Broken Records
Aberdeen Moshulu (2 June 2009)
Broken Records visited Aberdeen as part of a short UK tour to warm up for this summer’s festival appearances. Much has been made of the Edinburgh eight (seven? six? nine? Look, there’s loads of them, OK?) piece in recent times and the played a set unsurprisingly heavily laden from debut album ‘Until The Earth Begins To Part.’
Aside from their strength in numbers, moody atire and considerable beards, what really impressed was the multi-talented, multi-instrumentalist aspect. Swapping between guitars and fiddles, bass and organ, ukelele and accordion, the lads modestly and effortlessly swap amongst each other between songs.
Scally fiddle-wielder Rory Sutherland in particular should be singled out for particular praise, playing out of his skin on at least three instruments during the course of the evening.
As a result, their sound is massive. Don’t listen to people who compare Broken Records to Arcade Fire – they’re chalk and cheese. Yes, Broken Records also have about 20 members and a big, big sound. However, their sound is uniquely Scottish, with Scottish instruments, bleak Scottish lyrics and Scottish beards.
Stand-out moments included ‘If They News Makes You Sad, Don’t Watch It’ and ‘Slow Parade.’
Chris Walker
