This was a belter of a day, so thanks so much to the TTV guys for making it happen, Betty shouted, rocked, made some new friends and acquired quite a few more blisters, heading down from the Art School to ABC1 in 10 inch stacks was maybe not the best idea but a girl does have to keep up appearances – no Shoeless Josie moments here…and fuck John Cleese, actually he is not worthy of our notice, not after these comments. We can all disgrace ourselves sometimes (and obviously Trump continues to do so) but some self-limits would be a good idea for a very sad and damaged old man with a lot of alimony to pay, parrot sketch now not looking quite so hilarious, and yes you can sue BM for that…
So each act, as BM saw them, is reviewed, in order of appearance (there were around 50 acts today so BM’s version of events will be totally just hers, no matter…and yes lots of facts have not been checked, but this is free journalism folks so check yer own facts…and just might like to add that BM has not had any part of her anatomy violated by Trump, he did go for me but I tend to find that a well-aimed stilletto to the groin is a bit of a mood-killer…
St Martiins – around 4pm at Broadcast, the place was completely rammed with people, BM elbowed in around half way through I think, some swooping female vocals mixed with electro backing and some bumping bass (guitar I think), they appeared to be going down a storm. No idea how many personnel were onstage and have since learned they are Dundonians now living south of the border. Very promising although the number of hipsters, old people (parents maybe?) and people talking at the back made BM think this may just be an industry shoe-in (sorry shoo-in, BM is obsessed with shoes) for the next Chvrches (check the copycat spelling “error”) or another bad spelling mistake – a bit harsh maybe…
American Clay – a bit later at Nice and Sleazy’s, why do they leave the tables and chairs in there when it is so crowded? Beats BM! So this is the band fronted by Pronto Mama’s drummer and the owner of one of the two most spectacular ginger afros in Scotland, the other one being Emma Pollok’s drummer, or is he the same guy, beginning to wonder and not very good with names… Anyway this is a full-on wig-out of amazing proportions, highly recommended…
Sweaty Palms – at Broadcast again, are another Glasgow band, channelling maybe The Fall, possibly The Horrors and certainly John, or sorry Doctor John Cooper Clarke in some serially obnoxious but glorious sounds – if you don’t like this brief review guys get in touch and BM will 10WB you, in more detail, short of space here.
Other Humans – over at T-Art School, some serious noise and 80’s evoking stuff going on, did not see enough to like or dislike but noted the podium position of the lead singer, a bit Gary Numanesque and was that the music as well, jury oot on that.. “Death in the Valley”, think it was called, sounded pretty good though.
Louie and the Lockbacks – this event happened in the Vic Bar, after a lockout til around 5 minutes before the act started, we were worried there was some equipment failure or band meltdown but neither were apparent. But not to fret, Louie appeared onstage pretty much on time and to “steady the nerves” did a sublime spoken word version of HB classic “Party at A&E” – this was sheet poetry, gripping, visceral and hilarious in equal measure…just breathtaking. So when the “band” came on, unveiling Be Charlotte and two members of Pronto Mama, he was already winning and his “wee experiments” went down a storm to a now packed Vic. There was a Barbershop Quartet element to this, the others generally vocalising while Louie laid down the words, usually read from his notebook, although several people played acoustic guitar at times. Song titles elude BM here, some were announced, but the closing number, eviscerating pretty much every “cool” subgroup of modern music, has surely to be recorded, it read like “Losing my edge” by LCD via gang menshies and BM almost quite literally fell over several times, side-splitting does not do it justice. So overall a big thumbs up from BM for this bold and scary naked debut.
Teencanteen were upstairs in the main Art School venue, and have swiftly become a precision-guided weapon. Missed the first 2 numbers due to Lockbacks action downstairs, highly unusual because BM is a huge fan of Carla and her cohorts. They sounded great tonight, although a disappointing lack of dancing or audience interaction was maybe caused by the high stage. Tracks from the album were mainly played, and the best moment came when after a plug for the album “available still on a pen-drive, like a floppy disc back in the day but not floppy”, Carla retorted “well nobody likes it floppy” – you said it dear…and BM salutes TC again, keep on at it, it has been a good year so far…
There was a brief interlude and a trip downstairs to the Vic to catch a band who BM won’t name as not enough time to really evaluate, they were from London, going down pretty well, shades of Kasabian but we will leave it at that folks…
Be Charlotte was on the big stage upstairs, not too much to say that BM has not already said – so poised, jaw-dropping voice, great songs (“Machines that Breathe” now released on I-tunes), amazing bass player and if there is any justice she has got to be hugely successful quite soon. Love her getting up on the big boxes, love the fact she does it her way…BM salutes you again, and how about that Q&A, will resubmit it!
A New International playing at ABC2, another band that BM has reviewed this year, at The Glad, and previous view said it all. Tonight there were not enough audience members but the band just played their hearts out. Biff Smith is (say it again) an amazing performance and he was just on fire tonight – nuff said, criminally overlooked.
Crash Club had come highly recommended (by family members) playing in main Art School venue, and they just blew everything outta the windae. The initial assault of decks/bleeps plus guitar and bass was a pummeling and brutal experience, shades of the F0000 Buttons and Nine Inch Nails, yes that good. Latter tunes had vocals, maybe Ian Mackinnon but BM thinks there have been various people used so cannae be sure. BM will certainly be waiting for material from CC, a pretty mindflipping discovery although they have been around for a couple of years now…
Pronto Mama also upstairs at the Art School, reprising the fantastic performance witnessed by BM in the summer at Kelvingrove Swimming Pool, very tight and varied, this is a band of immense talent and they certainly harnessed it tonight. Album being worked on, couple of new songs aired and some oldies, yelled back at them by the now pretty raucous crowd. Good work guys, the world awaits.
Spook School – Last band of the night, in Broadcast, sounded great, bit of a Buzzcocks thing going on and nothing wrong with that, again song titles sketchy but they were certainly getting the audience into a bit of a state with urgently attacking guitar action, but it was time to go, internal homing device activated.
Thanks again to the TT guys, this was such a great day – BM got a late bus and again ran into the old guy BM refers to as “Lemmy guy”, his opening line is always “Lemmy, Motorhead, Ace of Spades” – obviously a music fan but with a slightly limited range, whatever I suggest now that Mr Killminster is passed he always gets back onto that opening line – BM sure does attract the nutters…