Beerjacket, Michael Cassidy, Julia and the Doogans Goosebumps, goosebumps thrice. Correct me if I’m wrong but that’s the sign of an incredible gig. Tonight was the gig I’d been most looking forward to out of the whole New Year’s Revolution line-up and it definitely didn’t disappoint. In fact, it surpassed my expectations. We arrived early just to be on the safe side before we headed up to catch Julia and the Doogans. Julia is the loveliest, nicest, most down to earth and incredibly amazing person I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing. On top of all that, she’s also one of the most talented. Without a doubt, Julia has one of the greatest voices I’ve heard in a long, long time. Her songs and her exquisite vocals bring me to the edge of tears each and every time. Granted, that probably says more about me as a person, being a big soppy emotional sap, but I challenge you not to fall in love with her. Perfect set in every way. Michael Cassidy was next to grace the stage and grace the stage he did. Despite a minor hiccup with his tuner pedal he stormed through his set in an awe-inspiring fashion. As one of Paisely’s finest, you wouldn’t expect anything less but despite seeing him on numerous occasions and having the pleasure of working with him he still managed to impress me like it was the first time all over again. He is outstanding as a solo artist but I’ve always said, if he had a full band behind him he would be destined for greatness. Tonight was the first time I’ve saw him play with another musician. He invited Ali Hendry of Randolph’s Leap up on stage to play trumpet for ‘Everybody’s Scared’ and it was phenomenal. Michael’s a hard working musician and he’s already made a name for himself as a wonderful solo artist but give it a year or so and he’ll take the Scottish music ‘scene’ by storm. We missed Coat Hooks but I was too excited for Beerjacket to care. Peter Kelly is hands down my favourite Scottish musician currently performing with an acoustic guitar. His albums, whether it be free downloads or physical releases, have saw a rapid progression in terms of songwriting. Considering his first release was wonderful, that’s a huge compliment. The fact that he was my old English teacher is neither here nor there, Beerjacket is the best solo artist in Scotland. His lyrics are wonderfully cryptic yet astonishingly clever, the passion in both his vocals and performance is captivating and his dedication to his music is nothing short of admirable. Tonight, although not the best I’ve seen him, was a further example of just how incredible a talent this man is. If he hasn’t made an appearance on Jools Holland within the next couple of years then the general public are missing out on one of the finest musicians that has came out of Scotland in recent years. It’s late, I’m tired and that post was pure nonsensical drivel. But I had an even better night than first anticipated, met so many great faces I haven’t seen in a while, and it might just have been the perfect way to end what as been a fantastic two weeks at King Tut’s, that’s unless I go to Pareto, Dilectrics and Bear Arms tomorrow for the finale.
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Beerjacket, Michael Cassidy, Julia and the Doogans

Goosebumps, goosebumps thrice. Correct me if I’m wrong but that’s the sign of an incredible gig.

Tonight was the gig I’d been most looking forward to out of the whole New Year’s Revolution line-up and it definitely didn’t disappoint. In fact, it surpassed my expectations.

We arrived early just to be on the safe side before we headed up to catch Julia and the Doogans. Julia is the loveliest, nicest, most down to earth and incredibly amazing person I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing. On top of all that, she’s also one of the most talented. Without a doubt, Julia has one of the greatest voices I’ve heard in a long, long time. Her songs and her exquisite vocals bring me to the edge of tears each and every time. Granted, that probably says more about me as a person, being a big soppy emotional sap, but I challenge you not to fall in love with her. Perfect set in every way.

Michael Cassidy was next to grace the stage and grace the stage he did. Despite a minor hiccup with his tuner pedal he stormed through his set in an awe-inspiring fashion. As one of Paisely’s finest, you wouldn’t expect anything less but despite seeing him on numerous occasions and having the pleasure of working with him he still managed to impress me like it was the first time all over again. He is outstanding as a solo artist but I’ve always said, if he had a full band behind him he would be destined for greatness. Tonight was the first time I’ve saw him play with another musician. He invited Ali Hendry of Randolph’s Leap up on stage to play trumpet for ‘Everybody’s Scared’ and it was phenomenal. Michael’s a hard working musician and he’s already made a name for himself as a wonderful solo artist but give it a year or so and he’ll take the Scottish music ‘scene’ by storm.

We missed Coat Hooks but I was too excited for Beerjacket to care. Peter Kelly is hands down my favourite Scottish musician currently performing with an acoustic guitar. His albums, whether it be free downloads or physical releases, have saw a rapid progression in terms of songwriting. Considering his first release was wonderful, that’s a huge compliment. The fact that he was my old English teacher is neither here nor there, Beerjacket is the best solo artist in Scotland. His lyrics are wonderfully cryptic yet astonishingly clever, the passion in both his vocals and performance is captivating and his dedication to his music is nothing short of admirable. Tonight, although not the best I’ve seen him, was a further example of just how incredible a talent this man is. If he hasn’t made an appearance on Jools Holland within the next couple of years then the general public are missing out on one of the finest musicians that has came out of Scotland in recent years.

It’s late, I’m tired and that post was pure nonsensical drivel. But I had an even better night than first anticipated, met so many great faces I haven’t seen in a while, and it might just have been the perfect way to end what as been a fantastic two weeks at King Tut’s, that’s unless I go to Pareto, Dilectrics and Bear Arms tomorrow for the finale.

Open Swimmer, Reverieme and Randolph’s Leap. Bar woman: “Hey! You’re never out of this place!” - at least that shows I’ve already got my money’s worth from my Golden Ticket. Tonight reaffirmed that. I got to Tut’s just as Randolph’s Leap were starting, perfect timing and perfect start to what was to be a short night. Randolph’s Leap never fail to put a smile on my face whether it be Adam’s awkward jokes, the dancing trumpet player or the tall man who leaves the cello momentarily to press a few buttons on keys and dance around like Bez on, well, pills. Each time I see them they get better and better and tonight was no different. The reaction from the crowd was very positive and I, as did much of the audience, left with a permanent grin etched on my face. The beautiful Louise Connell was next together with her band, Reverieme. It helps hold the attention of the audience when the singer is as stunning as Louise is but when her voice is equally as stunning you know you’re definitely on to a winner. That was only the third time I’ve managed to catch Reverieme, what with the pre-T in the Park show I had planned with her falling through (cheers Mono), but she was as wonderful as ever as was the band with the new addition of a girl on keys who harmonised beautifully. Another positive reaction from what was a fairly busy King Tut’s. Sadly, Reverieme only played just under twenty minutes but with negatives usually comes positives and that meant I could catch a couple of Open Swimmer songs before I had to leave for the train. I never had the pleasure of seeing Ben TD live but I can already tell that forming Open Swimmer was a huge leap in the right direction. His banter live is second to none, quietly confident but always amusing. I wish I could comment on the songs more but having only managed to catch two and a half songs I’m already looking forward to a full set. What I will say though is that the song I had to leave half way through, ‘The Cabin’, was incredible. Performed semi-acoustic only by Ben, you could hear a pin drop as each word left his lips in perfect tune. Open Swimmer are destined for bigger things and I’ll be damned if I’m wrong. Tomorrow is the gig I’ve been looking forward to the most since the New Year’s Revolution line-up was announced. Beerjacket, Michael Cassidy and Julia and the Doogans. Pure bliss. EDIT: Jodie summed it up here far better than I did. I’m too tired.
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Open Swimmer, Reverieme and Randolph’s Leap.

Bar woman: “Hey! You’re never out of this place!” - at least that shows I’ve already got my money’s worth from my Golden Ticket. Tonight reaffirmed that.

I got to Tut’s just as Randolph’s Leap were starting, perfect timing and perfect start to what was to be a short night. Randolph’s Leap never fail to put a smile on my face whether it be Adam’s awkward jokes, the dancing trumpet player or the tall man who leaves the cello momentarily to press a few buttons on keys and dance around like Bez on, well, pills. Each time I see them they get better and better and tonight was no different. The reaction from the crowd was very positive and I, as did much of the audience, left with a permanent grin etched on my face.

The beautiful Louise Connell was next together with her band, Reverieme. It helps hold the attention of the audience when the singer is as stunning as Louise is but when her voice is equally as stunning you know you’re definitely on to a winner. That was only the third time I’ve managed to catch Reverieme, what with the pre-T in the Park show I had planned with her falling through (cheers Mono), but she was as wonderful as ever as was the band with the new addition of a girl on keys who harmonised beautifully. Another positive reaction from what was a fairly busy King Tut’s. Sadly, Reverieme only played just under twenty minutes but with negatives usually comes positives and that meant I could catch a couple of Open Swimmer songs before I had to leave for the train.

I never had the pleasure of seeing Ben TD live but I can already tell that forming Open Swimmer was a huge leap in the right direction. His banter live is second to none, quietly confident but always amusing. I wish I could comment on the songs more but having only managed to catch two and a half songs I’m already looking forward to a full set. What I will say though is that the song I had to leave half way through, ‘The Cabin’, was incredible. Performed semi-acoustic only by Ben, you could hear a pin drop as each word left his lips in perfect tune. Open Swimmer are destined for bigger things and I’ll be damned if I’m wrong.

Tomorrow is the gig I’ve been looking forward to the most since the New Year’s Revolution line-up was announced. Beerjacket, Michael Cassidy and Julia and the Doogans. Pure bliss.

EDIT: Jodie summed it up here far better than I did. I’m too tired.

United Fruit and Lady North Low ticket sales doesn’t necessarily mean that band is worse than the band who sold slightly more, especially if that band have travelled all the way from Edinburgh to play the gig. But alas, Lady North were shifted down to first on stage. Luckily there were enough people there to appreciate their brilliance. They played a blinder as usual and I still stand by my statement that Paul is one of the best live drummers in Scotland, only rivalled by Iain of Bronto. If you haven’t checked out Lady North already then shame on you, and if you haven’t checked out Paul’s other band Dead Boy Robotics then doubly shame on you. Lady North are one of my favourite wee bands and my calves were aching by the end of the set from the amount of restraint I exercised on them to stop me breaking in to a spasmodic dance. Nobody wants to see that. Natalie Pryce were next. I’d never heard of Natalie Pryce and assumed it was a female acoustic singer and decided to give it a miss, instead opting for a Mahiki and Coke at the downstairs bar. However Ally came down during their set and put it bluntly, “That band’s pure shite, just a bunch a’ guys in suits wavin’ their arms aboot”. It’s safe to say we stayed downstairs for the rest of their set. I caught a bit of Hunt/Gather and was relatively impressed. The band were tight as fuck, in fact they were pretty incredible. I wasn’t so impressed with the vocalist (or “screamer”) though. He was lively enough, reminded me a bit of Greg Puciato at times although nowhere near as talented, but his screams were average to say the least. I’m looking forward to giving them a proper listen though and I’ll hopefully catch them live again in the near future. Definitely ones to watch. Then it was time for United Fruit. I wouldn’t necessarily say they were one of my favourites (although I do love them unconditionally) but they are definitely one of the best bands in Scotland at the moment. Always tight, always raucous, always outstanding. I spoke to Halina after the set and she was less than impressed with the crowd. She asked why I thought the crowd didn’t seem to move about much which, given the type of music United Fruit play and the energy they emit, wouldn’t exactly be unexpected. I said I think it’s ultimately an age thing and that I would love the crowd to have tore up Tut’s and went mental but I’d have been standing at the back at a safe distance supping on my pint. I love seeing a crowd go wild as much as the next person, but I’m very rarely involved in it. Hypocritical? Aye, probably. But I’ve been there and done all that and these days I like to admire from afar. It was an interesting point to say the least. Tomorrow it’s Randolph’s Leap and Reverieme. Unfortunately I’ll miss Open Swimmer since I need to catch the last train but shit happens. Oh, and I got a Frightened Rabbit ticket for Stereo. Today has been a good day.
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United Fruit and Lady North

Low ticket sales doesn’t necessarily mean that band is worse than the band who sold slightly more, especially if that band have travelled all the way from Edinburgh to play the gig. But alas, Lady North were shifted down to first on stage. Luckily there were enough people there to appreciate their brilliance.

They played a blinder as usual and I still stand by my statement that Paul is one of the best live drummers in Scotland, only rivalled by Iain of Bronto. If you haven’t checked out Lady North already then shame on you, and if you haven’t checked out Paul’s other band Dead Boy Robotics then doubly shame on you. Lady North are one of my favourite wee bands and my calves were aching by the end of the set from the amount of restraint I exercised on them to stop me breaking in to a spasmodic dance. Nobody wants to see that.

Natalie Pryce were next. I’d never heard of Natalie Pryce and assumed it was a female acoustic singer and decided to give it a miss, instead opting for a Mahiki and Coke at the downstairs bar. However Ally came down during their set and put it bluntly, “That band’s pure shite, just a bunch a’ guys in suits wavin’ their arms aboot”. It’s safe to say we stayed downstairs for the rest of their set.

I caught a bit of Hunt/Gather and was relatively impressed. The band were tight as fuck, in fact they were pretty incredible. I wasn’t so impressed with the vocalist (or “screamer”) though. He was lively enough, reminded me a bit of Greg Puciato at times although nowhere near as talented, but his screams were average to say the least. I’m looking forward to giving them a proper listen though and I’ll hopefully catch them live again in the near future. Definitely ones to watch.

Then it was time for United Fruit. I wouldn’t necessarily say they were one of my favourites (although I do love them unconditionally) but they are definitely one of the best bands in Scotland at the moment. Always tight, always raucous, always outstanding. I spoke to Halina after the set and she was less than impressed with the crowd. She asked why I thought the crowd didn’t seem to move about much which, given the type of music United Fruit play and the energy they emit, wouldn’t exactly be unexpected. I said I think it’s ultimately an age thing and that I would love the crowd to have tore up Tut’s and went mental but I’d have been standing at the back at a safe distance supping on my pint. I love seeing a crowd go wild as much as the next person, but I’m very rarely involved in it. Hypocritical? Aye, probably. But I’ve been there and done all that and these days I like to admire from afar. It was an interesting point to say the least.

Tomorrow it’s Randolph’s Leap and Reverieme. Unfortunately I’ll miss Open Swimmer since I need to catch the last train but shit happens.

Oh, and I got a Frightened Rabbit ticket for Stereo. Today has been a good day.

Esperi Jodie and I decided to head along to Tut’s a lot later than usual since we’re both skint and we only really wanted to see Esperi but we did however manage to catch Callum Baird’s set who I’ve never listened to before. He was decent, sang well, played harmonica and an acoustic guitar and he covered Cod Liver Oil and the Orange Juice. Anyone who covers Hamish Imlach is good in my book. The place quickly emptied, partly because it seemed as though most folk were there for one or two of the support bands and partly because the gigs at Tut’s always run on so late. It’s a real shame because Chris James Marr (aka Esperi) is one of the nicest, hardest working and most talented musicians in Scotland. As usual he delivered a stunning multi-instrumental performance which eventually captured the full attention of the small audience. There’s one thing I cannot abide by at gigs, especially gigs so intimate and quiet, and that’s people who talk so loudly that they drown out the music. I couldn’t bite my tongue any longer and told one guy in front of me “D’you mind keeping it down a bit pal? We’re trying to enjoy the music” to which he apologised and never uttered a word for the rest of the set. I think I’ve only ever had to do that once before and that was during Thurston Moore at the Arches. It really is the height of ignorance. Regardless, Chris finished off the set in magnificent fashion as always and the people still left in the venue seemed to appreciate it. Esperi is a wonderful artist and his music is well worth listening to, but you’ll never really fully appreciate how talented this man is until you see him live. He’s jaw-droppingly good. United Fruit and Lady North tomorrow, there is no doubt in my mind it’s going to be an absolute belter.
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Esperi

Jodie and I decided to head along to Tut’s a lot later than usual since we’re both skint and we only really wanted to see Esperi but we did however manage to catch Callum Baird’s set who I’ve never listened to before. He was decent, sang well, played harmonica and an acoustic guitar and he covered Cod Liver Oil and the Orange Juice. Anyone who covers Hamish Imlach is good in my book.

The place quickly emptied, partly because it seemed as though most folk were there for one or two of the support bands and partly because the gigs at Tut’s always run on so late. It’s a real shame because Chris James Marr (aka Esperi) is one of the nicest, hardest working and most talented musicians in Scotland. As usual he delivered a stunning multi-instrumental performance which eventually captured the full attention of the small audience. There’s one thing I cannot abide by at gigs, especially gigs so intimate and quiet, and that’s people who talk so loudly that they drown out the music. I couldn’t bite my tongue any longer and told one guy in front of me “D’you mind keeping it down a bit pal? We’re trying to enjoy the music” to which he apologised and never uttered a word for the rest of the set. I think I’ve only ever had to do that once before and that was during Thurston Moore at the Arches. It really is the height of ignorance.

Regardless, Chris finished off the set in magnificent fashion as always and the people still left in the venue seemed to appreciate it. Esperi is a wonderful artist and his music is well worth listening to, but you’ll never really fully appreciate how talented this man is until you see him live. He’s jaw-droppingly good.

United Fruit and Lady North tomorrow, there is no doubt in my mind it’s going to be an absolute belter.

Kobi Onyame

Green, Green Grasses was one of my favourite albums of 2011, but I was worried it wouldn’t carry off as well live. I was partly right.

The main draw for me isn’t solely the rapping, it’s the songs as a whole. The choruses, the collaborators, the hooks, the guest singers. They are perfectly crafted pop songs as well as decent hip-hop songs. For the most part, the sound in King Tut’s the past week or so has been nothing short of abysmal. The vocals are too low, the bass is too high and it’s been nowhere near as crisp and clear as Tut’s is famed for. This was a bit of a problem last night.

It wasn’t just Kobi’s vocals though, it was what I anticipated would potentially ruin the set - the backing track. All of the guest singers’ parts (with the exception of one girl who sang a track with Kobi live) were played through a speaker system which at times, you’d be forgiven for thinking wasn’t even switched on. This meant that all his catchy hooks and sing-along choruses were lost in the background.

With that said however, he was relentless in getting the half full King Tut’s crowd involved despite being given the cold shoulder a few times. By the end of the gig, the first couple of rows seemed to be enjoying themselves, even throwing the odd hand up in the air. The gig was full of absolute cunts though so we stood up the back well out of the way.

Overall, full credit to Kobi Onyame and his band for putting on a great set which unfortunately, through no fault of his own, wasn’t as good as it could have been. Ideally I’d like to see him perform somewhere with better sound and accompanied by various guest vocalists.

Next up, Esperi.

Kobi Onyame tonight at King Tut’s, I’m as excited as Alex Salmond in a pie shop.

If you haven’t heard Green, Green, Grasses then you’re missing out. Gi’ it a Spotify, belter of an album.

I’m going to get fat on Nandos first though, not quite sure what the plans are after the gig (if there’s any). I always have an excellent Friday 13th, let’s hope tonight’s just as good.

Source: SoundCloud / Kobi Onyame

Discopolis and Kill the Waves.

Another night, another Tut’s gig.

The Mighty Cream were everything their sound promised they would be and more. But as is the curse of playing first at a non sold out gig, the place was empty. Would have been feeling the beats a lot more if the place was rammed but after a few tracks (albeit impressive) we headed downstairs.

Then it was time for the first band I’d been looking forward to, Kill the Waves. I didn’t actually realise until after their set that KTW were formerly Camembert who I loved indefinitely but Jesus, they’ve transformed in to a whole new level of superiority. Immediately you could tell that this was the drummer’s first gig with the band. He was a young fella, nervous but equally as excited and not overly familiar with the set. First track was a little out of time and there was a few shaky moments but my God, when his confidence kicked in he played out of his skin. ‘The Oak Tree’ was wonderful but the track which finished the set nearly sent me over the edge. Shivers, goosebumps, hairs on end and on the verge of tears. An emotional rollercoaster of musical brilliance. The most incredible sex imaginable paled in comparison.

After that whirlwind of pleasure, Capstin Pole brought me back down to earth with an underwhelming thump. Imagine four guys who grew up as the Britpop scene exploded. Then imagine those four guys, as expected, diving head first in to said scene. Y’know, the clothes, the getup, the attitude. Then imagine those same four guys suddenly realising there was an acid scene before the Britpop scene that they missed out on, so they put the Britpop scene on hold, took loads of pills, wrote some mental dance tunes but forgot to change their clothes. Aye, I present to you Capstin Pole. Good vocalist, decent first dancy tune, then it all went downhill from there. I’ll leave you to judge for yourself.

After recovering with a few pints and a cigarette, it was Discopolis time. I’ve missed Discopolis on many an occasion and was ridiculously excited to finally catch them live. They didn’t disappoint. Relaxed, calm and quietly confident they produced one of the tightest sets I’ve ever witnessed. The singer’s ethereal vocals transport you to another world before the trio hit out with some of the greatest electronic dance beats I’ve heard in a long time. At one point I swear I had to forcefully pin my legs to the ground to stop me shuffling off in to a dance trance.

The Tuesday night crown has to go to Kill the Waves however, I’m still welling up just thinking about it.

Overall, a smashin’ night. Next stop, Tango in the Attic on Thursday. I fucking hate Tango in the Attic.

Vukovi and Cities and Skylines.

Eras were shite. Really, really shite. Seriously, utter shite. Thisfamiliarsmile haven’t improved any since the last time I saw them about four years ago either.

But regardless, Cities and Skylines were top notch. Even despite the technical fault which involved the accidental wrapping of a guitar cable round the legs and crashing in to the stack of amps. Tight set, fine music.

Vukovi absolutely killed it though. The place was rammed and Janine really knows how to work the stage. The only downside of the night was that going to the gig meant I missed Thierry Henry pull on an Arsenal jersey again and score. Thierry Henry. Thierry Henry. That sounds good doesn’t it? Mmm, Thierry Henry.

Ridiculously excited for Discopolis tomorrow, not so excited for work however.

But hey, I’m lying in bed with a 20 piece Chicken Nugget share box which is funny because I’m not sharing with anyone. Not even you.

G’night tumblfucks, I’m off to watch the new episode of Californication.