No Mean City Special - Little Fire Interview

Wooooh. Damien Rice eh? We know each other Jamie so let's me this a bit more informal. So how the hell did that come about? One minute I'm talking to you online and you are packing to go to Switzerland and the next there's photos of you and him performing on the grass like a pair of hippies, and then footage is upped of you singing Hallelujah with him.

Not a bad day for you?

Helloooo! Not a bad day at all.

I was invited at the start of the year to play at the Blue Balls Festival in Luzerne in Switzerland in July - Luzerne is incredibly beautiful - and I’d been excited all year about performing at it.

It’s a definite highlight in my career so far as the line-up included Damien Rice, Elvis Costello, James Morrison, John Legend and a host of acts from around the world who are considered to be at the breaking artist level.

I was certainly in some esteemed company.

It’s the sort of opportunity that comes along and you have to grab at it.

The festival itself turned out to be a wonderful experience.

An event that’s full of real heart and soul.

The energy of the place is amazing and it just felt like the real deal.

I was singing on the KKL Plaza Stage just outside the Concert Hall in Luzerne.

I was on for three hours in fantastic heat on the hottest day of the year so far in Switzerland - I think it was about 35degrees.

The reception from the audience was fantastic. The Swiss are really appreciative and very giving with their attention.

Then during the third hour of the set I saw Damien Rice in the audience watching and I was understandably wowed at this as it wasn’t just a case of him casually walking past.

After I had finished I received a text message from his management asking me if I would like to go backstage and then join Damien on stage at his concert.

I think he was actually almost late for his concert as he was watching me.

I didn’t have to think about how to respond to that.

So after agreeing I was led backstage to his concert and it just felt like I was in a film.

Maybe it’s just me, but I often feel that life often does when it’s at its best, the most real moments feeling rather surreal for their brilliance.

I really did feel that I was viewing myself playing a part in a story.

He came backstage after a fantastic rendition of ‘The Blower’s Daughter’ and asked me if I’d like to join him on stage - inviting me to sing one of my own songs before duetting on Leonard Cohen’s classic ‘Hallelujah’.

Strangely enough I wasn’t nervous at all,

In hindsight I should have been, but I wasn’t.

I’ve done many many hundreds of gigs and performances, all hugely varied in style and space but with this one it just felt so right, so absolutely right and I felt incredibly fired up after singing for three hours earlier on in the day, not phased, not tired or nervous, just thinking that this was absolutely a perfect moment, and it really did feel like it.

For Damien to invite me to sing at his concert is something I’ll always be incredibly grateful for, it was a wonderful experience and his audience were hugely appreciative of me.

To sing with him was an absolute joy, I thought our voices blended very well and I just felt out cloud 9 at the time, I still do.

After the concert we relaxed a wee bit backstage before going outside of the concert hall to speak to people, it felt absolutely brilliant, I felt like I’d been brought into something very special and the energy in the air was electric ( or highly acoustic ). We took a walk down to the local park where we performed his songs together, my songs together, improvising on each and making up new songs completely as topics and themes were suggested to us by the rather lovely group of people who had gathered with us in the park that evening. “ Have you seen the moon” was one completely new improvised song we came up with taking turns to come up with verse and melody and it was a brilliant experience to have Damien sing with me for my song ‘All I Need in Life’, there’s footage of it on You Tube and I think our voices are actually brilliant together.

Can you imagine what it would be like if I had listened back days later and it was terrible.

It doesn’t bear thinking about, but I like it.

I really enjoyed improvising, and I think it’s a big part of my nature, so to be playing music, singing and improvising with Damien Rice was a pure joy in itself.

It was just great fun rather than it being a taxing or nervy experience.

The man himself is brilliant and was great fun to be around.

I genuinely couldn’t say one negative thing about him.

A lovely guy.

After the show we went back to the hotel for his reception and then partied into the night in the grand surroundings of the Schweizerhof Hotel.

There was nothing exclusive about it and it was brilliant to party with some new found friends who had been at the concert and the park gathering.

So the festival as a whole was a bit of a blast?

The festival was absolutely brilliant it really was. The staff are all volunteers and my artist liaison Nik was brilliant at showing me around Luzerne.

 It sounds like a cliché, but I really did meet so many lovely locals who have become new frinds who I will be keeping in touch with.

Was this connection with Damien a one off, or are there plans for anything else?

We’ve been in contact since the festival and whilst there are no concrete plans to collaborate officially just as yet I’m sure that our paths will cross again on a nearby shore at some point. 

When situations like this come up you must be thinking in the aftermath that pretty much anything is possible? Then in the cold light of day reality probably bitch slaps you as find yourself looking for a coffee with only change rattling about in your pocket. Would that be a fair perception of it?

I’d have to say I strongly agree with your first point and strongly disagree with the second point, if there’s anything I’ve truly learned the value of appreciating over the past few years it’s that anything really is possible for me and that nothing should be discounted as being out of bounds in the realms of possibility.

I’ve always known inside that good things were going to happen, I just wasn’t sure exactly what or with who.

The events of the past few years have really reinforced that feeling of self-belief and forging a real sense of the self-fulfilling prophecy within me. I believe we can all do things which truly rock our worlds and that we are only limited by our imagination and our own apathies.

I do believe that vision, focus, positivity, talent, application and desire form a big part in achievement as opposed to it being a case of chance or ‘luck’ or even good fortune. I think you can make yourself considerably more likely to enjoy particular things if you really drive towards them with an open heart and an open mind. Little in life is set in stone but if your resolve is firm and you know in your heart that you want to do certain things in life well you’ll find your way won’t you?

So when you are in the cold light of day with just enough change to get a coffee, then there’s always the coffee to be savoured, and the sun and the memories.

It’s all good.

I’m not a complete dreamer though. I’m a realist to an extent to, but I think we have to be realistic about what that even means. I just think it’s important to believe in yourself, yet be quite self-aware and be honest with yourself about what it is you want to do, or where you want to go.

That self-realisation is a big part of any journey and surely plays a role in all the best journeys. The cold light of day reality in my mind is that things have never been more exciting, things have never been more possible, and I’ve never been more positive about life than I am right now.

It works for me. I never knew when I was younger that I would share stages with people who I’ve looked up to for such a long time but I would never have said it definitely won’t happen. I think being open to the possibilities in life is key.

So onto more positives. You have something lined up with Admiral Fallow don't you? That's got a quality stamp on it hasn't it? Do you see it as another stepping stone towards something special on the horizon?

I’ll be playing my next adventure in Glasgow on Friday 13th September at Broadcast as part of the No Mean City Festival. I’m looking forward to it for sure. I think the gig in October with Andrew Roachford in Edinburgh will be a real high for me to, I love that man.

Speaking about special things on the horizon. Where's the album? How long have you been promising me this? It feels like you told me that you were recording an album as far back as in a past life. I would need regressive hypnosis to go back far enough to recall exactly when you first mentioned it.

It’s been a long time in the making, maybe too long, maybe there’s no such thing coming at all. (Joking)

I feel like it’s been important to me to have had this journey that I’ve had so far before doing this, as if each experience with the music has been a part of the patchwork of me that I’ve needed to get together before I do it.

I’ve been writing songs as I go through the past few years and I just wanted to be really sure I had the songs, the right ones for the album.

I think I’ve been promising you the album for quite some time now.

I just want to make sure it’s really good and I’m absolutely ready, and now I am ready.

I’ve picked out the places where I want to record it and I’ve the musicians in place. I don’t enjoy recording studios all that much and have vouched to record in a number of different places, interesting places that inspire me or ones I’m hugely comfortable in. I don’t find recording studios to be that comfortable a space.

They’re often way too clinical and I don’t feel especially relaxed being boxed in.

It's been a funny old trip hasn't it. From supporting JLS to The Secret Sisters. Opening for Joan Armatrading and playing with Damien. When you focus on the high points it's not been too bad has it?

It’s fantastic man, absolutely fantastic, blows my mind in fact, and this is just the beginning of the beginning. I’ll be singing my whole life and I will one day look back and the adventures and experiences of right now will still be part of the beginning.

If my career is a long road then I’ve just laced up my boots and taken the first couple of steps.

I know I’m going places, I don’t always know exactly where, but for sure I am. There’s so much possibility and scope so why not!

So what's happening next. You finally going to go on the road and tour. A real tour either as a supporting act or a headliner. Is that the plan?

Once this CD is done I’m going for it. My hope is to join a tour basically. Be a support to an artist that I can feel connected to.

That’s one idea and I think it could be the next step. I’m contacting a few people just now.

I have a dream team of people I would like to work with in terms of management and in terms of record label and in terms of going on the road with and I aim to follow these roads of possibility as far as they will go. Dream a little dream hey.

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Rose Parade - Sell out B*st*rds

There are two words that when put together elicit equal amounts of joy and sadness.

They are sold, followed by out.

If we aren't going to go down the path of talking about artists who have allegedly sold out their credibility for stardom.

Then what we are left with is the proclamation of the two words together regarding an event being now ticket-less.

On the one side of the coin are the artists who know that people are going to make the effort to come and see them, and a busy night rather than playing to one man and his dog, is ahead of them.

For the venue the words are accompanied by the ringing of their tills.

For a promoter the sound is one of a sigh of relief, and for those with tickets there's a smug little voice reminding them that shelling out early for a ticket was a good idea.

On the other side of the coin are those who thought that they would just leave it until the night and pop in.

The ones who know that they had the chance to attend, but let it slip through their fingers.

With them sharing sad faces are unfortunately the people who simply didn't have the means at their disposal to grab a ticket and are now a tad pee'ed off that the night has arrived and they are still skint.

I feel for the later, but I'm not so fussed about the former.

And tonight is one of those nights that draws out all those feelings.

Rose Parade actually sold out weeks ago, but tonight is the night where all the work they have put into recording their debut album is revealed.

The excitement is mounting and with three excellent supports in place it's all shaping up to be a 'you had to be there' gig.

I'm fully expecting to indulge in a weekend of reading posts from people on the social networking sites that mention how utterly fantastic the gig was.

I would advice people to pop in as early as they can so that they can grab a bite from the much loved menu that the 13^th Note has prior to them securing a space with a prime view.

I can feel it in my water that this is going to kick off in a spectacular manner.

Final post of the year. The December round up.

December is a busy month for everyone.

I'm no different.

Between work, scurrying about shops in a panic and dealing with a million and one other things I've neglected the blog to an extent.

So in lieu of individual reviews here's a round up of what's been going on in the last months of the year.

01/12/12 – Rancid in the Barras.

Less a gig and more of a social occasion for the punks of Scotland.

A gathering of the Clans.

I missed both supports as it was virtually impossible to walk three feet forward without being accosted by a face from the past.

If I was to start listing people I would be hammering at the keys for hours on end.

By the time Kelly and myself extracted ourselves from the 13^th Note and pushed our way to the bar the lads from the Bay were storming the stage.

Lars carried most of the set with Tim guesting on a few songs, but I doubt anyone was complaining.

They pushed it hard and had the Scottish crowd eating out of their hands.
Sort of a punk 101 class.

Similar to SLF always doing a St Pats night in the legendary Barrowlands Rancid should consider a yearly hit and run visit.

Utterly mind blowing.

Less a retro fest and more a statement from the punks that they aint going anywhere.

Brilliant.

13/12/12 Shelf:Life

Here's one I did manage to review.

http://itsaxxxxthing.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/shelflife-nice-and-sleazy-131212-glasgow.html

15/12/12 Burnsfest.

A mighty oooft. Twenty two acts over two stages. One electric and the other acoustic.

Johnny Graham who organized this did himself proud.

A few weeks prior to it he asked if I would lend a hand so I don't want to really push how good it was as there could be accusations of solo trumpet playing, even though I had no involvement at all in the organizational side of the event.

So now that's out of the way here we go with a take it or leave it summing up of the day and night.

Holy Pistol Club were everything I expected them to be. Some dog is sniffing at an open wound right now as these guys are off on their heels with its bollocks.

The Holy Ghosts were as usual firing on all cylinders and I would recommend that everyone get on board with them as 2013 has to be their year.

The OK Social Club was a minor let down. I have no idea what the score was, but there was just something missing from the performance.

Maybe the band were tired, maybe there was some behind the scenes issues, or possibly one of many little problems that can take the edge off a performance had reared its ugly head.

None the less the set didn't have the energy that I know the band have so I'm chalking it down as a one off minor slump and I'm sure if others hadn't seen them before then they probably didn't notice.

Soldier On were and mods dream band.

They have a solid foot in the past and a hungry attitude that's bristling to grab the present and give it a shake.

I can see them being the Scootering scenes darlings of 2013.

In fact if anyone involved in the rally scene is looking to book a band that will deliver on every level then they need look no further.

Another highlight was the very young Purple Corruption who opened the day and then filled in later for a second, and better, set for a larger audience.

They're still raw and there's enough rough edges to make them slightly abrasive, but there was also far more future promise displayed than is normally expected from a bottom of the bill event opener.

The elevation up the bill was less a by chance opportunity that they grabbed and more a well deserved break.

I was mainly covering the electric stage, but highlights from the acoustic stage as mentioned often in the frame of 'you should have seen.....' were the sets from Anna Sweeneys, Andrew Nicol, Alan Frew, Matt Scott, Mairi Kerr and a Band Called Cadence.

Over all Johhny should be giving himself a pat on the back and considering the whole day a huge success.

Roll on Burnsfest 2013.

16/12/12 – Molotov Jukebox/Dixie Fried/Callum Beattie.

Bit of a last minute gig for Kelly and me, but one we are very pleased that we got to see.

Dixie Fried will no doubt draw comparisons to The White Stripes as it's a guitar and drum duo playing the blues, but that's about as far as the comparisons go as Dixie Fried have a real drummer and vocally there's no White Stripes angle on what they are doing.

Instead they are more akin to a stripped down Led Zeppelin on a busmans holiday to the Delta.

That they aren't sitting on the banks of the Mississippi drinking moonshine and dangling their feet in the muddy waters is probably something they cry themselves to sleep about nightly, but the loss of the state side juke joint is our gain.

I have no doubt that I will be seeing these guys again.

Callum Beattie is a rock star in the mould of Bon Jovi in the making.

Every song he played could be sitting comfortably on a Top Gear CD, and in no way do I mean that disrespectfully.

He has the star quality, the voice and the looks to make it big, but of he doesn't in his own right then he's a songwriter that bands of a certain ilk would pay big money to get a slice of.

I have no idea what the future will hold for him, but he's deserving of a bright one, and I'm sure that the many people who travelled through from Edinburgh on a Sunday night would agree.

Molotov Jukebox, I would presume, are one of those bands who have to deal with the double edged sword of public perception daily.

With Natalia Tena fronting them the first thing that the mind springs to is her acting career, and the successful appearances in the Harry Potter films and Game of Thrones television show that she has enjoyed, but while that undoubtedly brings people to the door the band are then left to usher them through it on their own merits.

Not an easy thing to do as we have seen from so many thespians who have dared to branch out and stretch their vocal chords as credible musicians/artists in the world of music.

However for me Natalia will always now be the front woman of Molotov Jukebox who also acts.

Flamboyantly eccentric the band are a gypsy carnival in full flow who incorporate every single sound that those of a nomadic disposition could pick up on.

They are a twelve legged salsa ska disco punk behemoth of immense talent and I reckon that anyone who fails to let loose and dance to their energetic performance really needs to get a medical check up quick as I suspect they might be dead and just haven't realized it yet.

In fact scratch that.

If any band could reanimate a corpse and get it to dance then this is the band.

From start to finish they are a cardio vascular workout that you can enjoy with a smile on your face, a big muscle stretching and face aching smile.

If you can wrap your head around what is in essence and accordion and violin led party band then this is for you.

Far more accessible and enjoyable than Gogol Bordello who may be about the only other band that you could name drop comfortably next to them.

27/12/12 - Little Fire/Rose Parade - George Square Glasgow

I really thought that the Molotov Cocktail gig would have been the last of the year, but we managed to squeeze this one in.

The whole Christmas fair thing was in full swing.

The lights, the outdoor ice rink, the carousel and exorbitant prices - £3.50 for a thimble full of hot cider – screamed seasons greetings, and right in the middle of it all a tent with bands and solo artists performing.

We arrived just in time to catch the last few songs of Little Fire.

The difference in seeing him perform on a stage with some excellent sound instead of in bars and clubs was drastic.

It took me right back to when he had the support slot to The Secret Sisters in the Oran Mor at the beginning of the year.

So that's two great shows to bookend 2012 from him.

Similarly Rose Parade once again showed people why they are being touted as a band to watch out for.

The addition of Oscar on bass can't be understated and the whole sound has swelled to a level that would be exist comfortably on any size of stage.

There's a whole host of bands that I have seen in 2012 that with a nudge from Lady Luck will do very well in 2013 and both Little Fire and Rose Parade are up there jostling at the starting line and looking at the new year as one that they can grasp with both hands and use to cement a wider reputation that takes them from being local heroes to names that are known nationally if not globally.

I wish them all the best.

Now here's to 2013. It's soon going to be ours. Let's be havin' it.

Apologies to Twisted Illusion who were mistakenly referred to when it should have been Purple Confusion when this was first upped.
I really should have written something more in depth the morning after the night before.

Finding Albert/One Last Secret/Little Fire - Nice and Sleazy - 14/9/12 (Glasgow)

Every city has a legendary music bar.

Or did have.

Over the last few years many have fallen in the war involving the coffee shop franchise and the state of the art glass bedecked office block.

Progress apparently marches on in its all consuming effort to tear individuality out of our cities, and most of us can see that with one failed battle after another the war is being lost.

However hanging in there defiantly is Nice and Sleazy in Glasgow.

It's a bit grotty, it's a bit sad looking, but hey, that's what it's supposed to look like.

If a venue doesn't carry the battle scars of a thousand plus gigs then it's hasn't really earned its spurs.

Sleazy's has though, and God bless them for fighting the good fight.

It downstairs in the bowels of the bar that I find myself tonight.

The main draw is Finding Albert who suitably impressed at the Wickerman festival, and who I've been keen to have a second bite at.

Before them they have management mates 'One Last Secret' playing in support and a personal friend of my own who goes by the name of Little Fire.

He's up first, and while his approach to the gig is as professional as I would expect my heart could break for him.

It's pretty much glaringly obvious that the early birds in attendance aren't really into the spirit of the night.

None of this is a reflection on his talents, but it must be soul crushingly difficult to try and connect with an audience who are feeling the magnetic draw of the bar and would rather go along with it than give five minutes of their time to an artist.

It's the worst aspect of opening up a gig.

I've lost count of the times I have seen acts who deserve to be headlining their own gigs struggling to maintain any sort of attention from an audience who are only interested in one act on the bill.

It's not just in club sized venues this happens either.

Goldhawks (where are they now) who supported The Courteeners in the 02 Academy played a set that blew me away in front of a crowd of thousands who stood chatting loudly to each other with some occasionally casting a solitary glance in their direction as they rocked out.

Similarly Little Fire played an exceptionally entertaining set that rally did deserve far more attention that it got.

If the effort to promote passion and soul in a song was rewarded financially then he would be a rich man.

It's possible that I have seen Little Fire perform more than any other artist in the last three years, and I've yet to feel that nudge of familiarity breeding an sort of contempt.

His ability to shade his own original material by changing the tempo, or the inflection of how he delivers the lyrics, maintains a great deal of freshness to each performance.

'Ten ways' in particular sounded very fresh due to the slightly different approach.

The addition of a few new songs that I've personally never heard before was for me the stereotypical icing on the cake of the performance.

In short it was another excellent set that served to confirm that Little Fire is going somewhere, even if others haven't picked up on that yet.

Unfortunately One Last Secret, who had a solid following of friends and family in attendance, dropped the ball for me.

There's a great deal of talent involved in the band.

In fact I couldn't negatively comment on their musicianship or how they presented themselves.

It's more a personal taste thing on my part

I guess just didn't feel a connection with the material, and when I moved towards wrapping my head around one song they would jump to the next with that then having little to do with the last.

I felt ultimately dissatisfied by being wrong footed each time they moved from one song in their set to the next.

This is really where my lack of enthusiasm for the band comes from.

There's no musical thread to them that I could hang onto.

While every song is played well they are each rooted musically in a different genre, and while I would celebrate eclecticism in a bands material I would still say that there has to be something of them weaving its way through all the songs.

A good band who who I really can't get a handle on.

Finding Albert are undoubtedly the stars of the night.

From the moment that the band kick their set off it's very obvious that this is a stadium act in the making.

A band who are just killing time on the small stage of Sleazy's until the rest of the world catch up to how good they are.

Their slot on the main stage at the Wickerman festival was very obviously well earned and it would be a shock to my system if they didn't progress to the point of being a household name.

Finding Albert could be the band who follow on from Biffy Clyro into the major leagues.

Yes. I did just say that.

While there are plenty of fantastic bands playing every single week all over Scotland, and many of them deserve to grab themselves some success, it's also true that of them all there are the crème who have that extra something.

That something that screams that stardom beckons.

This doesn't mean that it is guaranteed, but if they do make the leap the band will certainly have no problem in delivering what is required to grab some solid attention and keep it.

Even when they are one man down, as they were during this performance, four fifths of them still manage to display enough talent to impress even the most jaded music fan.

They are the well oiled music machine that just keeps giving.

Intuitively linked to each other to the point that they live and breath their material the set verges on being flawless, but not that shiny clean flawlessness that lacks passion, but instead flawless in that they do cover every base including that of having some fire in their belly.

It's difficult to express what I mean because I keep wanting to name bands like Muse and Coldplay to illustrate their stadium credentials, but at the same time I can appreciate that for everyone who would be impressed with drawing that comparisons there would be those who would consider it a turn off.

So how about I say that if Coldplay and Muse lost all the attributes that draw a degree of loathing from people - that annoyance factor - then what you would have is Finding Albert.

As they neared the end of their performance it was becoming apparent that even those who hadn't initially came to the gig to see them had been won over, and virtually everyone was keen to freely show their appreciation with calls for an encore.

With there set list plundered it was an impromptu version of Blurs 'Charmless Man' that would finish the night, and finish it on a high.

Finding Albert have certainly got my seal of approval.
(Kelly Conway)

Bands facebook page.

Su Casa Beach tent - Live@Troon - 01/09/12

Troon as a town isn't exactly known as a hot bed of musical talent, but once a year it kicks the dust of its dancing shows and for a few days lets its hair down with a multiple venue festival that really does cater to the tastes of everyone.

Of the smorgasbord of talent available it was the Su Casa tent down near the beach that I headed to, and it was there that I had a glass half empty, or is it half full moment, as I stepped in and caught what was the end of Craig Martin Wards set.

On the half empty side I was annoyed at missing the bulk of his set as I like what he does.

There's a sense of humour that threads its way through his lyrics and gives them a little something extra that many solo singer/songwriting troubadours don't have.

It's not a case of them leaning towards being comedic parodies, but instead that he has the ability to put a wry smile into the content of the material that gives an audience moments where they can smile along in recognition of how absurd all our lives can be sometimes.

It's a nice touch.

It often surprises me that his name isn't more often on the lips of local music fans when they discuss who the big fishes are in the small pond.

On the glass half full side at least I didn't miss his whole set.

Following on from Craig was Jamie Mann who many of my musical acquaintances have urged me not to miss.

Initially I wasn't really keying into his music. The first song was well played and he has a very good voice that hints at Jeff Buckley without encroaching on the histrionics that he was apt to occasionally favour.

It was the lyrics that just didn't engage.

Then just as I was wondering what it was that others had seen in him that I couldn't he revealed all with his second song, and from that moment on simply got better and better.

By the end of his short set he had won me over.

His guitar playing is impressive. Nice finger picking with little flourishes that add to the performance and vocally he knows how to deliver a well crafted song.

From what I thought was a weak start he really managed to bring it all together and deliver an excellent performance.

Sonic Templars were to be the first band of the night that I would see.

Normally a full on indie rock band this was the stripped down version who were missing a drummer but had picked up a violinist.

Similar to Jamie Mann they are a much talked about act who I had yet to see.

The difference between them, apart from musical styles, was that I was impressed from the start.

The addition of the violin to the opening song opened the whole performance up and added something that would be hard to express.

It just allowed them to hit the ground running with a much fuller sound than I expected.

Sadly that was the only song to feature Amy on violin, but the rest of the set was equally as strong and the acoustic bass gave the music a solid peg for them to hang everything on.

It's very obvious that in essence they are a rock band, but delivering their songs acoustically doesn't give them any problems and the material is pretty solid.

By the time they reached the last song of the set it seemed rather obvious that if they had arrived with the intent of converting people to their cause that they had done so with some style.

Now I really do need to see the whole electric shebang.

Now what can be said about Colin Hunter and Calum Muir.

Both are very talented young men, and separately are more than able of taking a crowd by the hand and entertaining them.

My own preferences lean towards what Colin does on his own, but that's not a slight on what Calum does as he is equally as good.

It's just a subjective taste thing on my part.

Yet when they play together they appear to be able to bring out the best in each other.

That they have known each other for so many years obviously plays a part in it. Like some musicians who have shares stages for decades they can read the subtleties of each others performances and take turns in leading each other in different direction while maintaining a flow.

Taking turns to sing lead or backing vocals depending on what is required comes across very well. As does their ability to swap instruments to suit what the songs need.

It;s actually a really captivating performance that they should both be very proud of, but there is one issue I have with them and that's that this is often just a live experience.

Once they step off the stage the experience can't be revisited, and they really need to have a CD or something, anything, available for us so that we can take a piece of what they are doing home with us.

From Colin and Calum leaving the stage and The Holy Ghosts taking to it something seemed to change.

It got a bit darker, the tent got a bit busier and there was a feeling in the air that crackled with a bit of tension.

It's the sort of thing that would get dogs howling and people looking to the sky and asking when the storm was coming, and it's all the doing of The Holy Ghosts.

There's something dangerous about them.

Something rock and roll that puts a primal swagger in their step

When the crashed into their set all I could think was that when Liam asked Noel to join Oasis that they sat down and tried to think about all the things they wanted the band to be.

'Lets get some Stones in it our kid, a bit of The Faces, loads of The Beatles eh? The sneer of Lydon and fuck it let's throw in the seventies terrace stomp of Slade to'.

What they didn't realize that what they were describing was the Holy Ghosts as they live and breath right now.

Keeping on the subject of the Gallagher, or one of them anyway, I was reading the latest interview salvo from Noel Gallagher where he was quite rightly bemoaning that the record industry isn't a conducive to breaking rock and roll legends any more.

It's true.

I could go along with his view that the investments isn't there and even strongly agree that DJs with play lists to adhere to aren't really DJs.

Yet I'm not going to agree that everyone is following on from the lowest common denominator bollocks in the charts, and that there's no one with the ability to become the next rock and roll legend.

There's always going to be bands like that.

The Holy Ghosts prove it when they step onto a stage.

There's the whole history of rock and roll there, from the Faces playing the Speakeasy to The Clash playing stadiums, from the swagger of Jagger to the Johnny Cash kicking out the footlights.

This is a stadium band playing a tent.

Of course there's no guarantees that they will be the band to break big globally, or even nationally, but there's no arguing that they have everything in place to be able to do it.

Once their debut album is out I could well imagine NME journos prematurely ejaculating in a frenzy to be the first to say they have found the great white hopes for rock and roll.

For once they would be right, but the stains on their crotches will always look ugly in retrospect.

And then it all went a bit pear shaped.

As Little Fire stepped up the Holy Ghost loving audience did a runner to catch The View who were the main draw of the weekend.

Circumstances just dealt him a raw hand.

The draw of The View was just too strong and while he, and then Rose Parade played excellent sets it was to a decimated, albeit appreciative, audience.

It's nights like this that artists and bands show their backbone though and both Little Fire and Rose parade took it in their strides.

I suspect that once both acts have their debut albums out that less people would be drawn away from seeing them as much is on show to indicate that both will be very special.

Tommy Reilly/Tragic O'Hara/Little Fire/Chloe Simpson - Su Casa - 28/07/12 (Ayr)

Is this the winds of change happening?

Two gigs in Ayrshire last night that I know of, and both sold out.

In Kilmarnock the newly reformed Ideals played to a packed Bakers, and according to all early reports it was in colloquial terms a 'belter'.

Meanwhile in Ayr Tommy Reilly stormed Su Casa with some able support from Tragic O'Hara, Little Fire and Chloe Simpson.

While it's sad that in both cases people were being turned away at the doors of the venues, it's also something that I am quietly pleased about as for once the audiences were pulling their weight and making the effort to sample what is on offer from the many talented people we have playing for us around this area.

Speaking of talented people that neatly brings me to Chloe Simpson who was opening the night in Su Casa.

This was the second time that I have seen her play and it was a very different performances than the previous one.

Last time there seemed to be a pop angle to how she was promoting her songs. Akin to someone like Kate Nash. Yet on this outing it's a more modern folkish take on the same material.

Even now in the cold light of the morning after the night before I'm not sure what one I prefer as both are equally as entertaining.

It's not an issue though, as at eighteen years old Chloe has plenty of time to experiment with her own material, and very obviously has the talent to take it in whatever direction she wants.

There's no doubt that it's going to be interesting keeping tabs on how she is getting on.

While a great deal of precocious talent has graced Su Casa it would be fair to say that along with other young women - like Megan Blyth and Anna Sweeney - that Chloe is up there leading the pack.

Following on from Chloe was Little Fire who was playing his second gig after being involved in an accident that left him out of commission for a while.

I'm not sure if he was just enthused at being back playing, or felt that he had some ground to catch up on, but this was a muscular performance with him attacking his material with renewed relish.

Everyone is still waiting with anticipation for the release of his debut album, and performances like this are raising the bar on what to expect.

Yet personally I feel quietly confident that he will deliver on all that is promised.

There's a warmth to his material that's an attraction, it brings people in, even when it is being lustily pushed forth into a crowd as it was here.

It's that spark of a connection that is the sign of a performer having something special, some attribute that not all artists have regardless of their virtuosity, and that something special can't even really be quantified, but Little Fire has it and he proves it every time that he picks up a guitar and sings.

It feels like a long time since I last seen Tragic O'Hara play, and that's probably because it is.

So this was a welcomed opportunity to reacquaint myself with his oeuvre.

I'm not sure if this was a case of absence making the heart grow fonder, but it was as if I was hearing him with fresh ears, and what I was hearing could be described as a master-class in how to entertain.

Solid songs, unbridled talent and an easy, but humorous rapport with the audience made this a real stand out performance.

Along with his own material he threw in his take on the Cypress Hill track 'Hits from a bong that features a nice segue into 'Son of a Preacher Man' while accompanying himself with the aid of a loop pedal.

It all seems so effortless, but of course it isn't of course.

Big surprise for me was the de-constructed 'Jump On' that features a higher pitched vocal performance.

The reworking of it manages to mould it into a whole new song that exists separately from the original recording. Both of them excellent.

In fact lets just say that this was pretty much a faultless performance, and it was one that I thought Tommy Reilly would have a problem following.

Fortunately the night didn't end on an anti-climax and Tommy - who seems to be the shyest most self effacing man in music - delivered a fantastic performance of material old and new.

It's the new songs that really shone though. That's not to take anything away from the older material, but it seems glaringly obvious that Tommy has went from being a very good songwriter to a great one.

Take 'Six Billion People' as an example. It's quite possibly a world wide hit in the waiting.

It's a song that sounds like an acoustic take on a late seventies power pop classic that's bolstered with a chorus that could very easily be transferred to the terraces and roared back at him like an anthem.

Absolutely stunningly good.

Then there 'Shut My Eyes'. A song that if there's any justice should jettison him firmly front and centre of the wider public's consciousness.

I pledged for the forthcoming album that these songs will feature on and while I've heard both from seeing him play before, and revisited them a few times on the excellent Tenementtv, it's only now that I'm feeling that the day the CD lands on my doormat can't come soon enough.

He deservedly left to an enthusiastically baying crowd who wanted more, and while that was the end of the set in Su Casa he will be back in the line ups for both Prestfest and Live@Troon.

Right now it seems that Ayrshire can't get enough of Tommy and based on this performance it's very obvious why.

Links - Tragic O'Hara  Little Fire  Tommy Reilly  Su Casa

Brown Bear and the Bandits/Little Fire/Megan Blyth - Su Casa - 5/7/12 (Ayr)

It's the dawning of a new era for Su Casa.

Gone is the regular weekly showcase of talent that blurred the lines between an open mic night and a gig proper, and in its place is the more traditional fair of headline act and supports.

It's a natural evolution for the small coffee shop that has carved a name for itself as one of the main spawning pools for talent in Ayrshire, and a move that should be mutually beneficial for the venue itself, the artists that play there and the audience who keep coming back for more.

Tonight it's local heroes Brown Bear and the Bandits making an appearance to celebrate being together for a year by returning to the scene of the crime that was their first ever gig.

Handily, and in the spirit of killing two birds with one stone, it's also the opportunity to stretch their muscles and loosen up before they take T in the Park by storm.

The night however doesn't start with Brown Bear and the Bandits.

Instead Su Casa mainstay Little Fire - who I last seen in Su Casa finishing a night off - neatly provides the link between what was then and what is now.

With the new set length that the venue provides he breathes more easily in the time frame and positively widens the scope of the material that he can push out to the audience.

While it's true that I've lost count of how many times I have seen him perform, I've yet to see a set that hasn't had at least one fresh moment included in it.

Watching Little Fire is akin to participating in a work in progress. Ideas are formed, tempo's are changed, the passion of the delivery is tweaked and the spirit of the music is ever growing and reaching out to ensnare new listeners.

This time was no different with the inclusion of a song that will feature on his forthcoming album length release of original material, and an old one called Horny that was resurrected and pumped full of vigour.

Refreshingly refusing to be pigeon holed with a folk, indie or even pop tag Little Fire is moving forwards towards being the singer/songwriter/performer who will be all things to all men - and of course women to.

Following on from Little Fire with her debut at Su Casa was Megan Blyth, and an impressive debut it turned out to be.

A precocious talent, she has the ability to mould her vocals warmly around the simple guitar accompaniment that she provides, and in doing so magically creates a rich tapestry of folk influenced songs that simply soar in the live setting.

If this is the sound of a young women taking tentative steps into a career as an musical artists then what the future could hold for her is something I can't actually wrap my head around.

It sounds like she is starting off at a point that often takes other talented artists years to reach.

Imagine hearing Elizabeth Fraser of the Cocteau Twins actually enunciating words and refraining from delving into a Gaelic version of singing in tongues.

If you, like me, loved the whole idea of that band, but struggled with that ethereal aspect of them, then Megan is going to provide the alternative that will tick more boxes.

That she is already at a level to deliver that alternative is pretty much mind blowing.

Unfortunately I missed the immensely talented Paul McGranaghan who played next. I know that he has talent in abundance as I've seen him before, and as I could hear hear plenty of rapturous applause from within Su Casa there's no doubt in my mind that his set wasn't one that could come close to being described as falling short on delivering.

That draw of the evening were of course Brown Bear and the Bandits, a band whose star is definitely ascending rapidly.

Matthew, Kay and Stuart must feel that someone has hit the fast forward button on the single year of the bands existence.

Yet I sincerely doubt that you could find anyone who would begrudge their success as they are sickeningly good, and genuinely nice people to.

In a world where it often seems that the majority are happy with what could best be described as lowest common denominator entertainment, paired with a lust to laud petty nastiness as an attribute that we should all aspire to, they are swimming against the flow and gaining well deserved kudos for being everything that isn't shiny and shallow.

This is a real band, a band that fit together perfectly, and a band who still possess a degree of innocence, freshness and vibrancy about them that works as an integral part of the attraction.

That they are within arms length of achieving everything that a young band could wish for is also something that is tangible in their live performances.

It often seems that when everything is going well in life, it is then that we are at our best, and right now everything is going very well for Brown Bear and the Bandits and it shows.

When they start their set in Su Casa they immediately set the bar high for themselves and maintain an exuberant pace throughout.

There's no real let up from start to finish, and it's all done with huge smiles.

I can't help but think that their set could be the template that's used to give other less entertaining bands a clue about how it should be done.

Familiar songs from their ep burst out of the gate, some solid new material is tried out, and a cover of the Talking Heads classic 'Psycho Killer' probably had Tina Weymouth restlessly moaning in her sleep due to sensing that someone somewhere was showing people how the bass line could be turbo charged.

It's pretty much a faultless gig. 

In fact scratch that 'pretty much' bit. 

It is a faultless gig.

As the weather report for T in the Park is torrential rain it could be likely that Brown Bear and the Bandits will be the act that provides a real ray of sunshine that lifts the spirits of the damp festival goers.

They certainly lifted the spirits of the audience in Su Casa.

If you haven't seen them yet.
Then do yourself a favour.

ep launch review (Su Casa)
Brown Bear and The Bandits interview

Little Fire - Burns

For many people the works of Robert Burns belong with one foot in the distant past, and the other in the candlelit function rooms hired by the affluent around the 25^th of January.

Most would accept that there's a half truth in that.

For many years I considered the works of Burns indecipherable, and his poems belonging to a class that was above my station.

That it isn't the case is not something I would care to apologise for misguidedly believing though.

The reason that I will refrain from apologising is because it was my reality.

The blame, for this misguided view from my younger years can be laid at the feet of those who participated in creating a certain understanding of Burns.

The people who treated him to a pr spin, and by doing so created a version of the man who very often has no bearing on who he was.

Over many, many years he has been physically taken from the inns and fields where he regaled his peers, and found himself transplanted into the parlours and personal libraries of the wealthy.

An environment where he lives on within the pages of leather bound books that reside on shelves, and very often behind glass displays that would never fit in a council single end.

Apart from a brush with Burns at school, he is often the look but don't touch national Bard for many of us.

Thankfully there are currently people who are looking to challenge this perception, and in doing so drag Burns into the here and now for a well overdue reappraisal of who he is, what he was saying, and how his words are as relevant as they were when he lived and breathed the Ayrshire air.

One of the people, among many, who is doing this is Jamie 'Little Fire' McGeechan who has went from casually championing the works of Burns to actively pushing it to the fore.

His latest project, designed to highlight that Burns belongs to us all, is the recording of an album simply called 'Burns' that features ten contemporary re-workings of his material.

Similar to how there has been many reinterpretations of the plays of William Shakespeare that have opened the door to a whole new appreciative audience, this is a body of work that could do like wise.

It has a quiet and relaxed feel to it that is beguilingly beautiful in its folk inspired elegance.

Little Fires voice is a magnificent vehicle for the material, and the pairing of it with the words of Burns comes across as a match made in heaven.

The album in a strange way reminds me of when Bono introduced Helter Skelter with 'This is a song Charles Manson stole from The Beatles. We're stealing it back', but in this instance Little Fire is stealing it back from those with the cut glass accents and a penchant for for fox hunting. 

It's about time.

Little Fire - Website

Hurray for the Riff Raff/The Dirt/Matt Scott/Little Fire - The Bay - 30/18/12 (Glasgow)

It gives me a great deal of pleasure to announce that itsaXXXXthing is once again going to be dipping its toe into the shark infested pool more commonly known as promoting, and I will be putting on the utterly fantastic Hurray for the Riff Raff from New Orleans in Glasgow.If you haven't heard of them just yet, then don't worry. You soon will.
With an album that The Times and Mojo are heaping praise on, and plenty of live performances that are leaving audiences gape jawed in wonderment at the talents on display, I fully expect that by the close of this year their star will be on the rise and the name of the band will rest easily on the lips of many. Watch the footage below and I won't really have to say anything else about them, as that will say far more than I could about just how special this band are.

Oh. I was just asked what the Alabama Shakes connection is.

It's that the Alabama Shakes guitarist produced the current album Look Out Mamma.

Review of Look Out Mama

In support are three acts who I personally feel no shame in saying that I am a fan off.

Little Fire who has played with everyone from The Secret Sisters to JLS, and has a gig coming up with the legendary Joan Armatrading very graciously accepted the offer to play, and I am sure that the music fans of Glasgow will be as impressed with his music as I am.

Matt Scott is a personal friend, but our friendship has nothing to do with his name being added to the bill. 

Instead he is there because he has an uncanny knack of blowing an audience away.

Raised on classic rock music he has grown into a young man who has learned his craft at the feat of varied artist such as Bob Dylan, Tom Waits, Frankie Miller and others who would be credited as poetic geniuses as well as accomplished musicians. 

Last, but it is obligatory to mention, by no means least is The Dirt.

With his deep vocal range Graeme Dirt is the Johnny to Jen Dirt's June, but don't expect a jolly rendition of 'Jackson' from this pair as their hearts are of a more darker hu,e and they delve into the anti-populist genre of the murder ballad with a great deal of aplomb.

As of an hour ago when The Dirt confirmed and the whole line up was secured I felt a chill of excitement run up and down my spine. This is going to be a great gig. I can feel it in my bones.

If I wasn't putting it on I would be attending it anyway.

As for the venue itself. This will be the first time that I will have used The Bay in Glasgow and I am looking forward to working with them on this as their ethical approach to hosting bands is something that I admire.

All in this has been a good day. I hope you can all join me on the night as the entertainment will be of the highest standard, and coupled with very reasonable drink prices and the allure of food I reckon this gig will cover the needs of most music lovers looking for a special night out on the town.