MUSIC | PREVIEWS 107 THE LIST 1 Jun–31 Aug 2019
ROCK / GRUNGE STONE TEMPLE PILOTS O2 Academy, Glasgow, Wed 12 Jun
Stone Temple Pilots have been through the grinder. They crashed the grunge scene with their debut album Core in 1992, an album filled with moments of light and dark, hugely emotional songs and big stomping rock. It was a huge commercial success but divided opinion: the band simultaneously voted Best New Band by Rolling Stone’s readers and Worst New Band by the magazine’s music critics. ‘The fans kept us so busy we didn’t really have time to think about the critics,’ explains bassist Robert DeLeo. ‘I don’t think anyone can be prepared for it, it’s like being shot to the moon and not everyone can handle it.’
Part of STP’s appeal lay in magnetic frontman Scott Weiland, shedding his skin, exposing his heart, laying himself bare every night. Weiland wrestled with his own inner demons and well- publicised struggles with drink and drugs and sadly was found dead on his tour bus in 2015. ‘You don’t really experience things like that too often, when someone like that comes into your life and you create a dream. I’m here today because of what we created, especially when I’m on stage playing one of our songs, he’s always running through my spirit,’ says DeLeo. In 2013, Linkin Park’s Chester Bennington briefly joined the
band for an EP and tour (tragically he took his own life in 2017). ‘I love Chester. He had an amazing energy about him. He always looked for the solution, he never got tangled in conflict, he was like an angel that stepped in and set us straight.’
Robert alongside his brother, guitarist Dean DeLeo, and
drummer Eric Kretz have remained at the core of STP, recently recruiting former lead vocalist with nu-metal band Dry Cell and X-Factor finalist Jeff Gutt for their seventh album. ‘The first time he came over to the studio we knew he had everything we were looking for, an understanding of writing and melody. It has given the band a new life.’ (Henry Northmore)
METAL / HIP HOP FEVER 333 Cathouse, Glasgow, Mon 17 Jun
Fever 333 specialise in a politically charged mix of hip hop, metal, industrial and even p-funk. A band who think about everything they do, even their name comes loaded with meaning. ‘I like the idea of a fever spreading like a sickness or an epidemic,’ explains vocalist Jason Aalon Butler. ‘That idea of something spreading from one person to ten to 100 to thousands to millions. C is the third letter of the alphabet, and they [333] stand for Community, Charity and Change which is the foundation for this whole project.’ A chance meeting with Blink 182’s powerhouse drummer Travis Barker while working at a
supermarket, when his previous band Letlive were on hiatus, was the flashpoint that led to the creation of Fever 333 with former Chariot guitarist Stephen Harrison and Night Verses drummer Aric Improta (Barker guests on the album and also the tour when available).
Just a few minutes talking with Butler and you realise how seriously he takes the band and their message. Their debut album, Strength in Numb333rs, tackles racism, police brutality, poverty, gun violence and social justice. However, it’s not some po-faced diatribe but an explosive hardcore rap-rock hybrid that rattles the bars of the cage. ‘There are a lot of institutions and different agendas that are usually used to leverage power against people and we’re hoping to do our best to encourage people to recognise their own power and remind themselves of that power,’ says Butler. (Henry Northmore)
P H O T O :
ROCK / POP / INDIE SUMMER NIGHTS AT THE BANDSTAND Kelvingrove Bandstand, Glasgow, Fri 26 Jul–Sat 10 Aug
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Now in its sixth year, Summer Nights at the Kelvingrove Bandstand has becomes a much-loved part of Glasgow’s music calendar, reclaiming the historic venue and its beautiful setting for gigs. This year’s bill is a cross-genre mix of some of the biggest, best and most intriguing artists, covering everything from the introspective indie of The National (Tue 6 & Wed 7 Aug) and Scottish heroes Teenage Fanclub (Tue 30 Jul) to 80s hitmakers Human League (Sat 3 Aug) and punk innovator Patti Smith (Thu 1 Aug). ‘We are delighted to have such an incredible array of talent, both home-born and international,
including some true music legends, all performing at Summer Nights this year,’ says Mark Mackie, director of Regular Music. ‘Kelvingrove Bandstand has such a fantastic atmosphere and the feedback we have had from both artists and audiences is that they have a great time being there.’ The full line-up includes Caro Emerald (Sat 27 Jul), Suede (Wed 31 Jul), Father John Misty (Fri 2 Aug), Echo & the Bunnymen (Thu 8 Aug), Bloc Party (Fri 9 Aug) and Hue & Cry (Sat 10 Aug). But it all kicks off with the classic easy listening of Burt Bacharach (Fri 26 Jul). ‘I’m looking forward to joining Glasgow’s opening night concert at your Summer Nights at the Bandstand Series,’ says Bacharach. ‘See you there this summer and I will hold off playing “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on my Head” until the end so as not to tempt fate, as I hear it rains a lot in your beautiful green city!’ (Henry Northmore)