Rudi Zygadlo
Clubs
MINI-FESTIVAL QABALALA The Third Door & Assembly Bar, Edinburgh, Sun 8 Apr
In the past month it’s seemed there’s been precious little to get excited about on Edinburgh’s clubbing and live scene, but let’s put the hand-wringing to one side for a few paragraphs and remember that people are still out there trying to get things done. Like the Third Door, for example, the former Bristo Square student pulling den known as Medina, which has become one of the city’s leading small music venues of late thanks to the creative direction of Ten Tracks online label founder Ed Stack.
So this Easter Sunday special (named not in honour of Madonna’s spiritual leanings, but to tie the religious philosophy’s ‘celebrate everything’ mentality to what Ten Tracks do) is an opportunity to show off what’s happening at the Third Door and also to shine a light on the music programme Stack has begun at the rebranded Assembly Bar upstairs. ‘We’ve got a wide spectrum of tastes and interests, from the acoustic to the electronic,’ he says, ‘but we like to present them in a way that makes sense. Here we’ll be starting with noise bands and ending with the clean, African- influenced electronic music of [Glasgow’s] Auntie Flo.’ In between there’ll also be dubstep from Planet Mu’s Rudi Zygadlo, ‘metal-dance’ act Tokamak and Leeds industrial gang Nope, as well as DJ representatives from No Globe, Departure Lounge and many more upstairs. ‘The situation isn’t great in Edinburgh at the moment,’ concedes Stack, ‘but we have a fantastic soundsystem, the right capacity and an eclectic policy. To nurture a local scene you need to be accepting and supportive, and sometimes the most important thing is to just let things happen.’ (David Pollock)
INDIE FINALE PINUP NIGHTS: GAME OVER Flying Duck, Glasgow, Fri 30 Mar TRANCE ABOVE & BEYOND Barrowland, Glasgow, Fri 20 Apr
Has there ever been an indie night that’s worked as hard as Pinup Nights? Perhaps, but none have managed to alchemise the same mix of cannily chosen guest DJs, intelligently-curated young bands, painstaking theme nights and frankly dedicated gimmickry to the same effect. And now it’s over, and Glasgow will be a sadder place. ‘A lot of people have been asking why we’re stopping when things are going so well,’ says John D McGonagle, who founded Pinups almost nine years ago. ‘We want to go out – not at the top, that sounds really big-headed – but on our own terms.’ He doesn’t believe in revivals, and says if he ever throws a one-off party again it will
be in a different venue under a different name. What a finale they have planned, though, with live sets from Miaoux Miaoux and Sonny Marvello, plus Twilight Sad, Malcolm Middleton and Emma Pollock playing acoustic sets in the kitchen bar. Plus there’s the online campaign to get Jarvis Cocker to come and DJ, which McGonagle has been desperate to make happen since the club began. In the spirit of praising-not-burying, then, what have been his favourite ever Pinups
moments? ‘Getting a photo of Aidan Moffat, Frank McAvennie and Paolo Nutini chatting away last year was very amusing,’ he says. ‘Florence Welch DJing, Friendly Fires, Alex James – who didn’t sell out, strangely – and Tony Wilson’s screamo set. It was horrendous and it cleared the room, I don’t know what he was thinking on that night. I could write a book on it all – and it would be just like Peter Hook’s How Not to Run a Club.’(David Pollock)
Some dismiss trance as lowest common denominator dance music but for many it’s the epitome of club culture, the big build-ups, the huge breakdowns, glo- sticks, lasers and Gatecrasher kids. Whatever the critical reception, trance is wildly popular. Only names like Tiësto, Deadmau5 and Armin van Buuren can sell out stadiums, arenas and festivals. And Above & Beyond are joining their ranks. ‘Unlike some more disjointed, technical dance music, trance music has songs. Above & Beyond’s music is an attempt to deal with the emotional questions we all ask from time to time and if not provide answers at least show that someone else is feeling the same way as you,’ explains Tony McGuiness, one third of A&B alongside Jono Grant and Paavo Siljamäki. ‘That’s the reason why trance is getting more popular, rather than being in a dark club with your head down lost in a journey of your own.’
McGuiness and co pay far more attention to the live experience than most other DJs. ‘We’ve put a lot of time, effort and a considerable amount of money into producing something that looks good while you’re listening to the music.’ Above & Beyond want to create a shared experience with the crowd, writing messages on screen to further connect with the audience. ‘Paavo has been instrumental in getting the software from the decks to speak to the software that drives the visuals so that whatever clips we choose are exactly in time to the music. They’re all themed so it’s almost like a little film.’ (Henry Northmore)
54 THE LIST 29 Mar–26 Apr 2012