Month: February 2012

COMPETITION: Win Tickets for Carnivores/The Darien Venture/Cuddly Shark/No Island

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Next Monday - March 5th - ours fierce rivals friends at The Daily Dose are putting on a gig at Stereo.

Proceeds from the gig go to charity Action For Children. Tickets are available here

Playing at the gig are:

Carnivores.
<p>&amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href=”http://carnivores1.bandcamp.com/track/lion-tamer”&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Lion Tamer by Carnivores&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;gt;</p>

The Darien Venture
<p>&amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href=”http://thedarienventure.bandcamp.com/album/the-back-to-the-future-ep”&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;The Back to the Future EP by The Darien Venture&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;gt;</p>

Cuddly Shark
<p>&amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href=”http://cuddlyshark.bandcamp.com/track/cuddly-jim”&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Cuddly Jim by Cuddly Shark&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;gt;</p>

No Island
<p>&amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href=”http://nofuckingisland.bandcamp.com/album/self-titled-ep”&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Self Titled EP by No Island&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;gt;</p>

Hate charity? Really cheap? Well, we’ve got a pair of tickets to give away, so you could try that instead.
To enter simply email the answer to the following question to [email protected], along with your name.
Question: What makes up a large part of a carnivores diet?
A. Glass
B. Meat
C. The Moon

Entries close at 6pm on Friday March 2nd, winner will be informed by email.
I won’t keep your name and email address for nefarious purposes, sell it to spammers, try to steal your identity, or break into your house when you are at the gig on Monday. Honest.

Pin Up Nights - Ladies Night

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This Friday is the last one of the month, and you know what that means, it’s Pin Up Nights time! I won’t be able to say that for much longer, as there are a mere two Pin Ups events to go, Ladies Night this week, then the final Pin Ups Night in March, then it’s all over. I don’t generally do clubs - hey, I’m old - but my outings to Pin Ups are always good ones with many fond memories, albeit quite hazy ones, so I’ll miss it when it’s gone.

Things might be coming to an end, but the Pin Ups crew seem pretty determined to go out with a bang. Ladies Night promises all the usual treats, including the standard good song selections of the Pin Ups DJs, who are joined this month by guest DJs Wild Beast,

Playing live this month are Kid Canaveral - who if you haven’t noticed how much I love by now you probably never will, The Plimptons - whose upcoming new album has a bunch of wrestling references, pitching it firmly up my street, and Fanny Pelmet and the Bastard Suits - who I, err, know nothing about, but I like their name.

Kid Canaveral - You Only Went Out To Get Drunk Last Night
<p>&amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href=”http://kidcanaveral.bandcamp.com/track/you-only-went-out-to-get-drunk-last-night-2″&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;You Only Went Out To Get Drunk Last Night by Kid Canaveral&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;gt;</p>

The Plimptons - Be Expected

Additional treats include not one, not two, but three burlesque acts. Vendetta Vain, Tom DeLish and Babette Corvette will be strutting their stuff sometime around midnight. Which gives me an excuse for this video…

As always everything takes place at the Flying Duck, tickets are available here for six quid. Buying in advance saves you money, as the price rises to £8 if you pay on the door, so go ahead and buy now.

I’ll give you more details about Pin Up Nights - Game Over closer to the time, but until then I should probably draw your attention to one thing. The team want Jarvis Cocker to DJ at the final night, but have so far had no luck. Naturally then, they’ve started a petition to Get Cocker. You can find out more details over on Facebook, and sign the petition here.

Six Things For Saturday

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I’m a rubbish blogger, clearly. Rather than spend another weekend not writing proper blog posts and leaving things silent, here’s a random selection of free music to briefly entertain you at the weekend.

Randolph’s Leap:
Randolph’s Leap launch their new album, Randolph’s Leap and the Curse of the Haunted Headphones with a gig at the Captains Rest tonight. Contrary to the poster above I’m told that doors are at half seven, with the first band on at eight, so get along early. The album will be available on cassette at the gig, though there are very limited quantities available, before being put up on Bandcamp later. As a wee taster you can download Dying In My Sleep from the album here.
<p>&amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href=”http://randolphsleap.bandcamp.com/track/dying-in-my-sleep”&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Dying In My Sleep by Randolph’s Leap&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;gt;</p>

Julian The Apostate:
The man behind Julian The Apostate used to be in a band I liked, but now he’s going solo instead. There’s a couple of EPs and some demo recordings available for free from Bandcamp, and I’m promised there’ll be more going up regularly, so keep an eye out.
<p>&amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href=”http://juliantheapostate.bandcamp.com/album/home-recordings-1-chaos-ex-nihilo”&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Home Recordings #1: Chaos Ex Nihilo by Julian the Apostate&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;gt;</p>

Human Don’t Be Angry:
The man behind Human Don’t Be Angry used to be in a band I liked, but now he’s going solo instead. Oh, wait… Anyway, yes, Human Don’t Be Angry is the latest project from Malcolm Middleton. The album will be released on April 23rd - I’ve had a sneaky advance listen, it is, not very surprisingly, a bit good - but ahead of that there’s a free download available of H.D.B.A. Theme. The first Human Don’t Be Angry gig with a new full band takes place at The Arches a week today, as part of the Margins festival. There’s not many tickets left, so you’ll have to hurry if you want to go but don’t have one yet.

Night Noise Team:
I rather enjoyed the album, Slow Release, that Night Noise Team put out last year. It was a mixture of dark, broody, poppy and electro, sometimes all at once. There’s a free track, The Gift, available here, and more freebies from other Permwhale bands here. Slow Release is available to listen to and buy here.
<p>&amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href=”http://permwhalerecordings.bandcamp.com/track/the-gift”&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;The Gift by Night Noise Team&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;gt;</p>

Fay Wrays:
Ditching Scotland, off we go to Fresno, California, for something new from the Fay Wrays. Their album Strange Confessor popped up at random in my inbox last year, and ended up one of my favourite albums of the year (you can get that album for free here), so I was rather happy when they sent me through a new song at the start of the week. Cars is really rather good, and you can have it for free here.
<p>&amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href=”http://faywrays.bandcamp.com/track/cars”&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Cars by Fay Wrays&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;gt;</p>

Magnetic Island:
Continuing the rather random hopping around the globe today, let’s stop off in Brooklyn, New York, for a little something from Magnetic Island. Their new self titled album is really, really good, and I urge you to have a listen to that here, and buy it if you like it. There’s a host of free stuff from Magnetic Island on Bandcamp too, so go ahead and fill yer boots, but the freebie I’m featuring here popped up just the other day. It’s a cover of a song by the Au Pairs, who I must confess to being completely unaware of, so I can’t compare the cover with the original. The Magnetic Island version of Headache For Michelle is ace though, so go download it.

Finally a reminder that I recorded a podcast with Insularis Records, you can find more about that, and have a listen, here.

Me, Talking Rubbish

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Oops, gone a bit longer between pots than I’d meant to. There’s also an ominous looking submission pile that needs attention. While I attempt to do something about that, how would you like to hear some songs interspersed with me talking nonsense?

Last week I got together with my pal Allan to record a wee podcast for Insularis Records, the results of which you can hear below.

We played ten songs, and I mainly ignored both Scottish music and new music for it, because I’m awkward like that. If you’ve always wanted to hear what I sound like when talking about things quite randomly, now you can.

Since recording I’ve done fact checking, and can add two pieces of into to things, 1 - Spiritualized have a new album imminent, which will presumably make up some of their set on their upcoming tour. 2. Kate Radley married Richard Ashcroft of The Verve.

Go buy some records from Insularis.