Doune The Rabbit Hole Review Pt. 2

After a night in my own bed (I can promise there's no greater feeling than leaving a muddy campsite knowing there's a hot shower waiting on you twenty minutes away) it was back to the Carron Valley. On arrival, we heard some rather interesting noises emanating from the Baino Stage. It turned out this was the cheery pop of Teen Canteen, who are beyond twee but are also fantastic – of all the bands I've heard who are named after Showaddywaddy songs, they're definitely the best. Sadly we only heard a couple of songs (including one cover of Kylie's All The Lovers) but I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for them.

Teen Canteen  (Photo by Wullie Crainey) 

Onto the main stage now for Dead Temple, who write doomy, stoner rock. Their songs are constructed with little subtlety and guile, preferring to hit you with a wall of noise for most of it, save for the odd quiet part which they've nicked from Radiohead. They're not terrible actually but the fact that the singer rarely strays from singing one note for most of the songs does grate after a while. Its starts to rain like fuck and we get soaked so back into the Baino tent for shelter and for...

...Duncan Drever, who plays fairly uninspiring folk music and really wants to be King Creosote. He has a really good voice, but then he goes and spoils it all by saying something stupid like 'this song is about vaginas' and proceeding to sing a song about vaginas.

Scran time, and it's up to top of the hill  for some pulled pork on a piece (courtesy of SMOAK). It's great stuff, must make a point of dropping into their place in Glasgow one day. Fed, I traipse back down to the main stage for Withered Hand, who is always impressive live. This is the first I've caught him with a full band though, and the expanded lineup brings so much to the occasion, giving each song a sense of weight and power. Ever a live highlight, Religious Songs brings about a rather triumphant climax, provoking a mass sing-along. One of the most enjoyable sets of the weekend.

Sacred Paws  (Photo by Wullie Crainey) 

Next up we have London/Glasgow duo Sacred Paws, who I've never been convinced by from listening to their recorded material. Their live show is something else though. They play ramshackle and disorganised post-punk with some rhythmic African influences chucked in at times. The dual vocal lines may not be in tune, nor are they the tightest band around but the shambolic nature of their show is pretty endearing and they're obviously passionate about what they do. Definitely worth seeing them live if you get the chance.

King Creosote  (Photo by Wullie Crainey) 

Rounding off our day is King Creosote who is, well, okay. He's just too happy these days. He and his band are in full-on summer mode, Hammond organ and all. I just couldn't enjoy it. Stop being so happy, Kenny! I preferred you when you were utterly miserable! Actually, I'm doing the band a real disservice because they're fantastic performers. I think I would have enjoyed it a lot more on any other day but my companions and I had reached that point where we were soaked through and dying to get home. Any other day I'd have loved it but I think by then I just wasn't in the mood. Ach, another time, eh?

Sunday

The Second Hand Marching Band  (Photo by Wullie Crainey) 

We arrive in time to see Olympic Swimmers, although it turns out they're not onstage when the programme says they'll be (it later transpires that they've been moved to a slot later on the bill on another stage). To console ourselves we head up to the Tenement TV stage for Pronto Mama but...well, they've had to pull out unfortunately. So the first band we see are The Second Hand Marching Band, whose heartfelt folksyness are the perfect start to our Sunday. I've caught them live them a few times and they're always good fun and today was no different. “We have a song about a love triangle in a mortuary and one with a mad drum beat: which one do you want to hear?” Mad Drum Beat song it is. Or, to call it by its real name, Don't. It's one of the standout tracks but special mention should also be given to A Dance To Half Death, another highlight.

It's North American War next in the Baino, who sound like XTC crossed with the second coming of Be Your Own Pet. I reviewed their excellent Ivory and Geraniums split 7” a few months back and it took me by surprise because I loved it, even though it's not normally the type of thing I'd listen to.We enjoy listening to them from outside the tent as we get some food. They wrap up some pretty catchy choruses in repetitive rhythms and discordant noise and the result is thoroughly enjoyable.

Kid Canaveral  (Photo by Wullie Crainey)

Up to the Tenement TV stage for Kid Canaveral, who are one of my favourite Scottish bands, and certainly one of the most accomplished live bands I've ever seen. I've seen them loads of times but this is my first opportunity to hear their new stuff. From what I can hear in this set, it's not a massive shift away from the guitar pop of their debut, but it's a touch heavier and bigger. On one song there's even...A GUITAR SOLO! But anyway, the new stuff has got me soaking in anticipation of the new album. There's not a weak song among the new lot, and the best for me was Low Winter Sun. They rounded things off nicely with my favourite from the first album, And Another Thing. Possibly my favourite set of the weekend too.

Human Don't Be Angry  (Photo by Wullie Crainey) 

I'd already missed a good chunk of Three Blind Wolves by the time I made my way back to the main stage but they were sounding pretty good from what I heard. I'm not a huge fan of their music (it's just not my kind of thing) but they're always good to see live as they're as tight as a gnat's chuff. Nae different here either, and the addition of a third guitarist means that they're sounding massive. And heavy. Really heavy. Heavier than you could ever really expect a country rock band to sound. But, oddly, it works very well.

We finished our weekend in the Baino tent to see Human Don't Be Angry. I have to admit I was in the minority wasn't taken on self-titled album when it came out earlier this year so I feared I wouldn't enjoy them live. I needn't have feared anything because they sounded far better live than they did on record. It was a strong set but special mention must go to NDBA Theme, a real highlight of the set.

So, my first Doune The Rabbit Hole experience was over. It wasn't a bad experience at all, although there are definitely a number of areas that could be improved upon. First of all, they have to make sure their volunteers are up to scratch on the basics, such as what constitutes a press wristband etc. As I said in the first part of this review, we were sent to a number of different places for our press passes only to discover the wristbands we already had on were the passes themselves. It didn't waste a lot of our time or anything but it was just a wee bit annoying. Basic stuff.

As I also touched on in the first part of the review, the lack of times on the timetable was just sheer laziness. I suppose it was supposed to be part of the carefree 'hippy' ethic but I'm one of these types who like to know what's on and when. I don't think that's an unreasonable request. At least if you have a list of times alongside the bands and things start to run a wee bit late on some stages you can put up a message on the sign next to the stage with updated times or whatever. The problem with that being that there weren't any signs telling you about set times, presumably to encourage people to buy a programme. And the problem with that is that there didn't seem to be anyone selling programmes. I managed to blag one at the gate and seemed to be one of the only people at the whole festival who'd managed to get a one, going by the number of people who came over to get a look at it or take a photo of it when they saw it in my hand. They only decided to put up signs with set times on the Sunday at 3 o'clock. And I imagine this was only because there were some major lineup changes on the various stages that day. Again, it's not really a major thing but it's something to think about getting sorted for next time.

One other thing that isn't all that pertinent to the normal punter but definitely is to the organisers was the number of times my wristband was looked at all weekend. Once. One single time. And that was when the guy actually put it on my wrist at the gate. I know the festival provides itself on being a bit of a 'free-spirit' but it shouldn't get the reputation for being easy to get into for free, particularly when they've had serious problems with paying bands in the past. Just something for the organisers to think about...

All of these things contributed to a general lax and disorganised feeling about the festival. But that doesn't mean I didn't have a good time. There were so many positives. The majority of the music I saw was cracking and, from what I've heard from other sources I missed a lot of excellent stuff too. The only small criticism I'd have here is that maybe there's actually too much of it...there's genuinely no need for so many bands to be on the bill at a festival this small when you could really maximise crowds at three or four stages rather than spread them out over 5.

The general vibe of the festival is lovely, a real friendly atmosphere that I found comparable to the few hours I spent at Wickerman in July this year. It's definitely one to consider for next year if you're looking for a more relaxing festival experience with some big names but without the big crowds. I know I've given it a bit of criticism here but these are just wee things that can be improved on with a bit of attention. Hopefully, if the organisers see this, they'll give it a wee bit of thought. As things stand, I'll probably be going along next year. Provided it's still being held within commutable distance, right enough. I hate camping. I fucking hate it.

Fin.

Hippy in the mud  (Photo by Wullie Crainey)

We've Got It Covered #109

It's been a funny old week. In case you missed the memo on Wednesday there I announced that I was going to be taking a wee step back form posting every day and that I'd decided to bring a few new faces in to help out/freshen up the place a wee bit. I was genuinely a wee bit taken aback by the reaction that the post got, I think I might have caused a wee bit of confusion  as a lot of folk seem to have read it as I was giving up. I can assure you that is not the case, I have just decided to take a wee break from my Fresh Meat and Friday Freebies posts. The Fresh Meat posts will defo return at some point in the future and my partner in crime, Jim from Aye Tunes has decided to take on the mantle of writing Friday Freebies for his site. With just a couple of days notice he managed to come up with a whole heap of cracking free downloads which you can find here. I have full confidence that Jim will do it justice, so if you are a fan of free stuff check out Aye Tunes every and he'll sort you out. I would also like to point out that it was purely coincidence that myself and The Pop Cop announced that we were going to be going off and doing different things on the same day. If you haven't heard he's passed the reins over to a new girl, if her first post is anything to go by then I think it's safe to say that his site in safe hands.

Now I am going to attempt to shoe horn some music news into this post, as it seems that Edinburgh is very much the place to be this weekend.If you are out and about in the capital today then you'd be wise to get youself down to the Dissection Room at Summerhall for this years Scottish Independent Label Fair. The event has stalls from some of Scotland's finest independent record labels, including Chemikal Underground, Rock Action Records, Song By Toad Records, Gerry Loves Records and a whole load more. Sadly there won't be any Olive Grove Records representation at the event (I am on a stag do today and Halina's moving house). As well as having an array of great music on sale, there will also be live music and DJ sets from the likes of FOUND, Seafieldroad, Withered Hand and Adam Stafford.
Then on Sunday those nice boys from Born To Be Wide are putting on an event at the Electric Circus which will feature ten-minute taster sets by artists playing in the city during the month, including Kid Canaveral (acoustic) Fatherson, Fat Goth, Homework, Paul Gilbody, Siobhan Wilson, Plum and TeenCanteen. Further information on the event can be found on their website.

If you are going to be in Edinburgh next weekend then you might also be interested in a two day convention that is being putting on at the Carlton Hotel which aims to act as training event for bands, musicians, managers and solo artists who are interested in learning more about the art of live performance. I was planning on talking a bit more about this, but sadly I have run out time. Got get myself dressed so I can go Go-Karting. If you want to find out more just follow this link.

Over & Out
.


Seafieldroad - Walking On A Dream (Empire Of The Sun)

FOUND - Eyes So Bright (Cate Le Bon cover)

Adam Stafford - Tin Foil (The Handsome Family cover)

Withered Hand - Into the Fold (eagleowl cover)

We've Got It Covered #108

You might have noticed that I have been a bit slack with my posts recently, that's two weeks in a row that I haven't had a chance to knock up a Friday Freebies post. Last week I have a pretty good excuse, in that I was living it up on the Isle of Eigg at Fence Records Away Game Festival. This weeks excuse was that I am still recovering from last weekends debauchery, that and I was out on Wednesday night as Randolph's Leap were headlining Tut's. I have also spent the past week trying to catch up with Olive Grove stuff, which is all about to kick off on a grand scale pretty damn soon. For that reason I have been thinking about how much time I have to commit to this site, alas a few changes are in the pipeline. There are plans afoot to make a few changes to freshen things up a bit, I will let you all know a bit more about what I have planned at some point next week (hopefully tomorrow if I get the chance). For now though here's a wee cover of Withered Hand's No Cigarettes from three of Fence Records finest. get it downloaded then get off your computer and start enjoying your Saturday evening.


King Creosote, The Pictish Trail & Adem - No Cigarettes (Withered Hand cover)

We've Got It Covered #103

Morning folks, it's Saturday and once again I'm hungover. No surprise there then I guess, I spent last night in the company of some fine individuals at King Tut's catching The Grand Gestures and Behold The Old Bear, A top night was had, but boy am I paying for it today. If I think that I feel bad now, god only knows how sorry I will be feeling for myself on Friday. As next week I will be heading up to Inverness for my third goNorth,  Scotland's biggest music industry event/piss up. For the second year running, myself, Song, By Toad and The Pop Cop are putting on a showcase gig at the event. So if you're going to be Inverness on Thursday it would be great to see some of your pretty little faces. Anyway, here's a selection of cover versions from the some of the bands that I am looking forward to seeing in Inverness next week...

French Wives-Blue Boy (Orange Juice cover)

Chris Devotion & The Expectations-I Aint Got No Home (Woody Guthrie cover)

Where We Lay Our Heads - New Dawn (Withered Hand cover)

Washington Irving - Boy From School (Hot Chip cover)

The Machine Room - Bizarre Love Triangle (New Order cover)

The Machine Room - Small Town Boy (Bronski Beat Cover)

We've Got It Covered #97

Unlike my fellow blogger, The Pop Cop, I am stupidly excited about today. Not since about 1997 when I queued to get tickets to see Blur at the Barrowlands, has there been an event that I have been happy to haul myself out of bed at an ungodly hour to get down and in line. But this morning I will be leaving the house just after half seven to go an stand outside my favourite record store, Love Music to pick up some of the exclusive 'goodies' which are being released as part of this years Record Store Day celebrations.
Having always been a bit of kleptomaniac when it comes to buying tangible music products, I have to admit that I only just recently caught the vinyl bug. So this morning I will queuing up with all of my fellow vinyl junkies in order to get my grubby little paws on copies of the Admiral Fallow, Snowgoose and Human Don't Be Angry albums on vinyl, the limited edition Bronto Skylift tape and possibly a few limited edition 7"s. Anyway, that's enough about me and my wish lists, if you're passionate about your music then get out and support your local record store today. Should you need anymore convincing then here's a list of some in store gigs that are taking place in Edinburgh and Glasgow today, interspersed with a few cover versions from some of the bands that will be playing live.


Edinburgh

Avalanche Records

2:00pm Withered Hand
3:00pm Gordon McIntyre (Ballboy)
In the evening there is also going to be an after show of sorts at the Electric Circus featuring Star Wheel Press, The Last Battle (who I stupdily said yesterday that they'd be doing an instore, that's what I get for not paying attention) and the fabulous Ms Emily Scott. The gig is being put on by my fellow blogger friend Stuart from Tidal Wave of Indifference. The stage times should go something like this 7.20-7.40pm - The Last Battle, 8.15-8.45pm - Emily Scott and 9.10-10.00pm - Star Wheel Press

Withered Hand - Into the Fold (eagleowl cover)

Ballboy - Tell Me (Galaxie 500 cover)

VoxBox Music

This gig/instore is being compered by my friend Ian from Song, By Toad and those pesky Gerry Loves boys, hence the awesomeness of it all.

3:00pm PAWS
3:30pm Neil Pennycook (Meursault)

PAWS - I Live My Broken Dreams (Daniel Johnston cover)

Meursault - Hey Joe (Daniel Johnston cover)


Coda

3:00pm Lorraine McCauley



Glasgow

Love Music
1.30pm Dolalay
2:00pm Cathode Ray
2:30pm White Heath 
3:00pm French Wives
4:00pm Woodenbox 
4:30pm The Murderburgers
5:00pm Admiral Fallow

French Wives - Sleepy Head (Passion Pit cover)

Woodenbox - Bad Romance (Lady Gaga cover)

Admiral Fallow - Party Fears 2 (Associates cover)

Monorail 

3:00pm JD Twitch (DJ)
4:00pm Organs Of Love
4:30pm Gerard Love (DJ)
5:30pm Human Don’t Be Angry
6:00pm Stuart Braithwaite (DJ)
7:00pm Snowgoose
7:30pm The Brogues (DJ)
8:30pm Edwyn Collins & the Dead Flamingo
10:00pm Adele Bethel (DJ)

Malcolm Middleton - Issues (The Saturdays cover)

Nice N Sleazy's/ Insularis Records

2:00pm Call To Mind
3:00pm Any Colour Black
5:00pm Withered Hand
8:00pm Insularis gig (ticketed) featuring Holy Mountain, What The Blood Revealed, Adam Stafford and a DJ set from The Phantom Band.

Call To Mind - Cherry Coloured Funk (Cocteau Twins Cover)

Adam Stafford - Invisible Sun (Police cover)

Running late...

As I was out and about last night I am running a wee bit behind with this weeks Friday Freebies (I'm currently getting it all drafted up). In the mean time here's a couple of ace new videos from Withered Hand and the Twilight Sad for you to enjoy...

100 Not Out...A News Round Up Of Sorts

t's been a while since I did one of my news round up posts, so I guess just now is as good a time as any...

Our good friends over at Glasgow Podcart celebrated their 100th podcast this week, so a big congratulations goes out Halina and all the gang. To celebrate the latest shows was recorded in 45 A Side Studios, with special guest Vic Galloway and an array of tunes including Hidden Orchestra, Salo, Wounded Knee, Craig_FS, Clean George IV, plus an exclusive new song from Julia & The Doogans, Young Fathers , PAWS, Django Django and Die Hard. You can check out the show for yourself over on the Podcarts website.

Not content with hitting the century mark, the Podcart team will be having their annual Christmas party at the Captain's Rest on Sunday the 18th of December. The night which is titled as the 'Glasgow Podcart's Nightmare Before Christmas' features one hell of a noisy line up which includes As in Bear, PAWS, Citizens and Lady North. Further information on the night can be found on their Facebook page.



Way back in June, those luverly boys at Detour had another one of their now legendary 'Wee Jaunt's'. This time round the boys took over 100 folk out and about round Edinburgh to see an array of artists including Madhat McGore, Shields Up, Stanley Odd, I Build Collapsible Mountains, Teklo, Over the Wall, Conquering Animal Sound, a story from the notorious VIC (Mr Galloway to you and I), Withered Hand, and Lady North, all in “venues” that will probably never be used as venues again.
To celebrate they're are going to show a wee premiere of the best of the footage this coming Thursday (15th) at the in Electric Circus, Edinburgh. The show which will run between 6pm-7pm will be totally free to get in. Plus it also coincides with Vic Galloway's special Christmas show in the same venue, featuring Jill O'Sullivan(Sparrow and the Workshop) and Jenny Reeve(Strike the Colours), Neil Pennycook and Lorcan Doherty(Meursault), James Yorkston plus a very special guest who's playing under the guise of Owl John (my guess is Withered Hand, but that's just a guess).

Remember The Social Services? Well they went and changed their name to Tall Tales. Their name might well have changed, but their songs are still ace. Next Friday night (16th) they're going to be celebrating their first release as Tall Tales, with their a double A-side single 'Windows 98/All The Things You Read To Me' with a wee shindig at The Billiard Room at the Pearce Institute in Govan, Glasgow. Entry to the evening is just £5 which also includes a copy of their handmade single, (designed by Emma from the band). Having been lucky enough to have been sent one of the singles earlier this week, I can vouch for just how pretty they are.
The first 25 people through the door will get a deluxe single pack, including badges and a copy of 'Small Tales', a book of flash fiction by Martin from the band (who not only plays drums, he also writes award-winning fiction). If that wasn't enough they will also have a couple of very special guest musicians joining them on stage. If that sounds like it'd be up your street then you can find out more here.


I think that's enough rambling for one evening, I am going to finish on a high though. Here's a video of 'Real Snow', Withered Hand's Christmas song which is also his first new material in 2 years. The song is being released on Fence Records as part of an exclusive to subscribers of their new EP series, anyone who signs up before the 16th of December will receive a Xmas card with a mini-CD inside which will have 'Real Snow' on it. Talking of Fence, if you're going to see Malcolm Middleton on Thursday night, if you keep hold of your stub for the gig, then you can use it to get into the Fence Christmas Party at the CCA on the same night...

We've Got It Covered #75

A lack of sleep and a morning of CBeebies has left my brain totally fried, so if I ramble a bit more than normal today please take that as my excuse. Why my daughter Erin has decided that 6am is a good time to get up and 'play' is a mystery to me, hopefully she'll grow out of it as mum and dad certainly aren't morning people. Last night mainly consisted of going to a seminar on applying for funding from Creative Scotland, drinking wine and watching the Nirvana night on BBC4. All in all it was a pretty good night, although now I feel a little bit less optimistic about the chances of success any future applications for any of our Olive Groves bands. Still it's not going to put us off trying!
Which in a roundabout way allows me to mention a couple of things that some of our bands are up to over the next few days. Tomorrow night, The Moth & The Mirror are going to be hitting up the BBC to record a live session for Ally McCrae's Introducing in Scotland show, with yours truly tagging along as one of their hangers-on for the evening. Having spent the past 2-3 years ripping streams of their sessions, this feels a bit like going into the lions den, i.e. I fear having my knuckles rapped!
Then on Monday night, Randolph's Leap are going to be supporting The Shivers at Mono, alongside Where We Lay Our Heads at a gig being put on by yours truly. In case you missed it last weekend, here's a wee link to an Introducing feature that I did with The Shivers. I say this every time, but it really would be great to see some of you coming along for the evening. In the unlikely event that you need a bit more convincing, just check out the cover versions below from The Shivers (the first time I have featured a non-Scottish band in this feature) and Where We Lay Our Heads, who recorded this song especially for this blog. Right that's enough rambling for one day, you can all go back about your business now...

The Shivers-I See A Darkness (Bonnie Prince Billy cover)

Where We Lay Our Heads - New Dawn (Withered Hand cover)

Friday Freebies

Field Music
To kick this weeks freebies off we have one of the most under-rated bands in the UK, Sunderland's finest sons have just announced that their their fourth album, Plumb, will be out in February next year. As a wee teaser they've made the song "(I Keep Thinking About) A New Thing" free to download from their website.

The Fruit Tree Foundation
After the success of last year's First Edition album, Rod Jones of Idlewild fame has done something a bit different this year, as they've launched a new mentoring programme which saw Rod Jones, James Yorkston and Withered Hand, pairin up with aspiring singer-songwriters, Liz Cronin, Marie Collins and Lucy Cathcart Frödén (from Tall Tales/Social Services) to create two songs each. The results of which are pretty damn impressive, you don't need to take my word for it though as you can download the EP for free via The Skinny's website.

The Jezabels
This Australian outfit are already being heavily tipped as ones to watch in 2012, having caught them a couple of months back in Tuts I am still not fully sold. You can make your own mind up though by downloading their track 'Try Colour' for free here.

Lil Daggers
Having released their King Corpse EP on Song, by Toad Records, the Miami back are now gearing up for the release of their debut album on 5th December 2011. You can download a free taster here.

Scottish Fiction EP
Up and coming blogger, Scottish Fiction has just posted up his latest free EP on Bandcamp, this month he's got free tunes from Trapped Mice, Plastic Animals, Donna Maciocia and Supermarionation.

Loch Awe
Yes, I know it says that this a by a band called Negotiations, but trust me this is a free download of a new demo track by Edinburgh folk-noise outfit Loch Awe. Grab it here.

Oh You Dancer!
I am a bit late with this freebie, but here's a free a download of a Halloween inspired track by Oh You Dancer! the electronic brainchild of Jamie 'Daisuke' Sturt of scottish alt-folk band This Silent Forest and post-rock-hardcore band Atlas.

Little Victories
The Glasgow based indie/electro/dance collaboration featuring Kev Sherry (Attic Lights) producer and multi- instrumentalist Jim Lang (Malcolm Middleton, Mona, Echo & The Bunnymen) have made their new single 'Killing Me, Killing You' free to download on Bandcamp.

Three Blind Wolves
Ahead of their US Tour, Glasgow folk-rockers, Three Blind Wolves have released a free acoustic album which you can download here.

Guided By Voices
Having reformed just last year, GBV have just announced that they've also been recording new material with a new album 'Let's Go Eat the Factory', set for release in January 2012. If you head over to Stereogum when you can download a free new tune.

Nettwerk Fall Music Sampler
Free samplers can be a good way to find out about new music, I haven't had a chance to listen back to this sampler, but seeing it features Ladytron I am sure it's bound to be half decent. Just head over to Amazon where you can download it for free.

David Lynch and Karen O
On paper it's a fucking mental proposition, on record it's a mental as you think it might sound, but somehow the combination works. The track, “Pinky’s Dream" was specially recorded for My Lynch’s Crazy Clown Time LP, you can grab it here.

Johnny Foreigner
I genuinely thought that Johnny Foreigner had chucked it on years ago, so it's good to know that they're still going. You can download their new single 'Feels Like Summer' for free here.

Drums of Death
The electronic outfit have made available a free download of their song ‘Cold Lazarus’ in return for a ‘Like’ on Facebook.

Full of Eastern Promise

After the success of last years innaugural Eastern Promise music event, Platform in Glasgow have just announced that the event is set to return on Friday the 30th of September and Saturday the 1st of October. In it's first outing the event featured an array of local talent including King Creosote and Malcolm Middleton's alter ego, Human Don’t be Angry playing alongside international artists such as Rachel Grimes and Josephine Foster.This year is no different, with the event being run over 2 rooms featuring performances from To Rococo Rot, Tarwater, The Pastels, The Thing, Silje Nes, Withered Hand (solo), 7WVWWV, Conquering Animal Sound, Nancy Elizabeth and Animal Magic Tricks.

In addition to this on the Saturday night they will also be hosting the Scottish Independent Record Fair, which will also be the first time that the event has been held in Glasgow. Hopefully we'll have a wee Olive Grove stall set up at the event too.

Details of the line up are as follows:
Friday 30th September
Tarwater
The Thing
7VWWVW
Withered Hand (Solo)
Nancy Elizabeth

Saturday 1st October
To Rococo Rot
The Pastels
Silje Nes
Conquering Animal Sound
Animal Magic Tricks

Tickets for the gig are £10 per night or £15 for the weekend, for under 16's it's only £3 per night or £5 for the weekend. Doors are at 7pm with buses leaving Mono at 630pm (it's only £4 return). Tickets for the event can be bought in advance from Monorail, Tickets Scotland and See Tickets. Further information on the event can be found using the following link.

Conquering Animal Sound - Wildthings

Withered Hand - Hard On

Withered Hand - Vic Galloway Session (04/07/11)

Track Listing
1. No Cigarettes
2. I Still Don't Know How To Say Goodbye

Download

Wide Days 2011 - The Peenko Review

It's taken me a few days, but I am now just starting to get back to normality after attending last weeks Wide Days event in Edinburgh. For those of you who are in the dark as to what Wide Days is, it's a music industry event featuring seminars and workshops during the day, then showcase gigs in the evening. It's put on by the innovative Born To Be Wide folk, who you might remember me talking about after last years goNorth event.

Meeting a very bleary eyed Pop Cop at an ungodly hour of the morning at Queen Street Station in Glasgow, it almost felt like we were on holiday for the day as we made the trip east through to the Capital for my first ever experience of Wide Days. Despite our inability to read a map, we manage to locate the venue with relative ease.

photo by Dom Holt

The event, held at Teviot House which is part of Edinburgh University, was introduced by Wide Days main man Olaf Furniss who announced that the last time he was on that stage he was naked. Not exactly the kind of image you want in your head first thing in the morning (and the rest of the day). The first seminar of the day was titled 'Making Touring Pay'. Having never been in a band or been on tour for that matter, I was surprised by how much I took away from it. The seminar had focused on the importance of the need for bands to do their homework before they even think about setting off on tour, as when you add up all of the various factors it is really expensive to tour. The general consensus from the panel was that artists should look to their contemporaries and what they're doing, but that the best way to learn is to simply do it yourself. Bands needs to make sure they budget their costs, making sure that the route of the tour makes financial sense. Plus they should always over budget and have a contingency plan in case things go wrong as they often do. When you are budgeting for a tour also make sure you only base your figures on guaranteed fees.
In economic terms, for any Scottish bands thinking of touring south of the border for the first time, it makes more sense for them to go down to London and play numerous shows across the city as opposed to a more financially crippling UK tour.
Also, if it's your first ever tour then you are highly unlikely to make any money, so as you are going to be on such a tight budget make sure you agree terms with promoters well in advance, for things such as technical requirements and the possibility of getting food before a show. If you can, scrap asking for drinks on a rider and ask for things like food or accommodation instead.
In terms of doing your research it makes more sense to think about where an audience might be for your music, using social media tools such as Facebook stats and the like.
In terms of merchandise, this is something that can make touring financially viable. You can often make more money from selling t-shirts and CDs after the gig than you do from the fee for the gig itself. It's important though that you make merchandise affordable.

In terms of royalties I was genuinely surprised as to how important this was, for example bands who have played on the lower stages of festivals (on things like the BBC Introducing stage at Reading) can make thousands of pounds from MCPS or PRS. The best way to find out about these kind of things is to speak MCPS or PRS directly, as they are approachable and willing to help you out.
Also, make sure that any money that you do make is saved and make sure you plan for the future (this almost sounds like the kind of lecture my mum used to give me).

The best way for you to sell records is still by touring. If you have people working for you such as a press agency, booking agent or manager then it's vital that all of these people talk to each other to make sure that everyone is working towards the same goals.

Lastly, even once you have finished touring the job isn't done, you need to continue to work on the relationship with your fans through social media tools like Twitter, Facebook, etc.

I know I have talked a lot about this seminar, but I genuinely found this to be the most informative seminar of the day and the most important one to share with you all.


Following on from this seminar there was workshop with the journalist Neil Cooper, on how to Write A Killer Bio. Seeing as we have our own label I was looking forward to getting a good few tips. In all honesty though I don't think I learned all that much, it was more a case of reinforcing what I already knew. The important points that you need to think about are things like ensuring your press release contains all of the facts, that you have a background story in order to make it interesting and that what you are saying is factually correct. Make sure you include any press quotes about the band and that you note who does what in the band.
If you've got something interesting that the writer can use, then give them something that they can grab hold of. Make sure that your bio is no longer than one page, don't ramble and most importantly don't miss out any practical information like contact details.

photo by Dom Holt

The seminar, Not Just SXSW, was pretty interesting, it was aimed to provide an insight into the numerous showcase events that are held across the UK and Continental Europe, discussing the opportunities that they provide. Outside of things of the Great Escape, Liverpool Sound City and In The City, I must admit that I was pretty clueless about what else is out there for bands. The general consensus seemed to be that Eurosonic in Holland, is a great showcase event, with it's size and also the fact that by playing at it they guarantee you slots on various European festivals. This is similar to what goNorth is doing this year with guaranteed slots at Wickerman, Belladrum, etc. Other events that were of note included Brighton Live, which takes place in October and Belam Festival in Oslo, although this festival is particularly aimed at Scandinavian bands.
One point that was stressed was the importance of being 'export ready', as in you need to have built yourself up back home before you should be thinking about going to any of these kinds of events. You also need to think about what the event can offer you afterwards, how you're going to stay in peoples minds. There is a need to remember that you are dealing with a business audience, so it's important to network and that your job isn't done once you've finished playing, you need to get out there and catch them while they're hot.

When it comes to applying for events like this it was stressed how important it is to complete all of the fields of the application form. That might sound pretty obvious, but from the sound of it you'd be amazed at the number of bands who don't seem to bother to do this.

If you are looking to find out more about the events that are out there then the best places to check are the AIM calendar for music events and the Finish Music Export site.


Some of you will be pleased to learn that around this time we decided to take a break for lunch and more importantly that I stopped taking such detailed notes about all of the seminars and workshops. In the afternoon session we were treated to a seminar that turned into more of a debate on the subject of Digital DIY vs Record Labels. Although I didn't learn too much it was probably my favourite seminar of the day, with the debate getting a bit tasty. It was interesting to hear Stewart Henderson from Chemikal Underground talking about running a label. It was strange to hear how they still haven't really embraced new platforms such as Bandcamp and the like. The main thing that I took away from it was that we are all still learning. Which was quite a comforting thought for someone in my position.

The Music In Films seminar was interesting in that it gave more of an insight into how much money there is to be made from having your music in films and documentaries. The figures varied quite a bit, but it was still well in the thousands. So definitely an avenue that should be worth pursuing. They also emphasised how important it was to have instrumental versions of your songs and that you should try and make sure the BBC know who you are.

Other workshops on Online Promotion and Music Making Money filled out the afternoon, the latter was taken by a fella by the name of Scott Cohen (who manages the Raveonettes and also works for a company called The Orchard) and was particularly interesting as he argued that the idea that piracy was killing the music industry wasn't factually correct. He was able to demonstrate this with various graphs showing that in fact sales of recorded music had actually risen. He pointed out that all that has changed is the way that music is consumed. People are now buying individual tracks as opposed to albums and it seems as if the industry hasn't kept pace. He had a lot to say and to be perfectly honest I would happily have listened to him talk for a lot longer.

The afternoon finishes with a Keynote Q&A with Barry Wright of Regular Music in conversation with Olaf Furniss, in which he retold stories from his 4 decades of experience in the music industry. He recalled stories about how he started running his punk gigs, how he was one of the first people to put on stadium gigs in Scotland, right through to how he started putting on the world famous Hogmanay parties.

It was a fitting end to a fine afternoon, having been to numerous events like this south of the border, I must admit that Wide Days is a breath of fresh air as the compares didn't allow the panellists to go on an ego trip about what they've done. Instead, they asked the questions that are relevant to the audience, taking no bull shit as they go. With the perception that Scotland is continually ignored by the London based industry, events like this are vital in order to educate folk and also for us to show that we can stand on our own two feet and achieve something for ourselves. Hats off to you boys!




After all of the seminars and workshops had finished for the day we found ourselves kicking about afterwards for ages, which meant that we ended up getting to the showcase gigs pretty late. So late in fact that as we arrive at the first venue Sneaky Pete's, Edinburgh band Letters are literally just finishing up for the evening. So I can't really comment on them, PAWS however, absolutely blew me away. This was the first time that I had seen them play a full on rock show, the only other time I had seen them they were playing their first (and last apparently), acoustic show. Anything following that had a lot to live up to. Rachel Sermanni who wowed the crowd at the Cabaret Voltaire was next. I must admit that as great as she is, I still haven't heard a song of hers yet that will perceivably break her through into the mainstream. I look forward to being proved wrong though.

Next up at the Cab Vol we have Withered Hand, or the 'visa guy' as he's now more commonly known. This was the first time that I had seen Dan play with a full band behind him. To say that it made a difference would be a massive fucking understatement, as with the help of his friends, his sound was much bolder, the added confidence of having a band behind you really shows, allowing Withered Hand to steal the show out of all the bands that played.

After this we head off down to the Electric Circus for the final showcases of the evening from Capitals and GoGoBot. Neither of whom really do much for me I am afraid, so I soon found myself in a corner discussing We Were Promised Jetpacks new side project, drinking JD & Cokes with my 'new best friends' from Gerry Loves Records and I think I even tried to sign a band at one point. From then on in the night descended into chaos, with me rambling pish to anyone who would listen, laughing at Olaf Furniss dancing on the dance floor, until I finally decided enough was enough and I headed for the warmth of my hotel.
Unfortunately for me, the night didn't finish there as I drunkenly found myself locked out of my hotel room at 4am in just my pants and socks, lets just say reception weren't exactly pleased to witness that site. Wide Days you educated me, you got me drunk, you destroyed what little dignity I had left, butit's safe to say I will be back next year for more of the same if you'll have me.

Wide Days

PAWS - Winners Don't Bleed

Withered Hand - Cornflake

Rachel Sermanni - Eggshells

Letters - Grand National Master

For a more informative round up on Wide Days you should check out the reviews on the Pop Cop, Is This Music and over on Jenny Soep's blog.

thanks to Jenny Soep for letting me use this cracking wee picture