Lick Online - Live

>> The Goat
>> James Yorkston, Popup, Yellow Bentines
>> 6th December 2006

The small but perfectly formed Goat pub (posh end of Argyle Street) is the venue for the launch of the Tennents Versa Acoustic tour, which promises to spoil us with exclusive performances from some of Scotland’s top indie types in equally cosy settings across the country in 2007.

Predictably, tonight’s event is also a chance for the aforementioned sponsors to ply us with free samples of their new ‘continental’ style lager, with the biggest surprise of the evening being that it doesn’t taste of poo water.

The Brass Eye referencing Yellow Bentines kick off proceedings with the kind of multi instrumental, at once wistfully romantic and vaguely bitter pop that draws instant comparisons with Belle and Sebastian, or maybe a pared down Delgados.

The keyboard led, trumpet featuring tunes are a jaunty enough start to the evening but lyrically speaking the Bentines lack the irony and deadpan delivery of their better known peers.

The perky Popup jolly things along a bit, serving up Libertines-like riffs with nicely tongue in cheek lyrical observations and some endearingly skewed harmonies. It’s particularly heartening to be reminded that a Scottish band can sing in their native accent and not sound like The Proclaimers.

The biggest welcome of the night is reserved for Fife-born James Yorkston, a well kent face amongst folk-pop aficionados in these parts and beyond.

An unassuming Yorkston takes to the miniscule Goat stage without introduction, launching straight into a haunting acapella number that sees a reverential hush quickly descend on the packed pub.

Accompanying himself on guitar and harmonica, Yorkston continues to woo the rapt Goat crowd, his reflective, lilting melodies and folk balladry offset perfectly by wry and self-deprecating lyrics.

The only slightly hairy moment comes when the wonderfully affable James invites an enthusiastic fan up to sing backing vocals on one song and the entire bar holds its breath lest we be treated to a nightmare of X Factor auditions proportions. To everyone’s relief, said fan can actually hold a tune.

The audience participation theme continues with another chancer inviting himself on stage for a well intentioned but hilariously tuneless harmonica duel, before the main man takes control once more and closes the set to rapturous applause.

The Versa Acoustic tour proper has similarly eclectic lineups planned in intimate venues across the country throughout next year. If all the headliners are of James Yorkston’s calibre, it looks like one not to be missed. And that’s not just the beer talking.

>> Annie McLaughlin

The Changing Rooms, Stirling. Friday Dec 1st 2006

Y’all is Fantasy Island’s latest enigmatic visit to Stirling finds us tastefully lit and slightly confused within the fully whitewashed walls of “The Changing Room”, an art space situated above the Crawford shopping arcade in the city centre. It’s certainly an unconventional choice of venue. The occasion is the opening of a new exhibition at the gallery featuring the work of a number of artists based in and around the local area.

Curiosity piqued by this unusual crossing of artistic paths, the show presented an uncharacteristically convenient opportunity to chart the course of this ever-evolving musical ensemble.

Y’all is Fantasy Island has been shifting shape for three years now since its arrival as a moody gust of foreboding from amidst Falkirk’s less than sunny suburbs. Initially the music was largely centred round singer and lead songwriter Adam Stafford’s intimate husky sermons, occasionally giving way to passages of Constellation-esque experimentalism. Yet over the course of their time together, these more subdued sets have acquired the protruding edges of skewed indie, in the vein of such underground luminaries as Sebadoh and Papa M.

Tonight, however, it appears they have further metamorphosed into a fully electric creature, still thickly layering atmospherics, only this time from a heavier base of operations. Indeed this evening’s set closes with a sustained wall of shrill feedback looped through the heavily stomped and thoroughly tweaked circuitry of Stafford’s delay and distortion pedals. It’s a loud and occasionally abrasive performance, but carefully laced with melody and clever instrumentation. The bleached and pleasant surroundings ultimately seem ill-suited to containing such volatile works of art.
Their debut album, the well-received “In Faceless Towns Forever”, was an excellent document of Y’all is Fantasy Island’s quieter upbringing. The highlights of tonight’s set, such as the infectious “With Handclaps”, seem to denote a more raucous adolescence and, if captured properly, will no-doubt make for an equally rewarding listen.

> Chris Cusack

> Glasgow Barrowlands
> Sunday December 3rd 2006

On a sodden and blustery Sunday evening, the first of two consecutive nights at the Barrowlands, its with an effervescent and synchronised self-assurance that The Magic Numbers throw themselves into “This is a song”, first track from their new album “Those the brokes”. It’s a song that takes more musical chances than much of their material and serves as a suitably attention-grabbing introduction.
The Magic Numbers were obviously paying attention in class during that lesson about the Holy Grail of live performance: “start strong, end strong”. They cram two of the singles from “Those the Brokes” and two favourites from their eponymous Mercury-nominated debut album into the first twenty minutes and, predictably, the crowd are buoyant.

These are the jingles that have resonated down the cones of both daytime and evening radio for nearly 18 months. After all, not just anyone is allowed to hang a twenty-foot high banner of their faces across a stage these days.
However, The Magic Numbers are very much kept afloat by their singles. Six songs into tonight’s set, they venture into album-track territory and, though it’s not hostile terrain, it’s certainly more barren. Ugly comparisons to The Beautiful South begin to suggest themselves. The crowd’s enthusiasm wanes. Raised hands drop and many an opportunity is taken to visit the toilet/bar/merchandise stand. It’s only some time later, with set-closer and hit-single “Love me like you”, that they shrewdly reel everyone back in, once again securing the waving arms and en masse backing vocals of the grinning Glaswegian assembly.

Given their current favour in the media, it should only take another couple of albums before The Magic Numbers can fill such testing gaps with more singles and I’m sure their Greatest Hits tour will prove to be very good value for money when it eventually and inevitably arrives.

> Chris Cusack

>> Capitol
>> 28th November 2006
>> Julie Agnew, Mike Play, North Foundation, Sneaky Pete

It’s no mean feat to lure me out onto the wet and windy streets of Glesga on a school night in November, but anyone promising cheap drink and quality talent (of the musical variety) is usually in with a shout.

Such wily tricks have seen Auto Rock (Tuesdays at Capitol) carve out quite a niche for itself on the city’s live music scene over the past months, offering punters the pick of the local indie rock landscape washed down with drinks for a quid.

First up tonight is Mike Play, with a heartfelt acoustic set that even succeeds in making a song about pigeons seem strangely moving. The duo combines some nice guitar interplay with Mike’s silky smooth vocals, creating the kind of soporific effect that banishes thoughts of the shitty Scottish winter while conjuring up altogether more pleasant images of lazy, beery summer days in the park.

As twosomes go, they’re definitely more Turin Brakes than MacDonald Brothers (thank the Lord), with standout song ‘Ride the Wave’ best encapsulating their laid back sound and style.

North Foundation are from Edinburger, but let’s not hold that against them as they seem quite nice, really. The spirit of Teenage Fanclub clearly inhabits this quintet, and it’s hard not to feel cheered by the effortless harmonies and jangly guitar pop. There are shades of Snow Patrol too, but the Foundation inject enough individuality to keep things interesting. They don’t have a song about pigeons though. Something to think about.

Young scallywags Sneaky Pete offer up some fast and fuzzy pop rock numbers in a nu-punk, Blink 182 stylee. Low-slung, pants flaunting jeans? Check. Dyed black, excessively long fringe? Check. Slightly whiny vocals? Check. It’s all well and good, and their drummer in particular is a real find, but I can’t quite shake the feeling that I’m watching some entrants in a high school battle of the bands.

If it was, though, then Julie Agnew would kick their collective arse. With a voice that goosebumps were invented for, words that truly resonate and a knack for mixing insistent, soulful rhythm and beautiful melodies, Ms Agnew easily wipes the floor with the opposition.

Opener ‘Bless Me Doctor’ gets right down to business with a blues inspired riff that has the Auto Rock audience’s heads bobbing like nodding dogs before the intro’s done. The song offers ample opportunity for Julie to showcase the sheer power and clarity of her vocals, ensuring the incisive and insightful lyrics hit their target.

In an age where Sandi Thom wittering on about flowers in her hair passes as social commentary, it’s positively life affirming to witness an artist who can be arsed making a point with their music.

A haunting acoustic cover of The Buzzcocks ‘Ever Fallen In Love (With Someone You Shouldn’t’ve?)’ goes down a storm while new song ‘On Your Way’, a kick up the jacksie to George Bush, is a sure sign that Julie will continue to eschew the easy route of lovelorn soft-rock ballads in favour of frying the bigger fish.

The dark edged, thumping soul rhythm of ‘Deep Down’, a lament to the eternal frustrations of communication failure in human relationships, gives way to the set’s closer, a soaring cover of Maria McKee’s ‘If Love Is A Red Dress’.

And then it’s back out to face the elements, the cockles of my heart fairly warmed and faith in new music duly restored. School nights rule, ok.

>> Annie McGlaughlin

>> Oran Mor
>> Sunday 4th December 2006

Of all the acts taking part in nuts and seeds' festive holiday shindig this year, none stand out more in terms of stage presence than We Are The Physics. Like demented apocalyptic robots, these guys angularly strut around stage, hastily reinventing the very concept of choreography whilst silmutaneously whipping up a mutant-punk storm. Contrary to the image portrayed by their matching shirts and metronomically accurate movements, each member of the band somehow manages to contribute in a drastically individual way. The band finish their short set in around half an hour, leaving a fractured stage and a ridiculously enthralled but vaguely intoxicated Oran Mor crowd in their wake.

>> Vicki Cole

Photo: John Sacky