Foxface
Walk this wa
Malcolm Jack chats to promoters and performers at Hey You Get Off My Pavement! who are all praying for a classic festival and clement weather
‘ ou know how you learn from had Yexperiences‘." muses Paul Ranter in relation to Hey You (iet Off My Pavementl. cafe/har/record store Mono’s sun- drenched inaugural festival of l()()(). ‘Well everything went perfectly that year. so we didn‘t learn anything. Then last year everything went wrong. and we learned a lot. So hopefully this is going to he the best one yet.‘ By ‘everything‘. Ranter — llY(}()MP!‘s promoter --
refers specifically to that all too familiar scourge of
outdoor events in Scotland: the weather. The heavens threw everything they had at the Mono courtyard last year. soaking punters and musicians alike. damaging speakers. upsetting running times and plunging the whole event into soggy disarray.
People still seemed to enjoy themselves. mind. “It was one of those days where the weather was so had you just had to have a good time.‘ comments Ranter. ‘lt was the only way to get through it‘. In a hid to avoid a similar battering from the elements in 2008. however. organisers have hrought the event forward frotn its usual late August slot to late June. a (theoretically) dryer part of the summer.
(‘apacity will he upped this year from l()()() to l2()(). while the addition of a second stage inside Mono
itself will hoost the numher of artists able to play over
the course of the day to l5. Among them will he the usual diverse mix of closely Mono-affiliated local up- and-comers ((iummy Stumps. l‘oxface and The liuropean Union). specially invited out-of—ttmners (Pictish Trail. School of Language and l-‘elix Kuhinl and fresh-out-of—the-can newcomers (Plaaydoh. Sparkling Shada/J. and Jacoh Yates).
‘THERE'S NO REAL GAP BETWEEN AUDIENCE AND PERFORMER'
Belle & Sehastian guitarist Stevie Jackson will appear too. playing his higgest solo show to date. He was present as a spectator dttring last year‘s downpour-fest. and felt that none of llY(i().\ll’?’s tmique. ego-free spirit was washed away by the had weather. 'l)espite the fact that it was torrential rain. it was still kind of a nice. laid—hack feel.~ he says. '11 didn‘t even feel like a festival where there's the audience hit that‘s muddy. and the artists‘ hit where
it‘s quicker to get a drink; it's quite nice that none of
that exists here. It‘s just a stage. a har and everybody in together. I don't think there‘s any real gap between audience and performer.‘
lleadlining will he (ilasgow indie pop stalwarts (‘amera ()hscura. who return to the live circuit after a hard stint locked in a studio in Stockholm. recording their fourth album. '\\'e've quite a few festival shows over the summer. and we‘re quite keen to get out there.‘ says guitarist Kenny McKeeve. "l‘here will he a few more slightly exotic locations than (ilasgow. but we‘re still excited to kick things off with this one.’ As McKeeve points out. considering the city's frequently dreieh conditions. ll\'(i().\ll’l having suffered only one wet year out of two so far isn‘t had. ‘50/50 is ()K for (ilasgow’. he says. 'l'iingers crossed it doesn't rain this time. but I'm sure it'll he a great laugh either way.’
Ranter too is cautiously optimistic: ‘I think that happening twice to us just wouldn‘t he fair.’ And should the skies hlacken and let rip once more? Then they‘ll learn the most important lesson of all: ‘If it does happen again. god must hate us.‘
Mono, Glasgow, Sun 29 Jun.
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* >l<
>i< Radiohead With the splendid Bat for Lashes in support. this should be a storming night as the ‘head inject some colour into our lives with a bunch of in Rainbows tunes. See feature, page 18. Glasgow. Green, Fri 27 Jun. (Rock & Pop)
=i< Hey You Get Off My Pavement! See preview. left. Mono, Glasgow, Sun 29 Jun. (Rock & Pop)
2%: My Bloody Valentine Indie fans of a certain age will be ecstatic about this reunion of the former Creation lot who released a couple of highly influential guitar rock albums at the turn of the 908. then disappeared with little trace. See preview, page 69. Barrow/and, Glasgow, Wed 2 & Thu 3 Jul. (Rock 8. Pop)
=3: Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry The reggae and dub legend may now be in his 708 but he’s still proving that good will always conquer evil. See 5 Reasons. page 73. Liquid Room, Edinburgh, Thu 26 Jun. {Rock & Pop)
$ Glasgow International Jazz Festival Another eclectic mix of jazzers this year with the likes of Terry Hall, Polar Bear. Bobby Watson and Mari Wilson all showing up. See previews from page 68. Various venues, Glasgow, Fri 20-Sun 29 Jun. (Jazz)
=23 Duty Free A series of gigs under the Duty Free banner including the likes of Love Anna, Smoked Glass and Culann. See Errors preview, page 69. Cabaret Voltaire, Edinburgh, Mon 23, Thu 26, Sun 29 Jun, Thu 3 Jul. (Flock & Pop)
2%: Féte de la Musique Aiding the celebration of Traditional Music Day in Europe. the French Institute plays host to around 100 musicians who will present various music brands. See Exposure, page 70. Various venues, Edinburgh, Sat 27 Jun. (Rock 8 Pop)
‘3‘.“ THE LIST 67