MUSIC LIST/ROCK
Street. 348 46th). lllpm. First of twonights with the cuddl} . hearded singer guitarist. rescheduled alter the inlerno on Jamaica Street shut things down for a while. ()neol the greats ol Scottish music. Marts n can hold his ow n w ith a hand or solo. and his hetween-song asides del'late an} pomposil} that might arise lrom the tortured e\or‘cisms of his more intense moments.
I Heaven Sent l-m. .s'risrlller Slr'eel.3-18 385‘). lllpm. Free. ()ne of the cit) ‘smore interesting pop hands.
I Big George and The Business l.a 'l‘antete. 15 Fox Street. 331 4844. ‘lpm. Free. (ilasgow 's great hlues guitarist lw ho. it's said. turned down a chance to work w illt Fish helore the Marillion split w as oll'iciall) announced) stages an end ol the _\ear show at one ol his lavourite haunts.
Edinburgh
I Wraygun and The Rockets ( ‘aliun Studios. (‘alton Road. 556 “H66. 8pm. 1.3 (1.1511). Skill'le and rock‘n‘roll. Disco leatures music h} the likes ol 'l'lie ( ~lash.
Smiths. Proclaimers. etc. and all pl‘tilllsgu ,
tocharitv
I Stephen Rafferty .\1usic Bo\. Vlclot'ta Street. 331) 17118. ‘).3llpm. Free.
I Billy Jones ( iaherlun/ies. (lei k Street. See'l'tles37.
I Jack Hammer \egociants.1.othian Street. 335 6313. 9pm. Free
I The Charge 1.ord 1)arnley . \Vest Por'l. 33943-11. lllpni. Free.
THURSDAY 29 Glasgow
I John Marlyn Strh ( 'luh. .larnaica Street. 348 «i600. lllpm. Second ol two nights. See \Ved 38.
I Loose Cut 1.a 'l'rmiere. 15 FM Street. 331 48-1-1.‘)pm. Free.
I Albaroot Mayfair. 4‘)” Sauchiehall Street. 333 3873.
Edinburgh
I Crocodiles In Cream Bermuda 'l'r iangle. (‘oastersComplex. \Vest 'l'ollcr‘oss. The first impression ma} he that ol some kind ol‘(ioth-go-pop outlit. hut the ( ~rocs can't resist a ttrnc. In at least one instance that means adopting a sw inging crooner pose toget it across. hut other numher'sare dominated more h_\ w ide-screen guitar riffs.
I The Critter Hill Varmints Vctrtre. ( alum Road. 557 31173. £3.51). See Fri 33.
I The Dan Blocker Experience \egociartls. 1.othian Street. 3350313. ‘lpm. Free. Accessihle and open-minded count r} group. \\ l‘iuse repertoire ev en stretches [U a version or ‘1 .ov e “'11! '1 car l's.-\parl‘. Pop tans w ill not he alienated. and w ill prohahlv get a kick out of the humourous ‘Bohhv's Leaving Me ( For Jesus 1'.
I Billy Jones 1.ord I)arn|e} . West Port. 33943-11. lllpm. Free. See 'I‘ues 37.
I The Brothers Preservation 1 1all. Victoria Street. 335 3816. ‘).3llpm. Free. Residency.
FRIDAY 30
Glasgow
I Big George and The Business [a 'l'aniere. 15 Fox Street. 331 48-1-1. 9pm. Free. See Wed 38.
Edinburgh
I Love Decree Venue. (‘alton Road. 557 3073. See panel.
I Little Wolves Preservation 1 lall. Victoria Street. 336 3816. {l alter ‘).3llpm. (iood hlues-rock crew.
I The Humpff Family 'l‘ratling Post . the Shore. 553 5153. 8.3llpm. Free.
I The Heaters Lord Darnle} . West Port. 33‘) 43-11. lllpm. Free. Blues-rock.
HOGMANAY
Edinburgh
I Avalon Preservation 1 la“. Victoria
LIXX
Since the release of their lirst record, and a well-received string of English gigs, Lixx have commanded a good few column inches in the pages of magazines like Kerrang! and Metal Hammer, most olthem very complimentary indeed.
Originally from Dundee, Lixx upped stixx and came to Edinburgh, due to ‘a shortage of venues and a lack of influential people willing to travel to Dundee to see us'. Although they are now getting attention they do feel that the rock scene in Edinburgh is not quite as healthy as it was six or seven months ago. Lixx and The Crows play in the city less than they used to, and their friendly rivals Trixx have decamped to London. ‘Since then there hasn’t been another Edinburgh rock band to step into our shoes,’ explains drummer Steevo Athwal. ‘That, coupled with the lack of rock-orientated gigs, has put the dampers on.‘
It looks like nothing is going to put the dampers on Lixx’s rise in the foreseeable future. A swift change of guitarist when they left Dundee stabilised their line-up to Joe Ogilvie (graphic designer by day, vocals), Steevo Athwal (drums), Nazz E. White (from Middlesborough, now ironically living in Dundee, guitar) and Stuart Allan (bass), and the group’s debut mini-LP ‘Loose on You’ was released on the new Blast Furnace label in the summer (its catalogue number, KICKASS 001, was beyond the band’s control, and embarrasses them to this day). What with the band shaking off the reputation that had built up around them in their hometown, the record turned out to be a much more straightforward rockerthan many expected.
Fed up with the American domination
ofthe metal scene, the million-dollar
Street. 3363816. 1)oorsshut lllpm. £3. ticketsonlv Open until lam. 'l'ake _vour choice of haunts lor the wee hours ol 1‘)8‘). A more traditional New Year will prohahlv he had here with lolk-rockers Avalon. hut the more alternative hrigade w ill pr'eler' the next item.
I Tackhead Sound System \Var ( 'luh. Verrtre. (allon Road. 557 3073. lllprn. Not onl} a har until 7am. and a free hullet . hill the splintering sounds ol the hest sound
s} stem in Britain and a rare live appearance hv Fini '1'rihe. 'I‘ickets are going last.
I Texas Breakfast Lord Marnie} . \Vest Port. 339-1341. lllpm. Free. See .\lon 36. I The Humplf Family Trading Post . The Shore. 553 5153. 8.30pm. Free. (’ountrv
NEW YEAR’S DAY
Edinburgh
I Bluelinger Music Box. Victoria Street. 33” 1708. ‘)pm. £1. Open until 3am. See
Sat 34.
I Live band Negociants. 1.othian Street.
3356313. ‘)pm. Free.
Edinburgh
I Panic No More Preservation 1 lall. Victoria Street. 336 3816. ‘).3(lpm. Free. I Johnny Sunbeam Negocianls.1.othian Street. 335 6313. ‘)pm. Free.
I Live band Mosic Box. Victoria Street. 331) 17118. ‘).3llpm. Free.
videos, stadium excesses and ‘long coats and floppy haircuts‘ of Bon Jovi and the like, Lixx look forward to a British revival on the scene.
‘You even see it at rock discos. When teenagers get up and dance it’s always to American bands like Bon Jovi and Poison because they’re spoonfed it by the magazines. And the record companies look to the States for new acts.‘
‘ln Dundee,’ says Steevo, ‘we were more glam-influenced, wearing pink T-shirts and falling about on stage, but that was three years ago.’ Frontman Joe still cuts a sartorial dash in a dazzling sky-blue jacket, slightly incongruous, and a little embarrassed when it’s pointed out, among the denim and leather sported by the rest of his band.
The music scene being what it is, though, journalists have seen lit to lump the band in with the emerging London scene of Dogs D‘Amour, Wolfsbane and The Duireboys. Glad of the publicity, Lixx nevertheless leel distanced from the sleaze end of the market, and suspect that a much larger audience hasn’t caught on to them yet because they expect the band to be ‘missing drumbeats and falling over’.
TUESDAY 3 Edinburgh
I The Bootsie Tootsie Blues Band Preservation l lall. Victoria Street. 336 3816. ‘).3llpm. Free.
I Turn Gillespie ()ddlellow s. Forrest Road. 331) 1816. 8.3tlpm. Free. Sensitive Nick Drake-like singer-songwriter.
I The Tex Fillet Five Negociants.1.othian Street. 335 6313. ‘)pm. Free. Country.
I Live band Music Box. Victoria Street. 330 17118. ‘).3(lpm. Free.
WEDNESDAY 4 Glasgow
I Will Success Spoil Bock Hunter? l-‘ixx . so Miller Street. 348 385‘). lllpm. Free. A one-oil gig with various rnemhers ol(‘hin; (‘risis. 'I‘he McCluskey Brothers. and (iot knows whoelse. Other than savingthat thev'll he plaving covers and original material nobody seems to know how this will turn out.
Edinburgh
I Live band Music Box. Victoria Street. 330 1708. ‘).3(lpm. Free.
I Live band Negoeiants. 1.othian Street. 335 6313. ‘)pm. Free.
THURSDAY 5 Glasgow
I The Thieves Stth ('luh. 33 Jamaica Street. 348 460i). lllpm. See Sat 34.
It’s understandable, though, when
"$4.9;
you read some of the press they've been getting so far: ‘Scottish booze-rock merchants . . . out at Edinburgh on a few weeks probation ...hot and horny. . . infamy is only a few months away. . .’ There's not a lot they can do about it, Lixx shrug; it's what the punters want to read. At least, they agree, it’s preferable to the Satanist trappings that won‘t disentangle themselves from heavy metal.
‘It would be nice,‘ says Joe, ‘to have something written about us in one of the more serious papers, Sounds or NME, an article which dissects things a bit more, ratherthan just looking at the surface.’
Steevo agrees, though with reservations. ‘obviously, we want to be taken seriously, but within the genre. I remember an interview with the editor of Kerrang!, when he said that if journalists want to make their mark by writing a think-piece on heavy metal then they’re wasting their time.‘
Dammit. Okay then, Lixx are the hottest groin-level metal merchants in town, got that? Oh, and you can see them at the Edinburgh Venue on Christmas Eve. (Mab)
Edinburgh
I GOOD and Gone ()ddlellows. Forrest Road. 3311 1816. 8.3flpm. Free. Fine electric hlues hand.
I The Brothers Preservation l lall. Victoria Street. 3363816. ‘)pm. Free. Residencv I Live band Negociants. 1.othian Street. 33.5 (i313. ‘)pm. Free.
I Live band 1.ord l)arnle) . West Port . 33‘) 4341. lllpm. Free.
FRIDAY 6
Edinburgh
I The Almighty Preservation 1 1a”. Victoria Street. 336 3816. 1.1 aller").3tlpm. lleavv rock. with a couple ol e.\-'/.ero Zero memhers in the ranks.
I Live band Lord 1)arrilev . West Port . 33‘) 43-11. lllpm. Free.
SATURDAY 7
Glasgow
I The Whisky Priests l lalt Bar. inn Woodlands Road. 333 1311).
Edinburgh
I Black Market Preservation Hall. Victoria Street. 336 3816. 1.1 alter‘).3llpm.
I The Humprl Family Trading Post . the Shore. 553 5153. 8.3llpm. Free. ( ‘ountry. I Live band Negociants. 1.othian Street. 3356313. ‘)pm. Free.
I Live band Lord [)arnle) . West Port . 33‘)
43-11. lllprn. Free.
The List 33 Dec 1988— 13 Jan 198‘) 41