Archive for June, 2008
History class
Monday, June 30th, 2008
We tend not to delve too deeply into Scotland’s musical heritage. Listen to anything made before the 1990s and there’s every risk you’ll stray into increasingly dated, synth-fuelled territory.
However, there’s one 80s band no-one can argue with – DEACON BLUE. In 1989, at the peak of their popularity, they played the fastest-selling show in history at the SECC in their Glasgow hometown (a record which is probably held by Take That these days).
To put their fame into context, their second record When The World Knows Your Name – which spawned classic singles Queen Of The New Year, Wages Day, Real Gone Kid and Fergus Sings The Blues – toppled Madonna’s Like A Prayer from the No.1 spot in the UK album charts.
So if you’re thinking of indulging in some stirring Scottish nostalgia you could do a lot worse (see Simple Minds or Hue And Cry) than hunt out one of Deacon Blue’s greatest hits albums.
b July 4, Perth Concert Hall, Perth (tickets)
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Razor sharp
Friday, June 27th, 2008
Has it ever occurred to you that we’re constantly being resold things we already own under the false pretence that they’ll make our lives immeasurably better… when in fact the only difference that’s measurable is how much lighter our pockets will be.
The national papers are currently carrying full-page adverts declaring: “Why is Fusion Power better than Mach3?” Having spent 10 years telling everyone how great a Mach3 is, Gillette have realised that the only way they can keep making more money from their customers is to undermine their own product.
Razors, mobile phones and TVs all last a long time without going faulty – yet so many of us succumb to the possibility of something new and improved.
As we mentioned last week, it’s almost a given these days to hear a guitar band and know exactly who they have been ripping off – which makes us wonder why it has taken as long as it has for some clever clogs to look at the millions of pounds generated every year from the timeless ABBA phenomenon and attempt to grab a piece of the pie.
Enter ALPHABEAT. Scandanavian, fair-haired, mixed-gender, faultless command of the English language, devilishly intelligent pop songs and on the right side of cheesy. Genius.
4 Alphabeat – Fascination
4 Alphabeat – Digital Love (Daft Punk cover)
b July 9, Oran Mor, Glasgow (tickets)
b July 11, T in the Park, Balado (sold out)
b October 22, Liquid Room, Edinburgh (tickets)
b October 24, ABC, Glasgow (tickets)
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Animal magic
Wednesday, June 25th, 2008
The biggest satisfaction we get from The Pop Cop is knowing that we could be responsible for making you passionate about a song or an artist you might otherwise never have heard.
Occasionally, though, while researching our chosen subject matters, we are the ones who discover something new and wonderful.
Two months ago we came across a Glasgow band called FOXFACE for the first time when we were doing a post on Tigerfest and we would almost certainly describe the song of theirs we gave away that day, Last Waltz, as an office favourite if we could actually afford an office. If you haven’t already done so you really ought to go back, download the mp3 and stick it on repeat.
Foxface will be joined by Camera Obscura, Stevie Jackson of Belle & Sebastian and many others for this Sunday’s annual HEY YOU GET OFF MY PAVEMENT! all-day mini-festival, which promises to be a real treat if you like all things indietastic.
4 Foxface – Face Looks Familiar
4 Camera Obscura – Super Trooper (ABBA cover)
4 Belle & Sebastian – The Wrong Girl
b June 29, Mono, Glasgow (tickets)
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