MUSIC PREVIEW
Making Music Happen
mirr- Shaken and stirring
The last time we heard from chief Oasis songwriter Noel Gallagher. just before their appearance at Sound City. they were living it up with Sony's international top brass in a plush Perthshire hotel. This time. in the wake of another sell-out tour and frenzied hype and hyperbole. he‘s holed up at his mum’s in Manchester. Taking a breather from the gasping, graSping attention that comes of being really rather excellent.
‘l'm bored now, though,‘ grurnps Noel. Oasis, despite all the stories of fratn'cidal fist-fights (between Noel and singing brother Liam). drunken debauchery and general Mane-lad tomfoolery, are no indolent dopeheads. ‘Shakermaker', the second single that's released at the end of June, was recorded last December. They‘ve finished their August-due album. Definitely Maybe. Now, all Noel has to do before their third tour of the year kicks off is twiddle his thumbs and fend off an over-zealous press. ‘That story in the NM]; [about the big fight. Oasis vs Coke. over the use of the line “I’d like to buy the world a Coke"] is a complete and utter fabrication. That line isjust something that we do live. We never said we were going to use those lyrics on the record. We‘re not daft. We know what copyright is.’
More importantly. they know what a great single is. ‘Shakermaker‘ is deadly, cheekily close to the seminal Coke jingle, is less overtly ‘baggy' than ‘Supersonic‘, and once again boasts B- sides that are the true indication that Oasis are far from the fadding crowd. The sound of the times. scally sages. urban poets with a neat line in pithy pop couplets? Nah. ‘lt's all bollocks, it’s all bullshit.’ scoffs Noel. ‘lt‘s like “I Am The Walrus“. What the fuck does that mean?’ Stop making sense: time to meet your shakermaker. (Craig McLean)
Oasis play The Caihouse. Glasgow on Sun 12 and Mon 13.
It may be, then, that the smaller venues which they will visit on their inaugural Scottish tour will be rather i more suited to the scope and style of their music than the Old Fruitmarket. The band were formed by English guitarist Peter Dxley (no relation to drummer Tony of that ilk, although at least one reviewer has mixed up the names), who describes their approach as an attempt ‘to break down the esoteric iazz barrier that keeps the public away from gigs, while taking care not to compromise the artistic intent.’
0n the evidence so far, this translates into a neat, polished, spacious but intermittently somewhat pallid jazz-fusion style, playing largely
nitri- No frontiers
The New Hoakes Quartet have toured England regularly since their formation in Paris in 1988, but made their first-ever trip north of the border only last year, when they supported The Brecker Brothers at the Glasgow International Jazz Festival. The scale seemed a little overpowering for them on that occasion, and their particular take on jazz fusion, which employs rather more pastel shadings than that of the Brecker’s funk-powered juggernaut, suffered a bit by comparison. also has an alternative (and presumably rather more lucrative) career as a highly-regarded maker of violin bows for orchestral musicians. The guitarist is joined by French keyboard player Pierre-Michel Sivadier (who has replaced American Frank Weiss in the band, thereby
i slightly diminishing its international :2? credentials), Canadian bass player ml Kerry Galloway, and French drummer :_l Etienne Brachet. (Kenny Mathieson) ' ‘ The New Hoakes Quartet play the Tron « I Ceilidh House in Edinburgh on Wed 8 l and The 13th Note in Glasgow on Sat l 11.
URNS
The New Hoakes Quartet
Quatets & I i uintets
"1 Nu-
‘and we’ve visited Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Oman, Damascus and Jordan. it was some of the most heavy travelling we’ve ever done'.’ Using a local Edinburgh venue will be in sharp contrast as will some of the music, which has as one of its two running themes the piano quintet.
‘The idea of doing piano quintets with friends in Edinburgh is one which we’ve had for some years,’ says Beeston. The friends who appear in the series are Murray McLachIan playing Schumann, Hester Dickson playing Elgar and, finally, Gusztav Fenyo, who plays in the piano quintet by Cesar Franck. The other theme is Beethoven, and his string quartets 0p 18 Ho 4, 0p 95 and 0p 74 The Harp, can be heard across the series. (Carol Main)
flow that the main subscription concert seasons have come to a close and end-of-term type events are almost over too, it is the time of year when chamber music lovers can traditionally look to the Edinburgh Quartet for some musical relief over the summer. Previous summers have seen experiments with new venues - some good, some not so successful - and the Quartet’s forthcoming series of three concerts over June and July tries out yet another performing space, Palmerston Place Church, close to Haymarket and the West End. ‘We think it’s fantastic,’ says viola player Michael Beeston. ‘Architecturally, it’s a lovely space, central in the city and nice and bright inside for summer concerts.’ Having lust returned from various exotic locations in the Middle East, the Quartet are no strangers to bright spaces. ‘It was our second such trip since Christmas,’ explains Deeston,
Edinburgh Quartet, Fridays 10 and 24 June and 1 July at 7.45pm. Palmerston Place Church, Edinburgh.
ennents Live! Making
original material written by Dxley, who 3
m
PUSSY POWER
Dig Card When questioned. eight out of ten cat owners had never heard of Kitten l’rensv. a famine written by Graham Kemp and liergus l.awrie of local noiseniks Urusei Yatsura. with able assistance from Andrew Noble. Jennifer Anderson and anyone else with an idea that tickles them. Composed in staccato. caffeine—fuelled bursts. it's an A5 stream of consciousness, reviews. anecdotes. cartoons and deep scientific analysis. with an elastic band where everyone else would put the staples.
‘lt's basically to l'oist our own terrible opinions on the world at large.‘ says Graham. ‘Just to talk a lot of nonsense and get away with it. because we do this ourselves ~ sit around in pubs and talk the most amazing garbage.‘
Kitten l"ren:_v has sptr)outed in tandem with initiatives like The l3lli Note's Ka/oo Club. where bands of often dubious aptitude trade 'outpourings. not out of any compulsion to seduce the masses. but because they enjoy it.
‘I)elinitely. within the last year in Glasgow. all the people who've been trying to do things for the past couple of years have statth getting in touch and helping each other.‘ says Fergus. ‘l think Sound ('ity helped a bit. I met a lot of people during Sound ("ity that i wouldn't really have met otherwise.‘
This is precisely the ethics of Riot Grrrl. yesterday‘s media plaything. btit still an underground inspiration for other Scottish l‘anzines like Violet and Heavy l-‘lnw. l‘urther up the 'zine chain there’s the larger. glossier San Yxnnn Spark. emanating from the Galashiels area.
Do-it-yourself. but mainly do it for yourself. (liiona Shepherd)
Kitten Frenzy launch their
third issue with a gig
featuring Big Bard.
Yamrnyjitr, Urasei Yatsara
antl Lang/cg at Nice 'n'
Sleazy, Glasgow on Fri .i’.
Copies are available at
50/) from (il‘ll/ltlm Kemp.
335 Great Western Rural,
Flat l/l. Kelvinbritlge.
Glasgow", ()4 9H3.
40 The List 3—16 June 1994