in: ARCADE FIRE GUU. Glasgow. Thu 5 May
Vic Galloway casts an oar
: towards the festival season
,. , ,, Summertime! Well, almost . . . as the weather picks up so does the festival season. The Fence Homegame kicked things off in surtable style. and let me Just say how lucky we are to have such a
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POP
RICKY ROSS
Queen's Hall. Edinburgh. Wed 11 May; Henry Wood Hall. Glasgow. Thu 12 May
Deacon Blue’s ecstatic reception at the recent tsunami benefit concert was indication enough that Scotland has an ongoing love affair with Ricky Ross’ simply effecting pop tunes. Just don’t ask the man to reform his mainstream pop vehicle full-time.
‘I do write the occasional song and think that would be a good Deacon Blue song, but I’m not sure I could face the heartache of doing another Deacon Blue album,’ he says over coffee in Glasgow's Cafe Gandolfi. ‘It was just too much work. Eventually I hated them all so much.’
One assumes that doesn’t include co-singer Lorraine McIntosh, his wife and now a successful actress in Scottish soap River City. With other Deacon Blue members now all busy with different careers there seems little chance of a full-scale reunion, but anyway, Ross is concentrating on his solo work, the latest product of which, the new Pale Rider album, shows a man in melancholic mood but retaining that pure pop heart we know and love. Recorded with long time pal Davey Scott of the Pearlfishers, Pale Rider is a blend of
country, Beach Boys orchestral pop and piano-led musings, and it’s a gentle treat, a record for the morning after the night before.
‘I wanted to make things overlap and hang loose a wee bit, and not try and make it too neat and structured,’ says Ross. ‘80 I went back to the piano. I’d lost the knack of writing on the piano for a long time because I’d started picking up the guitar, but writing on the piano again was great. For a solo record, you have to stretch yourself a wee bit, don’t you?’
Ross presumably never has to make another record to pay the mortgage in his life (Deacon Blue sold literally millions of records, Ross was main songwriter, you do the maths), so what inspires him to keep at it?
‘l’m never sure if I want to make another record, to be honest,’ he says. ‘But I’m always writing and recording, collaborating with different people. I’m 47 years old and the music business is all I know.’
As we chat it’s clear that Ross has lost none of his love for music, enthusing about the currently vibrant Scottish scene, and quoting Mylo and Aberfeldy as recent examples of great and diverse acts attaining success on their own terms. And let’s face it, success on your own terms is something Ross knows all about. (Doug Johnstone)
thing as Triptych. What an incredible line-up! It's fast approaching being the most innovative. forward-thinking celebration of cutting edge sounds this side of All Tomorrow's Parties (which will have been and gone by the time you read this. I'm afraid).
If you're thinking further afield. you'd be advised to take a visit to Barcelona for the excellent Sonar festival. It may be a bit hard on the wallet. but well worth the wander to see an event like no other. Perhaps the way all festivals will be in ‘the future’. it takes place in two parts of the city — the centre and the outskirts - and concentrates on electronic music. Last year it blew my mind. The day event has an urban. chin- stroking. laid back cool (with some amazing music. films and installations. I might add) set within the outdoor surroundings of the city's Museum of Contemporary Art. The night event is the biggest 'rave' you've ever witnessed! Imagine 50.000 Spaniards dancing on the Starship Enterprise . . . odd, but awe-inspiring.
Glastonbury. Reading. Leeds. V and the constantly growing T in the Park are also announcing tremendous bills as the weeks go on. and you can certainly let your hair down at some more chilled. family affairs like the Wicker Man or the Green Man. The next month or so could be the calm before the storm (hopefully not literally) that approaches. ‘Gigged- out' is an expression that occasionally gets used. but never when the music's this good. May your summer be festive. my friends!
Vic Galloway presents BBC Radio Scotland's ‘Air' every Mon from 8. 05-70pm on BBC Radio 1 on Thu from 7.30-9pm. See next issue of The List for a guide to this summer’s festivals.
27: Apr—12 Ma,» 2005 THE LIST 71