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It’s taken a while to get them here but on the eve of their first ever Scottish show, Mark Robertson ponders the appeal of Chicago power trio SHELLAC.
hellac rock. Not the most insightl‘ul ol
conclusions one tnight come to for a hand that's
built arottnd some drtttns. some guitars and a fair whack of phlegmy bellowing. but they really do.
Shellac have principles. While it‘s ttot qttite a
manifesto. Sltellac adhere to a fairly defined set of
principles. They do not play the record industry game. Look for promos on eBay 7 you won‘t lind them. they ney‘er made any. Satne goes for 'llshirts. Touch and (io. one of America's few truly independent labels. releases their records. 'l‘hey haye pttt ottt l2 since forming in lWl. three stunning alhttms. a clutclt ol‘ 7" singles and a soundtrack to some dancing. all 77‘) copies of which went to their friends. each of whom where named on the coyet'. so il‘ they sold it. the band would know. Sltellac are romantics. They have an attachment to things like quality control (they don‘t put otit records Very often) and crystalline aural qttality (they insist on making drums sound like drums. that kind of thing l. Shellac is a hobby. (ittitarist Steye .-\lhini. drummer 'l‘otltl 'l‘rainer and bassist Bob \Veston ha\ e play ed just a smattering of gigs since their inception in l‘)‘)|. at eyery'where from nightclubs to county fairs and art deco ciy'ic halls. This inactiyity is dtte predominately to their full time jobs as much as any high-principled stance: Alhitti attd Weston are recording engineers while 'l‘rainer works fora shipping company. :\s .-\lhini ptits it: ‘Roek music is like skiing or golfing. which some people do professionally. but most people shouldn't'. Shellac are Veterans. The trio haye all spent years prior to this grouping. staggering. stomping and shouting their way through y'ariotts hands. In particular.
78 lt“ N02» DOC ijtltl-‘o
Alhini l‘ound inlamy in Big Black. They were tlte most breathtaking hand to come out of the qttagtnire that was the Slls l'S indie underground. .loltn l’eel said ‘()nce a
week I time a nail through my foot to remind my sell" of
the stupidity of ttot going to see them when I had the chance.‘ They set a benchmark for on-stage intensity that has neyer heen equalled. 'l’heir twisted hlack humour attd loye ol' lotid is carried through itt Shellac. Shellac are dehutantes. l'or .-\Ihini. this is his first
jaunt oyer Hadrian's ruthe since he recorded the
Breeders‘ dehut alhum in lidinhurgh in l‘Nl. Other than that. there was a Visit with Rapeman in the late Slls. a hand whose moniker caused the kind of rumptIs that their music surely should hay e. 'l‘heir lone l.l’ 'liw Nuns (llI(/l’(l('l\.ll1l/(' is a chronically underrated heast. It has a 7.7. Top coyer on it. which is always a good thing. Shellac are a contradiction. .»\lhini is hest known to the wider world as the engineer hehind .\'ir\ana's In Item. attd between him and Weston. ldlew ild. Bash. l’isies. l’.l llaryey. eyen Page and Plant haye been committed to tape at (‘hieago's lilectrieal Audio. 'I‘hese high profile
jobs may run contrary to Shellaes principled otitlook
hut recording seyeral hundred hands a year and refusing to take any producer‘s royalties is. itt part the pairs
justification for dealing with the major labels.
Shellac are here. They‘re playing Iiye. It will he a mighty fine gig if all goes to plan. It may ey en reaffirm all you thought was good about holshy. righteous. non- leather trottsered rock music. It may just make you piss your pants. liither way you're onto a w inner.
Liquid Room, Edinburgh, Sun 28 Nov.
‘- ‘ KT Tunstall l lei forthcoming debut (lllltllli l to to the Te/est:()pe is a (itiality item and live she fuses the drama of Ten Amos VVIlll the indie roughage of early PJ Harvey and comes up With something ingenious. A Singer/sotigwriter you can trust with your heart. See preview. The titular/tyre. Edinburgh, Fri 73) Nov; St Andrews University St Andrews. Sat 20 Nov. (Rock 62 Pop) Fiddle 2004 [Edinburgh's annual weekend overdose of fiddle has stalls. bars. food. records, instruments. big names. small names and live music in every corner of the Assembly Rooms. Assent/fly Rooms, Edinburgh, Hi lQ—Sun 2/ Nov. (Fe/k) Gwyneth Herbert Gwyneth Herbert (pictured) is the latest moderater talented English singer to be saddled with the next -big~tf‘tir‘tg-ittiaz/ mantle. Check her 0th for yourself on her first tflEIJOI' UK tour. Tron Theatre. G/asgow. Sat 20 Nov; Queen '3 Ha”, Edinburgh. Sun 27 Nov. (Jazz) Kanye West Most masterful hip hop shapes thrown by the ‘College Dropout' whose talents have united hardcore hip hop heads and fervent pop kids. See preview. Car/ing Academy, G/asgow, Wed 24 8« Mon 29 Nov. (Rock 8 Pop) Shellac See preview. left. Liquid Room, Edinburgh, Sun 28 Nov. (Rock & Pop) 1? NYJOS Richard Michael leads his youthful charges in the National Youth Jazz Orchestra of Scotland in a one-off special at this new venue, with Mark Bassey as a special guest on trombone. Oran Mor, Glasgow, Sun 28 Nov. (Jazzy