EASY LISTENING ANDY WILLIAMS SECC, Glasgow, Tue 21 Jun
Andy Williams' re—emergence from semi-retirement in his Moon River variety theatre in Branson. Missouri a few years ago seemed like some bad Mormon nightmare. In the spring of 1999. William's minor 1967 hit 'Music to watch Girls Go By‘ entered the Top Ten in the UK thanks to a car advertisement. His subsequent appearances on radio and TV chat shows saw the then 72-year-old virtually reconstruct his image as an icon of 60s cool. It was all probably a bit too late for Williams but. up to a point. the man deserves respect. Let us not forget that. in 1966. he was the first headline performer at Caesar's Palace casino in Las Vegas. He also stood by his ex-wife Claudine Longet when she shot her lover. champion skier Spider Sabitch. in Aspen. Colorado in 1976 (she was sent down for 30 days). It's hard to imagine Frankie or Bing doing that.
So. gentlemen. Andy is coming to Glasgow. A surprisingly chipper Williams bubbles over with excitement as he talks from his heavily wooded US riverside home.
‘I love Scottish audiences. The only reason I'm coming back is because I had so much fun last time. The excitement of these young people coming to see me is phenomenal. I asked the agents over there whether they thought it was too soon for me to come back two years later and they seemed to think it wasn‘t so I'm bringing my band and friends over.’ (All 21 of them.) ‘I will be performing “Moon River". I have to do it every show or else I get complaints.‘ He laughs as his attention drifts from showbiz to the golf course. (Paul Dale)
your door. or served on a saucer with , . . , your mocha. sounds like a wonderful Ella Bell K ._= convenience. Luna will seem like a
' revelation. If you'd prefer to be slightly challenged by your listening taste on the other hand. you‘ll continue to visit those confounding record store places. (Malcolm Jack)
ALTCOUNTRY
ATTIC LIGHTS
AND DUGLAS STEWART Mono, Edinburgh,
Thu 19 May 000
As if to underline Attic Light's intentions in the fine Scots tradition of intelligent alt.country. the band were introduced in the bright. airy surroundings of Mono by Chief BMX Bandit Duglas Stewart.
INDIE POP Acting as a most gentle. personable LUNA RECORDS LAUNCH compere for the evening. Stewart Beanscene, Glasgow, Thu 26 May 000
fumbled self-consciously over the chatter of the crowd before being joined
As the music industry creaks under the by several of the Lights for a rendition of
weight of the download. and wholesale 'Serious Drugs‘. and signed off by
changes in its fabric seem imminent. thanking the audience for being so
some foresighted individuals are already understanding.
piloting means of exploiting the future . Anyone expecting a similarly lazy
market. Luna Records. an offshoot of amble from the Attic Lights. however.
Beanscene, is one such example. and 5 was swiftly corrected. as the four-piece
s was a showcase of the 'ed y. but I launched headlon into a brisk power-
ascessible‘ artists whose recorgs you'll : jangle of rare passion for Beach Boys
be able to piCk “0 eXdUSive'y Via their i deVOteeS‘ By way Of four'man Tomorrow's music today. This issue: My Latest Nove/ webSite or in the coffee houses harmonies the outfit progressed to a
themselves. j near full-on rock—out before taking in The nation’s best labels just can’t get enough of Scotland’s finest new
Edgy. that is. if a Damien Rice LP is the ; Stonesesque balladeering. strutting pop bands. Like Glasgow’s My Latest Novel - brother Chris (vocals) and Gary
sort of ‘alternative‘ big gun you reel out and rocking country-rock. Boasting I Deveney (guitar), Laura McFarlane (violin), Ryan King (drums) and Paul
to impress at dinner parties. Caragh ' bittersweet lyrics. tight harmonies and a = McGeachy (guitar) — who have just been added to Bella Union’s famously Nugent's funky acoustic stylings showed pedal steel. no less. this was a band high-quality roster. Chris Deveney tells us more.
a healthy obseSSion with Joni Mitchell. showing enormous promise. How did My Latest Novel come together?
but settled all too comfortably into the (Mark Edmundson) Ryan and Gary worked together. as did I. aura and l. and we eventually just decided current melancholy girls with guitars fad. . to come together as one group. I mean. Ryan. Gary and l have been in bands
RecoriCiling Grant Campbell's pallid Glaswegian frame with his striking 40-a- day frontiersman blues drawl was a welcome struggle. but tempered by ' songs short on charm. Ella Bell put a sinister spin on her tunes with spooky chord sequences. but still seemed to be thinking comfortably inside the box. Wild Strawberry packed admirable credentials. members having previously worked with Paul Haig and Billy i McKenzie. but proved little more than a l dad—trad indie band with a decent dress code.
If haVing digestible MOR delivered to
before . . . what were we called? (laughs) I'd rather not say! Gary used to be ill a punk band. put it that way.
What were your ambitions for the band?
We were mainly inspired by people like Smog and l ow. and by authors like Kerouac and Huxley. which is why many of our lyrics take the form of stories. But we also like things like Ivor Cutler. 60s garage. Northern Soul , . . We're really pleased how many people have warmed to us. because we didn't start the band to be popular. We just did it to have fun and write songs we liked.
And what about the Bella Union connection?
We received an email from Simon (Raymonde. head of Bella Union). He came to see us play in London. and we were impressed by the way he spoke about how much he loved our band and how he'd just let us get on with it rather than how much money we'd make. lo be honest. getting emails from Simon out the Cocteau Twins pleased us almost as much as anything! (Dawd Pollock)
I Own Mor. Glasgow. Sat 1 1 Jun.
El 2’3 .iiii‘ I’tltlfi THE LIST 69