Music ROCK&POP
Saturday 5 Glasgow FREE EFC Festival Rock/Metal Stage Clutha Vaults, Stockwell Street, 552 7520. noon. Festival raising money for Yorkhill hospital. Saturday’s bill comprises Full Metal Racket, Demon’s Eye, Fistfights & Foreplay, Heavy Load, The Wee Band, Rat Patrol, Big Licks and Three Card Trick. The Junkyard Dawgs, Black Triangles, Big Black Taxi, The Seventh Sons, Five Wheel Drive, Slutcake, Upshot and The Crowdaddies play on Sunday. FREE EFC Festival Acoustic The Victoria Bar @ the Clutha, 159 Bridgegate, 552 6040. 4pm. Acoustic bill headed by The Chinaskis on Saturday with Stephanie Manns, Mark Copeland and more, then The Sundancer are joined by the likes of Last National Band, Carl Bridgeman and Steven Leonard on Sunday. ■ Spring Break Stairway Club, 95 Union Street, 221 1009. 4pm. £6. Indoor festival, featuring Athos, Holy Pistol Club, Shooting Stansfield, The Kleptocrats, Six Storeys High, Chris Jones, Havana Rising and more. ■ EFC Festival Ska & Punk Maggie May’s, 60 Trongate, 548 1350. 5pm. £8–£10. Ska and punk bill featuring The Counterfeit Clash, Bombskare, The Jackhammers, The Skarsoles, The Red Eyes and more all hosted by Jim Gellatly. FREE David Duffy MacSorley’s, 42 Jamaica Street, 248 8581. 5.30pm. See Sat 28. ■ Wasted Radio Classic Grand, 18 Jamaica Street, 847 0820. 6.30pm. £5. Sleazy rock headliners. ■ Holy Esque Stereo, 20-28 Renfield Lane, 222 2254. 7pm. See Fri 4. ■ James Blackshaw and Rob St John Whitehill Theatre, Whitehill Secondary School, 280 Onslow Drive. 7pm. £6 (£5). London-based avant-folk finger-picking guitarist. ■ Knock On Effect Òran Mór, 731–735 Great Western Road, 357 6200. 7pm. £8. Greenock indie rock’n’rollers. ✽✽ New Order O2 Academy, 121 Eglinton Street, 0844 477 2000. 7pm. £35. Over-14s show. One of the UK’s most influential bands sans errant bassist Peter Hook. See interview, page 80. ■ Rock for Funds Pivo Pivo, 15 Waterloo Street, 564 8100. 7.30pm. Two- day charity fundraiser. FREE Williwaw & Friends The Chalet, 18 Dixon Avenue, donkeyscratch.com/williwaw 7.30pm. A gig from the ukulele-wielding williwaw and various comrades, backed by archive film footage and forming the close of Streetland festival. FREE 2 Storeys The Buff Club, 142 Bath Lane, 248 1777. 7.30pm. Ambient electro jazz quartet. ■ Devilock Nice’n’Sleazy, 421 Sauchiehall Street, 333 0900. 8pm. £5. Tribute to Danzig-era Misfits. ■ Holy Mountain Mono, 12 Kings Court, King Street, 553 2400. 8pm. £4 in advance; £5 on door. See Fri 27. ■ The Stones and Hypermusic The Ferry, 25 Anderston Quay, 01698 360085. 8pm. £10.50 in advance; £12 on the night; £24.45 with early dinner at 6pm. See Fri 4. ■ This Feeling Flat 0/1, 162 Bath Street, 331 6227. 8pm–2am. £8 ; £6 advance. London’s rock’n’roll mod night. With guests Born Blonde, The 10:04s and Modern Faces, and DJs. FREE The Collectors McChuills, 40 High Street, 552 2135. 8.30pm– midnight. Mod, garage and R&B covers. FREE Crisis Samuel Dow’s, 67–71 Nithsdale Road, 423 0107. 8.30pm. Live. ■ Love & Money King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut, 272a St Vincent Street, 221 5279. 8.30pm. £29. Continuing the band’s successful reunion, Love & Money frontman James Grant is joined by co- founder Paul McGeechan and original members Gordon Wilson and Douglas
90 THE LIST 26 Apr–24 May 2012
EXPOSURE
Tomorrow’s music today. This issue: Friends. Photogenic bunch, aren’t they?
The List makes two predictions with regards to this fresh Brooklyn indie post-punk-funk ensemble. 1) They’re going to be the sound of many people’s summer, and 2) they’re going to have music journos punning furiously on their sitcom namesake. Vocalists Samantha Urbani and Lesley Hann cut a striking presence at the front of a five-piece who do approximately nothing to dispel the notion that Brooklyn is a borough populated entirely by stick-thin über-hipsters. Well, apart from the guy who looks a bit like Ron Jeremy, anyway.
They’re asking for it calling themselves Friends, non? NME and the BBC have tipped these guys for greatness in 2012 – are they really all that?
True, though in fairness they’re not named after the TV show or Jennifer Aniston, but rather the debut album by 80s British goth-rock band The Bolshoi. We don’t hear much goth influence in their spare, groovesome stuff – debut singles ‘I’m His Girl’ and ‘Friend Crush’ recall Tom Tom Club, ESG and, broadly speaking, the sound of early 80s New York, when post-punk, disco and hip hop all collided so spectacularly. Meanwhile the B-side of the former tune is a cover of 90s summertime R&B bounce ‘My Boo’ by Ghost Town DJs.
Observers inclined to point out that we’ve seen several groups of Friends’ general ilk emerge in recent years to questionable substantive avail – New Young Pony Club, CSS, The Phenomenal Handclap Band etc – may not be impressed. But if disgustingly cool music by disgustingly cool people is your bag, they’ll be there for you. Couldn’t help yourself with the punning thing could you?
No. (Malcolm Jack) ■ King Tut’s, Glasgow, Mon 7 May.
MacIntyre, along with bassist Ewen Vernal, former Thrum vocalist Monica Queen and moothie legend Fraser Spiers. The band launch new album The Devil’s Debt at this intimate show. Edinburgh ■ Dancing in the Streets The Edinburgh Playhouse, 18–22 Greenside Place, 0844 871 3014. 4pm & 8pm. £8.75–£30.50. See Mon 30. ■ Ged Hanley Trio, The Blackjack Blues Band, Fatlips and U-Know- Hoo Whistlebinkies, 4–6 South Bridge, 557 5114. 5pm. Free before midnight; £4 after. Covers, blues, indie and funk rock. FREE Camii Sinclair The Jazz Bar, 1 Chambers Street, 220 4298. 6pm. See Sat 28. ■ The Flavours The Jam House, 5 Queen Street, 226 4380. 6pm. £4. See Fri 27. ■ The Kiks Studio 24, 24–26 Calton Road, 558 3758. 6pm. £7 (£6). Indie. ■ Caezium and The Alibis Wee Red Bar, Edinburgh College of Art, Lauriston Place, 229 1442. 7pm. £4 (£3). Synth- laden electro rock. ■ Davey Horne Electric Circus, 36–39 Market Street, 226 4224. 7pm. £5. Soul, pop and Americana as Davey Horne of the Ray Summers launches his solo EP. ■ House of Crust Chernobyl Benefit Bannerman’s, 55 Niddry Street, 556 3254. 7pm. £tbc. Two days of punk and hardcore all for charity. FREE Stewart MacLennan Henderson’s Vegetarian Restaurant, 94 Hanover Street, 225 2131. 7pm. See Sat 28. ■ Vom, Red Death, Jacob Flynch and Grimalkin555 Henry’s Cellar Bar, 8–16 Morrison Street, 228 9393. 7pm.
£5. Noise, goth, shoegaze and heavy rock. ■ White Heath, Miasma, Culann and Sanna The Third Door, 45–47 Lothian Street, 225 6313. 7pm. £7 (£5). Experimental alt.rock headliners. FREE Betty’s Bar Unplugged Betty’s Bar, 14–16 Grosvenor Street, 337 4315. 8pm. See Thu 26. ■ The Machine Room, Thank You So Nice and Reverieme The Voodoo Rooms, 19a West Register Street, 556 7060. 8pm. £tbc. Dreamy Edinburgh guitar pop.
Sunday 6 Glasgow FREE EFC Festival Rock/Metal Stage Clutha Vaults, Stockwell Street, 552 7520. 12pm. See Sat 5. ■ EFC Festival Indie Blackfriars, 36 Bell Street, 552 5924. 1pm. £5 in advance; £6 on door.. Indie bill, featuring The Mode, The Sneaks, Confusion, Media Whores, The Coffins, Vladimir, The Sneaky Russians, Evol, Sixth Avenue Traffic, Anna Gomez, The Cosmonatus, Minor Delilah and Kirsty’s Metal Hands. FREE EFC Festival Acoustic The Victoria Bar @ the Clutha, 159 Bridgegate, 552 6040. 4pm. See Sat 5. ■ EFC Festival Rock Maggie May’s, 60 Trongate, 548 1350. 4pm. £8 in advance: £10 on door. Rock line-up that includes Volts, Gallus Cooper, Starseed, Gallus Gun Tribute, Ninetysix4, Debrasco and Aerial View in aid of Yorkhill hospital. FREE Kevin McCormakc, Life in Theory and Thirteen Stars Slouch, 203–205 Bath Street, 221 5518. 6pm. Live music at the weekly Blues Kitchen.
■ Polar and Carcer City Stairway Club, 95 Union Street, 221 1009. 6pm. £6. Guildford-based punk rockers. ■ Dexys Cottiers Theatre, 93–95 Hyndland Street, 357 4000. 7pm. £25. Kevin Rowland’s mighty soul ensemble (of Midnight Runners fame) reconvene to play One Day I’m Going To Soar, their first new album in 26 years, plus some golden oldies. ■ Lianne La Havas Òran Mór, 731–735 Great Western Road, 357 6200. 7pm. £10. Fragrant soulful singer/guitarist, recently seen on Later with Jools Holland. ■ The River 68s Stereo, 20-28 Renfield Lane, 222 2254. 7pm. Strutting vintage style from this Glasgow band, whose guitarist Christian McCabe was picked to model Paul Weller’s clothing collection for Liam Gallagher’s Pretty Green label. ■ Starboy Nathan O2 ABC2, 330 Sauchiehall Street, 332 2232. 7pm. £10. Over-14s show. London-based R&B. ■ Steak Number Eight The Art School, The Beresford Building, 468 Sauchiehall Street, 353 4410. 7pm. £5. Sludge metal from Belgium. ■ Pipe Factory Closing Party Mono, 12 Kings Court, King Street, 553 2400. 7.30pm. £5. Featuring ‘eight interpretations of the post-apocalypse’ from North American War, Smack Wizards, The Rosy Crucifixion, Organs of Love and members of Remember Remember, Happy Particles, Gropetown, Palms, Ultimate Thrush and 1990s. ■ Rock for Funds Pivo Pivo, 15 Waterloo Street, 564 8100. 7.30pm. See Sat 5. FREE Blues Open Mic Box, 431 Sauchiehall Street, 332 5431. 8pm. See Sun 29.