Eurosonic Noorderslag 2014

By Kenny McMurtrie

May 06, 2013

January 2014 seems at the current time to be rather far in the future but, in the spirit of the the six Ps, applications are now open for performers to apply for slots at the Eurosonic Noorderslag 2014 networking event which takes place 15 to 18 January in Groningen. Previous beneficiaries of the exposure the event affords include Anna Calvi, Crystal Fighters, James Blake, James Vincent McMorrow, White Lies and The XX. … Continue Reading

Neil Sturgeon and The Infomaniacs – The Wee Red Bar, Edinburgh

5 June, 2011

If I’m being brutally honest, as I walk towards The Wee Red Bar (it is actually wee and red) I am expecting to be in the minority, that there would be more band members than audience. This is not to belittle Neil Sturgeon & the Infomaniacs, far from it. The sad truth is the band aren’t widely known and a gig far from their comfort zone of Glasgow on a Sunday night is not the recipe for a sell out.

… Continue Reading

The Ray Edwards Group – Water Rats, London

Having only previously witnessed Ray playing solo, I enter the venue with expectations firmly rooted in my mind as to what the show would contain, a one man circus of rock and roll swagger mixed with a ‘20s vaudeville style theatricality, kind of like a cross between Mick Jagger and Eddie Cantor. Tonight however, Ray is accompanied by brother Eric on guitar, making up The Ray Edwards Group, and playing to a capacity crowd;  expectations are obviously high for this (as of now) unsigned act and they pull it off in spectacular fashion. … Continue Reading

Collar Up, Shooting Stansfield – Sneaky Pete’s, Edinburgh

March 25, 2011

Playing to launch their single ‘A Jam Jar Full Of Wasps’ the trio of Collar Up grace the gathered throng with one of their finest performances, aided in no small part by the excellent sound quality that this venue continually achieves. Too often in the past it has proved impossible to hear song introductions and the like, but that curse is dealt with tonight so proceedings pass off pretty much by the book. … Continue Reading

Collar Up – A Jam Jar Full of Wasps

Lyrically uncomplicated, politically aware songwriting is not, unfortunately, the staple by which many of the bands that appear on Muso’s ply their trade. Of those acts that do actually have something to say (and whom you can still believe it of no matter what they’re earning) the route taken is generally confrontational to varying extents. Not so with the Collar Up. … Continue Reading

Shock and Awe, Korsakoff, Facehandle, Murderburgers – Henry’s Cellar Bar, Edinburgh

February 24, 2011

Proving once again, in a set that lasted only a bit longer than it takes them to assemble their left-handed drumkit, that old school punk is alive and kicking Shock And Awe tonight graced one of Edinburgh’s smaller stages in front of an unfortunately proportionately small crowd. Unfazed (they have after all seen it all before and played in worse situations) and unbowed, it was straight to business doing what they do best and in turn providing those lucky enough to witness the event with a vintage performance. From ‘I Hope The Lights Don’t Change On You’ through to closer ‘Buzz’ Tommy, Bobby & Johnny kept the joint jumpin’. At least until that
unfortunate amp death … … Continue Reading

Pengilly’s – Ode VIII

Experiencing some sort of epiphany while drunk, and then finding yourself unable to articulate it – or even remember it –the next day is something almost all of us can relate to. “All I want to do is write something plain in a way that reads true, but I’m a terrible poet so all I can do is try to describe what it’s like sitting on a curb in July” sing Pengilly’s in debut single ‘Ode VIII’. … Continue Reading