BOOK NOW David Gray
Barrowland, Glasgow, Thu 7 Dec; Corn Exchange, Edinburgh, Thu 14 Dec.
An instantly forgettable face, a name that seems to epitomise blandness and a decidedly freakish headwaggle. When you think about it, David Gray is an unlikely success story.
The English-born, Welsh-raised tunesmith's first three albums, 1993's A Century Ends, the following year's Flesh and 96’s Sell, Sell, Sell failed to chart. Favourable reviews weren’t enough for the record company execs, and Gray spent much of the last two years without a contract. It was during this low period that the soulful White Ladder was recorded, at his home in London. And at first, it seemed to have done little in commercial terms to satisfy new label lht. Neither ‘Babylon' nor ’Please Forgive Me' could break the fab forty. But phenomenal success in Ireland coupled with endorsements from Robbie Williams and Orbital (who remixed the latter track) encouraged their UK re-release. And the rest, as they say, is history.
With a UK double platinum album and appearances on US opinion-formers Saturday Night Live and The Late Show under his belt, the man who seems the apotheosis of America's current fixation with all things rawk has a golden chance to establish himself on both sides of the pond. Winning over Scottish audiences should be all in a day's work. (James Smart)
ROCK
KeHyJones Queen's Hall, Edinburgh, Sun 19 Nov
it ‘5r 1;
‘Thrs next song is all about how boring and crap music JOurnalrsts are.’ Cheers mate, we love you too. Ironically, the new song that the lead Singer of the Stereophonrcs rs introducing — 'Mr Wrrter’ — rs preCrsely indicative of the unfortunate malaise that rs currently afflicting Kelly Jones and his not so merry band of Welsh rockers.
A very unlikely success story
Ticket information
Tickets for most medium/large concerts can be bought from the fo owing:
Virgin, Buchanan Galleries. 332 4400 Credit card bookings from:
Ticket Link: 287 551 l.
Way Ahead: 339 8383.
Virgin Princes Street. 220 3234. Ripping Records South Bridge. 226 7010.
Assembly Rooms George Street. 220 43-19
Way Ahead ()l-tl 339 8383
Book Now
I Ash liat Sams. Dundee. l5 Dee.
I The King Garage. Glasgow, l5 Dee, I Jools Holland l'sher Hall. lidinburgh. l5 Doe.
I Saw Doctors Barrowland. Glasgow, l51)c‘c‘.5()l.l)()l"l~
I Sick Of It All Garage. Glasgow, in Dec.
I Bootleg Beatles L'sher' Hall. lidinburgh. l7 Dec.
I Ricky Ross Angel liye. lidinburgh. l7
l)ee. I Cradle Of Filth Garage. Glasgow. lts’ I)ec.
I One Minute Silence Garage. Glasgow. 20 Dec.
Growing old before his time
Jones used to have an unerrrng knack of connecting With his audience through pOrgnant bittersweet tales of everyday smalltown hurt and pain, but these days we find him penning tunes about Journalists, poor people in sunny climates t’Lyrng In The Sun') and American taxr drivers (’Have A Nice Day’). All of which have approxrmately fuck all to do With any Stereophonics fans' llVES.
Of the six new songs here, from the band’s forthcoming third album JEEP,
I Courtney Pine Angel li_\e. lidinburgh. 23 Dec.
I Blues 'N' Trouble (‘athotiscx Glasgow. 37 Dec.
I The Complete Stone Roses. (mi-age. (Hasgcus.3\l)ec.
I Primal Scream ('oi-n li\change. lidiiibiirglt. 3‘) Dee.
I Moby The Castle. lidinbtii‘gh. 31 Dec. S()l.l) ()l'l
I The Offspring Sli(‘(’. (tliisgcm. 1" Jan.
I The Corrs Sli(‘(‘. Glasgow. 18 ck If) Jan. S()l.l) ()l'l'
I NME Carling Awards Tour (‘).\ll '. Glasgow. Zl Jan.
I Eddie Reader Queen‘s lliill. lidinbtirgh. 38 Jan.
I Mel C l’la_\hotise. lidinbtirgh. 3 lieb. I Paul Rogers Barrow land. Glasgow. lo lieb.
I Westlife Sli(‘(‘. Glasgow. lo Ill l'leb. S()l.l) ()l'T
I Gary Numan Barrow land. Glasgow l8 Feb.
I Texas Sli(‘(‘. (ilusgtm. 23 Q 33 l'ic‘lt S()l.l) ()l'l
I Craig David Sli('('. Glasgow. 2-1 Feb. I Kylie Minogue (lulu .-\ucliioi-iuin. Glasgow. 3 ck 4 Mar.
I Martyn Bennett liquid Room. lidinbtirgh. ‘) Mar.
I Martyn Bennett Arc-hes. (iliisgim. ll Mar.
I Stiff Little Fingers Barrowland. Glasgow. 17 Mail
I Uriah Heap/Nazareth Garage. Glasgow. 3| Mar.
I Ocean Colour Scene litll'l'tns'ltllltl. Glasgow. 30- 3l Mar.
I Toploader (‘orn lixehange. lidinbiii'gh. l Apr.
I Jimmy Nail Playhouse. lidinbiirgh. (t Apr.
I Jimmy Nail Royrl ('oncert llall. Glasgow. 8 Apr.
I Gary Moore Bai'rowlancl. Glasgow. 2-1 Apr.
I Deacon Blue Playhouse. lidinbtirgh. 35 May.
I Deacon Blue ('lyde Auditorium. Glasgow. 26 May.
none stand out; a fact completely lost on the Wildly enthtrSrastrc crowd of older fans gathered for this low-key acoostic show. In fact, so incessantly vocal are some punters that Jones looks deCrdedly uncomfortable on occasion, especially when met wrth drunken hecklrng concerning Oasis The show hardly stinks, but in this intimate setting — With Jones on ac0ustrc guitar and Marshall Bird on keyboards — the threadbare nature of recent Stereophonrcs’ material is painfully apparent. Deep down it must be a worry for the band that they've failed to live up to the promise of their excellent first album, and it‘s telling that the stand-out songs here are both
from that record" 'Billy Davey’s Daughter’ and ’Local Boy In A Photograph’.
The fact that Jones chose to preview new material Without the rest of the band must surely cast dOubt on their future, despite protestations to the contrary. And With Rod Stewart, Rolling Stones and Neil Young covers rolled out earnestly, the evening has the air of a talented young performer growrng old (and dull) before his time, (Doug Johnstoner
live MUSIC
LOCAL LIVE
Cosmic Rough Riders King Tut's, Glasgow, Fri l7 Mos CJ‘JXIUV. \ [cilt‘s'c CHM)“. ".l\c‘ 'c‘tcil'K‘c} home to promote the' ‘atest admin \c‘ It's hardh Striprrsrnc‘. that llli s is backed
in! of fans, trends and li‘e an
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crass or (50s Caf‘to'rtra lets o' jariciw citritais and ‘oat‘. "a"".‘r‘es but for the trrst 'e‘.‘. ricr'i‘heis t :s toricih to conce'it'ate ‘.‘.l‘c*7‘ ("e'e a ca'nerait‘.ai‘ onstage ta‘ieec: some art. footage demanded and the» ewe clear“, ciraci in be back on home tint when the crowd a'e nenrnd tot. ai- the may =lane Harirrltore
Laeto
Potterrow, Edinburgh, Thu 9 Nov Angular is the viord that spreeiis to mind when \‘.atc hrnci Laeto Brit tnese sprightly racis from l)tll‘.l‘l(‘ Dirr‘ciee manage to make their cornprex Slaw esciue citiitar music S()cl.".(l str‘aricieij, accessible With ‘-.'c’)(dl ac tmty reduced to arbitrary shooting, the f'oc irs is on the gtiitarists, Fraser Szrnpson and Andrew Smith, \‘.ll() spend the set thromnci off-krlte' shapes at each other Compared to their lelare Us r‘w'i/d album on Ciiiidecl l‘.llSSZl(’ Records, Laeto’s ll‘.‘(_‘ slio‘c‘. as more svzsceia‘ and brutal if much less siibtle Btr'i what they lack in delicacy, they more than make up for in effort, Sriirpson especially looking as if his heart 'c'.rll burst from his chest any mrnirte iron. the sheer effort of playing giirtai iDoirg Johnstonei
Mull Historical Society Nice 'n’ Sleazy's, Glasgow, Thu 16 Nov.
Of all the members of the 'lirgboat Records parish rLow, Life Without Btrrldrngs et all, Mull Historical Soc rety are surely the most unorthodox iii their orthodo>cy With microphone on maxrmum reverb, singer Colin lvlaclntyre’s vorce rs as trgerrsh as a crying baby, hitting a boundless rasp during the garage rock of 'Live Like The Automatics, \‘.’lll( h skittles alonci With a prickly Undertones gallop Disappointingly, the subtle magnetrcisin of 'Barcode Bypass sec-ins lOSt, as is the Linentic inc; (all to arms of its flipsrcle ’lvlirll Historical Society', tne band's signature tune set to a gauche Copacabana rhytbrn They’re certainly not as apathetic as their name Suggests, but MHS need more theories if they are to prove as frontier-hunting as their labelmates r’lason Crarmellr
A Ltl‘clll’t‘ i" c"‘cc"t‘-\ il'c“
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Cosmics come back to what they know
30 ‘.0.-~‘-4 Dec 2009* THE LIST 49