Fresh Meat Monday - Miracle Strip

 Would you care to introduce yourself?


Hiya! We’re called Miracle Strip. Our real names are Fergus, Malcolm and Andy. But if you’d prefer to keep thing formal, you can call us Miracle Strip. We released out debut single, ‘Girl Gang’ (b/w ‘Stephanie On The Moon’) on sexy 7” white vinyl via our own label Simply Thrilled Records in October 2013.


How would you describe the music you make?

Neu-pop, which for the time being remains a genre of one because, well, we made it up. We’re very admiring of/to some extent influenced by the New Pop bands of the early 80s – that bit when post-punk got a haircut and started wearing smart suits and singing about girls and stuff. But we wouldn’t dare compare ourselves to Orange Juice, The Associates, OMD etc. So we put that German spin on it, in honour of some of the Krautrock bands we love – Kraftwerk, Can, Neu! (obviously). Big synths/drum machines, high ambition, low budget. Does that make any sense? Probably not.



How did you start out making music?

Andy and Malcolm had played in numerous bands together in Glasgow and Fergus used to play in Dirty Summer, a noisy pop band he formed when he was still in high school, who made one album then split up. About a year ago he asked Andy and Malcolm to help him develop some demos that he’d recorded in his kitchen. They said “yeah fine” and that was pretty much that. We’ve since overcome such adversities as getting our gear nicked, twice.


What process goes into the way you write songs?

Our songs will usually begin with Fergus writing and recording a rough demo on an 8-track. In the studio we’ll listen to it as a group and then work on crafting it into a fully-formed song – adding bonus melodies, harmonies and swooshing noises.


What can people expect from your live shows?

Energy, clapping, happy feelings. Shirts patterned with foodstuffs.


What are you all listening to at the moment?

Old: Simple Minds, Shuggie Otis, Arthur Russell, Felt, Chairmen Of The Board, Fleetwood Mac. New: John Maus, The Radio Dept, Omar Souleyman, Arcade Fire, Azure Blue, Glenn & Glenn.


What can we expect to see/hear from you in the future?

The rest of 2013’s looking quiet due to various travel plans, but hopefully we’ll be doing lots of gigs, festivals and so on next year, though nothing confirmed as yet. 

You can buy our single here.

Bandcamp
Facebook
Tumblr
Twitter

Fresh Meat Monday - The Leg

Would you care to introduce yourself?

I am Dan Mutch, I play in The Leg with Alun Thomas and Pete Harvey.


How would you describe the music you make?

I can't really describe it myself but I don't mind when people describe it as unhinged, dadaist or lo-fi. That sort of makes sense. Don't like being described as folk, punk, jazz or mentalists, although I suppose all those kind of make sense too.


How did you start out making music?

I started out playing music by having trumpet lessons, never liked that though. I was lucky that my stepdad collected musical instruments and had a guitar I could play instead. not that he let me play it as such, everyone did their best to stop me playing. to be fair, I loved playing one chord for as long as possible and I still do.


What process goes into the way you write songs?

The songs I write are either me laughing at myself, or an attempt to put across the atmosphere of funny little cartoons/daydreams that run in my head and seem worth trying to share. I'm a big fan of skat singing and often songs come about that way.  


What can people expect from your live shows?

Don't expect anything.

What are you all listening to at the moment?

We've been listening to transfers by Anne James Chaton and Andy Moor a lot, especially princess in a mercedes. also Arvo Part and Swans. I recently remembered how good Medulla by Bjork is, been listening to that everyday this week as well as sister ray, god bless Lou Reed.


What can we expect to see/hear from you in the future?

Next for us is the album launch but we've still not found a venue to meet our requirements. in December we're going to record a single which we've been working on for, er, a long time. Excited about getting that done. Hopefully it's going to be released on 78rpm. 

 

Home

Song, by Toad Records

Bandcamp

Fresh Meat Monday - Holobeams

Would you care to introduce yourself?


My name is Iain Foxwell and i produce music under the name of Holobeams.


How would you describe the music you make?

The main thing i am trying to convey in my music is beauty so i like to use a lot of melodies and string/pad type sounds for this. I also love synths and tend to go for the older analog type sounds (for example Boards Of Canada influenced synth sounds).



How did you start out making music?

Music runs in my family so it was natural for me to gravitate to this creative world. I started out writing music with my best friend as we were quite obsessed with the whole electronic music scene back in the day (I still am obsessed actually!). Once i returned to education a few years back this gave me time to start my Holobeams project and have not looked back since.


What process goes into the way you write songs?

My process can actually be quite drawn out even though some of my tracks are relatively simple sounding. I tend to go through creating melodies, chords and bass lines which I will then re-sample. From there I will break the samples up and rearrange, pitch and effect them until it starts feel right. Some producers tend to bang out tracks really quickly but as much as I would love that i just cannot produce a track so quickly.


What can people expect from your live shows?

I have actually only played live once and have no grand plans to tour or gig around. Im a bit of an introvert so the call of the big stage is quite distant in my thoughts. I prefer to spend time in my natural habitat which is creating music on Ableton in the studio.


What are you all listening to at the moment?

Currently a bit blown away by the new Oneohtrix Point Never album R Plus Seven. It is seriously out there but he somehow manages to pull it off without sounding like avant garde garbage. Defo my album of the year. Also love the whole Vaporave genre (Saint Pepsi, Luxury Elite, Vektroid....), its not exactly chin stroking music. If you have never heard Vaporwave go check my mix out here. Its like Marmite.


What can we expect to see/hear from you in the future?

I am always working on new music and trying to tweak my style so who knows. I do have one of my tracks featuring in an advert for Hotels in the Ratchaprasong area in Bangkok (totally random i know) so will post that up as soon as have the final edit. Im also working on some music for an indie game called Triclone lab.

SoundCloud 
Bandcamp
Facebook
Twitter
Tumblr

Fresh Meat Monday - The Great Albatross

Would you care to introduce yourself? 

I am Wesley Chung of The Great Albatross. 


How would you describe the music you make? 

Indie/pop or maybe Indie/folk/pop, I suppose those would be the tag-lines. The songs usually revolve around my voice and an acoustic guitar, so there is a strong element of the “singer/songwriter” genre as well. 


How did you start out making music? 

I started playing saxophone and piano early on but fell in love with guitar at 13. I started writing music at 15 in a terrible band called “Funk Crusaders,” then moved on to my high school pop-punk/ska band “Bangarang” (later called “Adam the Brave”). Then from 2004-2011, I led a band called “Boris Smile.” Towards the end of Boris Smile I began writing songs for my solo project “The Great Albatross,” which I am continuing with the help of some friends and contributors. 


What process goes into the way you write songs? 

Typically it all starts with music; I’ll be playing something and I hear two chords that sound great together, and I start building the song from there. After I have an idea of the verses and chorus, I then begin the hard work of writing lyrics. Song writing has become a much slower process for me in the last few years because I’m putting more time into crafting my words. I usually start lyric writing with either an idea or narrative that resonates with me. From there I’ll write the lyrics in tandem with the music. I also try to consider certain themes associated with the album or EP the song will be apart of; I’ll be more thematically intentional in writing a song for a concept record than for an album that deals with a few themes. All in all, I’ve been putting much more thought, care, and time into my songwriting over the past few years and I think it is paying off (suppose the critics will be the judge of that). 


What can people expect from your live shows? 

Well, the only thing people can definitely expect from our live shows is that I’ll be there with my guitar. Outside of that, my pal Malcolm Black is the only consistent “member.” Sometimes we do full band, other times it will be just me and Malcolm, or just me. Sometimes this is out of necessity, but it is mostly because I like to switch it up and I enjoy hearing how the songs are interpreted with different instrumentation. My hope for every show is that the performance would communicate the essence of the songs in an authentic way (most easily done when performed acoustic), though the different instrumentation and arrangements of full band bring out subtle nuances within the music which keep the songs fresh and a bit more vibrant. I really enjoy performing acoustic and full band, and think the music should be heard both ways. 


What are you all listening to at the moment? 

At the moment I’ve been listening to Frightened Rabbit, LAKE, Into It. Over It., Vampire Weekend, Sucre, and Chvrches (mixed in with a bit of 90’s R&B, Emo, and some singer/songwriters). 


What can we expect to see/hear from you in the future? 

We just released a split 7” picture disc with the incredibly talented Evan Weiss of Into It. Over It. on Struggletown Records (UK). And soon we’ll release our first 7” entitled “Roots” on Count Your Lucky Stars Records in the US. Then the rest of next year will be continuing to work on our full length record and playing some more shows (and hopefully some festivals as well).

Home
Facebook
Twitter
Struggletown Records

Fresh Meat Monday - GUMS

Would you care to introduce yourself?  

Hello, I’m Martin. I sing in GUMS!, a newish band featuring a bunch of people from other bands.


How did you start out making music?  

I was in the Plimptons (RIP) from 1999 until March this year. They started when I was 16 and are the only other band I’ve ever played in. So that was my start, and pretty much my only musical endeavour until GUMS! got together last year.


How would you describe the music you make?  

I’ll go into a bit of detail about GUMS!’ very glamorous backstory here. Tommy (Plimptons’ drummer) owed me some cash for a guitar I gave him but, as he was skint and owned a studio, I opted to get repaid in studio time rather than hard cash or a third option. I didn’t really know what I was going to use it for, but knew it would have to be something that was different enough from the Plimptons to make it worthwhile.

I really just went back to the stuff that I grew up listening to and still listen to now, Pulp, Buzzcocks, Kirsty MacColl, that type of thing. Those influences were always part of the Plimptons, but there was always a bit of a wink and nod in the way we did things. This time it’s more of a genuine attempt to write those types of songs. I think initially I just wanted to see if I could, without having the Plimp crutch to fall back on. I’ve always been interested in songs with a narrative, lots of poppy hooks and getting the right mix of the two, so hopefully that comes across in GUMS!.

After I’d knocked up the songs I called up my mate Jack, who plays in Orphans and was always someone I thought I’d like to form a band with if the opportunity arose, and we knocked out the first GUMS! EP in a weekend. We added Nora, who also plays in Collar Up and did time in the Plimptons, on Keys and Vocals on the 2nd EP and she really added an extra layer of poppiness to things. Most recently we added Joe, frontman of the mighty Colin’s Godson and yet another ex-Plimptons, on bass. It sounds like there are a lot of ex-Plimptons in GUMS!, but it’s pretty hard to find people from Glasgow who weren’t in The Plimptons at some point.


What process goes into the way you write songs? 

Again, this is very glamorous. I write the songs in my flat really, really quietly while my “flat mate” is watching CSI or whatever. Then Jack, Nora, Tommy and Joe make it sound like music later on.I really enjoy writing for 3 vocalist, because me, Jack and Nora all take lead duties at some point and all sound completely different. So there’s tonnes of scope for different narratives and styles. Also, while my own vocal style could be politely described as “limited”, between them Jack and Nora can sing every note every invented.


What can people expect from your live shows?  

We had our first gig supporting The Just Joans in Edinburgh recently. It was fantastic fun. To be honest, I wasn’t sure what type of live band we were going to be until the set was finished. We certainly had a rawer edge than on record, that Buzzcocky poppy energy was really pushed to the fore. I was also trying to do a bit of Tom Waitsy raconteuring …which I will either practice or abandon.


What are you all listening to at the moment?  

I saw a lot of great new (or new to me anyway) bands during the festival season that I hope to catch at their own gigs and buy things off. One that stood out for me was Saint Max and the Fanatics, who’s songs have been stuck in my head since I saw them at Doune the Rabbit Hole. They’ve got an album launch coming up soon with awesome party band Colonel Mustard and the Dijon 5 supporting, so I’m really looking forward to that.I’m not sure what the rest of the band are listening to, new GUMS! demos presumably.


What can we expect to see/hear from you in the future?

 We’ve got a split EP with a local singer/songwriter called Callum Baird in the works. And after that, hopefully more studio time. We’ve got plenty of songs floating about ready to record, so there will be a GUMS! album at some point. That’s the aim anyway.

Bandcamp
Twitter
Facebook

Fresh Meat Monday - The Won Over

Would you care to introduce yourself?

Hello,my name is Paul Byrne and I play in a band called The Won Over


How would you describe the music you make?

Indie is this first word that springs to mind,Indie/Rock? That's definitely one of the most difficult questions in the world to answer. I’d also say our music is quite grumpy.


How did you start out making music?

My friend and I decided to start a band in high school. We couldn't play and had no intention of learning but like most high school bands that didn't stop us. We played around Dundee for a few years until parting ways and pursuing other things.

What process goes into the way you write songs?

I wouldn't say we have one certain way of writing. Sometimes somebody comes in with just a riff or chord sequence and we just play around with it and see what happens. Other times someone might come in with a more solid idea which then gets worked on, and once the music starts to take shape we add the vocals after.


What can people expect from your live shows?

I wouldn't really like to say anything other than 4 awkward guys playing music. We haven’t quite got the pyrotechnics and light show ready yet, but we are working on it.


What are you all listening to at the moment?

I can’t speak for everyone, but at the moment mostly the Kendrick Lamar album good kid, m.A.A.d City and the new Arcade Fire single for me. And the new Arctic Monkeys album is definitely my favourite thing that they've ever done, I’m quite enjoying that too.


What can we expect to see/hear from you in the future?

We are really hoping to push on over the festive period and early next year and get playing more shows, and hopefully venture out of Dundee for some of them. Recording is high on the agenda too as we are currently writing a new set of songs that we are all rather excited about.



Facebook
Bandcamp

Fresh Meat Monday - The Duke, Detroit

Would you care to introduce yourself?

I'm Detroit. The Duke, Detroit is my invention.


How would you describe the music you make?

Dirty slabs of electro fun. Anthems about the darker side of young life...


How did you start out making music?

I started with just a bass guitar and a drum machine before hooking up with Permwhale in-house producer Flooze who helped develop The Duke, Detroit synth-based sound.

 

What process goes into the way you write songs?

I normally start with a hook in my head but it takes time.  As Picasso said, "inspiration exists, but it needs to find you working".


What can people expect from your live shows?

Lust, raw energy, pouts, size 30 waist bands and sweat. Loads of sweat.


What are you all listening to at the moment?

TV on the Radio's new single 'Mecy'. I'm dead excited to have them back.Also, label-mates Night Noise Team and Collar Up. Fangs too.


What can we expect to see/hear from you in the future?

The Album! Out near the beginning of 2014. More videos, more shows, more bass lines, more tattoos and even more electro gems.  


Bandcamp
Facebook
Twitter

Fresh Meat Monday - Mast.

 Would you care to introduce yourself?

Hello, I'm Liam. I write songs under the banner of Mast (which in my head is more radio mast, than a ships mast).


How would you describe the music you make?

Pop-like, with an underlying Math/alt foundation. I like the idea of writing Math/prog songs disguised as pop - not sure If I've achieved that, but I'm having fun.


How did you start out making music?

I've played music for years - started out playing metal (yup, had dreadlocks), migrating into math stuff with The Darien Venture, and finally onto Mast. I've recorded at home for as long as I can remember though - starting out with Garageband and a line6 audio interface (with the *best* scooped Dual Rect. sound) and just progressed to the fairly decent setup I have at the moment.

What process goes into the way you write songs?

Well, I tend to come up with something either on the guitar or (increasingly) piano, from there it's just a matter of working out melody lines that work and deciding if they should be for other instrumentation or a good base for the vocal melody. I'm really trying to get into building an entire song as basic as possible - either just piano or guitar chords - to work out how sections work together. It's much easier to then build on top of the rough song as a whole instead of writing section to section.


What can people expect from your live shows?

Not much at the moment! I do plan on playing live, but not really concentrating on that for the time being. I count myself lucky to have some incredibly musical friends though, so I don't think it'll be to hard to materialise when things are ready.


What are you all listening to at the moment?

Jonsi, El Ten Eleven, Foals, Vasa, Bastille, TTNG, Olympians, Prides, The Cormorant… that was today.


What can we expect to see/hear from you in the future?

More tunes, almost immediately - and I'm waiting on my Blackmagic Pocket Cinema camera pre-order to film some better videos. That'll be the game plan for the next couple of months; just getting more out. Then at some point (hopefully before Christmas) I'll work on the live stuff. I've not played a gig in months and I've really got itchy feet

Home
SoundCloud
Twitter
Facebook

Fresh Meat Monday - Static Future

Would you care to introduce yourself?

How do! We’re Static Future, and we consist of Gavin (singer/admin), Scott (guitar), Mark (Guitar), Murray (Bass/voice of madness) and Harry (Drums/the voice of reason).


How would you describe the music you make?

Fast guitars, fast drums and bouncy bass with a side of percussion.





How did you start out making music?

Scott and I had played music for a while before Static Future, in our teens. Mark started out as a little guy who always wanted to play guitar, and would ask loads of questions – he joined when we realized he had become someone we could learn the instrument from.Murray had recorded our old band in college and is a lot of fun to hang around with. Harry was the last member to join and he was a friend of Mark’s - he probably knows more about music than all of us put together, but he would never tell you…


What process goes into the way you write songs?

Usually someone has an idea and the rest of the group start devouring it. We see what sticks, then we either get bored or we think there may be something going on that we could possibly like in the future.


What can people expect from your live shows?

Plenty of dancing, cowbells, bongos, fooling around and some very fast music.


What are you all listening to at the moment?

We’re all into different stuff, but there’s a lot of American bands like Blondie, The Walkmen, The Feelies, with plenty of LCD Soundsystem in there, as well as The Clash, The Fall. Loads of disco too.


What can we expect to see/hear from you in the future?

We’ll probably have a few nights in Glasgow booked for October, we’re also into the idea of playing a bit further afield – so we’ll be hoping to have some stuff lined up.Other than that, trying to keep writing songs that we like, with one eye on putting out another EP, or maybe writing an album - if we’re up to it!

Home
Twitter
Bandcamp
Facebook
SoundCloud

Fresh Meat Monday - The Sea Atlas

Would you care to introduce yourself?

We are The Sea Atlas, a folk rock band based between the Isle of Lewis and Aberdeen.There are three of us, Calum (guitar, vocals, drums and mandolin) Kenny (bass, vocals and guitar) and Ian (banjo, vocals and bass). But if some of our other musical friends are available we invite them to come and play with us.


How would you describe the music you make?

Recently we’ve been called Mumford and Sons fronted by Eddie Vedder from Pearl Jam. Which is a pretty cool comparison for us as we’re all big fans of both those bands.Or as our Facebook page says.  From haunting fingerpicked folk ballads, to foot stomping, hand clapping banjo lead folk rock songs, with everything in-between, the live show could have you torn between pulling out the hankies and pulling up a girl to dance with.

How did you start out making music?

It started out as a solo project, when I was writing a bunch of songs and needed a way to put them out there, so started playing under the name ‘The Sea Atlas’, and a lot of these songs had Banjo in them so I asked my friend Ian to play with me. Then we decided it needed a bigger sound so asked Kenny to join us. And now this is the current line up, but who knows what it will grow into by this time next year.


What process goes into the way you write songs?

I write most of the songs (for the time being) and then will ask what the other guys think of them, then it sort of gets edited or made tighter until we’re happy with it. A lot of the songs are about home, family, love, lust and other things going on in life.


What can people expect from your live shows?

Instrument swapping, banjo solos, just a general hoedown. It’s normally quite a relaxed atmosphere, we try and break down that invisible wall between the “band” and the “audience” and make it sort of like it’s just a bunch of friends in a room.


What are you all listening to at the moment?

Volcano Choir, Alt-J, The 1975, We See Lights, The Little Kicks, Donald Macdonald and the islands, Mumford and Sons, the tallest man on earth, Ben Howard, Daft Punk and Bon Iver.


What can we expect to see/hear from you in the future?

Our next EP will be out in December on Vinyl/CD/download so we’ll have a launch party to release that, which will be great fun!Then hopefully play a bunch more shows and get into festival season next summer.Musically we’ll be expanding our sound, we’ve already started experimenting with synths, brass sections, full drum kits, electric guitars and mandolins so it will be interesting to see how that turns out.



Twitter
Facebook
SoundCloud
Bandcamp

Fresh Meat Monday - Blood of the Bull

Would you care to introduce yourself?

HI THERE! I am 1 person named Hillary.


How would you describe the music you make?

Songs about whining, drowning, or boning for the most part. But not necessarily all 3 at once.

How did you start out making music?

 I started playing piano when I was 8, guitar when I was 14, and have only been playing drums about 3 years. I moved to Glasgow from the US in 2005 and have played in several bands since then, some of which I'm still currently in....


What process goes into the way you write songs?

Sprouts arbitrarily pop up for songs whenever they feel like it - mopping at work is a classic catalyst for something to show up. So is being sleep deprived. Then I try not to forget them by the time I get to a dictaphone or a guitar... then I make up the parts for all the other instruments, play them, and hope somebody is patient enough to put up with recording me. I'm only just now figuring out how to record myself...took me a while to get on that wagon.


What can people expect from your live shows?

A yankee girl with a whiskey and some instrument w keys. Some very kind, talented friends have offered to play live with me recently, so hopefully I'll be doing shows w a full band before the end of the year. Hope hope hope.

What are you all listening to at the moment?

Well right nowwww.......Helen Marnie's solo album. The Wipers. Sean Armstrong. Christeene. Brooke Candy. Arbouretum (just introduced to their stuff). And anything on Deena Jacobs' or Claudia Nova's mixclouds cos they always have hella good playlists. Never fail.


What can we expect to see/hear from you in the future?

Hrrrrrm.....I'm not completely sure. Stay tuned. Whatever it is, I hope it's equal parts sulking and pizzazz. I'll certainly try, anyway!


You can catch Blood of the Bull playing live this coming Saturday (14 September) at the Art School as part of the We Worship the Sun all-day event. Her new 'Bend Over' EP will be released on 12" vinyl by Soft Power Records in November.

SoundCloud
Facebook
Soft Power Records

Fresh Meat Monday - Min Diesel

Would you care to introduce yourself?

We are Min Diesel. There's three of us: Zippy is the brain, Stu is the brawn, Dave is the Ladies' Choice. We've been playing together for a while now mostly in Aberdeen and Dundee though. We've released a couple of CDs in that time and we've got a split 7" vinyl with Pinact coming out on our own Cool Your Jets imprint this month. We'll be touring the UK in support of it, including Glasgow & Edinburgh.

How would you describe the music you make?

We've been compared to lots of bands, some of whom we've never listened to. We get Dinosaur jr/Sebadoh a lot. Archers of Loaf, Mission of Burma. We're all really big fans of Stapleton, don't hear people talk about them so much anymore. We just call it "mindie rock"How did you start out making music?It's hard to work out the first time any of us did anything remotely musical but we all played in other bands before Minnie Driver, Zippy was in the near-mythical GOFONES with half of Copy Haho, Stu was in a soundscapey post-something act called "Greater the Shadow" and Dave still plays emo/hardcore combo Clearer the Sky. We probably ended up playing the sort of music we play now as a reaction to that. It's slightly less techy and more FUNNN.


What process goes into the way you write songs?

Zippy writes some riffs on his guitar, Stu and Dave come up with bass/drum parts that don't really fit at all. We shout at each other for a bit. This is usually followed by the shedding of tears/blood. Eventually we come up with something that just about hangs together and we go for a pint. Later we'll come back and jam out the instrumentals whilst crooning/yelling stuff over the top.


What can people expect from your live shows?

Awkward silent pauses/terrible patter during tuning breaks. We're currently seeking a full-time hype-man, get in touch at mindiesel@hotmail.co.uk for futher info.


What are you all listening to at the moment?

When not doing stuff in MD or just hanging out being awesome dudes, we run Cool Your Jets, a label/promotion entity. We've got three releases with three of our favourite acts from the north-east coming out on tape in time for Cassette Store Day and we've spent the past weeks just constantly dubbing these cassettes. Everythingwesayisfact, The Shithawks, Orienteering. We don't want to listen to any of these bands again ever.


What can we expect to see/hear from you in the future?

You'll be able to hear the afore-mentioned split and tour with our bros in Pinact, then we're going to try and record more, probably put out something longer. Hopefully we'll get to record with Matthew at Baskesale Recordings who we did the songs for the split with cos he knows his stuff. We're not really much to look at although Stu has been cultivating a pretty spectacular moustache and it's only going to get bigger.

SoundCloud
Bandcamp
Twitter
Facebook
BigCartel

Tour Dates:
Fri 6th: Malone's Late Bar, Aberdeen
Sun 8th: The Old Hairdressers, Glasgow
Mon 9th: The Maze, Nottingham
Tue 10th: Tye-Die Tapes Hq, Sheffield
Wed 11th: Sticky Mike's, Brighton
Thu 12th: Power Lunches, London
Fri 13th: Albany Road, Manchester
Sat 14th: Opium, Edinburgh

Further details on the Pinact/Min Diesel tour can be found here.

Fresh Meat Monday - NAKED

Would you care to introduce yourself?

We are Alexander, Agnes and Grant, we are definitely living in Edinburgh at the moment.  We may have met on the small Island of Fårö on the south-eastern coast of Sweden where we perhaps lived above a radar installation station and were almost certainly exposed to and developed a supranatural infinity with feed-back hum and static wow & flutter.

People are apt to comment that we don’t look like Swedes, but then again people from Sweden never really do.


How would you describe the music you make?

Minimalist, experimental, pop, ecstatic


How did you start out making music?

It was therapy for a tinnitus that turned out to be a low level possession.


What process goes into the way you write songs?

We take the vodka out of the freezer and as its temperature drops ours rises.


What can people expect from your live shows?

Like a film projected inside out.


What are you all listening to at the moment?

An industrial lazer running down.  A smoke machine warming up.


What can we expect to see/hear from you in the future?

More but different and better. We've been listening to a lot of rhythmic Finnish music, which has had a great impact on our future sound. With a narrower mercantile eye- we're playing at the  opening of the Edinburgh Art Festival on August 1 and in Dundee on September 7 (supporting their City of Culture bid – we love Dundee it reminds us of Gothenburg not just for the Goths <  ho-ho wee svenska  in-joke> and Berlin on September 21 at the Bunker in Kreuzberg. 



NAKED's new single 'Lie Follows Lie' is available now from Song, by Toad Records.


Home
SoundCloud
Twitter
Facebook
BigCartel

Fresh Meat Monday - St. Kilda Mailboat

Would you care to introduce yourself?


Hi, I’m Mark and I play ukulele and sing in St. Kilda Mailboat.

Hello, I’m Claire and I play accordion, organ and drum machine.


How would you describe the music you make?

Not quite sure - the Rezillos meets Ivor Cutler at a magic show in a central European squat? We call it Post-Apocalyptic Skiffle.

How did you start out making music?

Mark: I started out playing drums in a punk band and percussion in a folk band. Then I realized I didn’t want to be in goals – I wanted to be the striker.

Claire: My mum was always making music at home while I was growing up and I would joining with her. She was mainly into Irving Berlin, Bert Jansch and Bach and wrote her own stuff. I learned a bit of piano and guitar while I was at school, then when I was 17 I joined an amazing Glasgow group called The Yummy Fur.

What process goes into the way you write songs?

Mark: Lyrics usually come to me when I’m out cycling on my bike, so I often end up stopping to write in the middle of a field or forest or some other random place. I then hand my rhyming ramblings over to Claire and she turns them into songs.


What can people expect from your live shows?

Songs, dance routines, costumes, gifts, prizes, palm trees, disco lights, explosions and channeling of the subconscious.


What are you all listening to at the moment?

Pretty much exclusively Die Antwoord. And also a Romanian performer called Ada Milea.


What can we expect to see/hear from you in the future?

More songs, more videos and more dancing. Our second single is due out in October on Glint Recordings. It’s going to be a double A-side - we’re in the process of making videos for both tunes at the moment. There’s an album in the pipeline, hopefully it’ll be out sometime next year.

Facebook
Glint Recordings

Fresh Meat Monday - Lidh

Would you care to introduce yourself?

Hullo there, I’m Lidh (pronounced Lid, for anyone wondering). I’m from Anstruther in Fife and I don’t write as many sea shanties as you might expect. I actually wish I was in a rock band. 

How would you describe the music you make?

I’ve never been too sure how to describe it, but Nicola Meighan coined the phrase ‘psych-folk arias’ to describe what I write, and I’m cool with that, so thank you Nicola! I’d like to think my music isn’t completely folky, though. I use a fuzz pedal. That’s not very folky at all.

How did you start out making music?

According to my folks, I penned my first choon at 2. I’m told it was called ‘Sooty’s Mallet’. My Dad kind of indoctrinated me at a pretty early age. There was always great music on in our house. My Dad is a drummer, and drummed for Captain America/ Eugenius and fought in the ‘Grunge Wars.’ He’s always been my musical mentor, and he’s my drummer and manager now! My Mum taught me all there is to know about harmonies on long car journeys as a tot. I think I wrote my first ‘serious’ song when I was about 13. A reworked version of that very song is actually going to be on my next record…

What process goes into the way you write songs?

I don't have process, but if I did, it would probably be something like:

Punk

Rock

Or

Castanets 

Equal

Sexy

Sounds

What can people expect from your live shows?

My live set has developed a lot over the last wee while. You can expect fuzz- mandolin. That’s my party trick! I’m also almost always joined by drums these days, which is nice. I say drums, I mean a floor tom, hi-hat and snare with a tambourine and maracas… It’s kind of White Stripes meets the Corries.

What are you listening to at the moment?

I’ve had the new Queens of the Stone Age record on repeat since I got it, and I’ve been listening to a lot of The Brian Jonestown Massacre too. I’ve been told I listen to too much boy’s music. But I really love Max Richter at the moment, too, which is a bit easier on the ears.

What can we expect to see/ hear from you in the future?

I’ll be putting out my new record very soon, which I’ll be releasing on my own record label in association with King Creosote’s ‘Alter- Ego Trading Company’, which I’m really excited about. I’ve been a King Creosote fan for a good long while, so I feel very lucky to have his support. The Pictish Trail did a bloomin’ marvellous job of remixing my first record, too. I’m really grateful for all the wonderful folk I’ve met in the East Neuk whilst giving this music thing a go! I’ve got some pretty cool collaborators on the next record too, so watch this space…

Twitter
SoundCloud
Bandcamp
Facebook
Strange Fish Records

Fresh Meat Monday - Algernon Doll

 Would you care to introduce yourself?    


Hi, I'm Ewan and I write music under, 'Algernon Doll'.     


How would you describe the music you make?    

It's hard to say as I don't want to limit myself to one style. My new album is atmospheric alt-rock. I'm really big on interesting chord progressions and double tracked vocals so that's my staple.     


How did you start out making music?    

Everyone in my family plays music in some respect so it's hard to pinpoint how I started. I used to jam Nirvana covers with my mate then I got into some hardcore bands through my teens.  I started doing this project as some sort of therapy for all my anxiety and depression issues and it's turned out to be the best outlet.     



What process goes into the way you write songs?    

Not to sound wanky but I feel that the songs are already out there in the ether and you just need to pluck them out and arrange them. It feels like you almost unlock the melodies from experiences you gain so I find it hard to take full credit for them. Lyrically I like to express the most honest secrets I have and tell myself that no one's really listening or trying to decipher them. Songwriting is an incredibly selfish act for me.     


What can people expect from your live shows?    

Hunners of pedals, feedback, atmospheres, energy and catchy tunes.     




What are you listening to at the moment?   

I'm loving this album by Stuart Warwick that my friend linked me to on bandcamp the other day. It's like a super dark look at gender alienation and it's really beautiful. I've been listening to True Widow and some classic albums from Give Up The Ghost and Cave In.     


What can we expect to see/hear from you in the future?   

I'm hoping to tour this record in September and I'm starting to record Album three in July. I've got big plans for what I want to achieve with that album sound and aesthetic-wise.


Bandcamp
SoundCloud
Facebook
Twitter

Fresh Meat Monday - Casual Sex

Would you care to introduce yourself? 


Hello, I'm Chris and I play drums for Casual Sex. 

How would you describe the music you make? 

It's hard to describe but if I had to cast an incredibly loose net, I'd say we sound like a cross between Glenn Branca, Neu! and Roxy Music. We can be cutting and efficient one minute or smooth and rich the next. We just follow our ears to places that excite us.

How did you start out making music? 

Casual Sex started with our singer Sam. He wrote some songs after leaving his previous band (that I'm sure you all know about) and eventually formed a new band around those songs. I met Sam and Pete purely by chance, I had just finished recording my first album as Male Pattern Band and I went out for drinks at Sleazies with the engineers from the studio, they introduced me to Sam who was looking for musicians - I said I played and he handed me a demo CD. It was great, so I joined the band. 

What process goes into the way you write songs? 

It varies from song to song. We rehearse in a recording studio so there's been occasions where a song has been conceived and recorded completely within a couple of hours. There are other times where one or two of us might have an idea that we'll put to tape and over time we'll all contribute to it and sculpt it into a finished product. We might even forget it for months and come back to it. It's very loose, we don't really have a set way of working. I think this is quite a healthy way of working and we're very lucky to be able to work the way we do. 

What can people expect from your live shows? 

It's quite intense. We're a live band and we believe it's important to put on a show - we're there to entertain, not fulfil some silly fantasy. It's all fine and well to tinker for hours in the studio - but if we can't translate it to a stage, then it's no good to us. 

What are you all listening to at the moment? 

As I write this, I'm listening to War! Funk music is good for the soul.

Lately though, I've been listening to a lot of Sparks. Their 70s output is beyond perfect. Good production and better songs. Brilliantly twisted pop music. I play Todd Rundgren (who produced Sparks' first record / is incredibly talented) and Wire a lot too lately. Also, I should mention that I've been head over heels in love with Brian Eno's first few records for at least the past couple of years.

As for the others, I can almost guarantee you Pete is listening to the new QOTSA record and Ed will be listening to The Contortions or Fugazi or something cool. If I had to wager a bet, Sam'll be listening to Scott Walker or A Certain Ratio and putting make up on in his bedroom. 

What can we expect to see/hear from you in the future?

We're working on something special in the studio at the moment - It's probably more exciting for us than for anyone else (we like the studio) but I can't really say much more than that for now.

We're busy throughout the summer in the UK and Europe with festival slots and tour dates. I'm particularly looking forward to GoNorth. The line up is good and it's a hometown show for Pete, our bass player. As for the future there are rumours of the USA and more extensive Scottish and European tours, but for the time being - I best be quiet!


Twitter
SoundCloud
Facebook

Fresh Meat Monday - Friends in America

Would you care to introduce yourself?   

Hello readers! You look great today! Whatever you're doing with your hair, it really works for you. I'm Matthew. I sing and play guitar in the band Friends in America. Pleased to meet you  


How would you describe the music you make?   

We all listen to completely different types of music, and every member of the band is quite eclectic in their likes and loves. Personally, I'd describe it as atmospheric pop rock that isn't frightened of a bit of noise but quite likes a quiet moment every now and then.     


How did you start out making music?   

I used to try my hand at the old singer/songwriter thing but it was lonely and limiting so with a few talented (and disturbingly handsome) friends I started the band a few years back. From then on we've kept things to our own pace and tried to make nice songs along the way.    



What process goes into the way you write songs?   

The song writing process has changed as the band has grown. Most of the songs on "What it is to Be" (our debut record) were sketched out by me (chord and lyrics) before as a band we stripped them down to their component parts and completely rebuilt them as a collective, each pitching in with our thoughts and ideas. We're a completely collaborative unit and always have been. Nowadays it's more of a case of jamming in a practice space and launching ideas at one another until everything clicks into place like Lego. Musical Lego.   


What can people expect from your live shows?   

Typically we go a bit mad when we play. It's pretty common for Hamish to climb various items in the venue or end up out on the dance floor, cutting shapes as he plays. Liam plays drums and keyboards at the same time, and Scott looks beautiful and smolders as he lays down sweet, sweet bass. Me? I try to remember all the words and not bash into the other guys too much when I dance about.     


What are you all listening to at the moment?   

As far as Scottish music goes, Vasquez blew me away at GoNorth and their new record "EP426" is superb. There Will Be Fireworks are just a constantly on rotation and their new record is my most anticipated release of the year. As for music in general, my favourite records of the year so far are The National's "Trouble Will Find Me" and The Front Bottoms "Talon of the Hawk".  


What can we expect to see/hear from you in the future?  

Our record "What it is to Be" is released on June 26th (we'll be launching it at Broadcast on June 26th with the lovely Trapped in Kansas). We've already written the majority of the next record, and we'll try and be much more prompt when we get around to recording it for you lovely ladies, gentlemen and cherished animals.


SoundCloud
Twitter
Facebook
YouTube

Fresh Meat Monday - The Clock

Would you care to introduce yourself?  

Hi, I'm Calum and I play a few different instruments in a band called The Clock with 3 (sometimes 4) others who also play a few different instruments, based in Glasgow. We have recently  released our first ever music video which accompanies a new single named 'Everything's Eventual' 


How would you describe the music you make?   

I asked someone this question quite recently because I'm not very good at concise descriptions. They told me it was alternative cinematic rock. I'm not sure if that's right but I'll go with it until I can get a better one.      





How did you start out making music?  

Well myself and Robbie (we are siblings) have been making music for a long time, since I was a young 12 year old equipped with a guitar and a plethora of Green Day songs. Over the years we've (hopefully) moved on and more people have joined us to play music.      


What process goes into the way you write songs?   

I usually formulate some kind of musical idea and get a few chords and words together, then a few of us will flesh it out then we'll add some instrumentation over that flesh. Every song is different; some I write entirely and others just come about by chance.     


What can people expect from your live shows?    

Well, probably a lot of sweat on my behalf. That may or may not entice people to come to any subsequent gigs. Otherwise, a lot of running about with the odd foray into the audience, some 4-part harmonies, loud guitars, quiet guitars, funny dancing, violins, pianos, drums, some more drums.    


What are you all listening to at the moment?   

Bat for Lashes mainly, her new album is an absolute belter. Otherwise, Three Blind Wolves, Atoms for Peace, Olympic Swimmers, and Fat Goth.      


What can we expect to see/hear from you in the future? 

Well, as I mentioned above we've just  released a new track. Over the summer we'll be releasing another 2, equipped with their own moving pictures. In terms of live shows, we're supporting Hector Bizerk in  the Roxy on the 20th June, and we've also been announced to play King Tuts Summer Nights festival. We're also in the middle of organising some shows outwith Glasgow.  

Facebook
SoundCloud

Fresh Meat Monday - Colin's Godson

Would you care to introduce yourself?

Hello I'm Joe from the pop group Colin's Godson

 

How would you describe the music you make?

We make guitar based pop with slightly offbeat lyrical sensibilities, that's the short version anyway.

 

How did you start out making music?

The band has it's origins in my student days in Manchester in 2007. Influenced by the likes of Half Man Half Biscuit. and too many Frank Sidebottom live shows we started a 3 piece punk pastiche act and wrote shouty songs about Paul Weller in a Tardis and how great Marmite, is, playing regularly in the back room our local pub to bemused but entertained audiences.

When I moved back to Glasgow I mainly played in other peoples bands such as The Hector Collectors,The Plimptons, The Martial Arts, The Hussy's, etc but I always liked the anarchic spirit of Colin's Godson so I when I got the chance I assembled an A-team of amazing musicians that I'd encountered in my adventures to play in the band.. I'm the only remaining member from our original incarnation.

I quickly realised that with the calibre of musicians in the band it would be a lot more fun to turn the band into an out and out pop behemoth rather than just doing the 3 chord punk thing and here we are!

What process goes into the way you write songs?

It can differ, sometimes a song will appear fully formed in my brain and I just go into a room with a multi track recorder and try and recreate what I can hear in my head. Other times I'll go into the home studio and just pull a song out of the air in a couple of hours. I'm not really the type of person that spends ages working on songs.

What can people expect from your live shows?

Up till now this version of the band ,CGMKII, has mainly been a studio thing so we're quite new to the live circuit. I'd like to think that people who go to our shows will appreciate the tunes and and hopefully find some of words amusing! Most of songs clock in at under 2 mins so if someone doesn't like a particular song they don't have long to wait till it's over.

What are you all listening to at the moment?

I'm on a complete power pop kick at the moment which is definitely going to influence our next record.. We love stuff like Jellyfish and the Posies as well as Bowie, Queen the Beatles, the Kinks,etc which are our main reference points musically I suppose. lyrically stuff like HMHB, Sultans of Ping and I, Ludicrous are quite a big influences.

What can we expect to see/hear from you in the future?

I'd like to hope we get asked to play more gigs so we're more of a live prospect. I've mostly written our next album which is going to be called Colin's Godson 3D and mixed in 5:1 surround sound with full 3D artwork.

As we're a DIY band it might take a while to realise that ambition from a financial point of view but we'll get there. I'm hoping it will turn out well though. After that, who knows?

 

 

Colin's Godson's Greatest Hits is available as a pay what you like download on Bandcamp.

 

 

Bandcamp

Twitter

Home