Cutting about in the Shire.

I'm a master procrastinator.

Right now I have a number of things to do.

Just a small number, but it has loads of 0’s following it around, and instead of doing them I am sitting here tapping at the keys and wasting time by telling you about my day.

This is like a real blog post rather than one pretending to be an article on a big boys music website.

Sort of a male perspective on the Bridget Jones thing without the weight issues, boyfriend issues, the how much wine did I drink issues, and okay it’s nothing like Bridget Jones as my day exists in Kilmarnock and there’s a severe lack of lawyers and accountants hanging about wine bars around here.

You would have to go as far as, well I don’t know, maybe Prestwick if you want some of that action.

Initially my plan was to embark on a trip to Glasgow, but a serious bout of throwing up that felt like I had turned myself inside out and led to much tightness of my chest and problems breathing put a stop to that.

I suspect it may have something to do with the chest infection that I have.

(See how clever I am there.

I have a chest infection and as soon as I had some difficulty breathing I knew the two must be linked.

Now where’s my doctorate as with that degree of insightfulness I reckon I am ready to doctor up a storm?)

Anyway I decided that instead of wallowing in self pity I would brave the elements and get some exercise and fresh air with a trip into town.

It’s was a bit quiet today and I just wandered about a bit and dropped in on some of the charity shops.

The British Heart Foundation has apparently dropped the delusional opinion that it’s a high street outlet akin to HMV and clicked onto the fact that selling old for new doesn’t mean the cost reflects the original price when it was still in its wrapper.

Instead of three quid for East 17s Greatest Hit the price has tumbled to a mere 99p.

I suspect they are in a price war with Poundland who will re-brand themselves as 98pland in response to their opening salvo.

I left there with a DVD of Thin Lizzy’s Greatest Hits that carried the princely sum of £1.99 on its cover.

I’m quite happy with that.

A few minutes later I found myself reading, but not paying for, some magazines in WH Smiths.

If you haven’t heard of it then it’s like a library for magazines, but without anywhere to sit and you can’t take the magazines away with you unless you give them money.

Remember how Wetherspoons started as a no frills pub chain.

Well it’s like the library version of that.

It’s pretty basic, but alright if you don’t mind standing and reading.

While there a couple of young guys were standing next to me looking at some Top Gear shit.

Both were in their mid to late twenties, well dressed and had semi-cultured tones.

Probably trainee bank tellers or something like that on their lunch break.

One had a very loud conversational and while standing there he said to his mate at a decibel level that would carry to the back of building “I was pretty drunk and she shoved a cucumber up me”.

For a second I felt like saying “inside voice mate, use your inside voice”, but then he finished the sentence with “and I’ll not be going to any more of her parties.”

I am one hundred percent serious that this is what he said and at what volume.

I didn't mishear him.

So what sort of party was this?

The first part of it could have been a segment on a tv show like “Dates That Went Horribly Wrong”, but this was a party.

When he walked away he wasn't limping so I would hazard a guess that the party was held a few weeks ago.

Then when I left I seen a kid wearing stereotypical emo/skateboarding gear and a t-shirt with the legend “FUCK YOUR OPINIONS” emblazoned across his chest.

It must be pretty cool hanging about with him.

Your cup would be runneth over with scintillating conversations.

Can you imagine being his mum and responding to his question of what’s for lunch with “well it’s a sunny day so I was thinking about a salad” as he screamed back “I DIDN'T ASK WHAT YOU WERE THINKING. WHAT’S FOR LUNCH?”

On the way home I popped into Morrisons and this time I didn't have my “I want to be served by a person” stand off, but I did notice the Suns headline.

No, it’s not about Andy Coulson receiving an eighteen month sentence, nothing to do with Palestine or Israel, and I didn't notice anything about Iraq either.

Instead it’s about the English girl giving blow jobs for a drink in Magaluf.

Only as far as I was aware yesterday it was twenty chaps for a two quid drink and now filtered through the Suns truth capacitor it’s twenty four guys for a four quid cocktail.

Squeezing in the word cocktail is their obvious subliminal attempt to lay claim to a Cock Tale on the cover.

Look, we nearly said a dirty word, wink wink, nudge nudge.

Maybe deep down they want to be the Sunday Sport.

For a minute in Morrisons I also thought about going on a diet and losing a stone or even two, but then I seen fruit salad doughnuts and I have eaten two while writing this.

And that’s about as Bridget Jones as it’s getting.

Ayrshire Calling - Kilmarnock Dirty Weekender

Over the last few months there’s been a great deal of local talk about how realistic it is to deliver original live music events in Ayrshire.

Much of it has been less than positive.

It would be easy to dismiss the naysayer contingent as glass half empty miserablists, but are they really prophets of doom, or merely individuals calmly assessing the landscape and making an honest appraisal?

As usual the truth may lie somewhere between the polar opposites.

If anyone was to lay claim to Ayrshire being bereft of talent or having an audience for it, then that would be a blatant lie, but equally would it be true to say that the area has enough music fans to support anything other than small club sized gigs?

Of course some may point at the sold out Kasabian show in the Grand Hall in Kilmarnock as an example of healthy support for live music in Ayrshire, but does that really hold up to much scrutiny.

This is a band with huge UK wide success, a band who are headlining this years Glastonbury festival, and one who are playing three Scottish venues that are a fraction of the size that they normally would as they want to road test the material from their new album.

The event is as far removed from the norm as we could consider.

I would even question how many tickets were sold to locals?

(Check Gumtree and the like to see how many non-Ayrshire residents are selling tickets)

And even if a great deal were purchased by locals could we then maybe ask ourselves how many of those who did secure a ticket will be attending anything else all year?

Are they the type who seek out new music to listen to, or do they lean more to going to see the big acts in the big venues with their gig going calendar marked off with Hydro and SECC events and an appearance at T in the Park thrown in to pad it out?

In short do they lay down safe, but expensive bets, when considering what entertainment options are out there for them to indulge in?

Basically I am saying Kasabian is an anomaly.

The success of their show says nothing about Ayrshire and everything about the bands pull.

Similarly the recent gigs by The Darkness, Glasvegas and Enter Shikari can’t really be put forward as examples of Ayrshire providing a ready made pool of music fans that can be dipped into either, as all three acts have a pull that extends far beyond the ‘shire itself.

So if we exclude these events then what are we left with?

Would it be fair to state that in general what the Ayrshire public want is karaoke nights, tribute and cover bands playing, and maybe going to see a mate play for a couple of quid in a bar?

Or is that a harsh take on it?

None of this is to say that locally we have no music fans, no one who is willing to take a leap of faith and see what is on offer.

Of course we do.

It’s more to do with asking if we have enough to support anything larger than an event in a club that can hold a couple of hundred.

The answer will probably be provided in a few weeks when the annual Dirty Weekender festival winds down and the organisers consider how much of an artistic and financial success it has been.

The event in its totality already has a rather large mountain to climb.

Apart from the issues mentioned when asking if we have a large enough music fan base to dip into, there has been a run of obstacles to success thrown up that have been beyond the control of MFM who are promoting the event.

Shortly after they announced the dates, and started drip feeding the line up to the public, it was announced that Radio One would be having a three day event on the same weekend in Glasgow featuring everyone from Kate Perry to Kings of Leon.

For a local promoter that is a nightmare announcement, and the thought that the competition couldn’t get any worse must have crossed their minds.

But then it did.

The Kasabian show was announced with their performance being days before the Dirty Weekender kicking off, and then tickets for Prince went on sale for a show in Glasgow the night before the festival.

So in one week what we have is Kasabian followed by Prince and then at the same time as the Dirty Weekender pretty much any chart topper of the last five years playing.

Click on image to enlarge.

It’s a situation that could be described as a David fighting Goliath one, but to be more accurate it’s more like a David forgetting his slingshot and bumping into ten Goliaths who have been drinking all day and fancy a game of football with his head.

The odds are certainly stacked up against the Dirty Weekender, but there is another angle that people in Ayrshire should consider here.

That angle is that if the Dirty Weekender suffers a devastating blow with people failing to provide enough support then it could be the death knell for events of this stature in Ayrshire.

It’s been a long and always uphill trial for MFM to get from its humble roots to where it is now, and all that work hangs in the balance.

Those of us who live in Ayrshire may be about to lose something far more than just a weekend of live music here.

If it goes then so does the 2015 event, and with that hammer blow it will stand as an warning that may put off others trying to make a positive change to.

Do we want that?

I don’t, but I’m bracing myself for not getting what I want.

Only the support of the people of Ayrshire can really turn this around.

I think it’s worth making the effort, if only to secure a future for live music in Ayrshire, but the reality is that it is down to you.

Even if Kasabian, Prince or Radio One weekend tickets have been secured it is worth trying to get to something so that we can all be part of sticking one in the eye of Goliath.

Dirty Weekender info and ticket links can be found here.

A quick chat with Henry Cluney of XSLF

"Hi Henry. Lets get right into this and clear the decks with some no holds barred questions.

1-There's been some mixed responses to the formation of XSLF, with long time Stiff Little Fingers fans drawing battle lines over what is really a storm in a teacup. One one side we have those who are claiming you guys are little more than a tribute band, and on the other there are those who seem to grasp that the material you play is equally a part of your own legacy and don't see what the problem is. You have explained your position already on social media, but on you go, rattle it out again.

We are not Stiff Little Fingers, and make no claim to be. We never have.
Jakes band are not SLF either in my opinion...but it is an opinion lol.

2-Does it partially confuse you that in some quarters people don't seem to get that?
I suppose it didn't help when Jake posted some less than flattering comments with the 'real slf' line being dusted off. I know from a previous conversation we had that you don't have any sort of personal issue with him, so was it a bit disappointing that he appears to miss the point you were making about there only being one 'real' Stiff Little Fingers, and that being the line up of the debut album?

It does but to each their own I suppose. Jakes opinion is as valid as mine. The real lineup is Jake,Ali,me,Jim or Brian. That's the way I see it.
Jake unfriended me after that...toys out of the pram lol.

3-I noted that many of the derogatory claims about the worth of XSLF usually started off with 'I haven't seen them but.....' . Does that sort of line immediately flag their criticism as worthless?

It does. Of course it does. Though to be fair I don't see how anyone can criticize a band they have neither seen nor heard and I suspect most people can see that as a rational take on it..

4-The response to the concept has been pretty much the opposite to that of the response to the live shows. One less than supportive, and the other, from those who have actually seen you, predominately positive. Is the reaction from the fans at the shows something that you use to balance out the more negative responses, as regardless of what anyone says criticism does chip away at a persons confidence, even if it is unfounded, unrealistic and unwarranted?

To be honest people can say what they like.
Its personal preference and I have no problem with that.
I don't let it bother me.
If I did I wouldn't be doing it.
The people who come to the shows are there to be entertained and no one has had any complaints on that score.
That will do me.

5-Health wise how are you feeling. I often think that while people are aware that you were unwell they don't really grasp just how near death you were?

Thanks to the man upstairs I am doing great. Wasn't a fun time though. Lol

6-For many people a very serious brush with death is a wake up call. An experience that acts as a catalyst and allows the person to evaluate how they are living their life and then make changes to it. Is that the experience you had, and if so then what did you learn from it and what have you changed?

I'm not sure that I have changed anything. Not a lot gets my goat anyway but at least I'm still me...good or bad. I just appreciate being here.

7-There was some talk of xslf doing some original material. Is this still on the cards?

Yes. We are in the process of putting some stuff together as we speak.
So keep your ears open!!
Still at the early stage though.

8-I see you have UK dates in 2014 already booked. Does this mean that a return to the US is on hold just now?

Yes. I love to play, and the more shows the better. This is where the shows are so this is where I am.

9-In the perfect world what would be the next step?

Just to keep making music and entertaining the crowds we get...it's all a blessing to be doing this so in a perfect world I wouldn't be looking to rock the boat.

XSLF will be playing The Loft (Stewarton, Ayrshire) on Dec 14th.

Tickets can be purchased from The Loft or from RGM in Kilmarnock.

If anyone requires further information then please do leave a comment.

Outstandifold and the Wettygrippers - Bakers - 26/01/13 (Kilmarnock)

Long time reader, first time contributor, so go easy on me.

I'm doing this for a friend - let's call him Willie Bolland, as that's his name – because he told me he was supposed to review the gig, but then he got drunk and went home long before the show started.

He didn't even make it to the doors opening.

A full scale weekend on the lash is now apparently something that he used to do because after a few pints on the Saturday afternoon he was finished.

A casualty of the post lunch bevvy.

By the time The Aboriginals walked onto the stage in Bakers I expect that Willie was either in the land of nod, or watching reruns of Coronation Street with his elderly mother who he still lives with.

He will regret that because he missed a fantastic wee local band.

Getting the ball rolling with a very impressive cover of the Arctic Monkeys 'you look good on the dance floor' that they managed to fill with all the youthful sarcasm that the song deserves was a good start, and while their own material that followed it wasn't quite up there at the same level of quality it wasn't far off it either.

Not far at all, and snapping at the heels of a band like the Arctic Monkeys isn't a bad place to be.

Out of a run of young local bands that I have seen over the previous six months it is these lads who are standing out as being the ones to watch.

There's some second hand post punk thrashing going on that will be picked up from them listening to the Arctic Monkeys and Franz Ferdinand I suppose rather than some of the older acts, but then there's also some of the twist that Oasis brought to a more traditional rock attitude that most bands can't seem to avoid any more that gives the whole sound a lot more accessibility to it.

Praise has to be forwarded to the bands front man who carries himself like a rock star.

This attitude, along with a good voice, is the main difference between what The Aboriginals are doing and what their peers are getting up to.

There's no apparent discomfort on stage and it seems obvious that when he steps onto it that he claims it as his own.

Best young band that I have seen in a while.

The Longhorns aren't a young band, and that's obvious as they know exactly what they are doing on stage.

It's a hand in glove performance that only comes from laying down the music over a long period of time with the same people surrounding you.

Each of them know exactly what they should be doing, and when they should be doing it.

A friend said that they hadn't played for about a year, but you wouldn't be able to tell.

The music itself could be roughly claimed to be classic rock.

Not heavy rock, but classic rock.

The sort of sixties rock that delved into RnB and spawned the short lived pub rock scene before delivering punk and then a second wave of mod bands.

It's all there in what they are playing and while that might seem like a big messy pot of influences it's not.

It all makes complete sense and when I was told that this may have been their last gig my heart sunk.

Good bands like this should never retire.

They should keep popping up every once in a while to show the younger guns how it should be done.

They are really everything a good band should be.

Sonic Templars have been taking one confident step forward after another for a while now and all the hard work is paying of.

Very often I've thought that locally there is always one band who will drop the ball in a line up and my attention starts to wonder, but this was by this point three on three as they were hitting it hard.

Plenty of referencing was firing about the company I was in.

Muse got name checked as did Radiohead, but equally so did Blur, Jeff Buckley and some bands from much further back who are described as being Brit legends.

Once again there's a huge pot pourri of influences in display, but again there's nothing jarring about how they are all mixed together to promote what the band are wanting to get out there.

It is very easy to imagine them on a much larger stage in front of an enormous audience.

Club and pub environments are far too restricting for them.

What they play needs a great deal of room to breath in and walls are just a restrictive force holding it all contained in far too tightly.

Put Sonic Templars on before a band like Muse in Wembley and five minutes after them exiting the stage all their merch would be gone and their fan base would have multiplied by a ridiculous amount.

They have a co headlining gig coming up soon with Stonehouse Violets in Glasgow that Mainy from this blog is hosting and I'm not missing it.

The chance to see a full set from them rather than a limited support slot is one that I will recommend to all and sundry.

The headline act of the night is already a favourite of mine, and while some bands start off very seriously, but you can't help but see them as a joke, they are working arse from elbow and started off as a joke between mates and ended up through the quality of the musicianship being a band you can laugh with rather than at.

Take an old punk and an equally old fella who fancied himself as a Scottish Bono at one time, add in a youngish glam rocker who is hanging onto an androgynous Motley Crue fixation, and bolster the band with a dreadlocked bassist who may have took a wrong turning on his way to Bloodstock and a young singer/songwriter on drums and what you get is Outstandifold and the Wettygrippers.

These are five individuals who should never be allowed in a room together, but what sweet music they make.

Nothing should work, but everything does.

They are a rock band in every sense of the word.

Rock solid, rock hard and a bit of Rock Hudson to.

They are actually so tight that that they are water tight, and it's rumoured that double glazing companies are looking to sign them up as the next generation of all weather sealant.

The whole joke aspect of them is very obviously only skin deep.

They are far removed from being a parody band and if you removed the visual aspect of them and the in set laughs what you are left with is a very serious sound indeed.

As a hobby band of a sort they are seriously kicking the arses of those who see their band as a career option.

The forthcoming debut album that will be heard without the humour layered over it will be a surprise I expect.

John Kerr

Brown Bear and the Bandits - Bakers - 30/11/12 (Kilmarnock)

I've been saying 'oooft' a lot recently.

Not out loud, but in print.

I have no idea why it has slipped into my limited online vocabulary, and it doesn't even legitimately mean anything.

It's more an indication of a small brief exclamation of surprise, positive or negative, but the fact remains that over the last few weeks there's been a lot to oooft at.

There was the couple arguing at Rizzle Kicks. Oooft.

There was the fantastic show from Tragic City Thieves and Electric 6. Oooft.

There was the news that Springsteen is coming to Glasgow next year. Oooft.

The release of a nice Jam box set. Oooft.

,,and then there was the Brown Bear and the Bandits gig in Kilmarnock that wholly deserved an oooft as well.

Oh that was a night of ooofts!

First was Matt Scott who I have seen many a time, a guy who I now consider a friend, and for the sake of honesty I'll admit to quasi managing him although I hate using that term as it really just about spreading the word a bit about a talented young man.

I never really expect him to play badly, and I always enjoy his performances, but everything clicked into place in Bakers.

The quality of the sound and lighting perfectly set the stage for him to showcase his voice, and the environment just lent itself to lifting the performance from a good one to a great one.

There was nothing in his set that wouldn't have been out of place on a bigger stage in front of a larger audience, and the magic that had drawn me to appreciate his talents was there for all to hear and see.

I could quite easily imagine that if a record label executive was in attendance then Matt would have left the stage to an invite to a meeting where they could discuss his future.

There's very few singer songwriters plying a trade in the Waits, Dylan, Miller style as he is, nor doing it so well. 

If you haven't seen him yet, then do so.

Following Matt was the much touted Baltimore League, and while I was impressed with the studio recordings of Martyrs and Town that are on their facebook page I couldn't say the same about the live performance.

I just wasn't feeling it

There was a disjointed feeling to the material with them sounding as if they were being performed by different bands depending on who was assuming the lead vocal.

Maybe in a few months the songs will be able to assume more of a band sound and a live set will come across as less fragmented.

There's no doubting the band are talented enough musicians, and the song writing is fine.

It's just that it feels to me that they are still stepping around each other, and the day is yet to come when all three members fit together to work towards a common sound and aim.

It could well be very interesting when they do.

There's no such drifting from Paul McGranaghan who was introducing his new full band project to promote his debut album.

While I've always enjoyed his solo acoustic outings I would have to say that none of them prepared me for the album when I heard it.

Taking his influences from the writing of Hunter S Thompson the album has a broad range of styles that reflects the lyrical content of each song, and while it's an eclectic mix it also has a solid solid thread that holds it all together.

It's an album that I would expect to hear from an artist many releases into their career, and not on a debut.

It's damn impressive.

So impressive that I have tried to review it on a number of occasions and ended up hitting delete as nothing I have managed to get down has come close to putting across how good it is.

Prior to the band playing - who were made up of the drummer of ShelfLife and the bassist of Brown Bear and the Bandits - I was wondering how it was going to be interpreted on stage, especially with it being a trio playing the material, but as the last note rang out I was none the wiser.

Right there was the main oooft moment of the night

The performance didn't sound like it was possible to have been made by three guys.

Great guitar work throughout, solid drumming, and bass runs that helped fill everything out and made it all sound far bigger than it really should have were the order of the evening.

If I was asked if Paul delivered then I can only say that it was like ordering a main course and getting the full three courses for the same price.

From blue collar rockers to a singular moment when if you closed your eyes you would have thought that led Zeppelin had entered the building it was quite possible the best debut of a band that I have seen.

Utterly compelling stuff if you are a music fan.

Brown Bear and the Bandits had a great deal to follow after that performance, but follow it they did with a set that comprised of pretty much everything they have recorded, and a few tasters of material that will be on their debut album that could well be with is for March.

They did exactly what a band has to do when a support play a blinder and that's step up to the plate and take a deep breath and go for it.

The new songs that were introduced sound like a natural progression from the material on the Truth or Dare ep so it's doubtful that anyone who considers themselves a fan of the band just now will be disappointed, and there's enough forward momentum to allow the album to attract new fans to.

So all sounds well and good in the Brown Bear camp and once again I got the distinct impression that I was seeing a band who are not going to flounder at the big fish in the small pond stage, and instead on who were ready and willing to make the leap to bigger things and take it in their stride with some aplomb.

I would be surprised at all if in 2013 the band become the next Ayrshire one to make a splash nationally.  

Dirty Weekender – Friday 1st June – Kilmarnock.

I think I managed to ge a golden ticket for this. 

Every time I touched down in the two venues that were participating in the first Dirty Weekender I was privileged to see one great act after another.

Maybe it was luck and I just blindly managed to stay on track with the most talented of the line up, or then again it's quite possible that it wouldn't have mattered who I had seen, because it is entirely probable that everyone playing was of a similarly high quality.

First act in Bakers was the passionately driven Roscoe Vacant who played much of his set to a small, but very appreciative audience.

The lack of bodies in attendance so early in the evening is no reflection on the abundant talents that he so very obviously has.

Roscoe is quite simply a stunningly articulate lyricists, and his take on how the one man and a guitar social commentary angle should be approached is pretty much peerless.

There's a fire in his belly that really can't be diminished when he takes to a stage, and while I can't speak for others, I can say for myself that I often feel his performance in my gut.

It speaks to me on many levels in an eloquently visceral way that most performers can't match..

The addition of a Johnny Thunders cover to his set isn't something that people would expect, and I suppose they would question how it would fit, but this is Johnny filtered through Roscoe.

Not strictly speaking a straight cover at all.

With his Ayrshire accent replacing Johnny's New York drawl the song itself has a completely different feel to it, and he works it hard.

It would be fair to say that from a cold start Roscoe set the bar very high, and left me thinking that it was possible that his performance wouldn't be matched through the remainder of the night.

I was wrong though.

Cal Murray followed him and did virtually the same thing.

Not that he was a sound-alike, but instead what I mean is that he just nailed it.

His lyrical style is equally as biting as Roscoe's, but his delivery of the words has a broader appeal.

There's an every-man pop aspect it it all.

An amalgamation of protest folk, punk rock, and warped love songs that are far more easy on the ear than the descriptive terms would lead you to believe.

You don't have to work at getting what he does.

It's just out there perfectly formed and ready to be appreciated by a wide demograph of music lovers, and that takes me to an issue I have with him.

It's that he hasn't recorded any of his material and provided it to the public.

I can't wrap my head around.

It makes no sense at all.

He really needs someone to roll him out of bed in the morning and stand over him ready to slap the slacker out of him when he looks for something else to do rather than record.

I doubt that it is really a sense of laziness though, as I gather he prolifically writes, but each song is being left in the wake of the next and there's no public record of them existing except for in the live environment.

RECORD MUSIC CAL.

Once Cal Murray had completed his set we hot footed it to Dirty Martinis to catch Matt Scott.

Once again Matt delivered, but this time there was a palpable frisson to his songs that isn't always there.

Sometimes it would appear that while he is performing his material that the music and words are left hanging out there, and those listening participate in the experience from the outside looking in.

It is still a fantastic experience, but on other occasions, like this one, the barrier is down and it's an enjoyable communal and exhilarating experience for all.

When after winning over the crowd with his original materiel he let loose with his acoustically driven reworking of the Doors classic 'Roadhouse Blues' everything clicked firmly in place, and Matt reveled in the moment as the cries for some of the few covers he is known for playing were raised ever louder.

One such request for Springsteen Thunder Road was met with the throaty reply. 'I'm not a fuckin' jukebox. I'm not a covers act so here's..............................a Frankie Miller song' before he launched into 'Drunken Nights In The City' as a rousing finale to what was an excellent set.

Following on from Matt Scott was Rod Jones ex guitarist of Idlewild and vocalist of The Birthday Suit.

His set was very far removed from what I had expected as I was looking for an Idlewild hook to hang a hat on, but that didn't really transpire and I was left comfortably exposed to Rod's music.

There's nothing that challenging about it.

No sharp edges or thrashing angular guitar work to contend with, and it's all rather nice.

Not nice, but boring, just nice..

More so an easy flow to it that would provide a welcome distraction to the realities of the grind of life.

In hindsight, and in the cold light of day, I'm beginning to think that Rod was misplaced on the bill though, and that his set wasn't something that flowed naturally along with the the music of the other acts in the order that they came, but then again that's not to say that it wasn't equally as good, because it was.

My problem - and this has just come to me -, is that while I thoroughly enjoyed what Rod was doing that I'm finding it hard to carry the experience over, as when Suspire, and then Johnny Graham followed him they both firmly put his performance in the shade.

Suspire were one of the acts, along with Johnny Graham, who I hadn't seen before, and both had me juggling all the set times about to make sure I did.

Without pulling any punches about it I can safely say that I'm glad that I did as they didn't even come close to disappointing me.

Suspire's twin vocals are frankly sublime, and the duel guitar and drums backing was....well to say perfect means that there's no room for improvement, but perfect about sums it up.

I've said this before, but I've seen bands play in very small venues before that don't fit, and Suspire are one of them.

They need the bigger stage to breathe easy on and a large crowd to feed off of.

There's no guarantees in this game, but it's not hard to imagine them leaving these small clubs behind very soon and managing to garner fans and critical plaudits in equal measure wherever they go.

This fantastic acoustic performance was just one facet of what they can do to, and I'm now firmly committed to catching them do an electric set.

They reminded me of seeing Biffy Clyro in that there was a second or two that a possible successful future for them became apparent.

A little window opened up and you could see what could be and it looked damn good.

After Suspire you would have thought that Johnny Graham, who had found himself manoeuvred about the running order until he was occupying the last man standing spot, would have failed dramatically in following them, but that wasn't to be the case.

While the majority flocked to see Bombskare in Bakers a very small group of people hung about for Johnny, and I consider that we were privileged to do so.

Robbie McInnes – who is also an artist that everyone should check out – commented that Johnny with his violin, bass, single bass drum and acoustic guitar backing was like Mumford and Sons, and while I can happily go along with that I could eagerly argue the point that Johnny is better.

The Mumford and Sons comparison neatly sets you in the same ball park, but there's far more warmth in what Johnny is doing, and it isn't all indie folk either.

Lyrically and vocally the music is astoundingly strong and similarly to how the night started out the talents on display had no bearing on how many people were there to see them being so openly shared.

If someone was to have taken an overview photograph of the band and audience, then they could be forgiven for thinking it was just three guys in a pub playing to a few folk and there wasn't much more to it that that, but the reality wouldn't have been captured at all.

Far from it.

The difference is that if you experience the reality then you would be aware that the music filled the room and effortlessly touched everyone in it.

Johnny and his band have the ability to lift you from your immediate surroundings and take you to a place where everything just feels fuckin' fine.

Thank Christ there are people like him that can do that.

Similar to Suspire Johnny just needs to be in the right place at the right time, and if he can manage to do that then everything else should just fall into place for him.

Once I arrived in Bakers to catch the end of Bombskare plenty of people were saying I had missed very nearly all of a great set. In reply it was easy for me to say that they had missed all of a great set.

Kilmarnock - Dirty Weekender festival

Three days and two venues.

It's fair to say that Kilmarnock has never, and I really mean never, seen anything like this.

The line up is a like a whose who of bands and acts who are being touted as the next big thing rubbing shoulders with already established crowd pullers, and then there's the very fair amount of local acts who are classed as the cream of the crop grabbing some stage time to.

Bands who the BBC to the NME have lauded as being the Dogs B's are up there next to recently announced t-break stage act Brown Bear and the Bandits.

It's mental.

Rod Jones of Idlewild, We Were Promised Jetpacks, La Fontaines, Tom Hingley of Inspiral Carpets, Homegrown ska legends Bombskare.

Oh my giddy aunt.

This really is one of those occasions when those who attend will be able to sit back a few years from now and say 'yeah. I seen them in a small venue before they were huge'.

Throw a stone in Kilmarnock on these dates and there's a good chance you will hit someone with more talent in their little finger than most of us could dream of having in our whole bodies.

Check it out.

Friday
Dirty Martini's: Rod Jones (Idlewild) Suspire (acoustic) Dominic Owens, Scott Nicol, Robbie MacInnes, Matt Scott and Johnny Graham

Bakers Niteclub: Bombskare, Root System, Roscoe Vacant and the Gantin Scriechs, The Hostiles, and Cal Wiseman.

Saturday
Dirty Martini's: Brown Bear and The Bandits, Julia and The Doogans, Mike Nisbet, Trusty and the Foe, Shambles Miller, Sean Kennedy and Pete MacLeod.

Bakers Niteclub: The Lafontaines, Carnivores, Athos, A Fight You Can't Win and Xavia

Sunday
Dirty Martini's, Tom Hingley (Inspiral Carpets) Mark and The Mystics, Matt Norris and The Moon, Ari (Rose Parade),

Bakers Niteclub, We Were Promised Jetpacks, This Silent Forest, Strange Empire, The Fear, The Sneaky Russians and Selective Service

Plus more. 

Check the poster for the most up to date line up.

Further info and tickets to buy.

Mr Write - Palace Theatre - Kilmarnock - 11/05/12

Imagine the concept.

A guy turns up in town and takes to the stage.

He has no script, no story.

Instead all he has is an audience.

From that audience he takes a child and begins to question him, or her.

The answers, and snippets of the answers, are written on the backdrop of the stage.

The audience are then asked a few questions and their answers join the ones already starting to fill the backdrop.

Then the audience are invited to ask the child some questions, and the answers are once again added to the wall of random text.

It all seems a bit anarchic doesn't it.

Yet from the chaos Rob Drummond aka Mr Write works his magic and before our very eyes uses the words and phrases to spin a story.

That's it.

First half of the show is where he engages with an audience of often unruly and naturally excitable kids, and in the second half he uses all that they have given him to write an interactive story.

How fantastic is that.

It's all the more impressive as the story that he drags from the phrases is a simplistic one of how we all share fears, and that nothing is an insurmountable problem if we are brave enough to face them.

Especially if we are supported in doing so.

It's a nice message and put across without insulting the intelligence of the young audience.

I would consider that most parents whose kids are aged upwards of twelve years old would have thought it a well spent fiver if they had dragged their offspring along.

The bonus to it all is that I also suspect that their kids would have loved it after initially turning their nose up at a weekend trip to the dreaded theatre.

Sadly it would appear that for all the effort that Rob Drummond is putting in to engage with his audience, it isn't being returned by the wider Ayrshire public, and once again Kilmarnock gets nul points in its efforts towards encouraging our kids to be a little more culturally aware of what the world of entertainment can offer them.

While there is nothing wrong, in my opinion, with the younger generations love of games consoles, it is really up to us to show them that thought provoking and fun entertainment can be found elsewhere to.

JFK said that 'if art is to nourish the roots of our culture, society must set the artist free to follow his vision wherever it takes him' and while I agree, I would add that society also has to support the artists endeavours to enrich us all by offering them our patronage.

I could make some reference to a few reasons as to why I think that 'Mr Write' fell short of the attendance levels that it deserved, but my views covering the ongoing decline of my home towns interest in the arts in all there wondrous forms has been done to death.

Some people agree with me, many don't.

The only thing I can say is that once again if we don't use it we lose it, and I think Kilmarnock needs people like Rob Drummond coming through and adding a bit of light to the encroaching darkness.

Dirty Angel – Kellys Bar - 10/02/12

It's been a while since Dirty Angel brought their glam hair metal rock and roll circus to town, but here they are back for a second bite at the cherry.
Older, wiser, waist expanded and hair receding maybe, but still full of the spunk of yesteryear.
Dudge, Monty, Dean, Gav and Grom are ready to rock.
Sadly the band has a problem.
It's not that they are under rehearsed, too pissed, or that their covers of the whole of Bon Jovi's back catalogue just doesn't cut it anymore.
The problem is that Dudge's trousers are so tight they are distracting the crowd from listening to the music.
You can see every vein in the two and a half inches he has, and I'm not sure if it's an optical illusion, but one ball looks to be half the size of the other.
Or if your a glass is full sort, then one ball looks double the size of the other.
Every woman in the place has their eyes glued to his crotch, and Harry the only gay in the village looks as if he is hyperventilating with excitement.
Flashbombs at a pub gig aren't the norm, but they go for it with style.
As they steam into Sweets Blockbuster there's an almighty flash and the crowd roar their approval.
The front row lose their eyebrows, but no one is caring.
This is rock and roll with a capital R.
Once the smoke clears there's a bit of a panic though.
It turns out that there was no pyrotechnics arranged and the flash and fire was just Monty drink sodden t-shirt going up in flames due to a dodgy spark jumping from the microphone that Faither had gaffa taped together.
Fair play to the band though as they don't miss a beat as they step over his prone body.
When they play the Thin Lizzy classic 'The Boys are back in town Grom decided it's that time of the night to get naked.
The reaction from the crowd makes the arrest later for public indecency worth it.
To my left Harry is pressing close to the front and flashing his moobs at Gav the pretty boy of the band.
It woudl seem that they may have a bit of history as across his moobs he has written Harry and Gav with the legend 'you want some seconds big boy' under it.
Not to be left out of the action Dean starts to light farts, and after following through proves once and for all that shit does burn.
No one wants them to leave the stage and the cries of encore reach the deafening heights of a whisper.
So never a band to leave a crowd short changed Dean plays 'Rock you like a hurricane while Dudge strums the riff of Allright now as Gav mimes the words to a Spice Girls song and Grom sings Paper Roses.
Meanwhile Monty harmonized along with the words 'someone phone for an ambulance'
Killie has definitely never seen anything like this before, and as the Bar has now taken out legal restraints on all of Dirty Angels that now mean they can't be found within a mile of the venue, it's doubtful it ever will.

Dirty Edition from the last man standing

The balance in the universe is off.
We have global conflicts, ecological disasters and here in the UK a coalition government to deal with.
The potents of disaster are everywhere.
Here in Ayrshire we have our own imbalance to.
We have more talented bands and artists per square mile than I can ever recall, and yet in Kilmarnock we have nary a stage for them to promote themselves from.
It's small potatoes in the large scheme of things, but never the less it still twists my melons man.
Thankfully some people are still fighting the good fight.
David Hanvey is one of them – in fact he could be described as the last man standing - and this coming weekend he's back trying to valiantly breath some life into the faltering lungs of a scene that will start spiralling downwards to extinction if it isn't supported.
Make no mistake about this.
The success of The Dirty Editions weekend will go a long way towards ensuring that live original music continues to flourish in Kilmarnock.
So it's up to you.
It's not even a case of dragging yourself out to support mediocre talent.
Over the course of the three nights in two venues there's something for everyone.
A line up to make the most disillusioned music fan swoon.
This is some of the best of what is on offer locally building up to known headline acts that wouldn't normally see Kilmarnock listed on their tour itinerary.
The weekend starts on Friday (10th) with local heroes The Longhorns headlining a night in what used to be Jollys/Dirty Martinis and is now known as Kelly's.
This is just the beginning, the teaser for what is to come.
The Longhorns have a solid local following and could fill the venue on their own merits, but the addition of The Mighty Kung Fu playing their last ever gig means that it's doubtful that there will be room to breath.
These bands alone make the ticket price a bargain, but the addition of Roadway, the Empathy, Dirty Angel and the obligatory more to be confirmed makes this seem like an opportunity not to be missed.
Saturday sees Tommy Reilly finishing off another fantastic line up in Kelly's
In support he has one of my current favourite bands who are tipped to make the big time and that's The Imagineers.
(Check them out at the bottom of the page.)
The rest of the line up aint too shabby either.
Matt Scott, Rose Parade, Jamie Keenan, The Holy Ghosts, Scott Nicol and Colin Hunter.
Tell me that there's a duff artist amongst that lot and I'd have to check and see if your ears are painted on.
No surprise that that's not all either.
Turn up on the night and see who else will be there.
I doubt it would be a wasted effort if anyone arrived early doors.
The weekend culminates in the extra special appearance of Steve Cradock (OCS/Paul Weller) in Bakers, who is doing a solo acoustic tour at the moment.
Although I've been assured that there will be some special guests joining him.
(Shhhh. Don't ask. It's a secret.)
Apart from Steve, who many will consider the jewel in The Dirty Editions crown, joining him will be What the Heroes Say, Tragic O'Hara, Graemes Minky Tiger, Dead Wolf Club and yet again more.
If that's not enough to blow your mind then what more do you want?
How about some DJ sets and Northern Soul at an after show party with Steve Cradock spinning some discs?
Yeah. I though some people might like that.
Now if this doesn't manage to kick start something locally then someone should just tag the toe of Kilmarnock and leave its corpse in the morgue.
Any local music lovers who don't attend at least one of these nights better never ever ever ever utter near me that nothing every happens in Killie.
Peace.

Jinx Lennon, but only if you want him.

Every once in a while someone previously unknown to you comes along and pulls the rug out from under your feet and flips you down the rabbit hole.
Jinx Lennon did that to me.
A mate had put on a show and asked me along, and although he had waxed lyrically - along with others - about Jinx Lennon I'll admit that on having a quick google search my world wasn't shaken, never mind stirred, but seeing Jinx play was like a gateway drug in the sense that it opened the door and gave me a glimpse of the lyrical genius of the man and led me to wanting more and more and more.
I was dropped hard onto the road to Damascus and enlightenment was mine.
So here I am in the present giving Taxi Man Face a spin and wondering if I can pull off a Jinx Lennon gig in my home town.
The offer is there, and I have a good relationship with a local venue, but the problem is that no matter how many shit hot reviews Jinx has had in the national press, no matter how many times he's played with Christy Moore and no matter how many albums he has sold internationally through his own DIY label, the truth is that getting people through the door to appreciate what is to them an unknown quantity is an uphill struggle around these here parts.
So in the next couple of days I'm going to sort out a facebook events page where people can register their interests and as soon as it hits an acceptable number of people wishing to attend I'll get it sorted.
So this is the opening salvo.
If you are in Ayrshire and fancy seeing the man, the legend, that is Jinx Lennon then you better be prepared to say so as faint hearts never won the day.

James Grant - CentreStage - 8/7/11 (Kilmarnock)

To an extent Kilmarnock is a musicians graveyard.
It's where the old, and those on a downward slide, go to quietly slip away barely noticed by the general public.
There are obvious exceptions, but take a look at the local newspapers entertainment section - and then exclude the home grown talent and cover bands - and more often than not what you will find is the artists who feature in the 'stars of yesteryear' and 'where are they now' columns of the music magazines.
It's a dire state of affairs, but as mentioned there are exceptions, and every once in a while people do come along and try and breathe some life into the town.
The latest are those behind the Kilmarnock Fair Festival, a week long event that features a few local acts and some well known names who are regulars at the successful Darvel Music festival.
The sort of acts that have a solid fan base, and while they may not be gracing the mainstream magazines can get derrières on seats.
This Friday evening it's the turn of James Grant of Love and Money to entertain us with his original soft folk influenced material and a few acoustic re-workings of material from the glory years of Love and Money.
In all honesty I've lost my way with Love and Money and anything that James Grant has done solo.
The last time I seen him play was in a support slot to U2 on the Joshua Tree tour.
Literally decades have past since then.
Time has however been kind to James Grant.
He still has a strong voice and his musicianship is of a high class and I doubt there are many people who could show him a thing or two on the fretboard.
There's a small problem though.
The spark that should flicker into a flame doesn't splutter into life.
It's difficult to pinpoint a problem, but it might not be one that resides with James Grant himself, and is more so one that lies with the audience.
Bands and artists feed off of adulation.
They want to hear that what they are doing is eliciting a positive response and from that it kick starts a cycle of one-upmanship.
The more an audience gives then the more an audience gets and tonight the audience isn't giving much.
Polite applause is set as a benchmark and few are willing to reach for it.
So from my perspective what happened was that James Grant went on auto pilot.
He played his material and did so to a high standard, but he didn't let loose.
Things did however pick up when Fraser Speirs joined him.
Fraser is the man who most recently has provided his harmonica playing skills to Paulo Nutini, but that is just one star that shines in his crown as he has an international reputation for being one of the best in his field and now I know why.
With his arrival on stage his musicianship acted as a catalyst for James Grant to up his game a bit and the whole feel of the show shifted to one that gave the impression of allowing the audience to be flies on the wall watching two men enjoying playing together, and by ignoring the lacklustre response and focusing on meshing their talents together they provided a saving grace to the evening.
Without Fraser the night would have bounced along on the fair to middling take it or leave it level and for that I will have to be eternally grateful to him.
Up until that point the highlight of the evening had been having a couple of pints with Chris and Mark.
I sincerely hope that the other events arranged had a bit more life to them because if not then the people behind arranging this week of gigs will be wondering if it was really worth the effort.
A common feeling for anyone promoting anything around these here parts.

Promoting gigs 101

Promoting gigs is often seen as a thankless task by those who do it. If there are individuals who consider it to be a pathway to fame and fortune, and you know them, then give them a slap.
It's for their own good.
The amount of effort put into booking a headlining band, arranging supports, sorting out venues, arranging equipment and accommodation, negotiating a rider, printing tickets, making posters and flyers and then going out and about advertising the gig is the story that is never told.
All of this needs to be done prior to anyone setting foot on a stage or a punter entering the door.
Then when everyone is enjoying the acts you will more often than not find yourself at the end of a cold and damp corridor - or just around the corner from where the action is - taking tickets, stamping hands, and generally keeping the peace while smiling inanely at the jokes that those who are slightly worse for wear insist on telling you.
Then when it is all over people can congratulate you on what a great night it has been before you go home and make pizza for the bands. Then there's breakfast in the morning to be sorted.
No one talks about all that.
Yet after saying all this Kel and myself keep coming back to doing it again and again.
Someone maybe needs to give us a slap.
The upside to it all though is that most of the time the stress and hassle is worth it.
Even if the night isn't a huge success and you find yourself out of pocket there is still something worthwhile about it all.
One of the positive aspects is making something out of nothing.
The process of an idea pushed forward into becoming a reality can give you a bit of a buzz.
While most people are talking about it you are doing it.
A successful gig will give you a high so good that it should be registered as a Class A.
Then there's is the friendships forged.
You can't put a price on that.
I don't mean with the bands who are just travelling through - although most of them are cool as the proverbially cucumber - but with the people who come back again and again. You find out that you have loads in common with someone who might live three streets away, but you never knew them until they turned up at the first, second and third gig.
It's not unusual to be stopped in the street to ask what you have coming up and it is from that little acorn that relationships grow.
Just recently my 16 year old son had been moaning about not being able to attend some of the gigs due to them all being for over 18s.
If I was just someone that was heading out to club and pub gigs then his moaning would be just that. A gripe I could do nothing about, but through promoting the gigs I asked two acts to do an acoustic set for him in my flat and both agreed.
I mean how great is that?
Push the coaches back, clear a space and have a nice relaxed gig in your front room with a limited audience.
Probably the best thing about it for me though is that it is an extension of my love for music and the counter culture.
On the outside looking in I'm a single parent working in care and struggling to get by just like virtually everyone else, but that is just one part of my life and I'm also immersed in music. Loving every minute of it. Doing an unpaid job that I love.
There is huge satisfaction in it all, and for all the trials and tribulations there have been times when it has actually kept me sane.
So I guess I will just keep dipping my toe in. Taking a break when it is too much and then diving back in when the mood takes me.
Just confirmed today is the return of Dave Sharp, ex guitarist of the Alarm, who is currently extending on the sound that Guthrie and then Dylan pioneered.
He's in the final leg of making a new album and until that is done and dusted we really can't comment, but if he can capture just 20% of the magic he weaves live then it will be something pretty special.
Supports have still to be sorted, but the ElDiablo signal has went up and I'm just waiting on the nod from a few people before I can announce the full line up.
Apart from that we also have The Duel confirmed. Another personal favourite of mine.
In fact Kel and me don't put on any bands that we don't personally like. That would be too much like a business.
So anyone you see at one of the shows we have arranged is there not because they were simply available, or a mates band, but because we like what they do.
I'm looking forward to this as their last trip to Scotland was plagued by problems from really, really, crap weather keeping people from attending, a crowd who were mainly there to see the support band and buggered off prior to a note being sung or a chord being struck and then sound gremlins added to the misery.
This time it's going to be a different story and they are going to imprint the name of the Duel in local history as THAT band who came and stole our hearts.
So far one support band has been arranged. A local mob called Mechanical Smile who have the bones of a good band in them and I'm hoping will blossom into some home-grown talent that we can be proud of.
We have all seen bands like this. everything is in place, but we are just waiting on them to align and then they can shine bright.