Music
PREVIEW ROCK RESIDENCY IDLEWILD King Tut’s, Glasgow, Wed 17–Sun 21 Dec
It’s a good time to be an Idlewild fan. For one thing there’s a new album on the way, set to be released in April, and before that we have this one-off run of King Tut’s shows – that’s six brilliant records delivered live, across five nights. He’s just become a father and, as ever, is busy with all manner of folky projects, but when we catch up with frontman Roddy Woomble at home, it’s clear he can’t wait to get back to the noisier side of music-making.
‘The last record was a bit of a disaster in terms
of promotion, with the label being sold just two months after it was released, but we’re realists. The music industry is going through massive changes and although we got offered a few deals we’ve decided to put our next record out ourselves, with the help of the Scottish Arts Council. It just made more sense for us. With the internet pre-sale we’ll get it to people directly and all the extras for fans mean you can be personally involved in the album in some way.’ Those eager to hear new material, however, will have to wait a little longer, as these forthcoming Glasgow shows will be classic material only. ‘It’s going to be funny doing ‘Hope Is Important’ and ‘Captain’ because they were written by a band of 19-year-olds and we play them really differently now. Actually we need to get rehearsing as there’s a few songs we’ve never done live . . . but the spirit of this week of gigs is not about perfection, it’s about putting on something really special.’ (Camilla Pia)
PREVIEW SKA THE SKATALITES Liquid Room, Edinburgh, Thu 11 Dec; The Arches, Glasgow, Sat 13 Dec
Well, you could hardly propose a less festive gig, but ska pioneers The Skatalites make their triumphant return to Scottish shores this month for another round of spot-the-founding-member. There ought to be three, namely Lloyd Knibb, whose drumming style was instrumental in the form of the ska sound, Lester ‘Ska’ Sterling on trumpet and saxophone, and original vocalist Doreen Shuffer. These three veterans helped to make up the nine-strong pioneering brass super-group that heralded huge influence on the development of Jamaican music and played with every notable reggae artist of the early 60s, from Bob Marley to Peter Tosh and Jimmy Cliff to Toots and the Maytals. Thus they can lay claim to a staggering number of original riddims, despite the Alpha Boys School alumni disbanding after little more than a year amid clashing egos and the incarceration of troubled genius Don Drummond.
The current line-up, reformed in 1983, may now lament the loss of legends
Tommy McCook, Jackie Mittoo and Rolando Alphonso but their ranks have consistently been replenished with notable talent, not least in saxophonist and flautist Cedric ‘Im’ Brooks, and can guarantee an evening of positive vibes and skanking good sounds. The Skatalites also remain one of the few outfits that can claim to have been culpable for an audience member having literally danced herself to death. Let’s hope they’ve brushed up on their carols. (Mark Edmundson)
74 THE LIST 11 Dec 2008–8 Jan 2009
PREVIEW INDIE THE VASELINES ABC, Glasgow, Fri 12 Dec
‘No-one would be listening to us now if Nirvana hadn’t covered our songs,’ says The Vaselines’ Eugene Kelly with disarming honesty. ‘We’d just be another band who released an album, broke up and then disappeared. But the Nirvana connection meant that Sub Pop put our music out in America, and that generated an audience for us throughout the world.’ That’s why the Glaswegian indie-pop duo, Kelly and Frances McKee, can find
this year’s reformation gigs eagerly anticipated by so many a whole 18 years after they split. Since then Kelly has fronted Captain America, later known as Eugenius after Marvel Comics disapproved, while McKee has released records as Suckle, is raising a family and also works full-time as a teacher. Both have recorded solo albums, although Kelly again notes self-deprecatingly that neither have set the world alight.
Yet, earlier this year, one low-key semi-acoustic set in 2006 notwithstanding, the pair played a full electric set in Mono at a charity gig organised by McKee’s sister. At the time they didn’t expect it to lead anywhere, but an unexpected visit from McKee’s in-laws allowed her to leave her children just long enough to play Sub Pop’s 20th anniversary in Seattle and a couple of dates in New York. Now – backed by Belle and Sebastian’s Stevie Jackson and Bob Kildea, and 1990s’ Michael McGaughrin – the pair are actively seeking gig and festival dates next year, and are even intent on writing new material together. ‘We kind of have to,’ laughs Kelly, ‘because the entire Vaselines back catalogue is about 54 minutes’ worth in total’. (David Pollock)