Archive for May, 2011

Dot JR: “I’m still Jimmy from the block”

Thursday, May 19th, 2011

If any town is punching way above its weight in the UK’s alternative music scene right now it’s Stornoway. There can’t be many places with a population of just 9,000 which can boast two major label artists – pop wonderkid Dot JR, who signed a £500,000 one-album deal with Polydor in January, and The Boy Who Trapped The Sun, who released his debut album Fireplace through Geffen last year.

Stornoway also hosts its own music festival, Sounds In The Grounds (May 20-21), which is in its fifth year and must be one of the cheapest for tickets in Europe. The Pop Cop got Dot JR aka 24-year-old James Reeves, headliner of the Main Stage on the Friday night, to tell us all about it.

The Pop Cop: Have you played Sounds In The Grounds before?
James: “I’ve played it the last four or five years, with bands. I vaguely remember once playing on the back of a truck and the car park used to be the college so it’s pretty big compared to that now.”

The Pop Cop: How would you describe the atmosphere?
James: “It’s quite like Belladrum. Lots of parents take their wee kids. When it gets a bit late the kids go home but generally it’s quite family-orientated. It’s good for everyone. It’s all about the music. There’s not much else to it apart from going to see live music and having some food and drink. It should be good.”

The Pop Cop: Are you a bit of a local celebrity in Stornoway now?
James: “People have taken my picture in the supermarket but I think they’re more excited to see me than Dot JR. I’m still Jimmy from the block… [laughs] I can’t believe I said that.”

The Pop Cop: Were people surprised when you abandoned your singer-songwriter acoustic-folk sound?
James: “Most of the people who knew me from the island thought it made sense because I had been DJing for five years and all the music I was into was nothing like how I played. Apart from Johnny Cash and Bright Eyes, it was all club music and I was listening to a lot of drum ‘n’ bass, dubstep, rap and grime. I used to play in rock bands and I really missed the energetic live performances and being able to be a bit crazy. Calvin Harris and Mike Skinner both said recently they don’t want to be that old guy running around on stage and I just want to do it while I’m still young. A lot of people miss the folk stuff but when I hit 30 I can go back to it. I’ll have used all my energy up. I’m not going to forget how to write folk music, though – it’s still how I write the new material.”

The Pop Cop: Do you hang out with Colin MacLeod aka The Boy Who Trapped The Sun?
James: “He just got married so I haven’t seen much of him. I’ve been trying to get him on a man-date but we keep finding obstacles! I’ve got lots to talk to him about. He’s been good with advice, he’s always been there.”

The Pop Cop: I know Colin moved down to London when he signed his record deal – do you have any plans to do likewise?
James: “I haven’t got a place yet. I’ve certainly been thinking about it but I’ve been a bit like Billy Murray in Lost In Translation, staying in a hotel on my own, which is a bit depressing. But it’s alright, I’ll cope.”

Dot JR is currently embroiled in a very messy situation with regards to the sacking of his manager, Lee O’Hanlon, which you can read about on Jockrock. I spoke to James about the situation, but three hours after the interview he texted me to ask if it would be OK not publish his quotes on the matter, and I agreed to respect those wishes.

Dot JR – Top Of The World (Ally McCrae Radio 1 session)

Dot JR – Moonlight (Running Around) (Ally McCrae Radio 1 session)

May 20, Sounds In The Grounds, Stornoway
June 4, Tolbooth, Stirling (tickets)
July 23, Wickerman Festival, Dumfries & Galloway
July 24, King Tut’s, Glasgow (tickets)

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Music Alliance Pact – May 2011

Sunday, May 15th, 2011

As events in Dusseldorf last night proved, there’s something truly magic about the annual aural violation that is Eurovision – it makes you realise just how monotonous the white-boys-with-guitars live spectacle is when they’re not sharing the stage with someone drawing in sand or, at the very least, a unicycling fairy.

In some subconscious level it must have inspired me to set up the Music Alliance Pact, which strives to identify the best new songs from around the globe and offers them to you for free consumption in a monthly mixtape.

Each of the 36 blogs in MAP has chosen a song by an artist from their own country, and collectively we share the entire lot on all of our sites on the 15th of the month. As Scotland’s representative, it gives me great pleasure to bring you WE SEE LIGHTS.

To download all 36 songs in one file click here

SCOTLAND: The Pop Cop
We See Lights – My Oh My Oh My
Let’s see if you can guess what We See Lights sound like before you listen to them. The group hosted an event this month called The Twee Jamboree in their native Edinburgh with live music and home baking, while their new Twee Love Pop EP features a song entitled I Hope You Like The Smiths. I think you get the picture. My Oh My Oh My is by far their finest moment to date – it’s an utterly adorable anthem for the lovestruck and has some delightful banjo playing. Check out Bandcamp or iTunes for more of their music.

May 26, Sneaky Pete’s, Edinburgh (tickets)
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T Break 2011: The chosen ones

Friday, May 13th, 2011

Sifting through more than 1,000 demos of unsigned Scottish acts and whittling them down to just 16… that really is a job I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy.

So all credit to the T Break judges for coming up with a pretty decent shortlist of artists who will play at this summer’s T in the Park festival alongside (sort of, but not really) Beyoncé, Coldplay, Arctic Monkeys, The Foo Fighters, Pulp and The Strokes on July 8-10.

Here’s The Pop Cop’s guide to the runners and riders…

AERIALS UP
Base: Glasgow
CV: Arcade Fire-infused orchestral bluster from the first T Break band ever to have previously played T in the Park (they were on the BBC Introducing Stage in 2010). One of their members – Debbie Morton (the blonde one) – also has a solo career under the name of Debbie Kate.
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Aerialsup
Twitter: http://twitter.com/aerialsup
Audio: Aerials Up – All Your Mothers Daughters

BOYCOTTS
Base: Glasgow/Edinburgh
CV: Feisty guitar-pop with champion cheekbones, Boycotts recently played their biggest gig to date, at a sell-out Glasgow Barrowland in March as support to Two Door Cinema Club.
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Boycotts
Twitter: http://twitter.com/boycotts
Audio: Boycotts – Press Play

CANCEL THE ASTRONAUTS
Base: Edinburgh
CV: Old-fashioned indie-pop with more than its fair share of weedy synth sounds.
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cancel-the-Astronauts/9549742151
Twitter: http://twitter.com/canceltheastros
Audio: Cancel The Astronauts – Late In The City

CARNIVORES
Base: Paisley
CV: Big-riffed headbanging rock from two young men and one man who looks old enough to be their dad.
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Carnivores/113628385672
Twitter: http://twitter.com/carnivores_
Audio: Carnivores – Black Rain / Purple Sabbath

CHURCH OF WHEN THE SHIT HITS THE FAN
Base: Edinburgh
CV: Politically-aware hip-hop with Harlequinade on vocal duty and beats from Asthmatic Astronaut (real name: Gareth).
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Harlequinade/159500400736973 and http://www.facebook.com/pages/Asthmatic-Astronaut/277314640405
Twitter: http://twitter.com/parsonharlequin and http://twitter.com/asthmatic_ast
Audio: Church Of When The Shit Hits The Fan – Locust Ritual

CONQUERING ANIMAL SOUND
Base: Glasgow
CV: Intricate, ambient and otherworldy songcraft with Björk-esque vocals. Their debut album Kammerspiel came out in February.
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Conquering-Animal-Sound/205594179060
Twitter: http://twitter.com/yourfriendscas
Audio: Conquering Animal Sound – Wildthings

CRAYONS
Base: Dunfermline
CV: Lovingly-crafted tropical pop melodies with a plentiful dollop of likeability.
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/crayons/110242854524
Twitter: http://twitter.com/crayyyons
Audio: Crayons – Belle Laide

DISCOPOLIS
Base: Edinburgh
CV: Slick, polished electro from the most talked-about new discovery from this year’s T Break submissions according to those I spoke to who were on the judging panel. Nobody is quite sure whether their named is pronounced Disco-Polis or as in the word that rhymes with necropolis.
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/discopolismusic
Twitter: http://twitter.com/discopolisuk
Audio: Discopolis – Timber Merchants

FATHERSON
Base: Kilmarnock
CV: Fatherson make earnest, fairly derivative rock and aren’t too dissimilar to their Killie cousins Biffy Clyro. They used to go by the name of Energy!
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/fathersonband
Twitter: http://twitter.com/fathersonband
Audio: Fatherson – Town For Tourists

LADY NORTH
Base: Edinburgh
CV: When the band had a singer, nobody paid them much attention. But since ditching him and going instrumental they’ve won plenty of admirers for their pretentious mathematical rock. I’m not one of them, to be honest. Guitarist Scott Bullen is also a member of Scottish supergroup Hairy Area.
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/weareladynorth
Twitter: n/a
Audio: Lady North – Ali, The Pig Opera And The Helicopter

MARRIK LAYDEN DEFT & SCATABRAINZ
Base: Glasgow
CV: Confrontational, angry MCing backed by dark, sparse digital beats.
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Marrik.Layden.Deft.Shearer
Twitter: http://twitter.com/_MLDmusic
Audio: Marrik Layden Deft & Scatabrainz – I Show My Teeth

OTHERPEOPLE
Base: Glasgow
CV: Competent indie fare with tinges of Guided By Voices. Bassist Dave Reekie also plays in Song Of Return.
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/otherpeopleloveyou
Twitter: http://twitter.com/loveotherpeople
Audio: Otherpeople – Hello

PAWS
Base: Glasgow
CV: Fun, slacker garage-rock. Guitarist/vocalist Phillip Taylor is dating Stina Twee, the singer of fellow T Breakers Boycotts. Hang on a minute – a love story centred around two bands at T in the Park? They could make a crap movie about that…
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/PAWS/127773603912825
Twitter: http://twitter.com/wehavepaws
Audio: PAWS – Violent Vicky Violet

REVERIEME
Base: Airdrie
CV: Behind the bashful exterior of Louise Connell lies a lyricist of rare fortitude and an acoustic guitarist with an acutely honed sense of melody, both of which make Get To Know Me the best song I’ve heard all year. The most talented artist in this year’s T Break. No contest.
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Reverieme
Twitter: http://twitter.com/reverieme
Audio: Reverieme – Get To Know Me

THE LAFONTAINES
Base: Motherwell
CV: They’ve made a name for themselves parodying Biffy Clyro on YouTube and being ambushed by a stripper (NSFW!) during a gig organised by Detour. At long last, though, rap-rock combo The LaFontaines are finally writing songs to match their profile – Light Up The Background is the best thing they’ve done by some distance.
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-LaFontaines/23617180546
Twitter: http://twitter.com/thelafontaines
Audio: The LaFontaines – Light Up The Background

UNITED FRUIT
Base: Glasgow
CV: Remember the fuzzy, whirlwind swagger of Trail of Dead’s early albums? That’s what this lot sound like.
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/United-Fruit/73080356257
Twitter: http://twitter.com/unitedfruitband
Audio: United Fruit – Wrecking Ball