Fresh Meat Monday - The Spook School

Would you care to introduce yourself?  

Hello! We’re The Spook School. There’s four of us (Adam & Nye Todd, Anna Cory and Niall McCamley) and we like being silly and making lots of noise. Niall also likes taking his clothes off and writing very sexually forward love letters to other bands. The rest of us are entirely powerless to prevent this from happening, sorry!   


How would you describe the music you make?  

Fast, slow, quiet, loud, sad, happy and hopefully sometimes funny. It's four people trying on lots of different (musical) hats and trying to be even a tenth as good as our favourite records. Which is pretty much what we are. It’s always a lot of fun though. At least, it is for us, we hope it is for other people too!   




How did you start out making music?  

Adam and Nye (due to being siblings and all) have been attempting to make music for ages and ages. The ideas were there, but it never sounded too good, because there’s only two of us and we’re both awful at the drums. So when we were both in Edinburgh (at university), Adam drafted in Anna and Niall from a comedy society and they made everything exponentially better.   


What process goes into the way you write songs?  

We usually start off with a something from Nye or Adam that is vaguely songish but needs all the holes filled in. Like, we might have chords and lyrics, or a cool guitar part, bass and some sort of melody. Then we just generally play it and work out how it can be transformed from a songish thing into a genuine song. And then we play it lots more. Playing things live also really helps figuring out what works and what doesn’t.   



What can people expect from your live shows?  

Lots of fun noisy pop, a loud and partially naked drummer, Niall will try and hug everybody, he will ask out most of the audience, awkward chat from the rest of us, enthusiastic dancing, reverb and other guitar noises, and maybe really bad home-made fancy dress. Generally lots of fun. We always have such a great time, and we’re ridiculously excited about playing live again in the New Year after a break of five months whilst Nye and Anna ran away to foreign lands.    


What are you all listening to at the moment?  

Nye is listening to David Bowie, the 1990s and the theme music to Monkey Island. And whatever is on the Edinburgh man podcast, because that’s always excellent. Adam is listening to Jeffrey Lewis, The Wave Pictures, Slowcoaches and Big Wave. Anna is currently refusing to listen to any band that doesn't have the word "cat" in their name, and as such is listening to a lot of Tigercats and Cats on Fire. Niall is listening to Shrag, The Just Joans and Zoey Van Goey.   


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

We finally get back to playing live in January and are ridiculously excited! We are in Bristol on the 4th, Cardiff on the 5th and in London town playing with Allo Darlin and Tender Trap on the 8th for Fortuna Pop's Winter Sprinter.   We have an EP with Soft Power coming out on 17th December called "I Don't Know, You Don't Know, We All Don't Know The Spook School". We also have a 7" single called "Here We Go/Cameraman" out with Cloudberry Records.

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A Mighty Ramble (Possibly Featuring Some News)

Scotland noisiest duo, Bronto Skylift have just announced details of their forthcoming Scottish tour with Lady North. Having released their new single, 'Positive Gentleman' on limited edition cassette on CATH Records, as part of this years Record Store Day. Iain and Nial are going to be hitting up Edinburgh, Dundee, Inverness, Thurso and Aberdeen this coming May. Full details on tickets and dates can be found in the bands Facebook page.

Up and coming Edinburgh outfit, Urvanovic, are set to release their debut single, Bubblewrap on 16th June. In anticipation of it's release they've made this rather cracking video to go with it. If this is the standard of things to come then I look forward to hearing more.

My fellow blogger friend Stu Lewis really has caught the bug for putting on gigs, fresh from running Avalanches evening Record Store gig bonanza, he's just announced the next in his series of The Tidal Wave of Indifference Presents gigs which will take place on Saturday the 23d of June at the Wee Red Bar in Edinburgh. This time round he's roped in a whole host of talent, including hot new Edinburgh outfit The Bad Books, who I have yet to hear, but have been promised big things. Plus Peenko favourites Loch Awe, with The Spook School and The New Fabian Society completing the bill. You've got to give the boy credit, he certainly knows how to pull a line up together. Further information on the gig can be found here.

On Thursday the10th of May, CAOS Calling, are putting on a charity event in order to raise funds for CAOS, Community Arts that's based out in Clydebank. Performing on the night you have Jo Mango, Open Swimmer, Blochestra and also spoken word performances by Drew Taylor and comedy from Duncan Graham. Tickets for the gig are just £7 on the door or you can buy one in advance here..

Rather than releasing his new single on a boring old product such as a CD or 7" vinyl. The Pictish Trail has instead opted to go with something a wee bit novel and has decided to release his a brand new single, Of Course You Exist, as part of a download bundle in which you purchase his T-shirt or Sweatshirt from the Fence Records website and you get the songs chucked in to boot. Having picked up one of those 'snazzy' jumpers at Eye O The Dug, I can vouch for their cosiness. The Pictish Trail is all set to release a new EP in July with an album following later in the year. You can catch Johnny playing live at the CCA in Glasgow with  Kid Canaveral and Johnny Common on the 3rd of May. He'll then be back in our dear green city on May 13 when he headlines the next Peas 'n' Loaf night at the Old Hairdressers (across from Stereo) with French Wives and Siobhan Wilson.

  Of Course You Exist by The Pictish Trail

 

To finish off this massive rambling post we have the new video for King Creosote and John Hopkins new song, 'Third Swan', which was released on 7" as part of this years Record Store Day celebrations. Having queued up an ungodly hour of the morning last Saturday, I am pretty chuffed that I managed to get my paws on a copy. The song also features on the Jubilee Edition of the re-release of the Mercury and SAY Awards nominated album, Diamond Mine. I can't think of a better way to sign off than to leave you with this little gem...

Friday Freebies

Kowalskiy
The trouble with writing these Friday Freebies on a Thursday night is that quite often someone posts a cracking free download on the Friday and I don't have time to update the post. This happened last week when my fellow blogger, Kowalskiy posted up his latest free monthly EP, his latest offering was possibly his best to date (do I say that every month?) including tracks from Blue Sky Archives, This Silent Forest, The Sea Kings, The Spook School and my current favourite thing ever - Behold, the Old Bear (who are also coincidentally playing at Stereo tonight). You can download the EP for free from Bandcamp


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Where We Lay Our Heads 
I think I should warn you in advance that the new Where We Lay Our Heads single, Bury You. is one catchy fucking song. Seriously I haven't been able to get it out of my head all week, not that I complaining mind you. You can download the single for free over on their Bandcamp page. If you live in Edinburgh then you catch them playing live along with Letters and Loch Awe at the Wee Red Bar on Sunday night.




Woodenbox
Nothing makes me want to delete an email more than seeing the word 'remix' in the subject header, I have never really seen the point. But sometimes there is the odd exception to this rule as I fucking love the new remix that the FOUND boys have done for Woodenbox's Everyone Has a Price. You can download it for yourself and marvel in it's glory over on SoundCloud.

  Everyone Has a Price (Found remix) by Woodenbox band

Happy Particles
If you haven't already checked out Happy Particles debut album 'Under Sleeping Waves', then I would urge you to get that rectified asap, either that or you are already fully aware of just how fucking good the album is. Then either way you should check out the very first demo of the song Rhodia, that band recorded as back in 2009 when they were just a duo, as it's free to download on Bandcamp. You can catch the band playing their first live gig of 2012 next Saturday at the 13th Note, with support from North American War & Olympic Swimmers.



FatCat Demo Compilation
When the label that gave us the Twilight Sad, We Were Promised Jetpacks, Frightened Rabbit and now PAWS, post up a compilation of the best demos that they received recently you can't help but be interested to see what little gems they've unearthed. Find out for yourself what's been exciting them recently by downloading the compilation for free here

  Sisterland - New Jersey (Red House Painters) by FatCat Records Demo .

130701
Seeing as we're on a bit of a FatCat trip, you should check out their imprint label, 130701, as they've got a free sampler download up for grabs. Featuring tracks from Max Richter, Dustin O'Halloran, Hauschka and Jóhann Jóhannsson, the compilation can be downloaded in exchange for your email address.

Brazil Exists
Stirling pop-rock outfit, Brazil Exists have posted up a few free downloads on their SoundCloud page. Some of the tracks were recorded with Frightened Rabbit’s Andy Monaghan last year, you can find them here. The band will also be supporting the Frabbit boys on their Highlands & Islands tour of Scotland next month.

  Boxcar by Brazil Exists


Greyhound Out Of Mainline
What the world needs now is some incredibly miserable lo-fi shoegaze recorded in someones bedroom and thanks to Greyhound Out Of Mainline that hole has now been filled. He's just released his album, 'Quirky', on limited edition CD-R and as a free download on Bandcamp. If you're looking for something a bit downbeat to take you into the wee hours of the night then you might want to check this out.




Drunk Mule
And so we come to the end of this weeks Freebies, to round it all off we have the kings of Friday Freebies, a free download from those prolific Drunk Mule boys and their new track Forget The Crowds which can be found on their Bandcamp page.

Giga-licious!

After 8 years of madness, Glasgow's longest running 'indie, punk, soul & electropop' night, Pinup Nights have decided call it a day, but the gang have decided to go out in style. For their last ever night, "Game Over", they've got one of the most stellar line ups that the Flying Duck will ever have witness which will include live performances by Sonny Marvello, Miaoux Miaoux,  Malcolm Middleton (acoustic); Emma Pollock (acoustic) and The Twilight Sad (acoustic), plus as if that wasn't enough there will of course there will be the classic Pin Ups disco action through until the wee hours of the morning. Tickets for the gig are only £6 and are available here.

Tomorrow night at Oran Mor in Glasgow sees the launch of this Billy Kelly Award Songwriting Award. The songwriting competition was set up in memory of promoter and prominent figure in the Scottish live music community, Billy Kelly. Having started back in 2008 the event aims to provide the opportunity for songwriters of all ages and styles to perform in front of a panel of judges from different aspects of the music industry, and win a £5000 prize. Tomorrow nights fee event which is hosted by Tommy Reilly, kicks off at 8pm, unsigned songwriters, regardless of whether they are solo performers or in bands, are invited to take part. So if you want to find out some more information and get hold of an application form to take part, then get yourself along. Further information on the night can be found over on The Skinny's website.

If you were planning on heading along to Fence's Eye O' the Dug Festival, but haven't already bought a ticket, then I am afraid to say that you're going to be a bit disappointed as they've now sold out online. If you live near St. Andrews then if you're quick you might be in luck as a very small batch will be available for sale in St Andrews tomorrow. Just to rub salt into the wounds they've just added The Shutes, Randolph's Leap, Monoganon, BARBAROSSA and Standard Fare to the  bill - ooft!

In the run up to this years Doune The Rabbit Hole Festival, the organisers have decided to put on a series of gigs, starting off this Friday at Stereo where Honey & The Herbs and Helicon will be joined by the new favourite thing ever - Behold The Old Bear (I will continue to bang on about this band until I have converted every last one of you!). Tickets for the gig are £5 on the door and there will be a raffle for a chance to win a pair of festival tickets at the show. Everything else you need to know can be found here.

  Bolero Wunderlich by Honey and the Herbs

  Home space V1 by Behold, the Old Bear

The whole bloggers doing gigs thing really seems to have been catching on, as now Neil who runs the Scottish Fiction blog has decided to get in on the action with his maiden gig. Taking place at the Captain's Rest on Sunday 17th June as part of this years West End Festival, he's roped in four of his favourite local artists, Michael Cassidy, The Spook School, Queen Jane and Saint Death. You can find out more about the gig over on Neil's blog.

And last but certainly not least, Bart from eagleowl is putting on a fundraiser show for Shelter Scotland at The Third Door in Edinburgh. The evening's entertainment comes from none other than My Tiny Robots, ballboy (solo) & The Occasional Flickers, it all kicks off at 8pm, with the promise of party games, a raffle, and Shelter Scotland house DJs all for the bargain price of £6. More information can be found here.

Friday Freebies

PAWS
Ah PAWS, I fucking love PAWS. They're noisy as fuck, they do what they want and they have great tunes to boot. They have a demo called 'How Can I Depend On You?', it's on SoundCloud, it's free and you should download it.

The Little Kicks
Aberdeen's finest, The Little Kicks are all set release their self-titled, second album this coming Monday. As a wee teaser of what to expect they've posted up their song 'Call Of Youth' for free download on Bandcamp.

Hear Glasgow
Glasgow Youth Music Forum, Hear Glasgow are hosting a series of gigs on Thursday nights at George Square during December between 6 to 9pm featuring and array of local talent including Open Swimmer, Bear Bones, Miaoux Miaoux, A Band Called Quinn, Shambles Miller andThe Seventeenth Century. To celebrate the gigs they're giving away a free sampler on SoundCloud of some festive tunes from some of the bands playing at the events. Further information on the gigs can be found here.

Armbands For Eskimos
I have done some hunting online, but I really can't tell you much about Armbands For Eskimos, I think they might have something to do with the band Ambulances, but I am really just basing that on the fact that they sound a wee bit similar and that they follow them on Twitter. What I do know for sure is that they have a song called 'Prayer For The Lost' up for free download on Bandcamp and that it's also rather good.

Pulco
Again I don't know too much about this band, aside from the fact that I like the tunes. Bandcamp tells me they're a Welsh lo-fi outfit and that their Sketchbook Season EP is free to download. If they were Scottish I'd be all over this like a rash, which I guess just goes to show what a blinkered twat I really am.

Hipster Death Squad
Now how could I not post something by a band with a name that good. Seriously even if the songs were shit I would have to have posted something. Thankfully the songs aren't shit, they're pretty fucking awesome actually. They're also free to download. Nice.

Matt Norris & the Moon
One of the problems that I find with doing this post every week is that sometimes I forget whether or not I have posted some of these links before. Then again I guess somethings are worth repeating. Edinburgh outfit, Matt Norris & the Moon are one such band, they have a song called 'Volume Original First Light Of Day' which sounds a bit Mumford & Sons-ish, so if that's yer bag, then you'll probably dig this.

Shambles Miller
Glagsow's favourite lo-fi a folky-punkster, Shambles Miller has posted another one of his tunes up for free download. This new effort has been describes as being "a protest song about the protest song, in support of the occupy movement", whatever that might mean. Download 'For the Would-be Woody Guthrie' for free here.

monster island.
In terms of listening to non-Scottish music, 6Music aside, I really only hear new music from two other sources, The Waiting Room and Cloud Sounds. If you haven't checked these shows out get on it kids, they're braw. Ted from Cloud Sounds always amuses the fuck out of me, he knows he's funny and he even makes himself laugh, which I dig. He's also got a shit hot taste in music, and no I am not just saying that as he plays our stuff. He's introduced me to a lot of great stuff, which would include monster island. They have an album called 'cathedral steps' which is free to download on Bandcamp.

The Dodos
There was a time when I was very much down with the kids, almost hipster-ish (without the dress sense), I was very much on the pulse. Nowadays I have no fucking clue what's cool and what's not and I kind of like it that way. I guess that's just part of getting older. Back when I was 'with it', The Dodos were one of those kind of bands, I doubt that I'd ever find myself going back to listen to their older albums, but hey there was a time when they meant something to me. I guess that there must be some folk out there who still like them, so they might be interested to learn that the duo are offering up their new song "So Cold," in exchange for your email address.

The Spook School
Edinburgh four piece, The Spook School, have just posted up a new home recorded demo called 'Are You Who You Think You Are?' for free download on their Bandcamp page.

Laura Marling
From the bits and bobs that I have hear from the new Laura Marling album, it sounds pretty good. It's one of these albums that I keep meaning to check out, but never do. My loss I guess. If you haven't already heard it and want a taster, Amazon are giving away a free download of her song 'I Was Just A Card' here.