lantax} crcationx xuch ax t.'\'l'u. lincx xuch ax 'Iick in} lc:_'\. I'm on lirc. lick lll_\ lch ol dcxirc' lrom ‘Rid ol Mc’ arc a rclrcxhing and honcxt changc l'rom lhc and nippcd and tuckcd bcaut} xchool pop mttppclx. \Vhilc .lohn l’ccl \xax an carl} champion ol hcrx. .r\mcrica \\ ax thc ill‘\l countr} to la|| uholcxalc lor llar\c_\‘x carnal blttcx punk dcbut /)r\ in l‘NZ. Rolling Slum maga/inc auardcd hcr bcxt xongurilcr and bcxt ncu lcnlalc xingci‘ accoladcx. 'I‘hc album \xax a bold and gutx} xlatcmcnt ol intcnt. xtarkl} honcxt in placcx and ambiguoux in olhcl‘x. and t|llilL‘ unlikc lhc dri\c»timc countr). l'oi'lorn lolk and xaccharinc pop ol' mainxti'cam lcmalc pop.

’l'hc Slcxc .v\lbini produccd Rid of .‘It' l'olloxxcd a _\car latcr

a brutal and bcantilull} ran collcction \xhich rccchcd thc obligator) .\lci'ctn'} .\luxic l’i'i/c nomination and \xax cloxch illiitl\\t'ti b_\ a rough around lhc cdgcx collcclion ol' tour-track dcmox. .v\l| thc \xhilc. llai'xc} \xax x|o\\l_\ building up a |o_\a| and occaxionall} obxcxxi\ c arm} ol' lanx \\ho conncclcd \\ illt thix bcniiching bundlc ol' ncr\oux cncrg}. all unkempt rawn lockx and intcnxc dark c} cx.

i‘ol' I‘NS'x 'I'u Bring You .Ui' l.ui'i' xhc dixbandcd lhc original [flu and branchcd out into uncharch tci'ritor} \xilh othci' niuxicianx. lt alxo ga\c hcr )c‘l anotlicr \lcrcur) .\ltixic l’ri/c nomination. and madc ua) iota morc thcali'ical cdgc to hcr pci'l'ormancc and an act] darkcr l_\i'ica| imagci'}. 'l'hc lcgcndai'} iconic look \xax alxo lio\\ xcl lil'llli) in place: thc album cowl" xho\\cd a dcathl) palc Nancy lipx daubcd \\ilil

rcd. part llamcnco danccr. part

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('riticx \xondcrcd \t'hcrc xhc could l““‘”’|.‘ :Jo lrom hcrc. Shirl-(W I‘il'nnl I/lt’ (iii. SIN/it's

I’m/n l/ii' .S'i'ii \\;tx lhc anxu'cr. Rclcaxcd in 3000. it \\'£l\ \ic\\ cd

b) man) ax hcr lincxt \\‘t)l'i\ to I I

dalc and lound llar\c_\ at pcacc

\xith thc \xorld litter. and xccmingl} much happicr. 'l‘hc angcr and xc‘ll-loathing dixpla) cd on carlicr rclcaxc‘x \x'ci'c rcplaccd b) a i'aggcdl} bcaulilul and more accomplixhcd collcction ol‘ xongx that lcd to hcr linall) \\ inning thc .\lcrcur} .\lll\iL‘ Him and gaining the atlcntion ol~ a whim audicncc.

llcr bod) ol‘ \mi'k ix an imprcxxiw tonic but xhc hax al.xo collaborach \xith an array ol' artixtx. including gucxt appcaranccx \xith .\'ick (‘;i\'c. 'l‘rick). llowc (iclb. (iordon (iano ol Violcnt l'cmmcx. Bonnic Princc Bill}. Thom Yorkc and Spai'klchoi'xc. In l‘Nh .xhc alxo worked on an LP \\ith .lollll i);tl'i\il. L‘lililicd Ihlllt‘t' “(1H :ll I.Ull.\(' I’Uilll. HL‘l' llltixl rcccnt joint \cnturcx includc “thing and rccording l‘or Mariannc liiitlil'til'x ncxt album. and \‘oc‘tllx on ncxx xolo rclcaxcx l'rom Quccnx ot‘ lhc Stone .>\gc‘x Mark Lancgan. and .ioxh Hommc‘x l)cxcl'l Sc‘xxiolix xidc project. 'i‘hc bailid'x Nick ()lix‘cri alxo countx himxcll' ax a tan. ‘1 low l’.l llai'xc} 'x xtul‘l. ,xhc rcth ix onc iii in) linouritc xongxxritcrx. Shc xa}x all thc xtul‘l‘l can‘t xa_\.‘

It alxo ix a credit to her gcnrc-bcnding intixical xt_\|c that xhc can go with xcainlcxx caxc il‘tilll pla_\ing xhtiuldcr-to-xhouldcr in an opcn air moxh lcxt \xith thc l5oo liightcrx and Rcd llot ('hili l’L'Plk‘rx. to thc xcdatc Cll\ ironx ol' l.ondon'x Talc .\lodcrn a lc\\ da_\x latcr. \xhcrc xhc ix among the lii'xt anixlx cwr to pcrl‘orm a xtraight roclx concci't thcrc. llcr appcarancc at Big Day Out at the (irccn ix onc ol hcr l'cu l'K li\ c datcx thix )car c\pcct lo hcar hcr pruicxxing ncu matcrial \xhich xhc hax dcxcribcd ax both ‘ugh and dixturbing'. 'l‘hc ncu album ix xlatcd l'or rclcaxc carlx llC\t )L‘ttl'. '

t'napologcticall} hcrxcll and conxixtcntl} m} xtil‘)ing. Pl llarw) putx thc oomph into icinalc rock and hax managcd to make it to thc mainxtrcam her \\;i_\ \xhilc rctaining a dcgrcc ol‘ l‘cmininit}. dcpth and ci'cdibilit). chpcct ix duc.

Big Day Out at the Green is at Glasgow Green, Sun 24 Sep.

AbsolutelyShocklnq

Who says we don’t broaden you horizons? Here are the facts on the ELECTRIC SIX and the magical substance from which they get their name. Words: Doug Johnstone

Six electric facts

I The electric eel isn’t an eel Electrophorus e/ectricus is a Spineless. toothless fish of the Gymnoti'dae family. It has 200.000 electric discs in its tail which can pump 650 Volts into the water. Ouch. I It’s not the volts that kill you, it’s the amps The body can withstand thousands of volts. but only a c0uple of amps of current (rate of electricity flow) WI“ see y0u pushing up the daisies.

I Silver, not gold, is the best conductor of electricity Silver has less resistance. but gold is more Widely used in Circuitry because it does not oxidise as easily.

I Lightning is cool Each second there are a hundred lightning strikes worldwide. Strikes average three miles long and carry a current of 10.000 amps at 100 million volts. The temperature of lightning is about 77600.

I And it does strike twice In June. Ryan Sayers of Colorado Springs Survived a lightning strike while mOLintain climbing. but was killed by a second strike an hour later. Nae luck.

I Les Paul didn’t invent the electric guitar Although he's widely credited. George Beauchamp and Adolph Rickenbacker were. in fact. the first to stick a pick-up on a guitar in 1931.

Six Electric Six facts

I They’re mates with Jack White The most namedioppy name in rock sang backing vocals on ‘Danger’ High Voltage”. and produced the band's debut album, Fire.

I They once put out an eight-track cartridge-only release Under the name the Wildbunch, they released An Evening with the Many Moods of the W/‘Idbunch's Greatest Hits . Tonight! on the now defunt 708 musrc medium, the eight-track cartridge. Dafties.

I Half of them just quit As ‘Gay Bar' entered the top ten, guitarists Rock'n‘RolI Indian. Surge Joebot and Disco left the band to be replaced by Johnny NaShinal. the Colonel and Frank Lloyd Bonaventure. The silliness rate remains high.

I They’ve released a concept album Debut album. Fire. is. apparentiy a concept album. Aboiit fire. Right.

I ‘Gay Bar’ isn’t about a gay bar at all ‘lt's about absolutely nothing at all.‘ singer Dick Valentine professes. 'But so many people were made happy by it. At the end of the day. that's pretty cool.‘

I ‘Gay Bar’ is now a national catchphrase ln offices. playgrounds and pubs across the land. eei'its are shouting 'gay bar. gay bar. gay bar' at each other. Well it's better than ‘wassSUDp'. Just.

THE LIST 7