Music
ROCK
MANIC STREET PREACHERS
SECC, Glasgow, Wed 4 Dec
When four sexily sloganeering Welsh boys scissor-kicked their way into the public consciousness in 1990 with the ‘New Art Riot EP’, they were what the world had been waiting for. Slicing through a music scene bogged down in baggy and bowl cuts they offered an intelligent and thrilling alternative. Nicky Wire and Richey Edwards were the dangerously pretty intelligentsia to James Dean Bradfield’s howling rage and Sean Moore’s silent determination.
The music press lapped up the hyperbolic rhetoric but concern grew for the band’s driving force, Edwards, when he carved ‘4 Real’ into his arm with a razorblade during an interview in 1991. With their debut album, the Manics vowed to sell 16 million copies then split up. Generation Terrorists appeared in 1992, a powerful glam punk statement of discontent, and they fulfilled neither promise, releasing the disappointingly blustery Gold Against the Soul’ a year later. 1994’s The Holy Bible stands as a brutal and compelling tome — a harrowing document of Edwards’ increasing despair and self-abuse. He disappeared on 1 February 1995 and police later discovered his car abandoned near the Severn Bridge, a
INDIE rotk NINA NASTASIA
Nice’n’Sleazy, Glasgow, Tue 3 Dec
A couple of ‘.-.hlskys do the trick. After the dag, Nina Nastasla's had — :ncludlng heng thro\.'.'n out ot Paddzngton Statzoe ‘.'.'h:le domg a photo shoot — she desen'es -t. la» a 1:ttle retlaggedf she laughs. ‘so In trndng :1 hard to (:<)"stru(:l sentences'
In a ‘.'.rhrrl‘.-.':no of plastic pop ’l‘~.'£l|f$ and uher-trend; fl, -h:.- nights. Nlna Nastasla's dusty. skeletal (iountn, i8 oasls of honest and calm. A quell; spoken Manhattanlte. her phenomenal second ‘.‘.’Ol‘k. The Blackened Arr. finds guitars plucked and ll‘llSlCle sau'rs txralll'tg as ‘.'.'arn‘th entanates ‘ron‘ ElCCOldIOllS and strings to create otnerzarorldlt. sounds and lyncs of con‘fort and dasgu'et. As a result. Nastasla Is regalarlt asked ahout the n‘ea'ung of late. ‘I get asked deep (JUOSUOHS. llke: "Dc you helreve It's poss.hle to achrexe happiness?" l
4 C t n 5" \
James eyes our ‘hilarious’ caption while Nicky auditions for Miami Vice
common suicide spot. They continued as a three-piece, their expansive, string-laden comeback Everything Must Go catapulting them into the mainstream while 1998’s pessimistic and troubled This is my Truth Tell me Yours giving them their first number one with ‘If you Tolerate This your Children will be Next’. The fire was rekindled with Know your Enemy in 2000, a historic gig in Cuba and meeting with Castro in 2001.
A Greatest Hits tour seems as contrary to their original polemic principles as you could get but
don't know if l have that ans'.'.'er. The funny tl‘lng ls I don't
really. conslder that record to he that dark hut people seen‘ to
flunk :t's super dark.‘
Nastasla's ll‘LlfSlCél! background ls classlcal l)l£lll() and she fell
unto songsxrttlng. lJle‘llQ up the guitar 'out of horedonz'. Both
of her records. lncludlng the soon to he re-released dehut Dogs. have heen produced ht Steve Alhln as has her thlrd l l)
they’ve made amends by having the set list picked by fans on their website. Bradfield also quashed rumours of a split: ‘Nick’s got 14 or 16 lyrics on the go at the moment. We always wanted to do a cold and judgmental album like Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska, just black and white.’
The MSP story is a gloriously frustrating mass of contradiction, tragedy and triumph, with an unbeatable soundtrack. Who knows what the next chapter will hold? (Camilla Pia)
Courtney shows his love
.J/V/ COURTNEY PINE TRIBUTE TO COLTRANE Queen‘s Hall, Edinburgh, 29 Nov
(JIXC‘H t; ’llf) UH” (ind. i'\/”l :H‘J
estahirshed 5a// llé‘tHlllO". Charmer. P'r‘e seems a" ar‘:k<:~,
due next {.ear. Another underground legend. Jun \rAl/lllifi guests person tc he dovlg a tralzate glg. lhe saxopho'tlst's homage t::
or‘ draws on It and j()lll$ her hand for these dates. Nastasla seervs gehunel; exc'ted ahout hrs Input: ‘H 3 (l(}llllli(}|‘,’ gwes 1*. a different feel r.-.rhlch ls really nice. :Carhllla Plél'
John Coltrane ml; not he a retreadlhg o" T'ahe's Yarn" a' rn..sc. though — Courtne‘,‘ Intends tc do ‘t hrs our: 21X)? style. The saxopllo'l'st has alu'rays a(:kno‘.'.':e:tge:l the s g". f cance of Coltrane as an .Y“ll llrs‘. Interwleua'en fun hack .r‘ ‘Eitll'. he sa 1: that ".'.""en started playlng la//. there '.'.rere ce'tar‘ t'tl'lgs that l'OEE'l‘, appealed to me. especlal; t'la’. Coltrane r‘llue'lced ltlgh energy thlng. and that was ‘.'.'hat ‘.'.’(}'l Coltrane has r 2rnazneu a". audlhle r'tlluertce Ill hls pta‘n'tg
:"ce ll‘ hrs owr‘ dexemprner‘t. \.'-.’her‘ I
into trstf
through all the suhseauer". sl‘ fts. ; ltltougr‘ the; ‘.°.'e"t "t we". dr’ferer‘t dlrectIons. and altlnlate, 1nterste'la" space. Courtney has l)l'()(i(l(i".<f(l nls
‘r'hzle Co'tra'te pushed oft Into tree ;;1//
audtence pase ht, uslng reggae. lu'tk. soda. hr: her: a":: drum 8. l); ss as kej. ccr‘st tuenfs 1." hrs nlusc
lhe lfdlnhurgh con some speclaI guests. E ska lV‘Itu'lg‘.'.'e/'. and 1" a d.re<:t echo o‘ ()<>.tr:t'le's ‘as:: r‘ataer: weth lndlan ntusle Sheerna M1.K'l(3l'l(:(}()" sltar lls "fie-"tron s to pay trpute to Co't"ane l); hung to entuiate 'at"e' tl‘a"
ert ‘.'.':” feature hrs regular l;a":: th
ecladrng ssnge's Da‘. (l McA'nta't‘. and
80 Miss Nastasia, what does it all mean? llllzlélléf the Arnencan grant. [Kc-Um Mathleson
40 THE LIST W1”\"..- ‘2’ DU; 7/)?"
Cl ASSlCAl
ORFEO ED EURIDICE Theatre Royal, Glasgow Sat 30 Nov, Wed 4 & Sat 7 Dec; Festival Theatre, Edinburgh, Thu 12 & Sat 14 Dec
It's taken from the san‘e Greek legend as Ot‘e"hach's Orpher ll’ .‘lre U!’(l(3".‘./()I'f(i hat do "of gc i:;<>»<"‘;; ‘o' ca". cans :n Chnst >:)h "Jillhald C uck's ‘. 2rs;on of the nest ‘an‘ous >l a: 'r‘us cal 'l‘yfhs. \‘J'hen Scottlsh Opera l)(3l'l()!‘t" the-tr l)l()(ltl(2'.‘()". ol Orv‘ee ez." [Ur/(rm; 't 's en‘otlo"al ill'.(B'lf;il‘. and dept?‘ of l“..l“{i'7 leSESK)". that kck h:gl‘ "ailier than fancy toot‘.'.'ork and f3‘.'.’!”’ll§} skirts. l"er‘e are com“. ess operas :nsptred n‘, the san‘e suhlect n‘atter ll‘CltlilllTJ the :erj. frs’. sartlnng opera (tatr'g ‘ron‘ ‘(SCXL — hat I’. as G’LJCK'ES .'.'()'k that harms the most 'r‘porta'tt furnu‘g pent ;" the renorr“ a" opera as an art forrr ll‘
f"e r" u .8th century. Cat
Revoicing the original
.’.'<}.'lf Hill". cast-rat! singers and ~.'<;<:a‘ pyrotechr‘ cs l": .'.'<:'t‘<:r"s etc-{hes El'til " can‘e a new ccl"<;-'er‘c<;- ct’ dra't‘a a"d 'r‘usc to take centre stage.
l"e sic“, '3; cf the l“..‘f;.(:.;l." ram: :,:>e.. ()"p"e;.s. .'.':.;> s tlt3t3l)(}!£tI-;3". r" t;f;".§; h 5; dead ’e, cryd'ce. He '5; avenue-d “To the .t"(}(?".'.(1':;lRIOS“)?!llOl' hack 1:: f"e lung .'.or :l. t:..‘. on“, t he doesn't look round at "e' on the '.'.'a;. out. She. apparent i. heang gr‘ored h; ."e' ox.“ f‘ushand. tl‘lnks that somet" 'tg :s an. so st; "ts getting a hut unset. \.".’hat does O'cheas :l;:. lt..’. t...'"‘ round to cek at her. i» ;lh,:ll<:e gees l)tliir\' tc llades a";: that oag'”. to he .8. l"e'e Is. ."o‘~.'.'(‘:\.'e". a haunt, ending 1‘. th.s ‘.(}'s!()" as the pcwers that he decade to let her out agar‘ so the lox'zng (:caple ca". he toaet"e'
alt-3' a. Aa". (Ian: Ma."