Muflc
THE EXPLOITED Cathouse, Glasgow, Wed 9 Jul
Wattie: an unappreciated Caledonian teasure
What is it with Scotland? We never appreciate the heroes on our very doorsteps, the people in our midst doing amazing things, preferring instead to lavish praise on something half-arsed from abroad just
because it seems a bit exotic.
It's a Scottish footy cliche that if a local lad does a flashy flick, displays a bit of audacious skill on the park, we say ‘if a Brazilian had done that, we’d all be raving about it'. Same goes for music. If an American punk band came over here with the kind of history and pedigree of the Exploited, we'd be all over them like flies round shite. It Black Flag or the Dead Kennedys pitched up in bonnie Scotland, we'd go ape. And so we should for the Exploited, one of Scotland's most successful music exports in the past 20 years. And what’s more, the Edinburgh outfit are still as determined, independent and in-yer-face as they ever were.
Earlier this year the band released their eighth studio album, snappily entitled Fuck the System. Besides the title track, there are also songs on there called Fucking Liar and You ’re a Fucking Bastard. So it’s safe to assume that the band still mean business, but for those of you not in the know, here’s a wee potted
punk rock history.
The band formed 23 years ago in Edinburgh, based around ex-squaddie singer Watfie and the legendary guitarist ‘Big‘ John Duncan. Their debut album, the somewhat prophetic Punk’s Not Dead sold hundreds of thousands and was the top selling independent release that year. Since then they've continued to spread the punk gospel, and in the process influenced bands as varied as Metallica, Queens of the Stoneage and Nirvana (Big John even played guitar for the Seattle grunge icons on tour). They’ve also been tear gassed by German police, banned from Holland, arrested in Spain and Argentina and caused countless riots in dozens of countries around the globe. Oh yeah, and they’ve appeared on Top of the Pops. Now, if a Brazilian had done all that . . . (Doug Johnstone)
m ‘1 ‘l\ SPARKLEHORSE
King Tut's, Glasgow, Wed 16 Jul
Why the long face?
The (‘Y‘tt‘llil for \.-.hat constitutes a ‘difficu:t' .nterxiev. are hard to pin down. l‘ut it‘s perhaps safest to
sat. you rust know when you've
50 THE LIST 3 "...
got one. And the first couple of minutes chatting to Sparklehorse's Mark Linkous find that old sinking feeling returning.
But then. the man is as individual as his music. and further conversation with Linkous — in his clipped. quiet tones. and with a tendency to drop long. reflective pauses into the middle of sentences — proves to be stimulating and enlightening. In fact. he seems quite content with his world at the rr‘oment. haying recently moved from his farm in Bremo Bluff. Virginia. to a nev.’ home in North Carolina. Location is very important to Linkous. not iust for life, but also for his music.
'I think nature informs my writing more than anything' he says. ‘l'm in even more of a secluded place where l live now. rr‘ean. it's so high up where I'm sitting now on my porch I can see planes flying below me. And there are bears . . . I got trapped up a hill by a bear the other week.
don't know why remoteness appeals to me. I iust feel more grounded. much more in my natural state.’
He's also excited about the recording of Sparklehorse's fourth album. the follow-up to 2001 /t a l/‘i/ono'erfu/ Life. and the miXing desk he bought to record it on. Once used by Dayid Bowie and T-Rex in the 70s. it's taken a whole six months to get it back into working condition.
'I want to keep the pop elements of good old 70s AM radio songwriting. yet make them sound like something l'xe never heard before.“ he says. as his dogs bark in the background. ‘I think it's gonna involve a whole combination of new sounds. That's all wanna do. though. Just keep making muSic that people appreCiate, And hopefully not Suckf'
Any SparklehOrse fan will tell you there's very little danger of that anytime soon lDaVld Pollocki
5 REASONS TO GO SE
MURDERDOLLS & STONE SOUR
It‘s “Knot over yet y‘know . . .
1 To see what you never thought you‘d see. N113 one rid? t.'. x l‘..’. three n‘en‘tzerr; o" Swrwr: r’. unrrtasktxl Joe. .jorrtsov n” fr'on‘. drums to gt.:tar -l‘ _;a'r punksters lylrir‘zi'er<r:;::s. ant awn-kt. scar‘ily similar with or without his Kabuki rr‘ask. Stone Sour feature; vocalist Core. Taylor «no! nail as war. as in his Leatherfact- Slipknot guise and guitarist \Jlll‘ Hort. still a hqu rrc; brute whether rttaskeri r," riot.
2 Experience the two sides of Slipknot. There -.'.Iere a“.'.'a, s two flavours :n Slpknot: the theatrical lxnlersuited. '.r:scer'a3 cabaret and the unrrrrtrgated rage. depresson and hatred. Murderdolls siphon off the glam, glitz and dark side. Stone Sour go down the angst filed. grungy route.
3 See two of the biggest names in metal for the price of one. Dou‘rrle headline tours. don't you iust love ‘em’?: two brg bands. two big sets. two big alburr‘s. one little entry price. Nice.
4 Get in touch with your caring, sharing self. OK. so Murderrioils don't do sensitive. but they do na/e a rollicking gla'rr rifforaina of a track entitiw Love at First Fright. V'Jllmezl‘; in Stone Sour's set. one of the most poignant n‘oments has to be when Taylor strips down to solo acoiistr'; for Bother, Just feel those hairs on the back of your neck rising.
5 This might be your last chance to see these three men sharing a stage. Let's be honest: the Slipknot connection crew most people to these two bands ifOrturrately the mUSlC was tnere to back it upi. Btl’. things have been geing a bit awry l.". the ‘Knot camp. Things can rte/er [/1 the same nun-x we have seen their faces. and these side proms am- really starting to pay off. With head man Shawn 'Clown' Cranan next out Of the gates With h:s To My Surprise protect. SK are looking more and more like a fractured unit. Here's hoping the mighty 'Knot mll be baCK for one rrore blast of depravrty.
I Murderdo/ls and Stone SOur play Barrow/and. Glasgow. Thu 70 Jul.