list.co.uk/music Previews | MUSIC
MUTANT POP / ARTHUR RUSSELL TRIBUTE PETER ZUMMO 6TET Summerhall, Edinburgh, Thu 16 Oct
‘Let’s just say, I can sometimes have an attitude about the cellist who’s going to play Arthur Russell’s music. When we were choosing the right musician, I think it’s fair to say I expressed a few opinions,’ Peter Zummo confesses, laughing quietly down the phone from his home in Staten Island, New York. As someone who shared a music studio with the cult composer, Zummo is
understandably a bit picky about anyone attempting to recreate the distinct cello sound of his friend. ‘Arthur played with this raw energy and supreme intelligence, it’s important not to get the wrong interpretation of that.’
POP DIVAS KYLIE / LADY GAGA Lady Gaga, Sun 19 Oct, Sun 16 Nov; Kylie, Wed 12 Nov; both at The Hydro, Glasgow We live in an era of high-concept, high-budget pop theatre and two of its greatest practitioners take over the Hydro in the next month. One promotes sexy but unthreatening glamour and a loveable back catalogue, while the other brings a maximalist freakshow and disappointingly generic dance pop. One will be wearing Dolce & Gabbana, Jean Paul Gaultier and Julien Macdonald (darling), the other clad in tentacles and a necklace made of marijuana leaves. Can you tell which one is which?
But Zummo – himself a noted experimental composer and trombonist – is Kylie, the belle of the Commonwealth Games closing ball, returns to Glasgow
giving the seal of approval to Oliver Coates, the cellist who’ll join him onstage alongside Ernie Brooks (guitar) and Bill Ruyle (hammer dulcimer, percussion), with live beats and processing from JD Twitch and Bass Clef. The US / UK sextet will play live over selected tracks from Russell’s vast back catalogue. ‘Keith [McIvor, Glasgow’s JD Twitch] has isolated the rhythm of “Is It All Over My Face”, for example. He’s taken an extended sample and remixed it. That’s exactly how Arthur used to perform, back in nightclubs in New York in the 70s and 80s. If he wanted to create street-level interest, he’d go into a dance club, do a cameo performance, with him singing or playing cello over a track that he’d prepared.’ (Claire Sawers) ■ For a longer version of this interview, see list.co.uk
with her relatively straightforward Kiss Me Once tour. What she lacks in vision and audacity she makes up for in experience: this is her 13th concert tour and, boy, can she hit the mark in a pair of nosebleed stilettos. Lady Gaga could probably sing Kylie into submission – only one of these
ladies has just released an album of jazz duets with the esteemed Tony Bennett – and might just pulp her audience too. Her artRAVE: The ARTPOP Ball tour goes Katy Perry-acid-Disney bananas, with multiple stages, sci-fi domes, giant flowers, elaborate wigs and rave-neon galore. With typical empty verbosity, Gaga has proclaimed that ‘the point of the show
is to take what was the mess of my life and make art of it’. Kylie, as usual, has said very little of interest. (Fiona Shepherd)
ELECTRONIC ALL-DAY FESTIVAL SIMPLE THINGS Various venues, Glasgow, Sat 1 Nov
In recent years Glasgow has proven itself to be a fairweather friend to city-based festivals, with every continuing success story like Stag & Dagger giving way to an honourable but now defunct effort such as Hinterland. This November sees another new addition to the roster with the movement north of Bristol’s well-established Simple Things, an event that at least has a bit of a track record in a city of not dissimilar size. Another thing they’ve got going for them is the outstanding lineup they’ll be presenting.
Happening the weekend after their home city outing, Glasgow’s Simple Things takes place across the ABC, the Art School and Broadcast, a Sauchiehall Street-centric trio of different-sized venues which has worked as the core of Stag & Dagger. Primarily an electronic festival, the headliners will be long-serving ambient techno figureheads Autechre, alongside their Warp labelmates Clark and Nightmares On Wax. Also appearing will be the Haxan Cloak, Lone (left) in collaboration with Glasgow live visuals expert Konx-om-Pax and local DJs and artists like LuckyMe, Vitamins, Dalhous and Sega Bodega. ‘Hopefully we don’t clash with Dean Blunt, Autechre, Actress
or our friends Kogumaza as I’d definitely like to watch all of them. For once we’re probably not going to be the loudest band on the lineup,’ says MB, bassist with Leeds psych- rockers Hookworms, one of the few non-electronic names on the bill. ‘I’m very jealous that Glaswegians get to see Golden Teacher so regularly, they’re one of my favourite bands in the UK at the moment. That whole Green Door Studio / Art School scene is very inspiring.’ Sadly the Glaswegian disco-punk outfit aren’t currently scheduled to appear, but who knows, maybe next year if Simple Things stays the course? (David Pollock) ■ See Top 5 column, Clubs, page 57, and Exposure, page 80.
16 Oct–13 Nov 2014 THE LIST 75