Rave - editing without borders...

they only went and did it, those Rave Magazine editors... they actually mailed me a copy of the october issue! I know they said they would but considering how they seemed to think of us while we interned this summer, i doubted this was anything more than a ‘uh-I-really-should-try-to-be-polite-and-provide-a-copy-of-the-magazine-they-have-contributed-to’ gesture.

But then yesterday, it actually got delievered... i was quite excited to see how the final edit of the kooks article I wrote would be. i expected them to make changes but what i didn’t expect was them re-writing the entire article apart from 2-3 sentences (literally!!!) and still putting my name in the by-line. They wanted to get a certain opinion and perspective on the band and their music across (which is fair enough, it’s their publication) and mine were clearly different – but I would rather they had NOT put my name on something i in no way want credit for and that i in no way want to (or can) answer for...

but, on a positive note, they did use a few of my album reviews (which weren’t edited quite as heavily!) – enjoy your 2 stars, razorlight. They also used shaun’s duncan james review which is just pure genius...

a little less sixteen candles, a little more ego and art-rock...

gig review: the blood arm / the low miffs, cabaret voltaire, november 6 2006


for some reason, it wasn’t untill this year I first set foot in the cramped underground cave-like venue that has played host to many an up-and-coming band on scotland’s live music circuit. And although I have my issues with the layout of cabaret voltaire, there is little doubt that even not-quite-sold-out gigs (such as this particular one) will create a seeting atmosphere (but forget trying to get to the bar for another drink – I guarantee it will be near-impossible to re-capture your spot at the front where it’s all happening and a drink just aint worth missing out on that atmosphere over!!)

so after handing in my final course assignment of the semester, I was ready for cabaret voltaire and for the latest american indie-influenced band to hit the airwaves of radio 1...

the opening act, the low miffs, were surprisingly good (but while we are at it, yes, I admit it, I always have shockingly low expectations of opening acts… it must the consequence of having seen we are scientists open twice and still thinking I have seen them headline – no opening act will ever be that great, therefore they must all be terrible, right? Nevermind, my logic barely makes sense to myself :P ) – semi-local (they are glaswegian…) and experimental with a fab rock/pop flavour, they definitely got the majority of the crowd on their side. One to watch if you ask me...


while waiting for the california-natives we were really there to see to take over, we were treated to one of those DJ sets/mixed tapes all too familiar to anyone who has been to any type of gig... pretty standard, pretty run-of-the-mill, pretty inoffensive… EXCEPT that they, on this occasion, chose to include robbie wiliams’ version of ‘freedom’ :S – scary, scary experience…

and thus, the blood arm took to the stage with a short story of 'quadruplets blah blah musical instruments blah blah blah here we are as a band' that I was a few pints short of finding amusing and interesting (points for effort though). They had a pretty hard act to follow and their first few tracks didn’t seem totally on point with the lead singer struggling to hit the right note. However, it didn’t take him long to relax and conjure his best julian casablancas, and ‘suspicious character’ soon helped cement the band’s credibility in terms of delivering top-of-the-line indie-chanting disco stompers. It’s as infectious live as it is on the radio and everybody loved it...


thinking back, I do believe this is the first american band I have seen that didn’t make me recall my high school years in the musical company of something corporate and fall out boy... the blood arm were rock but not emo-rock, they sing with emotion and passsion yet without misery and whining, and perhaps most important of all; they attracted an audience but not a single group of overzealous 16-year-olds were forming a wall of bad haircuts at the front of the stage…wow, that is surely some achievement...

kicking up the fire...

gig review: the cooper temple clause, liquid room, October 30 2006


on October 30th, i made my way, once again, to that wonderful Edinburgh venue known as liquid room. The reason for the trek from the comfort of my marchmont flat all the way across the meadows in the cold October weather? my second encounter with the brilliant cooper temple clause in the space of 5 months…

the coopers were the last band i saw live in paris before i left in june and i was hooked immediately. Their electro-garage sound is both so-late-90s and so-now that i am amazed they haven’t had the mainstream success so many other (less talented) bands have had lately. But then again, knowing me, i probably wouldn’t have liked them as much as i did if they did fall under the mainstream popularity definition :D


They didn’t disappoint this time either and the home-turf advantage (they definitely have more british fans than french :) made for a brilliant atmosphere – one that far surpassed the paris-gig. Everyone could sing along to the older tracks, like ‘been training dogs’, ‘panzer attack’ and the brilliant closing track ‘blind pilots’ (even me!! That’s the reward for all those hours of listening to them on itunes and on my mp3 player when walking to uni). It was really quite refreshing to be at a gig where it seemed like every single person was there for the music (whether as a hard core fan or just because they recognised the band name) and were up for a fun night. Liquid room is also a far superior venue when packed with enthusiastic listeners (which didn’t happen with the walkmen in september unfortunately…)

The cooper temple clause have now joined the kooks as ‘bands I have seen live more than once’ and are most definitely deserved company in that category. They came they saw, they attacked the audience with some brilliant riffs, synth lines and their abrasive rock/alt-metal sound and for that, I have nothing but love for these fab berkshire-boys…