This annual festival which takes place in Glasgow every January, is as its name suggests, all about making connections.
And not just Scottish or Celtic ones wither. Legendary record label Creeping Bent has always looked beyond this country’s borders, with a roster taking in acts from the world over in its three decades.
And connections across these decades. One things’s clear, there’s a lot to pack in to encapsulate thirty years of music into one evening, hence the early start that sees Port Sulphur – current musical vehicle of prolific Bent supremo Douglas Macintyre – opening proceedings with tracks from their ‘Compendium’ and ‘Speed Ogf Life’ albums as well as a uber-psych version of ‘Silver Machine’.
With this being less of a gig and more a celebration of 30 years of Creeping Bent, it’s to be expected that many of the attendees are of a ‘certain age’, having become fans of Bent’s considerable output in their formative years. This also means that the seated format for the evening works well for those perhaps less inclined to dance away the evening like they may have done at the first event (A Leap Into The Void, at the Tramway) in late 1994.
It also works for the next item on the agenda – a retrospective book launch / Q&A, with Nicola Meighan joined by Macintyre and Secret Goldfish vocalist (and spouse) Katy Lironi as well as (it’s revealed) award-winning author Grant McPhee. It’s an enlightening chat, with Macintyre, as well as crediting Fast Product for inspiration and Rough Trade for assistance, also describes the initial plan for the label – 30 days days rather than years, he jokes – while Lironi details how, on their first date together, the label supremo-to-be was already hatching his plot, spotting a patch of the grass that gave Creeping Bent its name.
But it’s all about the music, and by way of contrast to… well, just about every other act on tonight’s bill, The Cords are, under normal, non-seated circumstances a band to test the knees and hips of all those present. A teenage sibling duo from the Ayrshire coast, Eva and Grace’s stripped-back guitar and drums set, all primal rhythms and jangly strings, encapsulates everything that Creeping Bent stands for – a DIY ethic, back-to-basics three-chord structures, and raw talent in their songwriting, vocals and playing. There’s still a full-band sound to the duo, augmented by Lironi and Macintyre (and some incredibly dirty distortion pedals) for the final two songs of their short set for covers of the C86-era, BMX Bandits classic ‘E102’ followed by a Fizzbombs tune ‘Sign On The Line’ (the latter a victim of a false start; as original singer Lironi points out, “it was 40 years ago…”)
We remain in the distant past for what for many will have been the evening’s top attractions: The Mackenzies. Not the most ‘famous’ band on the bill – that honour might go to the former members of Orange Juice or Fire Engines we’ll meet later – but given that this combo haven’t played together since disbanding so many years ago, many of the audience will never have seen these new heroes live.
In the end it’s something of a triumph. Actually missing one member, the remaining band act as “father figures” to youthful bassist Fraser (i.e. “we pay for everything” his colleagues joke). It’s a short and punchy set including tracks familiar to many from a distant corner of their grey matter – opener ‘Man Without Reason’ one of their catalogue for the legendary Ron Johnson label, while there are whoops for ‘Big Jim’, which alongside labelmates Big Flame and A Witness appeared on the NME’s seminal C86 cassette.
For anyone unable to locate their copy of said tape, The Mackenzies play discordant, staccato pop closest to Captain Beefheart than most of their contemporaries from C86 (which was a wider school than the jangle most people associate the term with). ‘Dogs Breakfast’s closest touchstone is perhaps The Fall, while their other influences, particularly when saxophone is utilised, perhaps tend back to the C81 era, hints of James Blood Ulmer and others from that No Wave era like The Contortions. Despite these uneasy-listening skeletons in their collective cupboard the band seem to have mellowed during their hiatus with their sound a little slower and more considered than before. They close with ‘Blow By Blow’, which was a “new single” 40 years ago, released immediate before their split and now performed for the first time live. Understandably the band are treated like homecoming heroes, though sadly ones without any spare encore material.
Finally, tonight’s house band Port Sulphur take to the stage once again – this time with James Kirk on guitar. The Orange Juice man joins Macintyre and Lironi along with their daughter Amelia – part of Quad 90 – plus ex-Leopard Mick Slaven on guitar and Bluebell Ken McCluskey on rather impressive moothie. Kirk’s back catalogue could have led him to his most famous act but rather than take on something obvious like ‘Felicity’ the combo instead deliver Kirk solo tune ‘Get On Board’ and his Port Sulphur collaboration ‘Orient Express’ as well as Subway Sect cover ‘Holiday Hymn’.
Then it’s a hot-fretboard changeover as Davy Henderson takes centre stage, and who similarly (but as expected) eschews ‘Candy Skin’ and ‘You’ve Got The Power’ for some more recent collaborations with the Bent crew – Port Sulphur’s ‘Exploding Clockwork’ and ‘The Lane’ proceeding swiftly to a version of The Sexual Objects’ ‘Here Come The Rubber Cops’ before the band unite as one for, we must assume, a cover of an act that must have influenced all of them – Bowie’s ‘John I’m Only Dancing’.
It’s not C81 or C86, but is very Creeping Bent – which, like Bowie, we’re very fortunate to have had in our lives.
Photos © Gavin Fraser.
Also chief newshound at Jockrock
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