door). Living on the cusp of searing soul and rootsy blues. Joe‘s new single takes the breath away.
I The Ofthooks College of Art. Lauriston Place. 229 1442. Students and guests only. Another in the seemingly-endless line of Sixties garage enthusiasts. staring out from the cover of their debut mini-LPlike a latterday Rolling Stones.
I Very Very Music Box. Victoria Street. 220 1708. £1 after 9pm. Interesting funk-rock fusion. reminiscent. in their early gigs at least. ofTalking 1 leads.
I Black Market Preservation Hall. Victoria Street. 226 3816. £1 after 9.30pm. Soul. funk.
I Charlie and Her Sheepdogs Lord Darnley. West Port. 229 4341. 10.30pm. Free.
SATURDAY 15 Glasgow
I Julian Cope and Something Happens Pavilion Theatre. 121 Renfield Street. 332 1846. 7.30pm. See feature. Something Happens are an Irish rock band on Virgin. who have just released their first full album. They have a good live reputation. shown by the fact that their first release wasa live mini-LP.
I James and Happy Mondays Queen Margaret Union. University Gardens. 339 9784. 9pm. £35”. Certainly the bill was made much more attractive by the addition of I lappy Mondays. yet it is James who appear to be the more active of the two at the moment with the release of their new album. Strip Mine.
I The House of Love (ilasgow (‘ollege of Technology. 7() (‘owcaddens Road. 332 0681.9pm. ltseemslike all the NMIi's favourite bands have been dumped on Glasgow on the one night. The House of Love are a more than adequate band. but grossly overrated.
I The Styng Bites Sell Destruct The Revue. 244 Gallowgate. 552 4601. 1(lpm. In true Majestics style. The Styng Rites bow out after years of hard work. and two independent singles. A wonderful night‘s entertainment is promised for all with the possible guest appearance of some ex Revillos. and some of the band's many ex drummers. (‘ynics maybe wondering when the Styng Rites reunion tour will take place. but men ofprinciple that they are. this is extremely unlikely. Support from Janet Jumps Bail.
I Big Joe Duskin Paisley Arts (‘entre. New Street. Paisley. 887 1011). 7.30pm. Veteran boogie pianist who has just released a new album. Don‘t Mess With the Boogie Manon Special Delivery Records. A converted church. the Arts Centre is an excellent small theatre venue. for any interested bands.
I The River Detectives Paisley ('ollcge of Technology. Paisley. 9pm.
A busy night in Paisley. with this performance by the acoustic River Detectives.
Edinburgh
I Christy Moore Playhouse Theatre. Greenside Place. 557 259(1.7.3()pm. £7.50. £6.51). See Folk listings.
I Bananas Ilot Earth Club. Music Box. Victoria Street. 220 I708. £1 after 9pm. Sprawling African. funk. reggae ensemble. Worthy and trite lyrical sentiments. but thankfully aimed for the feet.
I The Flatmates Venue. (‘alton Road. 557 3073. Prolific singles-makers on the Bristol-based Subway label. The Flatmates have seen the top end of the indie charts almost as many times asThe Smiths. not forgetting their Peel session release on Strange Fruit.
I D.C. Ellis'I‘hunderball All-Nighter. Assembly Rooms. (ieorge Street. 225 3614. llpm-6am. Can you stand the pressure ofThunderball through the night'.’ It takes a combination of a special kind of person and a lot of hard work. and a suitable reward can be found in the
Fini Tribe have been writing, evolving and occasionally playing in
FOP" Us" 53222321222.
with very little attention paid to them, which has at least allowed them to develop in their own way, attheir own pace. Now, however, the release oi their first LP on 17 October coincides with their inclusion on the London Records ‘Balearic Beats' compilation, the band’s best-known track ‘De Testimony' having become a dance favourite on the floors of lbizan discos and the London ‘Balearic' clubs.
The LP, ‘Noise, Lust and Fun’, took only two months to write and record from scratch, most of the tracks being carefully worked out beforehand on a temperamental computer in the band‘s workshop. It's a daunting LP, not to mention threatening; music that refuses to compromise in any way, while exerting a strange compulsion with its computerised rhythms. It’s particularly surprising after the user-friendly ‘De Testimony‘.
Leaving aside guest appearances on the LP by vocalists Annie Anxiety (another of Adrian Sherwood’s growing cast of collaborators) and Bosaghn from Edinburgh‘s Bop Sh’Bam, Fini Tribe consists of Simon (not present) on drums and percussion, Philip on bass and samples, John on samples and David on percussion and vocals, who starts oft explaining the sound of the LP by saying, ‘I think we want to get past “De Testimony".'
‘Also, there were various people ripping it oh,’ adds Philip. (This is apparentlytrue, and Fini Tribe will name big names if pushed.)
John: ‘An album isn't necessarily something you want to dance to all the way through. Twelve inch singles are perfect forthat. But also, we have changed!
Dave: ‘I don't think it's any more unsettling than Sonic Youth or Nick Cave, who don’t get criticised for that.’
I’d agree with that, and also mention that the rhythmic impetus and Fini Tribe’s ever-present deadpan humour stop things getting too bogged down in gloom. Philip doesn’tseem so convinced himself, though, when he muses, ‘l'm not sure why it‘s so intense all the time, but it does always seem to come out like that.
Intense would probably be the word l’d attach to one Fini Tribe performance at Edinburgh‘s Calton Studios, where the audience were treated to a show of shaved heads, masks, cacophonous drumming and a display of arc-welding, followed up by an upbeat rendition of Can's poppy ‘I Want More“. No doubt I was not the only one scratching my head on the way out.
‘I think atthat pointthere were too many people contributing too many ideas, and it didn‘t gel properly,’ Dave replies. Atthe time Fini Tribe numbered six. ‘Now the show is much
- '1‘.--
more simple.’
‘A lot of the agression that came over,“ Philip continues, ‘was from fear. Especially because the worst place to play is in your home town. We could do the same show somewhere else, and it would be . . . quite jovial. But it's always intimidating for us, playing in Edinburgh. No one buys our records. It’s only about a month ago we got one of our records played in a club here, and they'd been played lorlhe last two or three years all across Britain, America, Spain . . .‘
All of Fini Tribe‘s records so far have done well in America, their cover of Can's ‘I Want More’ making it to Number One in the Rockpool Dance Chart. Anyone keen to see Fini Tribe in action should scoot down to Dingwalls in London in time for Halloween, but Scottish dates in the near future look unlikely. They‘d rather be beavering away in their base in Leith and seeking out new collaborators fortheir Finillex label than facing up to the hard knocks they’ve had in putting on gigs. For the moment, get an earful of ‘Noise, Lust and Fun', and the limited edition accompanying 12in of ‘Zulus‘. Well hard. (Mabl
Washington-style (io (lo funk of Edinburgh band I).(‘. F.llis at around 1.30am. As far as we know, they‘re the only live band on tonight. unless Thunderball can drag their beloved (iaz (ilitter impersonator out of mothballs. I Drifting Wood Negociants. l.othian Street. 225 6313. 9pm. Free.
I Shiver 'n' Shake Preservation I lall. Victoria Street. 226 3816. £1 after9.3(lpm. I Bulb Cormorant l.ord Darnlcy. West Port. 229 4341. Afternoon. Free.
I The Charge l.ord Darnley. West Port. 2294341. lllpm. Free.
SUNDAY 16 Glasgow
I Nanci Griffith and the Blue Moon Orchestra PavilionTheatre. 121 RenfieldStreet.332 1846. 7.3(lpm. See feature.
I Awatinas The Revue. 244 (iallowgate. 552 46111. lllpm. £4. First ofa seriesof world music nights at the Revue. with this Bolivian folk band. who follow Incantation in bringing the music ofthe Andes to a wider audience.
I Another Bendy Window Queen Margaret Union. University (iardens. 3399784. 9pm. In the bar. ‘The Windows‘ (well. it sounds better than the Bendys). recently supported (ioodbye Mr MacKenzie in (ilasgow. and seem to come from the same musical roots as the headliners. They badly need to tighten up their act before furtherconsideration.
I The Flatmates Venue. 47llSauchiehall Street. 332 3872. lllpm. Indie pop. Mov ed from Rooftops on l'l'l 14.
Edinburgh
I Bluefinger and Cahn and Cahn Music Box. Victoria Street. 22() 17(18. £1 after 9pm. Attracting huge numbers on Sunday nights. and mistakenly described as a rhythm ‘n‘ blues band on numerous occasions in this magazine. Bluefinger prefer to be thought of as a mainstream pop band (of experienced session musicians) influenced by Fifties and Sixties rock ‘n‘ roll.
I Ransom Soundcheck Rock Club. Venue. (‘alton Road. 557 3073. 7.30pm. £1.51). lleavy rock.
I The Tex Fillet Five Negociants. l.othian Street. 225 6313. 9pm. Free. 'I‘ongue in cheek country and western.
I Tonight at Noon Preservation I lall. Victoria Street. 226 3816. £1 after9pm.
MONDAY 17 Glasgow
I Nuclear Assault and Acid Reign Pavilion Theatre. 121 Renfield Street. 332 1846. 7.3(lpm. About as diametrically opposed as possible from the previous night's show at the Pavilion. T( h)rash metal. Personally. I would rather go and see Sydney I)evine if I wanted comedy.
Edinburgh
I Ann Turner's No Mercy Band Venue. ('alton Road. 557 31173. See Listen!
I Billy Jones Neighbours. McDonald Road. The perennial local entertainer pulls a few more rockin‘ acoustic numbers out of his guitar case.
I Medusa Touch Preservation Hall.
Victoria Street. 226 3816. 9.3(ipm. Free. lleavy rock.
IJohnny Sunbeam Negociants. l.othian Street. 225 6313. 9pm. Free. Refill
I Surprise band Music Box. Victoria Street. 221) 1708. Unconfirmed.
TUESDAY 18 Glasgow
I Our Finest Hour Bar Luxembourg. 197 Pitt Street. 332 1111. llipm. Free. A reasonable indie single came out a few months ago. and this is the first (ilasgow gig subsequently.
I Bobby Wishart I lalt Bar. lollexllands Road. 332 1210. 9pm. Free.
Residency.
Edinburgh
I The Adventures Playhouse Theatre. (ireenside Place. 557 25911. 7.3(ipm. £6.
I Just Add Water Music Box. Victoria Street. 220 1708. 9.30pm. Free. Verytight and enjoyable pop funk group. More freshness and/ore (1e l‘fl‘n’ than the likesof Love and Money. anyway.
I Ruth Ellis ()ddfcllows. Forrest Road. 220 1816. 8pm. Free. Some kind ofl)ead Marilyn-style tribute'.’
I King Biscuit Time Blues Negociants. LothianStreet. 2256313. 9pm. Free. Residency.
, WEDNESDAY 19 j
' Glasgow
I The Tom Tom Club and Tissum ( ilasgow School of Art. 167 Renfrew Street. 332 (1691. 8pm. The four piece Tom Tom (.‘lub
i l
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The List 14 — 27 ()einneii—uss 37