(PREVIEW
; If there’s one word that sums up The Dandy Warhols, it's ’cool’. Or to
= ’fucking cool, maaan’. This sleazed-
appear to have dedicated their lives
without the hint of irony that most . British bands lend to such exploits.
certainly do enjoy sex, drugs and
wanna do as long as we’re not 4" . hurting anybody.’
preview
The Dandy Warhols Glasgow: Garage, Sun 4 Jun; Edinburgh: The Liquid Room, Mon 5 Jun.
use a slightly longer phrase,
out, drugged-up, trashy four-piece rock band from Portland, Oregon
to the three cliched hedonistic gods of sex, drugs and rock’n’roll,
And frontman Courtney Taylor isn’t about to deny any of it. ’We
rock’n’roll,’ he says in his sleepy American drawl, ’everybody knows it’s cool. We’ll do whatever we
t"
I
But what about the music? Well, the band were last seen over here a couple of years ago, getting kids around the country
i singing the superbly catchy ‘heroin is so passé’ chorus v from their top 40 single, 'Not If You Were The Last
Junkie On Earth’. It epitomised the sound of their second album, The Dandy Warhols Come Down, an ice- cool mix of trailer trash stoner-rock and psychedelic pop.
Since then the band have been working on their follow-up record, Thirteen Tales From Urban Bohemia, which displays a more varied range of styles and influences, from country to grunge, but still has the trademark Dandy Warhols attitude stamped all over it in big 10-inch heels. True to form, it was recorded in a
‘ somewhat unconventional studio: ’It used to be a gay
gym, athletic club and bathhouse in an area of Portland called Vaseline Alley,’ deadpans Taylor.
Oddly, though the band are relatively well-known on this side of the pond, the same can’t be said in their native US. Taylor reckons this British success is down to
'4. I. a. A-‘r
’We certainly do enjoy sex, drugs and rock’n’roll, we’ll do whatever we wanna do as
long as we're not hurting anybody.’
their musical influences. 'I grew up listening to the radio, and it was half American and half British stuff; for every Tom Petty song there was a Led Zeppelin song. My favourite bands were The Stones, The Who and The Jam.’
And we’re being treated to a live display of these influences when the band play in Scotland. Not exactly known for being quiet and retiring on stage, expect nakedness, drug ingestion and some generally bad behaviour to be prominent on the night. As for Taylor, he's got a much more straightforward description of what to expect. ‘Rock,’ he says, pauses for thought, then adds, ’some fucking sweet rock.’
So can being in The Dandy Warhols really be as good as it appears? ’God it’s fun man, we have such a good time,’ says Taylor. ’It wouldn’t matter if we were in a dentist's waiting room about to have our teeth pulled out, we’d have a good time as long as we were together.’ (Doug Johnstone)
The kids are alright . . . kind of
Exposure
We bring you the brightest gems
from the cavernous diamond mine of
| pop music, this issue: Queen Adreena.
' Queen Adreena, is that some Freddie
Mercury tribute show? Not exactly, no. They happen to be the new incendiary guitar outfit featuring
j Crispian Gray and Katie Jane Gartside , ex-of Daisy Chainsaw.
Oh yeah. I remember. ’Love Your
. Money’ with that fop with the 1 blonde hair and that nutty girl in her
46 THE lIST 25 May—<8 Jun 2000
nightie rolling about the floor . . . oh, er, sorry.
Yes. quite. Katie Jane Gartside left. ’I had to leave that band (Daisy Chainsaw) as l was unable to articulate myself. I had to get a perspective on life and once more be a tiny star in the ever-growing big dark black sky.’ Oh...
Let Katie tell the story shall we . . . 'I had a diary of songs I had to do and I bumped into Crispian and that was that. Ours is a very difficult [musical] marriage, but it will last for ever.’ What do they sound like?
’I'm still influenced by white n0ise and the sound of Wind and v0ices that I can hear inside and that is where my music comes from,’ says Katie. Sounds good. What do they sound like?
Weighty fuzzbomb guitars, tribal drumming and Katie's sometimes soaring, sometimes seething vocal lines make up this electrically charged package. (Mark Robertson)
I Queen Adreena play Glasgow: King Tut’s on Tue 6 Jun. The album Taxidermy is out now on Blanco Y Negro.
Surface noise
All the mocking, rocking and shocking from the world of music.
CONTRARY TO REPORTS from the
US. Noel Gallagher will be
honouring live commitments with Oasis this summer. The band who are scheduled to play at Glasgow Green in August are mid-way through a north American tour. The Glasgow Green festival continues to grow however, with a number of additional acts being announced. The Delgados have been added to the main stage on Friday 25 August, while the Smirnoff dance arena line up for both days has also been confirmed. Friday sees the Colours’ bill topped by Paul Oakenfold with Seb Fontaine, Guy Ornadal, John Mancini, Ian ’Boney’ Clark, Crosby and Darren Mackie also appearing. The Saturday dance arena line up as compered by Inside Out is headlined by Sister Bliss with Jon Pleased Wimmin, Lisa Loud, Simon Foy, Scott Bond, Michael Kilkie and Zammo on the decks on Saturday 26 August.
BELIEVE IT OR NOT but Scottish antique pop tart Lulu has been confirmed to appear at T in the Park. She is to appear on the main stage on Sunday
AFTER LAST YEAR'S full-on gig and club fest that was BBC Music Live this year’s line up seems positively slender. As the scope of the event moves from Glasgow to UK-wide the focus has shifted so there are increased community-based events and a broad sweep of musical tastes, taking in classical, folk, world, and jazz as well as rock and
‘ pop, hoping to appeal to more
people all over the country. See listings section for more details.
A CHANGE TO the publiCIsed dates, Weegie psycho pop tarts Bis are now not playing at King Tut’s as previously announced but are appearing at Optimo Espacro at Planet Peach on Sunday 11 June.
NEWS REACHES US that that Edinburgh live music institution the CasRock is to close in June. Details at present are scant but we will keep you posted.
JUST ANNOUNCED
Shows announced this week include: The Crocketts, Cathouse, Glasgow, 31 May; Looper, King Tut's, Glasgow, 11 Jun; Wilt, Co.UK and Lunar Page, Cathouse, Glasgow, 15 Jun; Utah Saints, Garage, Glasgow, 20 Jun; Queens Of The Stone Age, Cathouse, Glasgow, 22 Jun; Cypress Hill, Barrowland, Glasgow, 22 Jun; Graham Coxon, Garage, Glasgow, 10 Jul;The Saw Doctors, Corn Exchange, Edinburgh 21 Jul.