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POLK
HOPE OF THE STATES King Tut's, Glasgow, Thu 30 Mar .0.
lhere “.‘thl'fr a handful cf moments tonight when the planets aligned to conjure up a haunting and spectacular sound that transcended the band‘s usual Bent/sent Radiohead. often Liam Gallagherstyle vocals and soupedvup folk. But other than one fren/ied tam and the moment when Sam Herlihys voice pliiritiiieted to Tom Waits depths, I spent most of the time deciding who on stage had the best haircut. wondering what all the buttons on the miXing desk actually did and trying to remember if I'd left the iron on. But I was in the minority: rapturous applause greeted all the songs. which were interspersed with references to Bill Hicks and one request from an audience-goer to sing at their wedding. ‘That's some sharp waistcoat.' somebody behind me observed wryly mid-gig of Herlihy's cliOice of outfit. This eVidently is a band whose fashion chOices and musical inspiration hark back to the er . . . good old days of about ten years ago. lEmma Newlandsl
ROCK
THE LEG
Goulag Beat at Ego, Edinburgh, Thu 30 Mar 0...
While the Leg represents a chance to be third time lucky for the men behind Edinburgh's fondly-recalled 'John Peel favourites' (read: huge prOVinCial talents With not a sniff of commerCIal successl Desc and Khaya. this is no tiresome retread of prewously-trodden ground.
The power trio are in fact a revelation at this first-ever show. adapting the musCuIar discordances of FugaZi for (very IOudl acoustic guitar and electric cello. Alun Thomas drumming is rippling and inventive. while Dan Mulch is no less a yelling, honest and bitineg engaging frontman than he was the last time boards were trodden by this lot. Witness their fuming kraut- country reshuffle of Kraftwerk's ‘The Model' for a masterclass in making a song yOur own. (David Pollock)
ALBUM LAUNCH THE WENDY HOUSE
Mono, Glasgow, Thu 20 Apr .0.
A bunch of like-minded acts brOLight together by an ethic of creative strength in numbers. it would be easy to understand The Wendy House as a West Coast riposte to a certain other ‘collective' based on the opposne Slde
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ROCK PAULO NUTINI Barfly, Glasgow, Tue 12 Apr 000
Proof if it were needed that appearances really can be (’leceptive. this photogenic. DOSSlbly-Oll-HTO' verge-of-greatthing s singer- songwriter namechecks two streets in Paisley partway through his set. hard evrdence of the Glaswegian side of his background lfrom his mother; hidden all too well by ltalian roots on his father's side. He treats the assembled crowd to a strong VOICO delivered with what can orin be described as sheer 80s hair-metal enthusiasm. occasionally even hitting a falsetto. It's Only when you hear the line ‘if I was 23' that you remember he's only in his late teens. Predominantly rocky. referencing good old ‘crazy drunken nights'. there‘s room for a little bit of c0untiy and reggae too. An unfulfilled - dammit! - threat to take his tor) off at one pOint is met With hearty eXCitement from the strong female contingent. while a heartfelt ‘thanks for listening rounds off proceedings, lEmma NewlandSl
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lNDlE ROCK SNOW PATROL Eyes Open
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Snow Patrol have always been a more inventive and experimental indie outfit than their hit singles and current million selling status might have the casual listener believe. You would’ve expected some of those tendencies to be curbed in this follow-up to the colossal success of The Final Straw. and to begin with that seems to be the case. Eyes Open is front-loaded with typical Snow Patrol single material - massive choruses, great riffs, doe-eyed, heartfelt sentiment. It‘s all done excellently, and singer Gary Lightbody has never sounded better, but it's safe ground. But then, gradually, a new, fascinating Snow Patrol are slowly revealed, a band trying to spread their musical wings with startlingly successful results. ‘You Could Be Happy’ is a wonderfully understated lullaby of a thing, the choral monument of ‘Make This Go On Forever' contains the most gorgeous piano-led coda you're every likely to hear, then Martha Wainwright turns up and does a great turn in the poignant and atmospheric ‘Set the Fire to the Third Bar'. By the time we get to the bittersweet, quasi-religious closer ‘The Finish Line’ it’s the gently triumphant sound of a band managing to please the Mondeo-driving masses while also creating something brimming with ideas, charisma and flair. (Doug Johnstone)