W♥M

CHVRCHES at Palace Theatre, St Paul (02 Oct 2018)

CHVRCHES at Palace Theatre CHVRCHES Setlist Get Out Gun Bury It We Sink Graffiti Graves Under the Tide God's Plan Miracle Science/Visions Really Gone Deliverance Forever Recover Leave a Trace Clearest Blue -- Encore -- The Mother We Share Never Say Die Lo Moon Setlist This Is It The Right Thing Thorns Tried to Make You My Own Real Love (New Song) (“Easily Lost…”) Loveless Read More Chvrches Chvrches’ third album Love is Dead reached the Billboard Top Rock and Alternative charts at #1 and #11 overall. ... Lo Moon For Lo Moon’s first tour, they’ll be stopping by the Turf Club on Friday. What may be interesting is that Kraus (aka Will Kraus), fresh off W♥M’s SXSW 2018 picks, will open the show. …

Scottish synthpop band Chvrches (stylized as CHVRCHΞS) is back in town, playing their biggest venue to date… and selling out both nights at the Palace Theatre in St Paul. We caught the trio (Lauren Mayberry, Iain Cook and Martin Doherty) on their first night (October 2).

Opening up the show was Los Angeles’ Lo Moon. Like Chvrches, the band is a trio, featuring singer Matt Lowell, bassist Crisanta Baker, and guitarist Samuel Stewart (son of Dave Stewart of Eurythmics!)… however for the live shows, they employ a touring drummer named Sterling Laws.

Lowell remarked that the Palace was, “This is different than the Turf Club”, referring to the couple of times the band played here: opening for Muna in 2017 and as headliner with support from Kraus in April 2018.

We’ve previously mentioned that their music is quite under the radar, but eventually they’ll build up a good fanbase (seeing as they’ve sold out several major cities when they were the headliner). With a spot on Chvrches’ tour (probably thanks to their guitarist’s connection to Dave Stewart helping with Chvrches’ latest album), you can bet that when the band returns to MN (and let’s hope for another venue other than the Turf Club), that people will be up front and singing along to songs like “Loveless”, which ended their brief set.

As for Chvrches their indiepop/dance/synthpop sound is more popular than ever, as evident by their ability to sell out their shows every time they play in Minnesota. Martin Doherty summed it up on stage, “It’s nice to be back. Time and time again, you keep selling out every time we come here. Thank you for that.”

It’s been three years since their last album, Every Open Eye, so with the third album, Lauren Mayberry said that they wanted to take their time with Love is Dead. They approach the record by closely working with a producer, at first with David Stewart, but ultimately with Greg Kurstin and Steve Mac for final production.

The result is that Love is Dead is a polished album, and their songs on the album are both very poppy, but at the same time, very vulnerable. It’s a good sound for the trio, and Mayberry had already mentioned that they had those songs in mind for “more of a live experience.”

Near the end of their set, Mayberry talked about the different between Prince and Sinéad O’Connor versions of “Nothing Compares 2 U”, almost hinting that they were going to cover Prince’s song… but instead we got “Leave a Trace”.

For the encore, they dig deep in their first album (“which just turned five!”) for “The Mother We Share” and ending the show with a stomping version of “Never Say Die”.

Remaining tour dates:

Tour dates:

10/03/18- Palace Theatre, St Paul, MN
10/04/18 Riverside Theater, Milwaukee, WI
10/08/18 Iron City Birmingham, Birmingham, AL
10/09/18 Thomas Wolfe Auditorium, Asheville, NC
10/10/18 The Tabernacle, Atlanta, GA
10/11/18 The Joy Theater, New Orleans, LA
10/15/18 Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, TN
10/16/18 The Fillmore, Charlotte, NC
10/18/18 The Anthem, Washington, DC
10/20/18 Orpheum Theatre, Boston, MA
11/02/18 Pitchfork Music Festival, Paris, France
11/03rd - TivoliVredenburg Ronda, Utrecht, Netherlands
11/05/18 Ancienne Belgique, Brussels, Belgium
11/06/18 Live Music Hall, Cologne, Germany
11/07/18 Tempodrom, Berlin, Germany
11/14/18 Fabrique, Milan, Italy
11/15/18 Les Docks, Lausanne, Switzerland
11/16/18 Den Atelier, Luxembourg
02/07/19 Alexandra Palace, London
02/08/19 O2 Academy, Birmingham
02/09/19 O2 Academy, Birmingham
02/11/19 Rock City, Nottingham
02/12/19 O2 Academy, Bournemouth
02/14/19 Victoria Warehouse, Manchester
02/15/19 Victoria Warehouse, Manchester
02/16/19 The SSE Hydro, Glasgow
02/18/19 O2 Academy, Newcastle
02/19/19 Ulster Hall, Belfast
02/21/19 Olympia, Dublin
02/22/19 Olympia, Dublin

Lo Moon

Marquee

Setlist

Lo Moon

Lo Moon

Lo Moon

CHVRCHES

CHVRCHES

CHVRCHES

CHVRCHES

CHVRCHES

CHVRCHES

CHVRCHES at Palace Theatre, St Paul (02 Oct 2018)

vu (vu@weheartmusic.com) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

The Fratellis at First Avenue, Minneapolis (10 May 2018)

The Fratellis at First Ave Poster The Fratellis Setlist     Intro: Offenbach’s “Orpheus in the Underworld Overture” Henrietta Starcrossed Losers Baby Don't You Lie to Me! Flathead Impostors (Little by Little) Whistle for the Choir Sugartown For the Girl I’ve Been Blind Everybody Knows You Cried Last Night I Told You So Creepin Up the Backstairs Thief Ole Black 'n' Blue Eyes Stand Up Tragedy Babydoll A Heady Tale Baby Fratelli -- Encore -- I Am That We Need Medicine Chelsea Dagger Blood Red Shoes Setlist The Perfect Mess An Animal Black Distractions Light it Up God Complex Speech Coma This Is Not for You Cold Red River Je Me Perds Colours Fade Read More The Fratellis Now, in 2018, the Fratellis is back in the U.S. to promote their new album In Your Own Sweet Time (Cooking Vinyl), and, of course, have been selling out a ton of dates. …

Scottish rock band The Fratellis stopped by First Avenue’s mainroom on Thursday, May 10th, to promote their new album In Your Own Sweet Time (Cooking Vinyl).

Opening up the show was Brighton’s rock duo Blood Red Shoes (guitarist Laura-Mary Carter and drummer Steven Ansell). Although I’m not a big fan of the band’s name, it has meaning to the Carter & Ansell. Apparently, it came from an story about how Ginger Rogers danced so much for a musical, that her white shoes turned red with blood.

After “Black Distractions”, the two mentioned fondly the time they headlined the 7th Street Entry (in May 2014). Local group BNLX (Ed & Ashley), who opened up for Blood Red Shoes in 2014, were happy to attend the Thursday night’s show to show support.

The band had a great boy-girl/back-and-forth sound that I absolutely love (particularly on their song “Light it Up” with its anthemic “Light. It. Up.” chorus). Sometime the band can get really heavy rock, it’s hard to believe that these songs were written by the same band.

Their catchy songs actually converted some newfound fans, and certainly would mean that the band will be back in town in the near future.

As for Glasgow’s The Fratellis (guitarist/singer John Lawler, bassist Barry Wallace, and drummer Gordon McRory) came on stage to Jacques Offenbach’s “Orpheus in the Underworld Overture”. Although not everybody knew the song, they certain recognize it as a popular French can-can instrumental.

The group haven’t been here in three years (since Sep 2015), so there were a lot of eager old, as well as new fans, finally seeing the rock-friendly group again.

As expected, The Fratellis played a lot of songs from their fifth album In Your Own Sweet Time. The record came about after an exhausting tour for their 10th anniversary of their debut album Costello Music, and they were eager to get back in the recording studios with producer Tony Hoffer (who happened to also produce their debut record) in 2017. Probably needing a much-need rest, the band decided to push the new record to March 2018, and aptly named it In Your Own Sweet Time... because they were going to release it when they were ready.

Of course, the fans all came to sing to their favorite hit singles “Whistle for the Choir” and “Chelsea Dagger” (which they always save for last).

Remaining tour dates:

05/7/2018 Salt Lake City UT @ The Complex
05/8/2018 Denver CO @ Bluebird Theater
05/10/2018 Minneapolis MN @ First Avenue
05/11/2018 Chicago IL @ Metro
05/12/2018 Toronto ON @ Danforth Music Hall
05/14/2018 Majestic Theatre Detroit, MI
05/15/2018 Theatre Of Living Arts Philadelphia, PA
05/16/2018 Brooklyn Steel Brooklyn, NY
05/18/2018 Paradise Rock Club Boston, MA
05/19/2018 9:30 Club Washington, DC
05/21/2018 Exit / In Nashville, TN
05/22/2018 Terminal West Atlanta, GA
06/02/2018 Cardiff Castle Cardiff
06/09/2018 Bodega La Geria Yaiza, Spain
06/30/2018 Grassington Festival
07/01/2018 TexFest Stornoway
08/10/2018 Kelvingrove Park Glasgow
09/09/2018 Eklectica Isle Of Wight

Blood Red Shoes

Blood Red Shoes

Blood Red Shoes

The Fratellis

The Fratellis

The Fratellis

The Fratellis at First Avenue, Minneapolis (10 May 2018)

 

vu (vu@weheartmusic.com) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

We Were Promised Jetpacks at Varsity, Minneapolis (12 Nov 2015)

marquee Setlist When I Know Ships With Holes Will Sink A Part of It Moving Clocks Run Slow Safety In Numbers Peaks and Troughs Keeping Warm Repeating Pats Roll Up Your Sleeves Silver Lining Sore Thumb Quiet Little Voices Boy in the Backseat Pear Tree -- Encore -- It's Thunder and It's Lightning Read More We Were Promised Jetpacks We Were Promised Jetpacks (Adam Thompson -vocals/guitar; Michael Palmer-guitar; Sean Smith-bass, Stuart McGachan- keys/guitar; Darren Lackie- drums) then followed with a crushing, passionate 75 min. …

Scotland's We Were Promised Jetpacks just recently stopped by the Varsity Theater in Minneapolis on Thursday night, in support of their latest Unravelling (Fat Cat Records).

Adam Thompson

The four piece indie rock band (singer/guitarist Adam Thompson, guitarist Michael Palmer, bassist Sean Smith, and drummer Darren Lackie) has a following of diehard fans. The crowd that gathered around me was singing to every single word, knowing every phrase.

We Were Promised Jetpacks have been around since 2003 but didn't release their debut album until 2009. Since then, they have released three albums with Unravelling being the most recent (released October 6th of last year)... but only three songs from the new album was played ("A Part of It", "Safety in Numbers", and "Peaks and Troughs", with the rest of the set making up from their other two albums. Even with three albums and international success, these guys have stayed true to the music and proved that last week.

There were no flashy outfits, no spectacular light show, there was nothing to distract you from the talent of the band and honestly, that was more than enough to keep your mind occupied.

The Scottish band made the music look effortless as they seamlessly switched from song to song. Unless you were really paying attention, it was hard to notice the actually complexity of the arrangement. There was a lot of back and forth between bass and guitar embellishments that, again, if you weren't watching, you would have missed.

Setlist

The crowd was silent as We Were Promised Jet Packs plugged through their set. All eyes were on the band and, other than a few outliers who were bouncing up and down, people just enjoyed the music coming off of the stage.

The sole encore song (not written on their setlist) was an old and classic WWPJ song, "It's Thunder and It's Lightning", taken from their debut These Four Walls (Fat Cat Records).

Seoul

Opening the night was Seoul, a band from Montreal, Canada. This trio just recently released their debut album I Become A Shade back in June of this year and played many selections off of it. Their sound was much more dream pop than the driving rock sound of WWPJ but the bands worked really well together. The Varsity Theater show was Seoul's sixth night on tour with WWPJ and will be joining them for the rest of the North American tour.

Although the music of the night was calm and soothing, there was still more than enough energy radiating from the stage. Between both Seoul, the opener, and WWPJ, the crowd was more than happy to spend the chilly Thursday night in Dinky Town.

Remaining tour dates:

11.16 - Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge 11.17 - Seattle, WA @ Neumo's 11.19 - San Francisco, CA @ Great American 11.20 - Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom 11.21 - San Diego, CA @ Irenic 11.22 - Tucson, AZ @ Flycatcher 11.24 - San Antonio, TX @ Paper Tiger 11.25 - Austin, TX @ The Parish

11.27 - Pensacola, FL @ Vinyl Music Hall 11.28 - Orlando, FL @ The Social 11.29 - Jacksonville, FL @ Underbelly 12.01 - Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade 12.02 - Nashville, TN @ Exit / In 12.04 - Charlottesville, VA @ Southern 12.05 - Brooklyn, NY @ Warsaw 12.06 - Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts 12.07 - Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair

We Were Promised Jetpacks at Varsity Theater, Minneapolis (12 Nov 2015) photo: John

langen (langen@weheartmusic.com) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic ♥ itunes.apple.com

Minneapolis: November 12 to November 13, 2015

Read More RAC In between bands RAC (André Allen Anjos) played his DJ sets. The first non-local band to play was Los Angeles, by the way of Tennessee …

Here are some shows taking place in the Minneapolis/St Paul area from November 12 to November 13, 2015.

Read more Minneapolis Music Guide.

RAC
at Mill City Nights
Thursday, 11/12/2015, 7:30pm ($27.50)
millcitynights.com

We previously caught RAC (André Allen Anjos) and Big Data together at the Go Fest '15 music festival.

RAC only DJ-ed, while Big Data had a nice little set featuring singer Lizy Ryan doing her best Hall & Oates' "Private Eyes" and playing their most popular song "Dangerous".

Opening up the show will be Austria's Filous (not to be confused with Germany's Filou) and Portland's Pink Feathers (aka Liz Anjos).

Tour dates:

11/06/15 New York, NY Webster Hall
11/08/15 Brooklyn, NY Warsaw
11/09/15 Philadelphia, PA Union Transfer
11/10/15 Washington, DC 9:30 Club
11/12/15 Minneapolis, MN Mill City Nights
11/13/15 Chicago, IL Concord Music Hall
11/14/15 Kansas City, MO Arvest Bank
11/15/15 Dallas, TX Granada Theater
11/16/15 Austin, TX Emo's
11/18/15 Denver, CO Ogden Theatre
11/20/15 Los Angeles, CA Club Nokia
11/21/15 Corona Capital Festival
11/22/15 San Diego, CA Observatory
11/24/15 Seattle, WA Showbox SoDo
11/25/15 Portland, OR McMenamins Crystal
11/26/15 Vancouver, BC Commodore Ballroom

Read More We Were Promised Jetpacks We Were Promised Jetpacks (Adam Thompson -vocals/guitar; Michael Palmer-guitar; Sean Smith-bass, Stuart McGachan- keys/guitar; Darren Lackie- drums) then followed with a crushing, passionate 75 min. …

WE WERE PROMISED JETPACKS
at Varsity Theater
Thursday, 11/12/2015, 7:30pm ($12.50)
varsitytheater.org

The Scots are taking over The Varsity Theater on Thursday, November 12th. We Were Promised Jetpacks, from Edinburgh Scotland, have a sound and live show that you will definitely not want to miss.

This indie rock band started back in 2003 at a high school battle of the bands and has not stopped since. Their newest release Unravelling was released in October of last year on Fat Cat Records. The album was recorded at Chem19 Studios with Paul Savage who has worked with bands such as Franz Ferdinand and Mogwai. They have gotten high praise from Rolling Stone and Spin for a reason.

You may recall that they previewed five or those Unravelling songs (as well as a brand new band member Stuart McGachan) on their live show at the Triple Rock Social Club in February 2014.

The Montreal-based (read: not from Korea) Seoul to open. The trio (Julian Flavin, Dexter Garcia and Nigel Ward) is on tour in support of I Become A Shade (Grand Jury). The album is separated into three distinct suites, equal parts gauzy dream-pop, reverberant R&B, and speculative ambient.

Tour dates:

11.06 - Washington, DC @ Black Cat 11.07 - Baltimore, MD @ Metro Gallery 11.09 - Louisville, KY @ Headlines Music Hall 11.10 - Indianapolis, IN @ HIFI 11.11 - Milwaukee, WI @ Shank Hall 11.12 - Minneapolis, MN @ Varsity Theater 11.13 - Fargo, ND @ The Aquarium 11.16 - Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge 11.17 - Seattle, WA @ Neumo's 11.19 - San Francisco, CA @ Great American 11.20 - Los Angeles, CA @ Teragram Ballroom 11.21 - San Diego, CA @ Irenic

11.22 - Tucson, AZ @ Flycatcher 11.24 - San Antonio, TX @ Paper Tiger 11.25 - Austin, TX @ The Parish 11.27 - Pensacola, FL @ Vinyl Music Hall 11.28 - Orlando, FL @ The Social 11.29 - Jacksonville, FL @ Underbelly 12.01 - Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade 12.02 - Nashville, TN @ Exit / In 12.04 - Charlottesville, VA @ Southern 12.05 - Brooklyn, NY @ Warsaw 12.06 - Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts 12.07 - Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair

Read More Roger Clyne For fans of the (former) Refreshments or the alive and kicking Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers, this album is a welcome, long awaited gift. For those who have never heard the band - live or otherwise …

ROGER CLYNE & THE PEACEMAKERS
at Turf Club
Friday, 11/13/2015, 8pm ($20)
turfclub.net

Fans of 90s Arizona rockers The Refreshments will be elated to know that Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers will be making a stop to the Turf Club on November 14th. Clyne, of course, was the lead singer of the Refreshments and when the group called it a day in 1998, he formed the Peacemakers with Refreshments drummer Paul “P.H.” Naffah. The current line-up also features guitarist Jim Dalton (of The Railbenders) and bassist Nick Scropos (of Gloritone.)

The Peacemakers have been steadily releasing records since 1999’s Honky Tonk Union as well as hosting a semi-annual concert in Rocky Point, Mexico called “Circus Mexicus” (an event that’s a veritable who’s-who of Southwestern rock and roll with past guests including like Cracker’s David Lowery and Johnny Hickman to the Supersuckers’ Eddie Spaghetti.) Last year the band released their seventh studio album The Independent, a title that nods to the quartet’s commitment to their DIY philosophy (it was produced by Naffah, recorded at his studio and released on the band’s own label, Emma Java Records.) It’s a record teeming with rollicking country-rock jams that will sound like sunshine to our chilled, Daylight-Savings-weakened ears and spirits.

Next year, The Refreshments’ breakthrough 1996 album Fizzy Fuzzy Big & Buzzy turns 20 years old, so perhaps Clyne and his Peacemakers will throw in some cuts from that album (“Down Together,” please!)

Nashville's Birdcloud to open. The cowgirl duo (Jasmin Kaset and Makenzie Green) is described by the Chicago Times as "shaking up the country cutie aesthetic and, more importantly, elevating women's roles in the highly patriarchal cowboy community."

Tour dates:

11/06/15 Dallas, TX Gas Monkey Bar 11/07/15 New Braunfels, TX River Road 11/10/15 Kansas City, MO Knuckleheads 11/11/15 Sioux Falls, SD District 11/12/15 Omaha, NE Waiting Room 11/13/15 Saint Paul, MN Turf Club 11/14/15 Chicago, IL Subterranean 11/15/15 Milwaukee, WI Shank Hall 11/17/15 Ferndale, MI Magic Bag 11/18/15 Madison, WI High Noon Saloon

11/19/15 Des Moines, IA Wooly's 11/20/15 St. Louis, MO Blueberry Hill's 11/21/15 Tulsa, OK The Shrine 12/19/15 Englewood, CO Gothic Theatre 12/31/15 Tempe, AZ Marquee 03/01/16 The Lebrewski Cruise 03/02/16 The Lebrewski Cruise 03/03/16 The Lebrewski Cruise 03/04/16 The Lebrewski Cruise 03/05/16 The Lebrewski Cruise

emily + langen + vu (vu@weheartmusic.com) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

2:54 w/ Honeyblood at 7th Street Entry, Minneapolis (06 Mar 2015)

2:54 Setlist Sleepwalker You're Early In the Mirror South Scarlet Sugar Blindfold Crest No Better Prize Creeping Orion Easy Undercover Honeyblood Setlist Fall Forever Biro (I'd Rather Be) Anywhere But Here Bud Choker No Spare Key All Dragged Up No Big Deal Super Rat Killer Bangs Tour Dates 03/08: Barboza - Seattle, WA 03/09: Mississippi Studios - Portland, OR 03/11: The Rickshaw Stop - San Francisco, CA 03/12: The Echoplex - Los Angeles, CA 03/13: The Hideout - San Diego, CA 03/14: VIVA PHX Music Festival - Phoenix, AZ Read More 2:54 We are very excited about the return of London's 2:54 and Scotland's Honeyblood back to Minneapolis on Friday, March 6th. NOTE: time! 10pm! So if you work on Saturday, good luck to you. Honeyblood Even though Honeyblood won't be back in Minneapolis until March 2015, I'm still very excited to announce that they will be touring with fellow Scotts Belle & Sebastian and London sisters ...

London's 2:54 and Glasgow's Honeyblood are currently on a co-headlining tour on their way to Austin, Texas, for the annual SXSW Music Festival.

Due to the Are You Local shows earlier in the day, the 2:54/Honeyblood show was pushed back to a late start at 10pm (doors).

Honeyblood

Since we last saw Honeyblood with We Were Promised Jetpacks last year, the duo lost drummer Shona McVicar. She's replaced by Cat Myers, who I have to say, I quite like. Myers is pretty funny, having confessed on stage that not only did she double-socked it, but she also did double-pants! I've never heard of someone double panting it, but given the harsh cold winters of Minnesota, who can blame her?

Honeyblood Setlist

After a year touring America, and based on seeing them on their first tour, I can tell that guitarist/singer Stina Tweeddale was starting to loosening up. She's talking more between songs, and would once in a while remind the audience that they were called Honeyblood, realizing that people were still coming in the venue.

My favorite song introduction was for "All Dragged Up", which Myers asked the audience, "Does Minneapolis like to dance?" The answer was clearly a 'yes', as evident by all the moves on the floor.

As you can see from their setlist, most of the songs were from their self-titled debut album, but always including their first few singles "Bud" and "Choker". After their set ended, some newfound fans were screaming the inevitable, "One more song!"

The last time we saw the 2:54 sisters Colette and Hannah Thurlow, they were being compared to Curve (yes, we like Toni Halliday) and Savages, but I feel like they are standing on their own identity, especially with their latest release The Other I, out now on Bella Union.

Singer/guitarist Colette would often move back and forth, as if to ready to lunge out directly into the audience. Their bassist Joel Porter would wildly swing his instrument like crazy... clearly enjoying the noise they were creating too much.

While I thought they sounded just fine, I guess the band was experiencing some problems with the in-ear monitors... They didn't let us know until near the end of their set, before "Orion", when Colette ripped her ear piece and said something like, "This thing hasn't been working all day!"

Their set was a good mix of their two albums, half from their self-titled debut album ("You're Early" "Scarlet", "Sugar", "Creeping", and "Easy Undercover") and The Other I ("Sleepwalker", "In The Mirror", "South""Blindfold", "Crest", "No Better Prize", and "Orion").

Since it was already a late show to begin with, I didn't think anyone was surprise that no encores were given.

I saw lots of crossover fans, so this is a really good lineup. 2:54's latest album The Other I is out now on Bella Union and Honeyblood's self-titled debut album is out now on Fat Cat Records.

2:54 at 7th Street Entry, Minneapolis (06 Mar 2015)

vu (vu@weheartmusic.com) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

Belle & Sebastian: Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance

Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance Matador Records Discography [1996] Tigermilk [1996] If You're Feeling Sinister [1998] The Boy with the Arab Strap [2000] Fold Your Hands Child, You Walk Like a Peasant [2002] Storytelling [2003] Dear Catastrophe Waitress [2006] The Life Pursuit [2010] Belle and Sebastian Write About Love Tour Dates 01/26 Laneway Festival, Auckland 01/28 The Tivoli, Brisbane 01/29 Enmore Theatre, Sydney 01/31 Taronga Zoo, Sydney 02/01 Palais Theatre, Melbourne 02/03 Astor Theatre, Perth 02/12 AX Club, Seoul, Korea 02/16 Hostess Club Taipei @ Legacy 02/21 Hostess Club Weekender, Studio Coast 03/30 House Of Blues, Boston, MA 04/01 Massey Hall, Toronto, ONT 04/02 Royal Oak Music Theater, MI 04/03 Riviera, Chicago, IL 04/04 Madison, WI Overture Hall 04/07 Seattle, WA Paramount Ballroom 04/08 Vancouver, BC Vogue Theatre 04/09 Portland, OR Roseland 04/11 Coachella Valley Music 04/12 Berkeley, CA Greek Theatre 04/14 Davis, CA Mondavi Center 04/17 San Diego, CA North Park 04/18 Indio, CA Coachella Valley Music 05/03 St. David's, Cardiff, Wales 05/04 Colston Hall, Bristol 05/05 Guildhall, Portsmouth 05/07 Corn Exchange, Cambridge 05/08 Open, Norwich, England 05/10 Symphony Hall, Birmingham 05/11 Westminster Central Hall, London 05/14 Albert Hall, Manchester 05/16 City Hall, Newcastle 05/18 Opera House, Buxton 05/19 City Hall, Leeds 05/22 Hydro Arena, Glasgow 05/24 Sound City, Liverpool, England 06/09 Upper Darby, PA - Tower Theatre 06/10 New York, NY - Radio City Music Hall 06/11 Washington, DC - Echostage 06/14 Columbus, OH LC - Pavilion 06/17 Morrison, CO - Red Rocks Amphitheatre 06/18 Kansas City, MO - Uptown Theatre 07/02-07/04 ATP Iceland, Keflavik, Iceland Read More Belle & Sebastian We've seen these type of crowd-source music videos before, the latest is from Scottish band Belle & Sebastian for the "Nobody's Empire" video. ...

Our favorite Scottish band Belle & Sebastian is releasing Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance tomorrow, January 20th, via Matador Records, their first new record since 2010's Write About Love.

Just to give you a little background on the band, they formed in the mid-90s and was one of the few bands that released original singles (songs that never made their way to an LP). I got into Belle & Sebastian a little late to the party with Lazy Line Painter Jane EP (1997), from an old MiniDisc mixtape, but what I heard, absolutely loved. I've mentioned it before, but back then, I've always thought they were a duo with a girl/boy singers. It wasn't until 1998's The Boy with the Arab Strap did I realize that it's a group (but then again, the band was quite secretive in the early days).

Anyway, while the lineup changed over time (losing bassist Stuart David and sugar sweet vocalist Isobel Campbell), the core of the band is really around singer and band leader Stuart Murdoch. Murdoch, in an interview about why the band took a hiatus post-2007, basically said that the record label (Jeepster) told them that the band could not grow their audience. They were forever going to be a 'cult' band and could not cross over to the mainstream. If you saw Murdoch's film God Help the Girl (2014), you know that the underlying message in that film is that it doesn't matter if you're going to be a massive hit... that they were just as happy writing music that they love.

That's the impression I got listening to their new album Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance. Belle & Sebastian are writing wonderful little songs that doesn't exactly fit into pop radio. For example, my favorite track, "Enter Sylvia Plath": lyrically a depressing song ("All the dreams, and guilt and loneliness, loneliness") but set to a disco-ish beat. They are comfortable writing songs for themselves, and they wouldn't change their music just to appeal to the masses.

One of the biggest criticism that I had for Belle & Sebastian was sometime they were a little too Christian (take "Jonathan David", "Act of the Apostle" - parts 1 and 2, "Take Your Carriage Clock and Shove It", and "Little Lou, Ugly Jack, Prophet John" for example). To be fair, Murdoch, for a time, lived in a Church and I know he's passionate about his religion... but I never understood or liked it. I'm happy to report that I didn't really detect any hints of religion in Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance.

As Murdoch once put it, they are "the republic of Belle & Sebastian", which meant that he doesn't write or sing on all the songs. Which I think is refreshing, as I do welcome other voices, such as Sarah Martin taking over on "The Power of Three" and "The Book of You" and Stevie Jackson on "Perfect Couples". They add variety to the usual cute orchestral pop songs that Murdoch tends to write.

Like Write About Love's album featuring a duet with Carey Mulligan on the title track, "Write About Love", we see a similar treatment with "Play for Today", which features Dum Dum Girls' Dee Dee Penny. The song "Play for Today" and "Today (This Army's for Peace)" fits in this theme of the modern age and we should make the most of it with peace, love, and harmony.

My only complaint for Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance is that it's really short, clocking in at about an hour. They could have put in "Born To Act" (which I think would fit in the Peacetime/Dance theme), but instead whoever designed the track listing only put that track on the expanded vinyl edition. Of course, diehard fans will want to get the 4 disc vinyl for the complete picture.

I've already pre-order the Autographed Amazon Exclusive. I recommend ordering the CD or vinyl on Amazon because you're also given the digital tracks, so you can listen to the record while you wait for the product to arrive at your home.

Belle & Sebastian's Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance is out commercially tomorrow, January 20th, via Matador Records.

vu (vu@weheartmusic.com) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

Great Scott!: Honeyblood, Simple Minds, Vaselines, and Texas

Read more Great Scott!.

Read More Honeyblood Opening the show was another Scottish act, Glasgow's Honeyblood, consisting of guitarist/singer Stina Tweeddale and drummer Shona McVicar. The pair rarely spoke between songs … 2:54 The much-hyped London-based shoegaze-tinged sister act 2:54 played the Triple Rock (and Minneapolis) for the first time Monday night. Belle & Sebastian We've been very excited about news of the new Belle & Sebastian 2015 album for a while now, but the band recently made things official: It is called Girls in Peacetime Want To Dance …

HONEYBLOOD
honeyblood.co.uk

Even though Honeyblood won't be back in Minneapolis until March 2015, I'm still very excited to announce that they will be touring with fellow Scotts Belle & Sebastian and London sisters 2:54 this new year.

If you need a refresher, we've been following the Scottish duo (singer/guitarist Stina Tweeddale and new drummer Cat Myers) since last year, when they were first here in the USA with We Were Promised Jetpacks (Feb 2014) - and again at SXSW 2014. We liked them so much, we featured them as "band of the show" for W♥M #206: Britpop SXSW show. They had a brief headlining summer tour (July) in support of their self-titled debut album, but unfortunately the tour did not include Minneapolis.... So it's very exciting to see that they'll come back to Minneapolis at the 7th Street Entry on March 6th, along with 2:54 (who we previously saw in June 2012 and again in October 2012 (but not as a performer; they were just in the audience)).

Also! If you are a Belle & Sebastian fan, Honeyblood will also open up for them in Madison, Wisconsin. The city is about four and a half hour to drive from Minneapolis, but might be worth it if you've never seen B&S before (they are so great live).

Hopefully, if it all works out, we will be interviewing Honeyblood prior to their arrival on US shores. I actually rarely do audio interviews, so this might look really fun. Hear my previous interviews with S*M*A*S*H, Information Society, Henry Rollins, and Matt Pinfield.

Tour dates:

02.27.15 - Rough Trade - Brooklyn, NY *
02.28.15 - DC9 - Washington, DC *
03.01.15 - Johnny Brenda's - Philadelphia, PA *
03.03.15 - The Silver Dollar Room - Toronto, ON *
03.04.15 - UFO Factory - Detroit, MI *
03.05.15 - Empty Bottle - Chicago, IL *
03.06.15 - 7th Street Entry - Minneapolis, MN *
03.08.15 - Barboza, Seattle, WA *
03.09.15 - Mississippi Studios - Portland, WA *
03.11.15 - The Rickshaw Stop - San Francisco, CA *
03.12.15 - The Echo - Los Angeles, CA *
03.13.15 - The Hideout, San Diego, CA *
03.30.15 - House of Blues - Cambridge, MA ^
04.01.15 - Massey Hall - Toronto, ON ^
04.02.15 - Royal Oak Music Theatre - Royal Oak, MI ^
04.03.15 - Riviera - Chicago, IL ^
04.04.15 - Overture Hall - Madison, WI ^

* w/ 2:54
^ w/ Belle and Sebastian

Read More Chvrches Scottish trio Chvrches, is clearly now having a good time. The indie electronic-pop threesome (Lauren Mayberry, Iain Cook, and Martin Doherty) has been steadily building in popularity over the last year …

SIMPLE MINDS
simpleminds.com

Don't you forget about them! Did you know that late 80s Scottish rock band Simple Minds is back with a new album called Big Music? Their first record in five years!

Trivia: Did you know that the band's frontman Jim Kerr worked with CHVRCHES about four years ago? Read the interview on Stereogum.

Tour dates:

Feb 07 Lisbon Coliseum Lisbon, Portugal
Feb 08 Coliseum Porto, Portugal
Feb 09 Teatro Nuevo Apolo Madrid, Spain
Feb 11 Zenith Nantes, France
Feb 12 Gayant Expo Douai, France
Feb 13 Amphitheatre 3000 Lyon, France
Feb 14 Volkshaus Zurich, Switzerland
Feb 16 Salle de Fêtes de Thônex Geneva
Feb 17 Rockhal Luxembourg, Luxembourg
Feb 18 Capitol Hannover, Germany
Feb 20 Pier2 Bremen, Germany
Feb 21 Emsland Arena Lingen (Ems), Germany
Feb 23 Theaterhaus Stuttgart, Germany
Feb 24 Palladium Cologne, Germany
Feb 27 Jovel Munster, Germany
Feb 28 Konzerthalle Olsberg, Germany
Mar 03 Kasseler Stadthalle Kassel, Germany
Mar 04 Schlachthof Wiesbaden, Germany
Mar 06 Haus Aeunsee Leipzig, Germany
Mar 07 Tollhaus Karlsruhe, Germany
Mar 08 Tonhalle Munich, Germany
Mar 10 Train Aarhus, Denmark
Mar 11 Posten Odense C, Denmark
Mar 12 Falkoner Center Copenhagen, Denmark
Mar 14 Conventum Arena Örebro, Sweden
Mar 15 Münchenbryggerie Stockholm, Sweden
Mar 16 Lisebergshallen Goteborg, Sweden
Mar 18 Sentrum Scene Oslo, Norway
Mar 19 USF Rokeriet Bergen, Norway
Mar 20 Zetlitz Stavanger Konserthus Stavanger

More dates on simpleminds.com.

Read More Nirvana The offender in this case is Geffen's reissue of In Utero triple-disc vinyl that retails for $60. First of all, who doesn't already own the In Utero? It's just a way to exploit the fans (particularly with that $150 In Utero CD/DVD boxset). …

THE VASELINES
thevaselines.co.uk

As far as I know, The Vaselines will be headlining the Cedar Cultural Center in Minneapolis on January 22nd (originally the date was not listed on their press release).

The Scottish band first came to my attention when Nirvana's frontman Kurt Cobain wore t-shirts, covered their music, and declared how much he loved them.

This January, the Vaselines will be in the States for a two weeks US promotional tour in support of their latest album V for Vaselines (Rosary Music).

Tour dates:

Jan 14 Washington, DC @ Rock and Roll Hotel
Jan 15 Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda’s
Jan 16 Brooklyn, NY @ The Bell House
Jan 17 Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall
Jan 18 Montreal, QC @ Bar Le “Ritz” P.D.B.
Jan 19 Toronto, ON @ Lee’s Palace
Jan 20 Ferndale, MI @ The Loving Touch
Jan 21 Chicago, IL @ The Empty Bottle
Jan 22 Minneapolis, MN @ Cedar Cultural Center
Jan 23 Vancouver, BC @ Rickshaw Theater
Jan 24 Seattle, WA @ Neumos
Jan 25 Portland, OR @ Doug Fir Lounge
Jan 27 San Francisco, CA @ Independent
Jan 28 West Hollywood, CA @ Roxy Theater

Read More Texas Of course, the real reason why I was drawn to Texas was because of Spiteri's white hot looks, but I was never an obsessive fan. So I was surprise to find out that Spiteri is back now with another solo album, this time, all movie covers...

TEXAS
texas.uk.com

If you know anything about Scottish band Texas, it is that they started as a weird country-esque band ... but by 1999, the band shifted their music to a dancier/disco band!

I love their later songs... and outside of the random Sharleen Spiteri solo albums, I honestly haven't kept up with the band. Did you know they released The Conversation in 2013?

Their upcoming Texas 25, is exactly like it sounds: it is Texas celebrating their 25th Anniversary as a band. It's amazing how quickly time flies... And before you dismissed Texas 25 as simply a greatest hits compilation, Texas 25 will contain four brand new songs. The rest of the songs were all re-recorded and re-worked for 2015... so it's the classic hits you know and love, only new and different for the new year.

'An Evening With Texas' tour:

04/18/15 Brighton Dome
04/19/15 Birmingham Symphony Hall
04/20/15 Salford The Lowry
04/22/15 Glasgow Royal Concert Hall
04/24/15 Dunfermline Alhambra
04/25/15 Edinburgh Queens Hall
04/27/15 Gateshead The Sage
04/28/15 Hull City Hall
04/29/15 Nottingham Royal Concert Hall
05/01/15 Bath Forum
05/02/15 London Palladium
05/03/15 Margate Winter Gardens
05/05/15 Cardiff St Davids Hall
05/06/15 Reading Hexagon

vu (vu@weheartmusic.com) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

Mogwai Interview

Read More Mogwai This is the best part, the entire soundtrack was created by instrumental Scottish band Mogwai .... Mogwai created a totally creepy atmospheric soundtrack...

Scottish post-rock band Mogwai will be in America from April through May, to tour for support of their eight studio album Rave Tapes, out now on Sub Pop Records.

Special thanks to Stuart Braithwaite for taking the time to answer these questions:

1. When I was watching the French television series The Return (Les Revenants), I immediately noticed the soundtrack by Mogwai as its own unique voice in the show. Were you given background materials for the show prior to composing the music?

Yes we were. The music from Twin Peaks and Neil Young's Dead Man was mentioned. Our own Zidane soundtrack was also cited. Other films like Let The Right One In as well as The Shining were also mentioned.

2. What is the difference between writing for a soundtrack vs an original album?

Mainly having to incorporate and be part of someone else's vision with a sound track. We are also very wary of our music detracting from the story and visuals and try to be as low key as possible. With our own records we only have ourselves to keep amused.

3. What set your latest album Rave Tapes, released by Sub Pop on January 21st, apart from your previous works?

The songs really. I don't think these songs would fit our other records. We also used quite a few instruments that we hadn't used before. Particularly the modular synthesizer.

Mogwai at First Ave (06/01/01) ticket stub

4. Bonus question: I went to your show in Minneapolis on June 1, 2001. Bardo Pond was the opener. Do you remember that tour?

I loved that tour immensely. It's always a pleasure playing with Bardo Pond. They are an amazing band. I think I bought Little Johnny Jewel by Television that day!

Mogwai will launch their upcoming U.S. tour starting at the Coachella Music Festival on April 12.

04/12/14 Coachella 04/13/14 Sacramento, CA Ace Of Spades 04/17/14 Los Angeles, CA El Rey Theatre 04/18/14 San Francisco, CA Regency Ballroom 04/19/14 Coachella 04/21/14 Albuquerque, NM Sunshine Theatre 04/22/14 El Paso, TX Tricky Falls 04/23/14 Dallas, TX Granada Theater 04/24/14 Austin, TX Emo's 04/25/14 Houston, TX Fitzgerald's 04/26/14 Baton Rouge, LA Varsity Theatre 04/27/14 New Orleans, LA Civic Theatre 04/29/14 Miami, FL Grand Central 04/30/14 Tampa, FL Ritz Ybor 05/01/14 Orlando, FL Beacham 05/02/14 Atlanta, GA Center Stage Theater 05/03/14 Nashville, TN Exit / In

05/06/14 Charlotte, NC Amos' SouthEnd 05/07/14 Washington, DC 9:30 Club 05/08/14 Philadelphia, PA Union Transfer 05/09/14 New York, NY Terminal 5 05/10/14 Boston, MA House Of Blues Boston 05/11/14 Montreal, QC Metropolis 05/13/14 Toronto, ON The Danforth Music Hall 05/14/14 Cleveland, OH House Of Blues 05/15/14 Detroit, MI St. Andrews Hall 05/16/14 Chicago, IL Vic Theatre 05/17/14 Des Moines, IA Wooly's 05/18/14 Minneapolis, MN First Avenue 05/20/14 Denver, CO Ogden Theatre 05/21/14 Salt Lake City, UT The Depot 05/23/14 Sasquatch! Music Festival 05/24/14 Portland, OR Roseland Theater 05/25/14 Vancouver, BC Vogue Theatre

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ podcast.weheartmusic.com ♥ twitter.com/weheartmusic

Glasvegas w/ The Ceremonies - 7th St Entry, Minneapolis (25 Feb 2014) concert review

Glasvegas Poster Setlist Later...When the TV Turns to Static Youngblood It's My Own Cheating Heart That Makes Me Cry Lonesome Swan If All I Want Is My Baby The World Is Yours Dream Dream Dreaming Geraldine Ice Cream Van Go Square Go -- Encore -- A Snowflake Fell (And it Felt Like a Kiss) Choices Daddy's Gone Glasvegas Tour Dates 03/04 Late Show with Craig Ferguson 03/04 Los Angeles, CA The Echo 03/06 San Francisco, CA Popscene Read More Glasvegas Scottish indie quartet Glasvegas is saying ‘hello’ to America again with a three week coast-to-coast club tour of intimate venues that give the audience a rare chance to see the band up close and personal. … The Ceremonies Los Angeles band The Ceremonies, which feature the three Cook brothers, open the show with their own blend of indie-rock, chiefly influenced by UK 80’s bands such as Echo and the Bunnymen and …

“Welcome back to brilliant” - NME …or … “If it’s not Scottish, it’s crap!”- Mike Myers

Either quote is applicable to Glasgow-based indie quartet ,Glasvegas (the NME quote is in reference to their latest album) as they re-introduced themselves to the U.S. and Minneapolis with a recent intimate club show at the 7th Street Entry.

The Ceremonies Poster

California indie-rockers, The Ceremonies headed by the three Cook brothers (Matthew, Mark, and Michael), opened the show with selections from their self-titled debut EP (Atom Factory/Capitol Records) with a sound that echoes their influence of '80s post-punk pioneers such as Echo and the Bunnymen and The Cure, and blends that with intelligent lyrics and mindful melodies.

Standout tracks included lead single, ‘Land of Gathering’ and ‘Ballroom Bones’, with the three brothers harmonizing as naturally as family members that grew up together, can do. The band had never been as cold before as they were in Minneapolis, but are used to traveling with Scots, as they previously had opened for The Fratellis on their recent U.S. jaunt, and had an honest excitement about being able to bring their music to new audiences once more.

Glasvegas' James Allan

Glasvegas took the stage for their 75 min. set, opening with the building title track from their latest effort, Later...When the TV Turns to Static (BMG), to whoops and wails from the crowd. The band, all in black and headed by cousins James Allan and Rab Allan along with bassist Paul Donoghue and stand-up drummer Jonna Löfgren is on their 8th tour of the Americas, but hasn’t been seen locally in three+ years, so many in the crowd were eager for their return.

The revelation of the band since the initial time I saw them, was drummer Löfgren who joined the band for last effort, Euphoric /// Heartbreak \\\, and who hails from a small town in Northern Sweden, not far from the Arctic Circle. Löfgren joined after their fruitless UK searches to find a replacement for Caroline McKay had them looking in Sweden for a female drummer.

A crude, phone-shot video clip of Löfgren drumming along to the band’s ‘Geraldine’ was sent to their management, and they all met in London over dinner and drinks. When Löfgren didn’t show them her drumming chops before she was sent home, she somewhat doubted her future, but was called shortly after and asked to join the band, the chemistry between members clearly evident then, as was this night on stage.

‘If’, the initial single from the new album, relies on booming percussion from Löfgren, who delivered on this evening, jumping about whilst wearing dark sunglasses, amid a strobe light timed with her beats. Singer Allan kept the crowd entertained in-between, with humorous stories from the road, in a thick Scottish accent that was sometimes hard to decipher.

Older songs predictably received the strongest crowd response, including first hit, ‘Geraldine’, which Allan prefaced with a laugh-out-loud story of a woman singing badly into one of their in-monitor crowd microphones that only the band could hear, and left them looking at each other, to see who was out of tune.

‘Ice Cream Van’ started solemnly with Rab Allan taking the organ to accompany his cousin’s voice, then the song culminating in a huge sound of crashing percussion. ‘Go Square Go’ ended the main set, with the audience chanting the pounding, “here we, here we, here we f**king go!” chorus, some pogoing in place.

The encore started quietly, with Allan pointing out a crowd member who had attended every show on the tour thus far, then went into the touching and elegant ‘A Snowflake Fell (And it Felt Like a Kiss)’, which the crowd requester had mentioned was her wedding song.

Glasvegas is still a force of sound still worth reckoning

After cracking open a Pabst on stage (and showing a bit of a bitter beer face), ‘Choices’ from the new album followed, with its melancholy lyrics and Allan pleading for that glimmer of sunshine in its “I still have choices” chorus line. The anthemic ‘Daddy’s Gone’ closed the evening with resolution, reminding us all that Glasvegas is still a force of sound still worth reckoning and keeping tabs on as to what they do in the future.

The brief U.S. tour ends this week, with a few West Coast dates, and a rare U.S. TV appearance tomorrow night on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson…who happens to also be a fellow Glaswegian.

Glasvegas at 7th St Entry, Minneapolis (25 Feb 2014)

john () ♥ weheartmusic.com

Great Scotts!

Fratellis US/Canada 2014 Dates poster Read More The Fratellis After a five year absent from the music scene, The Fratellis are back with a brand new album We Need Medicine. The Scottish band is currently in the middle of a tiny, tiny U.S. tour in support of it, and basically selling out every …

THE FRATELLIS
thefratellis.com

We were lucky enough to have caught The Fratellis at their sold-out tour in 2013. The Scottish band just announced new 2014 North American tour dates. Buy your tickets now (if it's available for advance tickets), because based on their previous sold out status at smaller clubs, these shows will likely sell out as well:

02/21: Atlanta, GA @ Hell Stage
02/22: Orlando, FL @ The Social
02/26: Vancouver, BC @ VENUE
02/27: Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile
03/01: Toronto, ON @ Phoenix Concert Theatre

The Fratellis' latest album is called We Need Medicine and it is out now on BMG Records.

Stay tuned for more news from The Fratellis coming soon!

Bonus section: The Ceremonies aren't from Scotland, but we saw them in Chicago with the Fratellis.

They seem to like Scottish bands, because they've just announced a Winter 2014 tour date with Scottish indie-rock band Glasvegas. We previously mentioned the Glasvegas tour dates here, but in case you missed it:

02/16 Washington DC Rock N Roll Hotel (All Ages)
02/17 Philadelphia, PA North Star Bar
02/18 Boston, MA Great Scott (18+)
02/19 New York, NY Mercury Lounge
02/20 Brooklyn, NY Rough Trade
02/22 Toronto, ON Mod Club
02/24 Chicago, IL Schubas
02/25 Minneapolis, MN 7th Street Entry (18+)
02/28 Seattle, WA Columbia City Theater
03/01 Vancouver, BC The Venue
03/02 Portland, OR Doug Fir Lounge
03/04 Los Angeles, CA The Echo (18+)

The Ceremonies debut self-titled EP is out now on Atom Factory Music/Capitol Records.

E Rey - Live in Philadelphia FatCat Read More We Were Promised Jetpacks Thanks to motormouth for sending in some information and upcoming tour dates for We Were Promised Jetpacks. Jetpack's latest album, These Four Walls was released earlier this month, their upcoming tour schedule …

WE WERE PROMISED JETPACKS
wewerepromisedjetpacks.com

We Were Promised Jetpacks will be returning with E Rey - Live in Philadelphia, an album that was recorded at Philadelphia's Union Transfer. The live album will be out February 25th via FatCat and follows up We Were Promised Jetpacks critically acclaimed sophomore album In The Pit Of The Stomach.

I previously saw We Were Promised Jetpacks at SXSW 2009 at the Scottish Showcase, and they were so very happy to have such a crowded audience (especially showing up early for the opening band), and mentioned on stage that no one gave a "sh***" about them in their hometown.

Looks like the band is back in the U.S. to tour around SXSW this year:

02.21 - Los Angeles, CA @ The El Rey
02.22 - San Francisco, CA @ Bimbo's 365 Club
02.24 - Portland, OR @ Doug Fir
02.25 - Seattle, WA @ Neumo's
02.28 - Minneapolis, MN @ Triple Rock Social
03.01 - Milwaukee, WI @ Shank Hall
03.02 - Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
03.03 - Cleveland, OH @ the Grog Shop
03.05 - Cambridge, MA @ The Sinclair
03.06 - Wilmington, DE @ Arden Gild Hall
03.07 - Washington, DC @ The Black Cat
03.08 - New York, NY @ Webster Hall
03.09 - Richmond, VA @ The Camel
03.11 - Chattanooga, TN @ Rhythm And Brews
03.14 - Austin, TX @ SXSW
03.15 - Austin, TX @ SXSW
03.16 - Mexico City, Mexico @ Pasagüero

Read More Jarvis Cocker Sally, joins us once again to talk more Britpop! Is there a britpopcast in the future? Talks centers around Jarvis Cocker and Pulp, Suede. Pulp started in 1978 …

EVERYTHING IS NEW
everythingisnewproject.com

'Everything is New' is the international outreach project created by Scottish arts community Transgressive North in aid of Dalit "untouchable" children in southeast India, now has over 1,000 contributors, all working for free. Proceeds from the project go to the charity Scottish Love in Action which feeds, clothes, houses, educates and provides medical care for over 500 children by funding the Light of Love Home and School in southeast India.

Coming out next week, January 20th, are two releases:

[1] Marram's Sun Choir, featuring Jarvis Cocker (Pulp), Owen Pallett, doseone, White Hinterland and Margaret Bennett

[2] a compilation called BOATS, featuring exclusive tracks by Four Tet, Dan Deacon, Bear in Heaven, Califone, Deerhoof, El Guincho, Gang Gang Dance, Lucky Dragons, Julian Lynch, Max Tundra, No Age, The Ruby Suns, Rustie, Son Lux, Sun Airway, A Sunny Day in Glasgow, Taken By Trees, Jamie Stewart (Xiu Xiu), YACHT, and many more.

On both releases, you can hear the voices of Light of Love Children's Choir, which is made up of the voices of the children from the Light of Love Home and School.

In further support of the project, Transgressive North released Marram feat. Jarvis Cocker and Margaret Bennett's "Falling From The Sun." You can hear it on Soundcloud.

Celtic Connections celticconnections.com Read More Mogwai This is the best part, the entire soundtrack was created by instrumental Scottish band Mogwai. They are more shoegazy or mathrock, but for the soundtrack, which was released February 25th …

CELTIC CONNECTIONS
celticconnections.com

Taking place in a few days is Celtic Connections music festival. Over 200 musicians from around the world is playing in Glasgow between January 16th and February 2nd, 2014.

I looked over the map, it seems like there are over 10 different concert venues participating in this three-week event.

Some of the artists schedule to appear are:

Del Amitri, Imelda May, Capercaillie, Bobby Womack, Mahotella Queens, Salsa Celtica, Amadou & Miriam, Lúnasa, AR Rahman & Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Mogwai, Peatbog Faeries, Julie Fowlis, Elephant Revival, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Manu Dibango, Treacherous Orchestra, Shawn Colvin, Nicola Benedetti, Stockton's Wing, The Gloaming, Lau, Suzanne Vega, Seth Lakeman, RANT, Boban Marković Orchestra, Alkinoos Ioannidis, The Olllam, Bill Callahan, De Temps Antan, RM Hubbert, Lloyd Cole & the Leopards, Kathleen MacInnes, Tim Finn, Dick Gaughan and The Stray Birds.

Fatherson Tour Dates poster

FATHERSON
fathersonband.co.uk

Scotland's Fatherson recently sold out their Glasgow show with over 500 people singing every word, indicating that they have strong hometown support. The band new album I Am An Island will be coming out April 7th on A Modern Way.

In the meantime, they're set to open up for Lonely The Brave:

01/26/14 Glasgow, King Tuts *
01/27/14 Manchester, Deaf Institute
01/28/14 Leicester, Academy 2
01/30/14 London, Cargo
01/31/14 Aldershot, West End Centre
02/01/14 Nottingham, Rock City Basement
02/04/14 Southampton, Joiners
02/05/14 Leeds, Cockpit
02/07/14 Norwich, Open
02/08/14 Cambridge, Junction 2

* Ross Leighton acoustic set

Vladimir: Come Over soundcloud.com

VLADIMIR
facebook.com

Vladimir is "the noisiest band in Dundee [Scotland]", according to Daily Record.

The four-piece young band (everyone is 18 years old) is known for their "excessively loud chaotic live shows", opening up for such bands as Peace, The View, Pigeon Detectives, The Twilight Sad and Wet Nuns.

Their last release was "Come Over", which came out November 18th, 2013. You can hear the track on soundcloud.com. The track is free to download.



The band was recently on "Vic's 25 Scottish Artists to Watch 2014". The list is in alphabetical order, so take that as you will with Vladimir ending up last because of the 'v'.

vu () ♥ weheartmusic.com