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News and features
Classic review: BBC SSO: Glass Premiere, City Halls, Glasgow
IT has taken ten years for Philip Glass’s Sixth Symphony Plutonium Ode to reach a British concert hall. Written originally to mark his 65th birthday, it finally received a UK premiere last night as part of this year’s ongoing celebrations of the American composer’s 75th birthday.
Gig review: Keane, Glasgow Academy
EMPLOYING their usual blend of mild manners and stirring radio-friendly anthems, Keane have hit the top of the album chart for the fifth consecutive occasion with their latest MOR offering, Strangeland.
Jazz with added razzmatazz at Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival
THE Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival has unveiled a major expansion into one of the city’s biggest venues, as part of a long-term bid to raise its profile.
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MoFest: The ones to watch in Montrose this weekend
This year’s Montrose Music Festival opens on Friday and will see the coastal town over-run with musical types for the entire weekend.
Hop along and listen to Kassidy
KASSIDY frontman Barrie-James O’Neill hadn’t quite finished regaling me with stories from the band’s time at the legendary Rockfield Studios when the tape-recorder came to a sudden halt. In hindsight, it’s probably just as well it did.
Gary Flockhart: Night at the museum proves a big musical hit
YOU get to see a lot of live music in this job. Sometimes they’re great gigs and other times they aren’t. Sometimes you come away feeling exhilarated and other times, well, the opposite applies.
Revived classic returns
TOSCA, one of Scottish Opera’s most popular productions, returns to Edinburgh next week by popular demand.
Gig review: Saint Etienne, Glasgow Oran Mor
For some, Saint Etienne are the quintessential London pop band, but their own pursuit of the perfect pop formula extends well beyond those city limits – the sounds, past and present, of New York, Ibiza and even Glasgow are evoked as much as swinging Camden or leafy Hampstead in their catalogue.
Gig review: Gary Numan, Glasgow ABC
Like the grinding machine music he makes, Gary Numan is as reliable as a German car or a Swiss watch. Beneath a surface that appears as synthetic and dehumanised as his finest contemporaries from the early years of mass-appeal electronica, however, beats a hot-blooded heart.
Interview: Furnace Mountain, Americana band
Furnace Mountain, who tour Scotland next week, have built a loyal following with their Americana and warm, open personalities. By Simon Stephenson
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A Glass Apart: Composer Philip Glass on his past
He’s been celebrating his 75th birthday for four months now, but Philip Glass says it’s still “exhilarating” revisiting his past
Folk, jazz etc.: ‘It’s about the way people go away smiling and uplifted’
REVERED Dixieland elders such as W C Handy or Jelly Roll Morton tend not to crop up in the same breath as those Skye folk-fusionists the Peatbog Faeries.
Preview: Scottish Opera’s 50th anniversary celebrations
Scottish Opera is talking up its 50th anniversary programme as a dynamic return to its roots, but there are compromises too
Critics’ choice: The arts events you need to see
The Scotsman’s arts team offer their tips for thes best event in each field of the arts
Gig review: Martin Taylor and Martin Simpson, Perth Theatre
One of a few select joint performances by these two English guitar greats, this well-attended Perth Festival of the Arts concert began and ended with them playing as a duo, between times individually showcasing Taylor’s jazz-based artistry and Simpson’s wide-ranging mastery of British and American folk styles.
Gig review: Admiral Fallow; Edinburgh Queen’s Hall
The release of Tree Bursts in Snow, the second record by Glasgow’s Admiral Fallow, on the very day of this show seems to have propelled the sextet to new heights of popularity.
Gig review: Admiral Fallow, Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh
THE release of Tree Bursts in Snow, the sophomore record by Glasgow’s Admiral Fallow, on the very day of this show seems to have propelled the sextet to new heights of popularity.
Why I can’t stay away from Eurovision
THERE’S usually an awkward pause, followed by the word “really?” (whilst trying to stifle a giggle) when I explain to folk that I’m about to set off to spend the next fortnight amidst diva-esque singers, nymph-like dancers, camp choreographers, overtly fey stylists and a plethora of “hugely important” delegates at the Eurovision Song Contest.
Review: Admiral Fallow, Queen’s Hall
Admiral Fallow are setting sail on their most important year to date. Since forming in 2007, the Glasgow based folk-rock band have been making slow and steady progress, playing small venues and gradually building a niche for an enthusiastic fan-base.
***
2 commentsFlorence tops the line–up for Bestival
Florence + the Machine have been announced as the latest headliner for Bestival.
Adele proves to be in tune at Billboards
SiNGER Adele picked up a dozen gongs at the Billboard Music Awards less than a week after her triumph at the Ivor Novellos.
Review: A Foreigner’s Journey, The Jam House
In their minds, A Foreigner’s Journey – a homage to two of music’s top-selling melodic pop-rock bands of the 70s and 80s – was playing to a stadium packed with thousands of cheering fans.
**
1 commentClassical review: Berlin Symphony Orchestra, Perth Concert Hall
BEING a child of the former East Berlin, the Berlin Symphony Orchestra is a band we are perhaps less familiar with than its famous West German counterpart, the Berlin Philharmonic.
Gig review: The Coal Porters, Woodend Bowling and Lawn Tennis Club, Glasgow
FORMED in LA in 1989 by ex-Long Ryders front man Sid Griffin, the Coal Porters relocated to London early in their career, and enjoyed reasonable success as a country-rock outfit on the UK indie scene, before Griffin recast them as an acoustic bluegrass outfit around 1998.
Gig review: Jimmy Cliff, Academy, Glasgow
THERE can be few recording artists with a half-century career of writing standards who can still skank, spin and unfurl the most devilish dancehall moves with the energy and élan of Jimmy Cliff.
Festival review: Stag & Dagger, Various Venues, Glasgow
IN AN era when young festivals are shed from the schedules in ever more frequent and financially-challenged fashion, it was good to see that Glasgow’s multi-venue, one-ticket hipster nexus Stag & Dagger had been cleared to make a return.
CD of the Week: Paul Buchanan - Mid Air
THE Proclaimers recently told The Scotsman that they have always been attracted to writing the same kind of song, one which embodies a poetic and melodic simplicity, because that way lies honesty and integrity.
Album reviews: Tom Jones | Cold Specks | Gaz Coombes | Classical | Jazz | Folk
THE Scotsman gives its verdict on the pick of this week’s longplayer releases
Bee Gees singer Robin Gibb dies after long battle with cancer
BEE Gees singer Robin Gibb died last night at the age of 62 after a long battle with cancer, his family announced.
The performer, originally from the Isle of Man, was a third of one of the most successful groups of past decades, with a string of number one hits.
Discordant note to Jubilee music as composer strives for ‘honesty’ over ‘sweet mood music’
THE Queen’s composer is to court controversy by using the symphony he has written for the Diamond Jubilee celebrations to make a political point about “disastrous” military interventions.
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CD reviews: Paul Buchanan | John Mayer | Admiral Fallow | Folk | Jazz | Classical video
The voice of the Blue Nile emerges with his first solo album, a selection of short but certain songs which sound like the soundtrack to a melancholy black and white Sunday afternoon.
Gig review: An Eveni9ng With The Handsome Family, St Andrew’s In The Square, Glasgow
HUSBAND and wife team Brett and Rennie Sparks may originally hail from the Windy City, but their music is as southern gothic as it comes.
Gig review: Michael Kiwanuka, ABC, Glasgow
WITH rows of chairs set out across the main dancefloor of the ABC, Michael Kiwanuka’s set was defined before it even began.
Classical review: English Touring Opera: The Barber of Seville
ENGLISH Touring Opera’s new production of Rossini’s The Barber of Seville has been doing the rounds since it opened in London a couple of months ago.
Gig review: Kimmie Rhodes, CCA, Glasgow
IT MAY not be a conscious acknowledgement, but when Texan singer-songwriter Kimmie Rhodes sings “I’m flying under the radar” in her song Contrabandistas, she could be referring to her 30-year career trajectory at the more literate end of country music.
Life is a cabaret for winner of Pop Idol
SINGER Will Young is heading to the West End to star in the stage show Cabaret in October.
German baritone singer Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau dies
RENOWNED German baritone Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau died yesterday aged 86.
Iain Gray: Music changes the world one note at a time
UNICYCLING and stiltwalking revolutionaries lack the appeal of a force that speaks to hearts and minds, writes Iain Gray
3 commentsGig review: Michael Kiwanuka, ABC, Glasgow
With rows of chairs set out across the main dancefloor of the ABC, Michael Kiwanuka’s set was defined before it even began.
1 commentGig review: An Evening With The Handsome Family, St Andrew’s in the Square, Glasgow
Husband and wife team Brett and Rennie Sparks may originally hail from the Windy City, but their music is as southern gothic as it comes.
Adele picks up big awards at Ivor Novello Awards
A TEARFUL Adele was named songwriter of the year at the Ivor Novello Awards today - and promptly gave the gong away.
Gemma sticks to the formula
AFTER earning a place on the 2002 Mercury Music Prize shortlist for debut album Night On My Side (she lost to Ms Dynamite), Irish songstress Gemma Hayes went on to carve out a nice musical niche for herself.
Gary Flockhart: Now hear this, before it’s too late
HEAR this: Two of the biggest pop stars in the country have launched a campaign to warn that loud music can cause permanent hearing loss. We should all listen up.
Gig review: Balkan Beat Box, Glasgow ABC2
CO-founded by fellow Israeli natives Ori Kaplan (ex-Gogol Bordello) on tenor saxophone and ex-Firewater percussionist/programmer/producer Tamir Muskat, Balkan Beat Box emerged from New York’s underground musical melting pot in 2005, completing their core creative trio with the addition of vocalist/MC Tomer Yosef.
Gig review: Duane Eddy, Glasgow Oran Mor
Despite being one of the last surviving guitar heroes of the early rock’n’roll era, Duane Eddy had no idea that he might still be a draw.
Gig review: Four Corners, Glen Urquhart Hall, Drumnadrochit
IT WAS a mixture of old and new for this ambitious project featuring Mr McFall’s Chamber and four of our best-known folk musicians.
Folk, jazz, etc: Brother’s poignant tribute to tenor sax giant cuts to the very bone
MICHAEL Brecker was regarded by many as the most influential tenor saxophonist of the past quarter century, carving out a stellar reputation in his own right and collecting 13 Grammy awards along the way, in the eclectic company of players as diverse as Herbie Hancock and Aerosmith, Charles Mingus and Eric Clapton. There was also his formidable “heavy metal bebop” partnership with his older, trumpet-playing brother Randy.
The Cottier Chamber Project pay tribute to Edinburgh Zoo’s pandas
IN TWO weeks’ time, Glasgow’s Bohemian quarter will be buzzing again as the annual West End Festival gets underway. And once more, one of the most ambitious components of the event is a continuous two-week festival of chamber music at Cottiers, the former Dowanhill Church which is now a thriving combination venue of pub and performance space.
- Family mourn death of Glasgow ‘fight’ schoolboy
- Rangers takeover: Duff & Phelps threaten legal action against BBC
- Today’s youth not fit to be employed, says car firm Arnold Clark
- Rangers administration: Fans fear Duff & Phelps claims could scare off Green
- Rangers takeover: triple penalty punishment enough, says Johnston
- Alistair Darling leads ‘No to independence’ fight over tea and biscuits
- Scottish independence: SNP flip-flops over Nato
- Scottish Independence: SNP ‘won’t be Yes campaign’s only voice’
- Today’s youth not fit to be employed, says car firm Arnold Clark
- Scottish independence: ‘People here are best qualified to run Scotland’
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Weather for Edinburgh
Saturday 26 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 9 C to 20 C
Wind Speed: 16 mph
Wind direction: North east
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Sunny
Temperature: 12 C to 22 C
Wind Speed: 10 mph
Wind direction: North east
