REVIEW POP CLAIRE WOOD The Halt Bar, Glasgow, Sun 6 Jul 00
Claire Wood is off to seek her fame and fortune in London after spending the last ten years in Glasgow's piano bars. She decided to launch her EP, Grow. and say farewell to her friends. family and suppOrters of her music.
Together with her band. Nicola West on cello and Paul Tracey on acoustic guitar. she opens this set with the title track: haunting synths. swooning cello and heartfelt vocals that hush the crowd immediately.
‘Here to the Finish Line' showcases Wood‘s accomplished piano style. Lyrics like ‘not my intention to race you again but here we are crossing some kind of finish line' draws comparisons with Faith Hill. Alluding to her piano bar past. Wood throws in a couple of covers: The Waterboys' classic ‘Whole of the Moon‘ gets a swoonsome makeover with gentle. tinkling piano and breathy vocals. Claire Wood is very good at writing angsty. breathy ballads. though there isn't evidence of much else here. Wood needs to break away from her past life to define herself as the complete artist. (Leigh Rafferty)
64 THE LIST 1? —.’l1 Jul 2008
ROCK
THE SHAKES King Tut’s, Glasgow, Thu 10 Jul 0000
Gracing the stage at King Tut's with their presence for the first time. Dumbarton band The Shakes played to a full house. As the first guitar pickings of ‘Every Time I Go Away' begin the audience cheers — one of their more mellow tracks but one to get your head bobbing.
With 'Little Romancer' Gillies (vocals) really lets loose his bluesy. gravely voice. performing like he belongs there (actually they all do) although he can't seem to bring himself to open his eyes and look at the crowd - which is very endearing. if a little surprising.
On final track 'Driffic'. The Shakes show how good they are with driving guitars. drum fills galore. bass that you can feel in the pit of your stomach and vocals that hold their own against the momentum-building wall of sound.
With every song different to the one before. The Shakes play rock‘n'roll the way it's supposed to be played; with urgency. passion and energy - and evidently they make sure they‘re having a good time whilst they're doing it. (Leigh Rafferty)
today?
(Doug Johnstone)
Island, Sat 76 Aug.
GARAGE ROCK WHITE DENIM
Captain’s Rest, Glasgow, Thu 10 Jul 000.
Sweaty. shoebox—sized spaces like the Captain's Rest are just the sort of venues Glasgow needs more of. and rough'n'ready. in yer face. garage rock trios like Austin's White Denim are just the sort of bands to fill them — even if violently shrill guitars like frontman James Petralli's probably ought not to be played in such close proximity to peoples‘ heads. The Texans' debut album Workout Holiday uses the MC5‘s big-muffed proto-punk as a ramp for a whole range of funky, psychedelic stunts. A wildly beaten cowbell drives signature single ‘Let's Talk About lt' forward irresistibly: Hendrixian jerk ‘I Can Tell' is revved up feverishly during its verses. then cooled off into a slow. soulful howl come the chorus.
Petralli's voice is the counterpoint to his piercing guitar: warm and bluesy with a built-in distortion all of its own. Drummer Joshua Block's backing vocals might have been lost when his mic misfired. had he not just got out of his stool and shouted instead, just one boon of playing in such a small room, I suppose. (Malcolm Jack)
Tomorrow's music today. This issue: Gin Gob/ins
Gin Goblins are Edinburgh punk legends, having delivered a unique brand of schlocky horror doom hardcore for the last 16 years. When The Horrors were still in short pants, Gin Goblins were getting victimised by Scottish tabloids and banned from narrow-minded towns thanks to their extreme, blood-drenched onstage antics. We spoke to Dave Gin Goblin as the band prepared to support American legends The Dickies
How does it feel to be considered veterans?
‘lt's kind of weird. but we try not to think about it much. Folk have said a lot of things about us over the years. we stopped listening after a while.‘ What do you think of today’s music scene?
'The music around has got even worse than when we started. if that's possible. There is good stuff out there. but the sea of shit you have to sail through to find it is getting larger all the time. The day we stop thinking were great is the day we stop doing it. You have to think you're great. don't you? Otherwise what's the point?‘
What advice would you give to young bands starting out
'Please yourself and don't try to jump on bandwagons. Even if you fail disrnally. at least you've been true to y0urself. rather than trying to please some idiot in a Suit in London. you know? Once you go down the road of a major label. the likelihood is it's going to screw up your band. you're better off doing everything yourself.‘
I Liquid Room, Edinburgh, Mon 28 Jul; The island of Punk, Cramond
ROCK KT TUNSTALL AND THE PICTISH TRAIL
Alhambra Theatre, Dunferrnline, Thu 10 Jul 0000
This first proper gig for the newly- refurbished l700-seater Alhambra is a fitting one, with returning Fifer Tunstall warming up fOr T in the Park. Opening is Johnny Lynch. aka The Pictish Trail, second-in-command of the Fence Collective. who is airing tracks from his magnificent forthcoming album Secret Soundz Vol. 7.
His robust set is full of hypnotic folk- drone electro-psych-rock gems, with a sound comparable to Hot Chip- meets-Beta Band. with a dynamite voice thrown in. Closer 'Words Fail Me Now' cranks things up to Led Zep levels. suggesting the Trail has the potential to be epic.
This is a honed yet homely live machine, and she makes for an utterly charming presence. This is real songwriting pedigree on show. from the raucous crowd-pleasers like ‘Hold On' and ‘Suddenly I See' to the vocal gymnastics of ‘If Only'. And hot damn. ‘Black Horse and the Cherry Tree' is still impressive as hell. Two of Fife's finest in a new Fife landmark — can't say fairer than that. (Doug Johnstone)