GLASGOW A&R WEEK FEATURE
What to say: ‘Musical magpies with a nest of riches.‘
What not to say: ‘Who sang the original version?’
Bookles’ odds on success: As they said in Hong Kong Phooey — could be . . .
THE BLEEDING HEARTS
Age: A sturdy three-year-old spawned from peroxide punkers Baby’s Got A Gun.
Place of birth: Spiritually — LA. Actually — Edinburgh.
Distinguishing marks: The usual things that distinguish those dedicated to the art of rocking — tight trousers, tattoos, bare chests or billowy shirts, occasional traces of leopardskin. Influences: The classics — viz Stooges, Aerosmith, Black Crowes, touch of Manic Street Preachers and other acts whose amps go all the way up to 11.
Previous form: An EP ‘Bom Late In ’68’ in 93, but nothing since then. Could they re-emerge with yet another change of persona?
What to say: ‘Taking Spandex out of the Dark Ages.’
What not to say: ‘Is that a Spinal Tap cover version?’
Bookles’ odds on success: Relocate to Sunset Strip for a piece of the action.
HONEY
Age: Two-and-a half.
Place of Birth: Glasgow.
Distinguishing marks: Kind of indie with aspirations. Obviously, the music comes first and anything else is a bonus, but they could have a couple of stage outfits set aside.
Influences: Vivaldi and Thin Lizzy, for all we know. They probably pay attention to what’s going on musically around them.
Previous form: New 4-track EP ‘Not Enough’ is out on tr7 Records, boasting four slabs of contemporary guitar rumblings.
What to say: Yes, I can see their musical kinship with the likes of. . . and . . .’ (insert name of this year’s hopefuls).
What not to say: ‘Ah, New Wave of New Wave. Or is it New Mod?’
Bookles’ odds on success: Possibilities, if they can build up a set of truly memorable material.
THE BLISTEHS
Age: Two years old.
Place or birth: Glasgow.
Distinguishing marks: Sharp-suited, side-burned trio who make a bit of an effort in the dressing- up department. The end result is Eton meets Elvis.
Influences: Nick Cave, The Clasln rockabilly — anyone who can make a quiff look stylish and write a swaggering tune to go with it.
Previous form: A track on the Kazoo Club compilation, which was put together by singer Alex.
What to say: ‘Cocktail music in a Molotov style’ (that’s one of the bands own epithets. but it’s good enought to steal).
What not to say: Come back Morrissey, all is forgiven.
Bookies’ odds on success: The going’s good but a few breath-taking tunes wouldn’t go amiss.
NIAVO NVIIVHO
Fempunks: Lung Leg
Urusei Yatsura: Noisepop potential
What to say: ‘Their appeal is selective.’
What not to say: ‘They don’t look very happy, dothey?’
Bookies’ odds on success: On current form, fame and fortune is unlikely, but there’s noisepop potential there.
Age: One-year-old -— they grow up so fast these days
Place or birth: Glasgow.
Distinguishing marks: They carry off the retro image with some aplomb, and have a distinctive reedy voice to bandy about.
Influences: The 70s. The whole caboodle, from funk and disco to Led Zeppelin and probably a bit of Abba if pressed. though that’s maybe a bit frivolous for their furrowed-brow persona. Previous form: No releases, just a year of conscientious gigging which included a joint victory with The Moondials at the Brill Building-run Rock ’n’ Pop Wars.
IIHIISEI YATSUBA
Age: As old as their fanzine (about eighteen months).
Place at birth: Kitten Frenzy Central (ie Glasgow).
Distinguishing marks: Unashamed indie kid quartet (stripey T-shirt alert!) with laidback demeanour. a self-deprecating presence and fanzine credentials. But their fringes aren’t long enough.
Influences: Mainly contemporary stuff. Lo-fi American eccentrics like Pavement and K Records and droners like Dinosaur. Their graphics are lifted from Japanese cartoons — makes a change from hideously amateurish photo montages.
Previous form: Current mini-album All Hail Urusei Yatsum 0n Hipster Records is limited [0 500 copies. It has made little impact. but say they hit paydirt in later years — it’ll be rarer than a Stone Roses concert. Peel session also in the bag for instant cred points.
The Glasgow A & R Week runs from Mon 6-Frt' 10 Feb. See Rock listings for details.
The List 27 Jan-9 Feb 199517