 53rd a .irtl'x t‘oxlet'. plating around mth Sixties pop I\II\L‘II like it “as lalieml l goineout of fashion. “only their \oiiesdidn't make 'I'he I’llltllll\L‘\ttiitl
I Ttllt\\ I\It)ll \‘aiiip sound like Itam—Iixtetl amateurs t and. let's laee it. it ixn't hard) tIre_\ eould he a lot more L‘thll} tll\flll\\ctl. But the} do and the} can't.
I P.0.P. Moxie Boy Victoria Sti'eet.32ll I'7llN. l). .‘tlpm. I’i'ee.
I Texas Breakfast lord I);it'ttlL‘} . \Vext l’oi't. INN-ll. lllpm. I‘ree. See Mon l‘).
TUESDAY 27 Glasgow
I Paris Texas Bar l.ti\emhoure. I‘)" Pitt Street. 332 l I l I. Illpm. I’i'ee. Sim their Ill'\l gig at the I-i\\. and it “as a lairI} ei'i'atieallair' 'I'hinexiiiaihe more together no“.
I Bobby Wishart I IaIt Bar. lolr\\'oodland\ Road. 333 II Ill. ‘lprn. I't'ee.
(ilaxgtm
Edinburgh
I Tanita Tikaram ()iieen'x i la” . South (.let'k Slieet.hfn\'.‘~~15o "’..‘\llprn. Ur. .'\ 'l'tip I \xerit} tll‘ll\l \\ itIr Iier lll'\l single. '( iood I'i'aditron’. 'I ikaram hax had the llILIll\II_\ going; ape. \\llll some |ll\IlIlL'.lIlHll. It the single \eemed .i hit \iekli . there's plent} more daring material to eoine. and the iiiakiireot a IlllL‘\lll}.1L‘l \oirguiitei in tears toeome. I The Austin Envy Band ( )tltllL‘llti\\\. I-oi i'e\t Road. 33” ISIo. ( 'oiiiiti} and I Sneaky Liberty I .ot‘tl IXII’lllL'} . \VL‘SI l’iil'l. SSW-1}“. Illplll. I'lCL' Ile‘.t\} trick. I Bulb Cormorant I’le‘\L'l\ .tlloii l Iall. Vietoi’ia Street. In .iSIo ‘13“prir.la'ee. I Apex Beat .\Itl\le IIo\. \'retoria Street. Illl I‘llh‘ ‘)_3llpiii. l-iee
WEDNESDAY 28 Glasgow
I The Dreamers l Ieiii) .-\trika\. I5 York