METAL RAGING SPEEDHORN
Cathouse, Glasgow, Sun 9 Jun
Calling your comeback single ‘The Hate Song’ is nailing your colours to the mast. For bile- spitting, ankle-biting metalheads Raging Speedhorn, it’s a perfect introduction to their life philosophy.
‘It’s a big middle finger to all the people that have held us back,’ says guitarist Tony Loughlin. ‘lt’s a perfect single, cos it’s short, sweet and very much to the point.’
Indeed it is. Having spent a year out the limelight being dicked around by the music business (all the usual legal crap: don’t ask), the band are re-entering the fray with their coruscating second album, We Will Be Dead Tomorrow, and a string of live dates.
Produced by members of Biohazard and mixed by Joe ‘Queens of the Stone Age’ Barresi, the album is a leap forward from the ‘horn’s eponymous debut release. ‘In not so many words, it pisses all over our first record,’ says Loughlin, laughing, ‘it’s a
Music
FOLK
NANCY KERR AND JAMES FAGAN
Star Club, Glasgow, Thu 13 Jun
Home here is a long boat on the English canals. then when summer fades. it's pack-up-tlie—instruments and off to the other home in sunny 07..
Life for Nancy Kerr and James Fagan is not exactly painful — now that. with a third album Between the Dark and the Light. their musical career together is really taking off — even if James' own career as a doctOr is on hold. Traditional music has. however. always been central to both their lives.
‘My parents are folk singers.‘ says James. My father's from England. but as a family group. the Fagans were. and still are. well known at home in Australia doing a capella singing. There's a big folk circuit out there and you get to meet everyone: Martin Carthy and the Watersons were here. loads of people like that come out to play. I played for a while in a group with Eli/a Carthy — and that's where met Nancy. We immediately hit it off musically. and eventually decided to thy to make a show of it together.‘
James' skill on the unusual guitar- bodied bou/ouki (made by Hexham maestro Stefan Sobelli is perfect foil
definite progression, a million times better.’
for Nancy's prowess on the fiddle. vrola et al. and he's looking forward to
The soundtrack for bile-spitting, ankle-biting metalheads
Good news for fans of
vicious, spiteful guitar music then. The ‘Horn are definitely on the extreme edge of the current nu
metal craze, but the Corby six-piece are loving every minute of it. ‘It’s one big party,’ says Loughlin. ‘We love playing in front of the kids, we always have fun at
shows, otherwise we wouldn’t be doing it. Playing live cancels out all the shit bits, it’s definitely a
100% pure fun.’
And having supported childhood heroes like Slayer and Black Sabbath in the last year, the band have even had the opportunity for some close-up idol worship. ‘We had dinner about 15ft away from Ozzy and we were all just sat there, mouths open,’ Loughlin says. ‘Stuff like that is unreal: why are we, a bunch of idiots, being allowed to meet people like this and play in a band?’ (Doug Johnstone)
ROCK THE LIBERTINES Barfly, Glasgow, Fri 7 June
lt's damn near impossible to resist the charms of the Libertines. an East End four piece who flirt with melody and flout handsome guitar chic on a Britpop bender. HideOus chart fodder may rake in the cash but these fresh-faced. uniformed-up pups are snapping at pop's heels.
The phenomenal single. ‘What a Waster'. released to coincrde wrth the Golden Jubilee and produced by Bernard Butler. should be enough to cormnce yOu that the hype machine is rolling into action for good reason. The title track sOunds like the Jam dragged through grime backwards and spewing out curiously catchy melodies and euss words. 'I Get Along' is a slacker. garage rockalong wrth psychotic solos and the new wave punk stomp of “May Day' is simply irresistible.
Their glorious grot'n'roll takes on a different edge live as the band is well known for their chaotic performances and Violent tendencies. Clothing is ripped. blood 5; shed and it's all bound together with tight melodies and
punk rock power. lhe gig's set to be a simply unmissable experience. Nu melal's abdication is finally in sight and this lot look set to finish it off completely so
These charming men
get along and show your support. God save The l ibeitines,
I()ami||a l’létr
I ‘lw'flta.’ a ‘."/aster ' is out now on [tough l/(rd'e.
the imminent Scottish for a special reason. ‘Glasgow is important to me because it was a Glasgow guy who got me hooked on the bouzouki." he says. 'He taught me. We were really good pals — and then he died young. So I want to see his city'
Nancy's mother is the celebrated singer and concertina player Sandra Kerr. and like James. Nancy can't remember a life without homemade music and singing. ‘The result. is that we‘re very relaxed about making music. It's very normal behaviour. Being a traditional musrcian was not an odd choice. In Northumberland we went to barn dances because that's what everyone did. For fun.‘
(Norman Chalmers)
Homemade is where the heart is
'3 .J..'i THE LIST 45