Music ROCK&POP
EXPOSURE
THE MACHINE ROOM
One of the essential new Scottish bands to catch at this summer’s festivals (they’re playing at T in the Park and Wickerman), Edinburgh quintet The Machine Room’s grand, glistening electro-indie invokes all from New Order to Chapterhouse and The House of Love without ever losing sight of its overarching pop sensibilities. We chatted with founder-member, singer and songwriter John Bryden. But only after his post-work shower. ‘Farm stuff,’ he says. ‘Farm stuff’? Um.
My family farms near Dundee so I’m there, in my dungarees, chewing straw and shooing crows off. That clears that up. Tell us about how the band came together.
I began demoing songs in my bedroom, let some friends hear them and got quite a good response. That was the initial rush that spurred me on to try and get a band together, which happened pretty quickly after a friend’s gig at the Wee Red Bar.
The Wee Red, and Edinburgh College of Art in general, seem to feature large in The Machine Room’s story . . . Cecilia [Stamp, bassist] is the only one of us who actually studied at the ECA but as a band we rehearse and socialise there. I’ve always liked the relaxed atmosphere, where you can get chatting to people with similar interests or ways of thinking. That’s where creative things often start.
Are there any other bands in Edinburgh that you admire and share a particular affinity with? PET and Magic Eye are both making some spellbinding music, and doing so on their own terms, so we can relate to that. Go listen. (Malcolm Jack) ■ The Machine Room’s debut EP, ‘Love From a Distance’, is out now. The Machine Room play T in the Park’s T Break stage. For more on T Break, see page 24.
96 THE LIST 21 Jun–19 Jul 2012
■ The Ting Tings Queen Margaret Union, 22 University Gardens, 339 9784. 7pm. £15. CANCELLED. FREE Jamfest Pivo Pivo, 15 Waterloo Street, 564 8100. 7.30pm. Weekly open mic night. ■ Cuddly Shark, Hey Enemy and Malice The 13th Note Café/Bar, 50–60 King Street, 553 1638. 8pm. £4. Hillbilly punk rock trio from Glasgow. ■ Gavin Butler and Neil Starr King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut, 272a St Vincent Street, 221 5279. 8pm. £9. Over-14s show. Solo shows by members of The Blackout and Attack! Attack! With MakeThisRelate. FREE The MeatMen Brel, 39–43 Ashton Lane, 342 4966. 8pm. Rockabilly, bluegrass and skiffle from Glasgow trio The MeatMen. Part of the West End Festival. FREE Open Mic Box, 431 Sauchiehall Street, 332 5431. 8pm. Weekly open stage, hosted by Ross Leighton of Fatherson, with a free pint for performers. FREE Jama Lama Sing Song The Lane, Ashton Lane, 0845 166 6002. 9pm. Country-styled open mic with Dick & Del of The MeatMen. FREE Open Mic The Lane, Ashton Lane, 0845 166 6028. 9pm. Open mic sessions. Part of the West End Festival. FREE The Shiverin’ Sheiks Blackfriars, 36 Bell Street, 552 5924. 9.30pm. Rock’n’roll, country and gospel from members of The Five Aces, Bottleneckers and Hidden Masters. Edinburgh ■ Nas and Kobi Onyame The HMV Picture House, 31 Lothian Road, 0844 847 1740. 7pm. £27.50. Multi-platinum selling Brooklyn rapper and part time actor. ■ Nordoff Robins Heroes & Villains Charity Gig Electric Circus, 36–39 Market Street, 226 4224. 7pm. £4. Seven bands playing a mix of hip hop, rock, pop, folk and indie to raise money for a good cause. Prize for the best dressed hero or villain. FREE King Louie & Davie Keys The Brass Monkey Leith, 362 Leith Walk, 554 5286. 9pm. Acoustic jam of covers and originals where anyone is free to play.
NZCA/Lines
FREE Aaron Wright The Ale House, 18–22 Clerk Street, 629 0275. 9.30pm. Rootsy local singer-songwriter hosting this Red Dog songwriters session. Wednesday 27
Glasgow ■ Death Angel Ivory Blacks, 56 Oswald Street, 248 4114. 6.30pm. £12.50. Thrash metal combo from San Francisco’s Bay Area who formed in the early 80s, took some time out in the 90s and reformed in 2001. ■ Mike & the Mechanics O2 Academy, 121 Eglinton Street, 0844 477 2000. 7pm. £25. Mike Rutherford’s MOR crew return with a new vocalist in tow – Andrew Roachford of ‘Cuddly Toy’ ‘fame’. ■ 30 Miles, Bitterpills and The Depressants The 13th Note Café/ Bar, 50–60 King Street, 553 1638. 8pm. Skate punks from Italy plus Scottish supports. ■ NZCA/Lines The Captain’s, 185 Great Western Road, 332 7304. 8pm. £5. Sophisticated synth pop from a group named after Peru’s Nazca Lines. FREE Open Mic MacSorley’s, 42 Jamaica Street, 248 8581. 8pm. Weekly session. FREE Acoustic Open Mic The Halt Bar, 160 Woodlands Road, 353 6450. 9pm. Weekly open mic. FREE Laid Bar Bloc+, 117 Bath Street, 574 6066. 9pm–3am. A new club night featuring live bands, DJs, visuals, free cookies and made-to-order milky beverages including white, mint and pink russians. With guests Stanley Odd launching their new album. FREE Stanley Odd Bar Bloc+, 117 Bath Street, 574 6066. 9pm. See Fri 22.
Edinburgh ■ Broken Boy Soldiers and The Shakedown Project Electric Circus, 36–39 Market Street, 226 4224. 7pm. £3. Britpop influenced indie rock.
✽ M83 and Man Without Country The HMV Picture House, 31 Lothian
Road, 0844 847 1740. 7pm. £17. Aka Anthony Gonzalez with a mix of hazy pop guitars and ambient electronica. ■ Hailey Beavis and Frank Burkitt The Voodoo Rooms, 19a West Register
Street, 556 7060. 7.30pm. £4. Acoustic showcase of singer-songwriters from Norfolk and the Highlands, respectively. ■ Condemed, Amagortis and Regurgitate Life Bannerman’s, 55 Niddry Street, 556 3254. 8pm. £4. Metal. FREE Scarlet Wednesdays The Blue Goose Country Pub, 27 Lanark Road, 629 4143. 8pm. Easy listening classics from the Scarlet Acoustic girls.
Thursday 28 Glasgow ■ Glasgow Mod Weekender Various venues, 204 5151. Weekend ticket £12; one-day ticket (Fri & Sat) £7 advance; £10 on the door; Sun evening free with weekend or one-day ticket stub; £5 without. Glasgow’s annual Mod extravaganza returns. Thursday evening sees live band The Hamfat 4 and Friday Street DJs play McChuills, while Friday’s Friday Street club at Blackfriars will be part of the fest. There will be clothing and record stalls at McChuills on Saturday and Sunday afternoon, as well as guest DJs and a live set from The Privates Hammond Orchestra on Saturday and a scooter ride-out on Sunday. Weekender DJs including Gavin Arno (Pow Wow Club, Sheffield), Pid (The New Untouchables) and the Friday Street DJs play the Barony Bar on Saturday night and Blackfriars on Sunday. ■ Lydia Lunch’s Big Sexy Noise Classic Grand, 18 Jamaica Street, 847 0820. 7pm. £12.50. Full band show from the New York no wave legend, still kicking hard after all these years. ■ Bagman, Digitally Fuct, Objectum Sexual and Hope In Dystopia The 13th Note Café/Bar, 50–60 King Street, 553 1638. 8pm. £5. ‘A night of disgusting noise terror’ is promised. ■ Confusion The Ferry, 25 Anderston Quay, 01698 360085. 8pm. £8 in advance: £10 on door; £21.95 for early dinner at 6pm. See Fri 22. ■ Featherman, Ali Kennedy and David McIntyre Black Sparrow, 241 North Street, 221 5530. 8pm. Acoustic blues and folk. ■ One Good Reason Nice’n’Sleazy, 421 Sauchiehall Street, 333 0900. 8pm.
Suave synth-pop, sung in the upper register, that calls to mind Junior Boys’ sultry beats and Metronomy’s love of a melody. For details on how to win tickets, see page 93. ■ The Captain’s Bar, Glasgow, Wed 27 Jun; Sneaky Pete’s, Edinburgh, Thu 28 Jun.