MUSIC
ROCK LUES
RIDAY 26 1
Glasgow
I Bunrig Glasgow Royal Concert Hall. 2 Sauchiehall Street. 332 3123. SOLD OUT. The last vestiges of Runrig's tartan army congregate for the final fling ofthe band‘s Concert Hall residency - asthis week-long patriotic party is starting to feel like. Call me a masochist. but right at this moment even drinking a vat of lrn Bru straight down without pausing for breath would be a more aesthetically pleasing experience than another dose ofjock ‘n‘ roll.
I Test Dept Strathclyde University Union. 90John Street. 552 1895. 8pm. £4. Students and guests. Rescheduled from a fortnight ago. when Test Dept‘s PA company pulled out at the last minute. Fingers crossed for tonight. still an early show with the band (six of them this time round) taking the stage at 9.30pm. It will be difficult to make this venture look impressive in the wake of TheSet'onrl Coming but they‘re not tagged ‘experimental‘ for nothing.
I Candy Flip and Sunsonic Rumble. Joe Paparazzi. 520 Sauchiehall Street. 331 2111.11pm.Sce Clubs preview.
I Lush and Faith Over Reason College of Building and Printing. 60 North Hanover Street, 331 1355. 9pm. £5. Tickets from Just the Ticket. Virgin. Union Street. 226 4679. Spacial, spiralling janeg guitar. pristine vocals — delicious. airy, and yes. lush indeed. This band have it all on record and would easily be the next indie hopefuls to claim chart honours were it not that they lack what their Top 40 forebears so obviously have — a consistent live brilliance. Don‘t rule out the possibility of celestial transportation tonight. but don‘t go expecting it.
I The High Crash, Cotton Club. 5—7 Scott Street,332 0712. 11pm. £4.The High are the mellowest of the Manchester posse - their melancholy jangle is more indie than dance, which would suggest they‘ll be one of the few crossover bands properly equipped for longevity. who won 't start to sound horribly dated as the months trundle along. Their three singles to date. each bettering its predecessor by furlongs. indicate their thin line between beauty and blandness might swing in the former direction tonight.
I The Catherine Wheel King Tut‘s Wah Wah Hut, 272a St Vincent Street. 221 5279. 10pm. £3.50. The same challenge crops up every time the Catherine Wheel play, or even just every time they play King Tut‘s — how to get through their blurb without mentioning The Beatles by way of useful, ‘lazy journalism‘-type reference point. Well, 1 give up.
I The Relations and Mother Third Eye Centre, 346—354 Sauchiehall Street. 332 7521. 9pm. £3. lrn Bru Rox pitch intheir contribution to Scotland‘s burgeoning dance ‘scene' with guest DJs to beef upthe beats between bands. Perth's Relations have unfortunately wised up to this indie dance lark too belatedly to escape cynical criticism. Reports oftheir ‘E for Edinburgh‘ appearance were less than complimentary. but they sound like the kind of tonic needed to kickstart an evening of serious dancefloor exertion.
I The Marionettes and Cristabelle Children Delirium 7, Rooftops, 92 Sauchiehall Street, 332 5883. 11pm. £3.50. Lest we forget that Hallowe‘en approaches. the
i
Marionettes bring their cockney divination north ofthe border. Recent
press has leaned away from age-old Sisters .
of Mercy comparisons and awarded the band an identity oftheir own. Having heard the recently-released debut album Ave Dementia. I can't think why.
I Peach County Stetson Club. The Shelter. 7 chfrew Court. 332 6231 . 8pm. £3 (£2.50). New country at the once-a-month Stetson Club.
I Big George and the Business Platini‘s. West Nile Street. First in a new Friday and Saturday residency for Big George.
I Hideaway Blues Band MacSorleys. Jamaica Street. 221 8499. 8.30pm. Free. Residency. Blues and soul.
I Jamie Barnes and Cochise Studio. 12 Shuttle Street. Paisley. 889 6867. 9.30pm. Free. Residency.
Edinburgh W”
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I Nirvana Calton Studios. Calton Road. 556 7066. Those fudge-packin'. motherfuckin'. Satan-worshippin‘ (they're flattering themselves. surely) American crazies have borrowed Mudhoney‘s drummer Dan Peters for this tour. which should pull in a crowd. especially after their last trek around this country with Mudhoney and Tad. Expect an energetically-pursued melodic buzz. and checkout their current three-track lZin ‘Sliver‘. ()nly Scottish appearance. I The Victims Family and Arm Moray House Student Union. Holyrood Road. 556 8455. £3.50 (£3). 10.30pm. Admission £2 (£1.50) after 12.30am. A Frisco-based trio with what sounds like a fascinating blend of hardcore attack and jazz background. And politics. A more adventurous choice than Nirvana. but quite possibly more rewarding. Arm. by contrast are ‘no messing heads down rocking‘ from Berlin.
I Sam Harlot and The Last Minute Basin Street. Haymarket Terrace. 337 1006. 8pm—1am. Free. Two small local bands worth seeing. Sam Harlot, formerly known as The Ocean. changed their name for some unidentifiable reason, andThe Last Minute were runners-up in The List/McEwans Lager demo tape competition last year.
I Surl Zombies from Hell ll Edinburgh College of Art. Lauriston Placc.2291442. Art College Hallowe‘en party. with special guests Quantum Ho Ho! , who made up half of Alto Cirrus before they split. Our informant managed to conjure up the names Wild Man Fischer andThe Bonzo Dog Band before giving up trying to describe them. so you can see that an odd experience is in store.
I Maitossa Preservation Hall. Victoria Street. 226 3816. £1 after 9pm. Popular mixture of reggae. African pop and whatever else they can throw in.
I The Rivals Negociants. Lothian Street. 225 6313. 9.45pm. Free. Blues- and country-influenced material with medium-paced rock.
I The Bootsies Duo Globe. West Port. 229 4553. 9pm. Free. Residency. Jim Condie on guitar and Ron Tate on vocals and harmonica take a break from The R )otsie Tootsie Blues Band to play a set ofblues with hints ofjazz and gospel.
I Los Supremos Leith Oyster Bar, The Shore. 554 6294. 9.30pm. Free. Rock and blues covers.
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SATURDAY 27 Glasgow
I The Shamen College of Building and Printing, 60 North Hanover Street, 331 1355. 9pm. £6. Tickets from Just the Ticket. Virgin. Union Street. 2264679. See feature.
I Stress and Heaven Sent Strathclyde University Union, 90 John Street, 552 1895. 9pm. £3. Students and guests. Bouncy commercial pop that leaves you . . . wanting to be somewhere else entirely. Stress‘ debut single ‘Beautiful People' is one of those songs you hear constantly on Radio One without ever knowing who it‘s by — well. now you know, I‘m sure that‘s brightened your life not one iota.
I Hugh Reed and the Velvet Underpants King Tut‘s Wah Wah Hut. 272a St Vincent Street. 221 5279. 10pm. £3. An aesthetic triumph for Tower Studios; a sigh ofrelief for the Velvet Y‘s (or maybe the other way round) — ‘Six to Wan‘ is finally out on Bail. Groan at the pun, cringe at the sleeve. snigger at the cartoons, be appalled at the bare-faced effrontery of the marketing men (a 7in single in a 12in sleeve). oreven play the record.
I Planet Pop and The Longhorns Third Eye Centre. 350 Sauchiehall Street. 332 7521. 9pm. £3. With the demise ofthe Rockhouse, it looks like Eugene Rezillo and George Styngrite of Planet Pop are going to have to face up to a gig without the help of hapless volunteers from the audience. Another welcome dose of lrn Bru Rox.
I Shoom The Tunnel, 84 Mitchell Street. 20410()0.11pm.£4.
I Peach County Halt Bar. 160 Woodlands Road. 332 1210. 9.30pm. Free. See Fri 26. I Carol Laula Studio. 12 Shuttle Street. Paisley. 889 6867. 9.30pm. Free. [‘11 never fathom the appeal of forlorn.over-sincere acoustic melancholia, but Carol Laula fans have obviously got it well licked.
I Jam Session The Studio, 12 Shuttle Street, Paisley, 889 6867. 3pm. Free.
I Bo‘weevll Blackfriars, 36 Bell Street, 552 5924. 9.30pm. Free.
I Big George and the Business Platini‘s, West Nile Street. Residency.
Edinburgh
I Goodbye Mr Mackenzie. The James Taylor Quartet and Bloomsday Amphitheatre. Lothian Road. 229 7670. Noon—2pm. Some line-up for such a short gig! Actually. this is one of ten weekly gigs set up by Radio Forth at this venue. and the only way to get tickets. it seems. is tolisten to your radio and phone in to claim them— but only at the given times. lfyou‘re outof luck, try for next week‘s gig, the line-up for which hasn‘t been confirmed.
I Romeo's Daughter and Vital Sines Bedrock Club. Venue, Calton Road, 557 3073. Mutt Lange has built up a huge reputation (and no doubt bank balance) by producing spectacularly successful heavy rock groups like Def Leppard. Now we get to hear what his own stuffsounds like. Support, Vital Sines. are local.
I The Thanes Basin Street. Haymarket Terrace. 337 1006. Drift back in time with The Thanes‘ impeccably played and (on record) produced 605-style garage psychedelia. Not sure if you really want to? Get a friend to play you their Nightshift mini-LP Better Look Behind You and then decide.
I The TCs Preservation Hall, Victoria Street, 2263816. £1 after9pm.
I Kings in Disguise Negociants. Lothian Street. 225 6313. 9.45pm. Free.
I The Junkyard Angels St James Oyster Bar, Calton Road, 557 2925. 9pm. Free. The Lost Soul Band, who are not only Oyster Bar regulars but serious contenders. with half-a-dozen record companies enquiring about them in the space of a couple of days, join forceswith that other Oyster Bar stalwart, Sandyman.
I Tommy Beavitt and The Night Kitchen Queen Street Oyster Bar, Queen Street. 226 2530. Roots. blues and skiffle.
I Charlie and her Sheepdogs Leadbelly‘s, South Clerk Street. 662 4731. Afternoon. Residency. Free. Charlie Davidson gets set for another bluesy afternoon session. I JD and The Wildcats Leadbelly‘s. South Clerk Street, 662 4731 . 10pm. Free.
SUNDAY 28 Glasgow
I Hail and Dates Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, 2 Sauchiehall Street, 332 3123. 7pm. £13.50, £1 1 .50. One swallow does not a summer make, and the occasional burst of excellence from Hall and Oates is no excuse for some of the drek that we‘ve had to put up with. Anyway, if smooth and slick white soul is your taste. they‘re hard to beat.
I The BMX Bandits Stigma, Tuxedo Princess. Anderston Quay. 204 1150. 9pm. £2. Maintaining quite a high profile these days. the Bandits are obviously determined they‘re not going to let the ghost of 1986 lay to rest, as perhapsthey should. Full marks for stickability. It‘s amazing what a hilarious sense ofhumour can do to lift an otherwise pucrilc stage set, but who wants to be eternally tagged ‘good for a laugh“?
I Bass-D-Matlc and Shut Up and Dance The Tunnel. 84 Mitchell Street. 204 1000. 10.30pm. £3. Not entirely sure ifthere‘s any live performance involved here. but the bands will be putting in an appearance. ifnothing else.
I Romeo's Daughter andI Baby's GotA Gun Videodrome. 33—39 York Street, 221 0441. 8pm. £3. Former FM support Romeo‘s Daughter are to be found at the most melodic extreme of the hard rock market. Baby‘s Got A Gun are Billy Idol times four, but without a sense ofhumour they only parody themselves.
I Joyrider and We Are The Men Third Eye Centre, 350 Sauchiehall Street. 332 7521. 9pm. £3. Penultimate lrn Bru Rox extravaganza. The Cateran were hugely underrated and criminally unsuccessful. so let‘s hope a fresh start with a name change and line-up shuffle will inject new optimism if not new ideas into this Joyrider effort. We Are The Men‘s strongly feminist-slanted songs are quirky. spiky, and lots of other sharp-sounding words. and should be a good complement to Joyrider‘s garage ethics.
I Nyah Feartles and Ahnrefn Studio. 12 Shuttle Street, Paisley, 889 6867. 8.30pm. £1.50. A must if you're ‘in the area‘ soto speak. Scottish and Welsh punky madness respectively. It would be nice to see more Welsh-singing bands like Peel favourites Ahnrefn venturing north of the border, but for the moment these straight-talking. politically aware dudes and their garage noise will mystify us nicely.
I The Naked Sea Altair 4, Rooftops. 92 Sauchiehall Street. 332 5883. 11pm. £2. From now on Sunday nights at Secrets will provide the outlet for live entertainment. featuring bands ofan independent persuasion. as I would imagine this lot are (but don‘t quote me on that).
I Spireax Fury Murry‘s, Maxwell Street. 2216511.£3. Apparently.representatives from no less than fifteen record companies will be present to peruse the hotly-tipped new band ofJim Beattie (ex-Primal Scream).
Edinburgh
I Lulu Playhouse Theatre. Greenside Place, 557 2590. 7.30pm. £9, £8, £7. See Preview.
I The Shamen Synergy Club. Calton Studios, Calton Road, 556 7066. See feature.
I The River Detectives Rutland No l. Rutland Street. 229 3402. Special one-off low-key date for the group. who stand a good chance of breaking into the
The List 26 October — 8 November 1990 37