Lick Online - Live

>> King Tuts
>> 30th June 2006

It’s a very historic evening tonight in King Tuts. Probably the most famous and most respected venue in Scotland launches it’s very own record label, with the first band on board the fantastic pop/rock 5 piece the Dykeenies.

A bit miffed that I have to leave the Italy game (I’ve got a fiver on them to win the world cup) I feel very patriotic and proud all of a sudden as I arrive at the venue. Scottish band, Scottish label, Scottish venue, and there’s no chance of these Dykeenies going home after the group stages and never heard of again. This is one of these ‘invite only’ affairs, and a load of record company folk as well as the XFM crew are among the crowd, and the Dykeenies look quite nervous as they first appear on stage.

Opening up with The Panic, the boys blaze through the set playing potential hit after potential hit – they even through in a wee drum solo for good measure. Lead singer Brian Henderson is a star in the making, and since I first saw the band 5 months ago he has developed into a confident and stage-hogging front man with a fabulous voice.

Sharp shoes and ties aside, it’s the songs that lifts the Dykeenies up above the rest. One Plus One, New Ideas and Death to the Dancefloor are my highlights, but I could have picked all the tracks on view tonight.

It’s just great pop – plain and simple.

You can catch the Dykeenies in the T Break tent at T in the Park on Sunday afternoon and the single goes on download sale on the 10th July and in the shops on the 17th.

>> Joe Sach

www.myspace.com/gofindthedykeenies
www.thedykeenies.com
www.kingtutsrecordings.com

INTERVIEW TO FOLLOW!

>> King Tuts
>> 27th June 2006

The new cheeky chappy of the UK rock/indie scene may just have arrived. Front-man Ed Larrikin could well develop into a major star, and yes I’m afraid to say it – the next Pete Docherty. Don’t get me wrong here, I’m not talking about the drug addicted, troubled and general muppet Pete Docherty that most people know, I mean the highly intelligent and lyrically brilliant working class boy that so many people love.

Larrikin Love’s sound and style may have taken a wee influence from the aforementioned rock and/or roll star, and are definitely spawned from the same Libertines generation, but the Love has spread further as some country and reggae influences have slipped into the songwriting engine room. Latest single Downing Street Kindling is only a snippet of what the band are capable of, as Happy As Annie and Edwould give you a better idea of this young, lively and highly catchy band.

King Tuts is jumping for these local lads tonight, with Ed being the perfect ringmaster for the boozed up maniacs going mental down the front. The set is almost flawless, bursting with life and imagination with the odd cowbell thrown in for good measure. The rest of the band are also on their game, with the bass and drums being as tight as a nuns’ allowing the crazy guitars to shine, but it’s Ed who’s the star and with lyrics like ‘When you sit down and order a pint, do you want a friend or do you want a fight, I can see the tears behind your fists though’ who can argue with the boy.

Keep one eye on this lot, as Ed the artful dodger and co. may well be picking your pocket when the album’s out later in the year.

>> Joe Sach

www.larrikinlove.co.uk
www.myspace.com/larrikinlove

>> ABC
>> 24th June 2006

It's about as lovely a Saturday evening as is possible on Glasgow's Sauchiehall street (boozed up w*nkers and tramp-looking Jumpin Jack go-ers aside), as the sun goes down and the Argentina game kicks off. This may explain the smallish turnout then, as two of the best local songwriters grace the ABC's stage.

What more can the Lick say about Colette? Another storming show from the Queen of the Glaswegian piano and a new song or two thrown in as well for good measure. As I'm now familiar with almost every song from her brilliant debut album Etheria, it occurs to me the weirdness of the line up that she has with her (no offence guys...). Drummer Mark 'Itch' Aitcheson and bass player Dangerous Dave Milne play like their in a metal band at times, beating the bejesus out of their instruments and adding an extra bit of beef to the live sound. Guitarist Arthur Izat on the other side of the stage looks like Gandalf on crack (that's a good thing by the way) and the Manga that is Laura Healy also backs up brilliantly with some adorable harmonies.

Anyway, enough about Colette and Co. No.1 Son are the headline band this evening and are definitely potential stars in the making. Having released a one-off single at the start of the year, the band are fresh off recording their debut album which I'm sure you'll be hearing much more in the coming months.

Kicking off with a couple of heart crumbling emotion-filled songs, No.1 Son immediately grab everyone's ears and singer and songwriter Paul McGlaughlin has a voice that could melt even George W's heart.

Some simple and well-written songs are the theme of the band's sound, but it's the slightly left-of-centre instrumentation (glockenspiels and Banjo's for example) and simply beautiful voice that lifts No.1 Son above most singer/songwriter style acts around.

The night may have been spoiled slightly by the time over-run, leading to the band only getting 5 songs or so, but I'm sure everyone has seen enough to realise that this a band with a big future.

So I give you another word of warning before both these acts say goodbye to these smallish gigs and head up the stairs to the ABC1 in a year's time.

>> Joe Sach

www.myspace.com/no1sontheband
www.myspace.com/colettemckendrick

>> King Tuts
>> 26th June 2006

Every boy dreams of a day like this. The day that you beat you're old man at tennis, or you finally grow a beard that makes you look like the yetti-type guy on you're fake I.D, or when you develop into a fantastic, confident and complete performer as 19 year-old Paul Napier does tonight at Tuts.

You Lick regulars may well be familiar with Paul's work when he played at the LickMag.com's launch aftershow back in April, and the man is again in fine form tonight blowing away an enthusiastic crowd with some wonderful songs. His style is a strange mixture of Jack White, Johnny Cash and Jeff Buckley after downing a bottle of whisky and it sounds bloody brilliant.

The voice, the songs and the performance near perfection this evening, and after seeing Paul explode a few months ago when a gig wasn't quite happening for him, he seems totally oblivious to the 2 or 3 folk chatting at the back, and goes from strenght to strength as he moves through the half-hour set. Drinking to Remember may be my personal favourite, with lyrics that even Mr Dylan may be jealous of, but Ode To the Ocean and the haunting Lost At Sea could all fit the bill for a debut single.

This is the most creative and original singer/songwriter in Glasgow - you heard it here first.

>> Joe Sach

>> King Tuts
>> Cord, Hazey Janes & Invisibles

Every Emo-boys favourite friend Mr. Myspace has launched the UK version of the website with some corking live shows all over the country. There's a sister Glasgow show down at the Barfly with Lick favourites the Cinematics heading the bill, but tonight I'm in King Tuts for Cord, the Hazey Janes and the Invisibles.

Maybe it's the weather, but Tuts is dead tonight. Invisibles seem to have brought some loyal fans along, nodding their heads to every pounding song and there is a real belief from them that this could well be a band with a big future. Songs like Catapult and the anthem-like Problems With Drugs will surely propel this band to great heights over the next 6 months.

Dundee's the Hazey Janes deliver their usual friendly power pop performance to an every decreasing crowd, and just simply allow the songs to speak for themselves. There's nothing spectacular in terms of the show - except the spin tingling harmonies and superb song writing, with Toulouse being by far the strongest track.

Norwich boys Cord finish off the night with what at first sounds like a slightly mellow Queens of the Stone Age style of guitar based rock, but as the set moves on other influences like Radiohead and Coldplay definitely take a front seat. Front-man James Leeds is a like-able character, strutting around the small stage with a forced, Tony Blair-ish smile on his face - knowing that the 12 people in the crowd can't be disappointed. Still, the songs are strong with forthcoming single Winter a definite hit.

So myspace.co.uk is off the ground (as if it wasn't before). Lets have some more great live shows from you please - but this time with a larger crowd.

>> Joe Sach

www.myspace.com/invisiblesuk
www.myspace.com/thehazeyjanes
www.myspace.com/cordonline

>> Carling Academy
>> 8th June 2006

Walking through the doors of The Carling Academy tonight I was immediately struck by the wide variety of music fans. Its not often that you see large hairy men stand shoulder to shoulder with small teenage girls with 15mm holes in their ears and an abundance of colourful clothes but tonight is different. Only Deftones could pull such a crowd and this being their first Glasgow gig in almost 3 years, anticipation was running high.

Given the mammoth task of opening the night were local 4 piece Shutter, with a lively set of very tight Pelincan-esque instrumental post-rock. Quiet/loud dynamics are the basis for the bands songs with clean picking from the guitars and solid bass lines decorating each other, building up into a slight crescendo then the distortion kicks in and the band kick into HUGE riff after huge riff. An enjoyable set and a great start to the night.

Second band of the night are Glasgow boys You Already Know. They deal in mid paced heavy rock reminiscent at times of Placebo and it may be my louder-the-better musically mentality but unfortunately, YAK didnt seem to grab my attention. Still, the band are great at what they do and on lighter night of metal, I'm sure they'd go down a storm.

Finally it was time for Deftones. The lights came on to reveal Chino Moreno standing on a podium at the front of the stage. With so many throw away artists, it is great to see a real icon in todays musical climate. The rest of the band then appeared and kicked straight into a roaring rendition of Feticeira. The set then continued with great pace leading to a new song (Beware of the water) showing a more atmospheric side with gutiarist Stephen Carpenter taking synth duties whilst Chino played guitar. More hits followed including Hexagram, Be Quiet And Drive and Minerva, all of which sending the crowd (myself included) into a frenzy. Unfortunately, a couple of covers (The Cure and Sade) then took away the energy of the band but this was quickly regained with older material. The night was finished off with a medley from their first album (Adrenaline) with 7 words being the finally of a terrific set. The band left the stage to rapturous applause leaving a packed out Carling Academy with a feeling of extreme satisfaction. Rawk on little ones.

>> Gareth Payne

www.deftones.com
www.myspace.com/youak
www.myspace.com/shutterscotland

>> Oran Mor
>> 4th June 2006

It’s been a busy year for You Already Know. Since forming in Summer 2005 the boys have been slavishly working on a monumental number of songs, touting their wares round Scotland and creating awe-inspiring levels of epic rock that occasionally register as aftershocks in recently earthquake-ravaged cities the world over.

Tonight’s show is a teaser for YAK’s biggest gig yet – supporting Deftones at Glasgow’s Carling Academy later this month. As a vindication of a band’s determination to generate interesting and thought provoking music there can be no greater reward. And, going by tonight’s performance, YAK is fired up and ready to show the Carling what it’s made of. The set is peppered with golden moments; the heady crunch of ‘Dead Inside’ still packs a punch but it’s the shimmering ‘Crystal Clear’ that steals the limelight. Released in July as the debut single it looks certain to become a staple of Scotland’s rock radio play-lists.

Proving that there is still a place for invention within the four-piece rock template it was only a matter of time before people started taking notice and it looks likely that 2006 could be the year that this new band breaks through the glass ceiling of Glasgow’s music scene and checks to see just how green the grass is on the other side.

You Already Know support Deftones on June 7th 2006.
The single ‘Crystal Clear’ is released through HiJacked Records on July 10th.

>> Russell Moore

www.youalreadyknow.net
www.myspace.com/youak

>> King Tuts
>> 1st June 2006

Entering King Tuts for the umpteenth time, I wondered what was in store for me. With a name like Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly, I was half expecting an overzealous, teenage “rock” band with meaningless lyrics and crazy hairstyles. Boy was I in for a shock!

Sam Duckworth took to the stage quietly, guitar in one hand, microphone in front, and introduced the voice that will, no doubt, soon be taking the music world by storm. Not just the voice, but the melodies instantly caught the audience’s attraction; there was a stunned silence as every head in the room focused on the small, simian like singer.

Following his quiet opener, came “I Spy”, a song that is now becoming more familiar with radio listeners across the country. With a melody that would rival even Damien Rice’s music, I began to wonder why I hadn’t heard more about this little piece of magic.

Further compliments include the confident way Sam addressed the audience; he introduced his songs with anecdotes, some witty, some more controversial, but all in keeping with the overall relaxed tone of the night. He also managed to include political statements; “Glass Houses” was written after an encounter with the BNP.

Highlights of the night included “The Lighthouse Keeper”, a gem of a song which showed off his understated yet powerful voice, and the toe tapping “Call me Ishmael”, which is released on the 10th July.

I left Tuts desperate to hear more, and my advice to everyone is Go. Download. Now!

>> Jill Harkin

www.getcapewearcapefly.com