Archive for December, 2010

The curious case of the Glasgow band who signed to Columbia before they’d even played a gig

Thursday, December 30th, 2010

If you’ve never heard of THE CONTROLS then you’re far from alone – even those with a healthy interest in Scotland’s music scene know very little, if anything, about them.

At the time of writing, The Controls are so new they have no official band photos and no custom website or MySpace page – so how did this group of four teenagers from Glasgow sign a major record deal with Columbia last month before they’d even played their first gig?

Perhaps the answer lies in their background. Guitarist Andy O’Neill and bass player Johnny Madden are both former members of a much-touted band called Young States (with whom Johnny was the frontman).

However, the ace in The Controls’ pack would appear to be singer/guitarist/lyricist Jack Jones, who is no stranger to the limelight having enjoyed starring roles as an actor under the name of Jack McElhone, appearing in movies such as Young Adam, Dear Frankie (for which he was nominated for a BAFTA Scotland award) and Nowhere Boy. Drummer Connaire McCann completes the line-up.

The Controls’ first ever gig, at Aberdeen’s Lemon Tree on November 15, was one of 17 dates in support to The View on a month-long tour of the UK, during which the rookie group fleshed out their sets by throwing in a cover of 20th Century Boy.

The sound of T.Rex, in fact, is a decent indication of the style of music they play. The one track the Glaswegians have made public, the thoroughly enjoyable retro stomp of Hey Jackie, suggests The Controls have designs on ushering in a revival of Buddy Holly-esque rock ‘n’ roll.

While most new bands face an indefinite slog just trying to get noticed by the music industry, The Controls have had no such trouble, thanks in no small part to the influence of James Endeacott, the man who signed The Strokes and The Libertines.

Frontman Jack told The Pop Cop: “We’ve just been very lucky. James Endeacott is the A&R for The View and he heard us and liked us. Initially, we were only given four dates on The View tour but then they heard us and liked us too, so between The View, their manager Grant Dickson and James we ended up doing basically the full tour, which was fantastic as we couldn’t have asked for a better band or nicer guys to do our first tour with.

“Although The Controls is a new band, and mine and Connaire’s first ever, Johnny and Andy have been in bands together since they were 12, so they already knew a few people and things just went very quickly. Sometimes for some bands that just happens and you just go with it. You don’t stop and think, ‘This is happening too fast’ or anything – you just enjoy it.”

*UPDATE: In March 2011, The Controls changed their name to Jack Townes to avoid conflicts with other bands with the same name.

The Controls – Hey Jackie

January 7, Captain’s Rest, Glasgow

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Live review: Belle & Sebastian @ Barrowland, Glasgow

Monday, December 20th, 2010

Stuart Murdoch comes on stage wearing designer specs, a scarf wrapped around his neck and the collars raised on his sharp shirt. Since when did Belle & Sebastian’s leader – who inherited legions of social introverts with lyrics that spoke of how “the fashion brigade look with curious eyes on your raggedy way” – turn into an indie hipster?

In the space of one song, however – the Sarah Martin-sung opener I Didn’t See It Coming – Stuart manages to discard all three garments one by one, leaving him in the more familiar plain T-shirt look (and possibly chronically short-sighted) for the next two hours.

The first of three nights at the Barras turns out to be full of theatrical touches, both planned and spontaneous. Step Into My Office, augmented by a five-piece string section, sees Stuart hold aloft a Brazil flag plucked from the crowd with impeccable timing for him to sing the lyrics “my banner I laid down with a sigh” before letting it drop to the floor.

Stevie Jackson tries out some audience participation before the start of the upbeat I’m Not Living In The Real World (although Stuart mischievously claims one fan is out of tune and “we should root them out”) and a spot of mid-song whistling is encouraged for The Loneliness Of A Middle Distance Runner.

Sukie In The Graveyard showcases Belle & Sebastian’s flair for a pop chorus, with Chris Geddes adding some impromptu Jingle Bells interludes on the keyboard, while the sight of guitarist Bob Kildea’s locks flapping in the breeze created by a mechanical fan at the side of the stage makes him look like something out of a shampoo ad.

Stuart, ultra-relaxed and chatty throughout, then asks fans to donate spare change to Lodging House Mission, a drop-in centre for the homeless which overlooks the venue. Not content with just making a plea, he jumps into the crowd himself with a bucket for several minutes while the rest of the band play a version of Santa Claus by The Sonics, although much of the audience is distracted by the invasion of the band’s wandering singer.

Fox In The Snow and Dear Catastrophe Waitress are well received, while the motivation behind an earlier skit about Status Quo (“we like the Quo and I don’t care who knows it,” says Stuart) is revealed when their “cover” of the much-maligned rockers turns out to be The Blues Are Still Blue, which is driven by a very Quo-like guitar riff. (Incidentally, check out this delightful YouTube video of Spanish schoolkids miming to the song.)

When Belle & Sebastian’s thirsty frontman demands that drinks be brought to the stage, it prompts a surprise appearance from Still Game’s Gavin Mitchell in his role of Boaby the Barman. He delivers a tray of pints, but not before mocking the band with several expletives and warning the audience to “keep the noise down”.

Four fans earn medals after being invited on stage to dance along to the sparkling Dirty Dream Number Two (although it’s a bit strange to hear Stuart sing the female spoken-word part) and The Boy With The Arab Strap, before Belle & Sebastian deliver a stirring performance of Sleep The Clock Around – sadly there’s no reprise of the live piper they brought out the last time they played the Barras in 2001.

Oddly, it’s only when the band leave the stage that the clamour for an encore finds the crowd at its most animated, with plenty of foot-stamping and noisy cheering. Up until then, the atmosphere had been inexplicably static and restrained, even during the uptempo numbers. Perhaps the punters were awestruck because Belle & Sebastian really were on cracking form, so much so I can actually forgive them for not playing anything from Fold Your Hands Child, You Walk Like A Peasant or Tigermilk… just.

While set-closer Another Sunny Day proves slightly anti-climatic, the song that comes before it was the highlight of the night for me. Stuart introduces Get Me Away From Here, I’m Dying by explaining that he started writing it after coming out of a nightclub and that he stayed on the No.16 bus as it drove around Glasgow until it was finished. There were few more emotionally resonating moments than when he sang, “Play me a song to set me free/Nobody writes them like they used to/So it may as well be me”.

This pre-Christmas gig may have been full of pantomime but nobody who left the Barras could deny it was the songs that stole the show.

Belle & Sebastian – The Loneliness Of A Middle Distance Runner

Belle & Sebastian – Santa Claus (The Sonics cover)

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Music Alliance Pact – December 2010

Wednesday, December 15th, 2010

It’s the last Music Alliance Pact of the year so feast your senses on these free, downloadable treats from around the world. All of the 35 artists below have been hand-picked and written about by the blog representing that country, with the entire list simultaneously posted on all of the websites.

This month, The Pop Cop invites you to love the angelic, Carrbridge-dwelling, gravity-defying, SXSW-bound, genuinely sweet RACHEL SERMANNI.

To download all 35 songs in one file click here

SCOTLAND: The Pop Cop
Rachel Sermanni – Eggshells
Rachel Sermanni is a talent worth swooning over. The 19-year-old from the Highlands cites her idols as Joni Mitchell and Eva Cassidy, which makes perfect sense when you find yourself enchanted by her pure, fragile vocals and poetic lyrics. A star in the making for sure.

January 16, ABC2, Glasgow (tickets)
January 23, Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow (tickets)
January 27, Old Fruitmarket, Glasgow (tickets)

(more…)

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