Archive for August, 2009

Weekend Anthem

Saturday, August 29th, 2009

The Hidden Cameras – In The Na

Hometown: Toronto, Canada
Hear more: http://www.myspace.com/hiddencameras
Pigeonhole: The Flaming Lips, The Polyphonic Spree

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Step Away From The Computer #15: Wizard Festival

Thursday, August 27th, 2009

The WIZARD FESTIVAL neatly fills the festival-shaped gap in Aberdeenshire. It’s small but perfectly formed, with an admirably eclectic line-up that should cater for most music tastes. If you’re being dragged along and none of the bands are to your liking, Millennium Child, who runs a local hip-hop school, will be on hand to teach rap skills and dance moves.

Location:
New Deer near Peterhead.

Fascinating fact:
Those heading to the festival should count themselves lucky. Headliners The Charlatans have cancelled their next 23 gigs in North America because their drummer, Jon Brookes, needs treatment on a longstanding shoulder complaint.

Date:
Friday, August 28 and Saturday, August 29.

Weather forecast:
Friday

Saturday

Festival history:
This is its 3rd year.

Total number of acts:
58

Cost of a ticket:
£77.25

So each act is worth:
£1.33

Big-hitters:
The Charlatans, Idlewild, Levellers, Buzzcocks.

Organiser’s propaganda:
“Wizard’s enchanting atmosphere has made it a winner with festival goers, families and everyone else in between.”

Must-hear:
The Charlatans – One To Another (Voodoo Stage, Saturday)
Idlewild – Queen Of The Troubled Teens (Voodoo Stage, Friday)
Levellers – Far Away (Voodoo Stage, Friday)
The Little Kicks – Don’t Give Up So Easily (Banshee Stage, Saturday)
St Deluxe – New Wave Stars (Banshee Stage, Saturday)

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Scotland the brave

Tuesday, August 25th, 2009

There are many changes that could be made in Scotland to make it a better place. Here are a few of The Pop Cop’s suggestions:

  • Give all Scots media training from the age of four to prevent that natural discomfort and social awkwardness they will inevitably ooze in later life whenever placed in front of a TV camera or radio microphone.
  • Convince the service industry that it’s not in their best interests to employ joyless and apathetic staff.
  • Swap all neds with refugees and asylum-seekers: not only would the exchange bring in people actually willing to contribute to society, it would take Scotland off the bottom of the world’s most unattractive inhabitants list.

One of the things that should not change, however, is the practice in Scots law that allows terminally-ill prisoners to be released early, as utilised in last week’s decision to free Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi to spend his final months of life with his family.

Quite frankly, Scotland should be applauded and hailed as a shining example to all as a compassionate and decent country, not derided and publicly “shamed” by not only the American governmental and judicial hierarchy, but those within our borders who are more concerned about petty political point-scoring than having the balls to stand up and defend our nation’s honour.

Take a bow Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill, the man behind this unpopular but brave decision: “In Scotland, we are a people who pride ourselves on our humanity. Compassion and mercy are about upholding the beliefs we seek to live by, remaining true to our values as a people – no matter the severity of the provocation or the atrocity perpetrated.”

And just to prove we can forgive the name-calling that has been directed our way from across the Atlantic, Los Angeles band JACK’S MANNEQUIN can expect to be afforded a typically fervent welcome in Glasgow next week.

The Pop Cop loves them so much we traversed to a whole other country (England) to see them play earlier this year and personally appealed to them to visit Scotland next time. See, not all Americans hate us.

Jack’s Mannequin – Dark Blue
August 31, QMU, Glasgow (tickets)

Ballboy – I Hate Scotland

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