Friday,February15,2013 1S NEW MUSIC ... · Django. JIMSAYS:Hardatwork honingtheirsoundover the past...
Transcript of Friday,February15,2013 1S NEW MUSIC ... · Django. JIMSAYS:Hardatwork honingtheirsoundover the past...
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VsVsWHO: Ross Hinton(vocals/keys), StephenMorrow (guitar/keys/vocals), Ricky McBride(guitar/keys), Chris Jar-vie (bass/vocals), JamieFinn (drums).WHERE: Glasgow.FOR FANS OF: Foals,The Maccabees, DjangoDjango.JIM SAYS: Hard at workhoning their sound overthe past months, VsVs(pronounced Versus Ver-sus) have emerged fromthe studio with their stun-ning debut singleNovember Snow.Much like their former
band Kobai, it’s an elec-tro-tinged rock affair,but perhaps morerefined and less frantic.In essence, they’ve
taken all the positive ele-ments from their formerband to create some-thing a bit more sophisti-cated. Dare I say it,‘cooler’?Originally a six-piece,
featuring all the Kobaipersonnel, they con-sider VsVs to be a brandnew band rather than arebranding.The original line-up of
VsVs made their livedebut at Stereo in Glas-gow in December 2010,before regrouping andretreating to therehearsal studio.Stephen said: “We’ve
all known each other formany years and hadsome minor successwith Kobai, releasing analbum in Japan back in2008. As VsVs we’ve
only been together as afive-piece since 2011.“We’ve spent the past
year forging our soundin the studio and play-ing a handful of well-received gigs and sup-port slots.”They sit perfectly
alongside contemporar-ies like Chvrches, Disco-polis and Fridge Mag-nets. It’s definitely veer-ing on the indie-rockside of electronica withdelightful results.Stephen said “We are
huge music fans and lis-ten to a bit of every-thing. Undergroundindie, minimal techno,Motown, Italo disco,grunge . . . ”November Snow’s
B-side Love (Unloved)hints at a more electroside, a keyboard-drivenanthem that would getany dancefloor bounc-ing. November Snow isavailable to downloadfrom Monday, with alaunch gig tonight atPivo Pivo in Glasgow.They also play CabaretVoltaire in Edinburgh onFriday, February 22.More: vsvs.co.uk
Q Jim will be playingVsVs on In:DemandUncut this Sundayfrom 7pm on Clyde 1,Forth One, Northsound1, Radio Borders, TayFM, West FM & WestSound FM. indemand-scotland.co.uk
ONES2WATCH
NEWNEWMUSICMUSIC
ROCK chicks Deap Vallydescribe themselves sim-ply as BAD ASS.The Los Angeles girls — drum-mer Julie Edwards and singerLindsey Troy, right — aren’t inter-ested in sugar-coating anything.Their rawness has seen thembecome one of the most hypedbands of 2013. But incredibly therockers met doing NEEDLEWORK.Julie said: “It was a crotchetclass I was teaching. At firstLindsey was a really high-mainte-nance customer but somehow wetotally bonded.“She was doing her singer/songwriter thing, I was in myband and we’d both stalled.“We were frustrated over thatfeeling of not knowing what todo next. And here we are now.”Where we are is: the girls haveearned a ton of attention fortheir back-to-basics approach. Itis pedal-to-the-metal rock ’n roll.Julie explained: “A lot of ourfans have been saying they’vebeen waiting for heavy rock —and we’re happy to be filling aspot that was left open.“We wanted to make heavymusic as it’s definitely missing.“There isn’t much jam-gener-ated rock anymore, where it’speople in a room writing a songand playing live. I don’t hear it
on the radio now much, usuallyonly on oldies radio with LedZeppelin or Black Sabbath.”Being bad ass is somethingthey’re proud of too.Julie said: “Musically we’relike that. We’re not making iton a computer, there’s no auto-tune. We didn’t ever write oursongs with the intention we’dlicense them for commercials— it’s rock ’n roll with a punkaesthetic.“It’s bad ass to be a girl ina band as the music worldis full of guys.”
RawThey’ve just been finish-ing off their debut albumwhich comes out in May.And to show it off, they’recoming over for a UK tour —which hits King Tut’s in Glas-gow on March 4. It’s a city theycan’t wait to get back to.Julie said: “We had so muchfun — we love, love Glasgow.“We even filmed a lot of thevideo for our single End ofWorld there too.“With the album, it’s all aboutcapturing the live and keeping itraw. Deap Vally is a band thatlives on the stage and in therehearsal room — not the studio.”Q For tour tickets and music, goto: deapvally.com
YOU CHICKS, ROCK!ONE2SEE
SCREAMING Maldini use almostevery instrument under the sun tocreate their unique sound.They’ve crammed the lot intotheir self-tittled debut album —which is out now.The tunes are happy, bouncyand full of promise. They are cer-tainly worth listening to.If you’re interested in the inter-esting, check out the album at:www.screamingmaldini.net
ONE2HEAR
By JIM GELLATLYBy JIM GELLATLY
SCOUSE trio Bird have the haunt-ing, mysterious thing down to anart. Their sound is super-spookyand stays with you.And the girls have twinned itwith some good songs to create apowerful package.They’re out on a UK tour nextweek which stops at Edinburgh,Inverness and Glasgow.For info, go to: www.face-book.com/birdmusicofficial
THE Courteenerstook on the systemand nearly won.The Manc lads werecharging ahead in lastweek’s charts, sitting com-fortably in top spot withnew album Anna . . . untilthe weekend.That’s when the recordcompany juggernauts crus-hed them as Les Miserablessoundtrack claimed No1.The band put it down tosupermarkets refusing tostock them — and theyended up sixth.Frontman Liam Frayranted: “It’s a sad state ofaffairs when I’m saying Iwish Tesco sold our album.“But that’s why we didn’tget to No1 — no one wasbuying it in Tesco.
Outsider“They stocked Les Misand they stocked FleetwoodMac. They only stock theguaranteed big guns, whichis so wrong.“So if an outsider like usdoes have a slither of achance of doing well, bythe time Saturday comesand everybody goes to dotheir big shop, thosechances are obliterated.”Ever since bursting onthe scene, The Courteenershave been seen by some ascocky loudmouths. But
By CHRIS SWEENEY
Liam reckons that’s wellwide of the mark.He said: “Our belief inwhat we do is misconstruedby people into how big wethink we are. I’m not daft,I know how big we are.“Take Biffy Clyro. I’vemet them a couple of timesand they’re real nice fellas.“They’ve worked for it toget where they are, it’s notbeen handed on a plate.That’s where we come from.“A lot of people expect towalk onto the Radio 1 play-lists and a lot of bands do.“I couldn’t tell you whythey don’t play us."Perhaps they are jealousof a talented, good-lookingguy like me!”One thing the band’s hard-core fans react to is howthey change things up oneach album. That’s despitelots of assumptions that allthey do is churn out ‘ladrock’ anthems.Liam, 26, said: “I think itwas Frightened Rabbit whosaid Mumford & Sons wereshovelling the same old s***.“When I saw that, I’m notgoing to lie, but I gave asmirk as it’s true. I’ve got
nothing against Mumford &Sons and they’ve got somegood tunes.“But when I heard theirnew song, to me it couldhave been on their firstrecord.“Musically, we’re explor-ing different avenues andfeel lucky to have theopportunity.”Now the boys are gearingup to take the new albumout on the road.Their UK tour starts nextweek and stops in Dundee,Inverness, Glasgow andEdinburgh.
RootsLiam said: “It’s reallyexciting thinking about play-ing these songs live for thefirst time. Whereas in thepast you'd be like, ‘Wellwe’ll play the singles andafter that we’re not sure’.“But now you can get anindication on Twitter ofwhat the fans are into.”And as they set theirsights on stardom, Liaminsists they’ll never ditchtheir roots.He said: “There seems tobe a lot more middle-classpeople in bands these days.“I’m not going to say Ifind it irksome but I find itperplexing that there’s notmore normal kids. That’snot the case with us.”Q For all the tour info, go to: www.facebook.com/thecourteeners
ByCHRIS
SWEENEY
56 Friday, February 15, 2013 1S