Jon Snodgrass/Cory Branan/Roscoe Vacant and the Gantin Screichs - 08/06/12 - The Bay (Glasgow)

With the Olympic torch passing close by the streets are heavy with police motorbikes and riot vans.

The pavements are less busy with spectators.

It's getting late, and for many people all they are thinking about is getting home from work.

It's very obvious that the auspicious honour of bearing the torch doesn't have the same attraction when it slips down streets that aren't media hot spots.

There's no kids chasing the torch bearer, no pavements full of cheering supporters gurning and waving at the cameras, and instead there's just small pockets of what I presume are family and friends looking on.

No one seems to care that much about it at all.

Meanwhile mere yards away Roscoe Vacant, with three of his four Gantin' Scriechs, took to the stage in The Bay.

The setting isn't strange, but I'm feeling a bit discombobulated as the band are playing in front of windows where the days fading light is their backdrop.

This throws me a little as I'm used to seeing them perform in bars late at nights and in subterranean clubs that have never seen natural light.

Yet in some way it felt that the setting was adding a little frisson to proceedings.

Maybe a bit of Dylan Thomas as Roscoe and his band were unwittingly standing up to 'Rage, rage against the dying of the light'.

A modern day poet in his lyrical stance, Roscoe Vacant, is the sharp edge to social commentary, a folk punk with a a fistful of passionate songs to sing in a take no prisoners manner.

He's a mix of Robert Burns, the two Woody's, Strummer and Guthrie, and the product of a straight talking mining community that has shaped his views on everything that you could care to mention.

If you want a rant about the sectarian divide that blights the west coast of Scotland then he's the man to give you it.

Similarly if you want to address the failings of the unions over the last twenty odd years then he will also happily ring a song out about that to.

Some have claimed him to be an acquired taste, but with a bit of effort the rewards to listening to him are untold.

With his last album it could comfortably sit between the Pixies and the Pogues and you can't say that about many people.

Within the confines of the Bay it was refreshing to see the crowd watch the band with an open mind, and to go on and willingly show their appreciation of what they are doing.

After the set I was speaking to Roscoe who said that he felt happy with the performance, and from an artist is hyper self critical that was saying something.

I sincerely hope that this is the beginning of a run of gigs where he finds an audience who can tune into what he is doing.

The majority of people there were however attending the show to see Jon Snodgrass, and if I was to hazard a guess as to why then I'd lay money on it being down to the split 10”/Download that he did with Frank Turner.

The amount of Turner t-shirts and the regularity that his name trips from peoples lips make it a tad obvious.

Regardless of their reasons for making the effort to show up for the gig they were keen to be entertained as when both Jon and Cory wandered through the crowd to take their places behind the microphones the buzz was palpable.

I'd previously heard both while trawling the internet, and kicking about somewhere is a few Drag the River albums, but until now I had seen neither live.

My ignorance to what they do on stage actually extended to the point that I was under the impression that they were going to play separate sets, and maybe at some point of the night perform some songs together from their split release from 2009.

Instead they simply hung about on stage shoulder to shoulder and comfortably eased into songs as the mood took them.

It's a communal performance with each of them accompanying the other as required.

Jon would add some vocals and guitar to one of Cory's songs and likewise Cory would do the same for Jon.

It's an approach that could lend itself to being disjointed and problematic, but in this case it flowed rather naturally, and I presume that ease is rooted in the artistic relationship that the two men have.

For myself I was more impressed when Cory Branan took the lead, but that's not to say that Jon Snodgrass is a lesser talent, but more so an expression of my own personal tastes.

Both are of course exceptionally talented individuals.

It's just that the gruff tones of Cory's voice ticks more of the boxes for me.

Musically Jon is an extension of Drag the River minus the vocals of Chad Price.

There's no great leap in a different direction, and instead he's still meandering down the path without any distractions from forks in the road that are there.

Fans of the band would not be disappointed with the performance, and anyone being introduced to what Jon does should have been suitably impressed.

However for me it was Cory who stole the show.

He's the raconteur of the two and comes across like an amalgamation of every blue collar troubadour you could care to name.

It's entirely possible that I'm holding the minority view in my preference for Cory over Jon because as said the crowd was in the main there to see Jon play, but in all honestly there's a small voice whispering away in my ear that this was only down to the 'Turner' influence, and if Jon hadn't released that split with him then there would have been far fewer people willing to dip their toe in and sample what was on offer.

Regardless of that I sincerely hope that they liked what they seen in its totality, and will now use the experience as a catalyst for action and begin to keep an ear out for artists of a similar ilk.

Full kudos has to go to promoter 'Punk Rock Rammy' for making this gig a reality.

Well played.

Keep up to date with Punk Rock Rammy gigs here.

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.

The Coffins/Rabid Punk Guitars/Sixth Avenue Traffic - 19/05/12 - The Bay (Glasgow)

Sixth Avenue Traffic are a strange band.

Everything seems to be there, but they just fall short of taking the performance to a level where an audience would feel stunned.

It's actually verging of frustrating watching them at times.

You want them to soar and then they hit cruise control.

On paper the band will work. There's no doubt about that.

The original material is of a high quality, the band have a more than acceptable level of musicianship, and the singer has a hint of Chris Robinson of the Black Crowes about his vocals.

It's all good, but live they don't quite manage to provide that moment that acts as a catalyst and imprints their name forever on the lips of an audience as a band to watch out for.

Two things seemed to be stopping them from creating the magic.

One was that they seemed uncomfortable squeezed into The Bay.

A larger stage would have possibly given them some room to make more of a performance rather than just play the songs.

The second was the stiffness of the singer in the delivery of the vocals.

I was mentally urging him to let go as I reckon he's got it.

The problem isn't that the talent is missing, it just seems that he is holding it all tightly contained, and he needs to let it all out.

The cover of The Florence and the Machine hit Dog Days was interesting, but it was on this song that the holding back was most apparent on.

Even on the reworked version there are points, such as the 'Run fast for your mother, run fast for your father' break, that lend themselves to a more gonzo approach.

Sixth Avenue Traffic need to let loose.

A tip would be to glance over their shoulders at their own drummer who was the only one who seemed to have keyed into what playing rock and roll should be about.

There has to be some wild abandon and a sense of danger.

Some bands have more attitude than talent, and can very often disappoint, but the opposite was on show here.

The very obvious talent on display needs a fix of attitude, and when that's added then I suspect that they will turn some heads.

R.P.G, from Perth, had no problems in the attitude department, or could be considered lightweights when it comes to musicianship either.

I've got a broad understanding of what punk is that many would disagree with, but no one would raise an eyebrow if I was to say that R.P.G were a real punk band.

The passion, the raw anger, and the' fuck you, I wont do what you tell me', foundations of what punk is all about are all present and correct.

Then the addition of the real essence of punk rock as I understand it - a refusal to kow tow to a uniformed template - is right to the fore to.

The dual bass sound of the band is mind blowing.

The throbbing post punk runs add a whole new dimension to the sound.

Not that the band are solely defined by the bass sound, as the guitar and drums are equally as important, as are the duel vocals.

The whole aural tapestry of what they are doing is heady stuff.

Plenty of bands could do with checking out what RPG are doing, and taking some notes.

If there's a rock and roll rule book then the guys in the band read it from cover to cover and then tore it up and wrote their own.

That's what punk is about.

It's not a ghetto to get bogged down in. It's a wide open vista of opportunity, and here's a band that fundamentally get that.

Once again it would seem that it is down to those who have been around the block a couple of times to lead the way.

Punks dead, long live punk.

The Coffins are one of those bands that you have to see live to get it.

Part garage punk, part performance art, and all rock and roll.

The influence of Alex Harvey looms large in the material, but it is far darker, and far more visceral, than anything that Vambo would do.

The world of the Coffins is one where less than savoury characters exist, blood runs in the gutter, and anyone with any common sense prays for the dawn.

Even when they introduce their summer anthem 'waves' it quickly melds sun and surf with being swept under the waves of the title.

If Screaming Lord Sutch was to record an album that was written by The Birthday Party then it might come close to sounding like The Coffins.

Front man Joe Bone stalks the stage like a demented serial killer.

All twitches, psychotic stares and props.

Michael Wernick on bass is a thrashing dervish who never stops.

His excitable style of of playing the bass would probably make him the main focal point in most bands, but the Coffins aren't most bands, and at any given time your attention can also be caught by Bil Gilchrist on guitar and swinging shrunken head, or the pounding Graham Platt who never ever misses the beat.

The is a real band and not three guys backing up the one individual as we so often see.

All are cogs in a machine that effortlessly mesh together and allows it to run fast and smooth.

In a very short time they have built up a solid fan base, and it's very obvious why as attending a gig by them is akin to being swept up by a hurricane.

I would reckon that after seeing them once then most people would be up for a return visit.

It's all the more laudable that they have accrued this success as they have bloody mindedly refused to pander to pay to play promoters and instead sought out ethical venues and bookers and worked hand in hand with them to promote themselves.

It's a positive example to other bands that there are other options available, and there's really no need to offer themselves up to be exploited.

In fact here's some advice.

Get in touch with bands like The Coffins, promoters like Punk Rock Rammy, bookers like Mark McG of the Girobabies, speak to venues like The Bay, Bar Bloc and the 13^th Note.

Use what is out there and work with the good guys.

They're not the only ones kicking about Glasgow.

There are more, but crack in and get recommendations from them and take some control of your own destiny.

Well that's my tuppence worth. 


The Coffins
Rabid Punk Guitars (R.P.G)
Sixth Avenue Traffic