T IN THE PARK
Two local boys done very good are playing the main stage at T on Saturday night. Nicola Meighan recaps on their stories so far . . .
Calvin Harris
Real Name: Adam Richard Wiles Born: 1984, Dumfries
THINGS EARL SWEATSHIRT THINKS ARE OVERRATED*: ‘Living to 100. I don’t want to live to 100. You can’t be not gross if you live to 100. Game of Thrones – also overrated. I watched one episode with my girlfriend. The acting is like porn acting. And hummus. Fuck hummus. Overrated.’ *According to a recent Pitchfork interview.
Early days: Harris’ i rst UK hit was 2007’s electro-clash anthem, ‘Acceptable in the 80s’ (which of course it still remains, provided you’re referring to donning shoulder pads, quafi ng geometric cocktails, or extolling the virtues of Boy Meets Girl).
Paolo Nutini ’ Paolo Nutini
Real Name: Paolo Giovanni Nutini Born: 1987, Paisley
Job description: DJ, singer, songwriter, producer. Alternative job prospects: Harris claims if he’d had curly hair, he’d have been a footballer. His straight follicles intervened, and are thus responsible for his pop stranglehold.
Vital statistics: Harris’ debut album, I Created Disco (2007), peaked at Number 3 on the UK charts, and was certii ed gold (100k sales approx). Its 2009 follow-up, Ready For The Weekend, topped the charts and was also awarded gold status, while 2012’s Number 1, 18 Months, saw him bag the record (previously held by Michael Jackson) for having the most Top 10 hits – nine, no less – on one studio album. Big Break: Cast your mind back to 2006 and you may recall a particularly mind-melding MySpace page – all retro-neon riffage, electro- hooks and Atari homages – belonging to one Calvin Harris. The pop-glare of his cyber home, teamed with his evident dancel oor chops, as honed on early singles under the Stouffer pseudonym, bagged him major label recording and publishing deals.
Latest antics: Harris’ hi-octane tech-pop smash, ‘Summer’, was released this March, and immediately swiped the Number 1 spot. A new album is imminent.
Collaborations: Harris’ CV reads like an encyclopedia of modern pop: he’s worked with Kylie, Dizzee Rascal and Sophie Ellis-Bextor; Rihanna, Ellie Goulding, and Example; Kelis, Florence Welch and Nick Cave. (OK, that last one’s a lie, but never say never). Controversies: The i nger often points to the day that Harris accused Chris Brown of stealing his song (he claimed ‘Yeah 3x’ plagiarised ‘I’m Not Alone’, and subsequently received a writing credit) or the time that he fabricated the loss of his new album (Ready for the Weekend) to buy himself recording time – but both events are eclipsed by the emergence of a tropical fruit. In 2009, Harris invaded an X Factor performance by surrealist-pop geminis Jedward, brandishing a pineapple on his napper, while drawing undue attention to his nethers. He was forcibly removed from the building.
description: Singer, Job musician.
songwriter,
Alternative job prospects: Nutini’s family famously run the Castelvecchi i sh and chip shop in Paisley. Nutini was expected to follow in his family’s footsteps, although he admits to a dearth of skill when it comes to deep-frying Mars Bars.
Vital statistics: Nutini’s debut album, These Streets (2006), peaked at Number 3, was certii ed 5-times platinum (roughly 1.5m sales) and spent almost 200 consecutive weeks in the UK charts. Its follow-up, Sunny Side Up (2009), debuted at Number 1 and also chalked up 5-times platinum sales. His new album, Caustic Love, released in April, entered at Number 1 and is, at the time of writing, the fastest-selling LP of 2014. Phew. Big Break: Back in 2002, Fame Academy was television’s reality pop king and an affable bloke called David Sneddon was elected its croon prince. Sneddon was late for his eagerly awaited winner’s homecoming gig in Paisley Town Hall, so organisers Radio Clyde i lled time with an impromptu talent show. Local
22 THE LIST 12 Jun–10 Jul 2014