Poor Things

Having a wealth of friends 'in bands' I feel obliged to attempt to plug at least one of them so I've taken it upon myself to introduce 'Poor Things' (who I feel are the best band I know personally) to this blog.

Poor Things, from left to right; Richard Stratton, Gavin Redford and Craig Angus

These lads have a right history of making music amongst them and I remember one of their earliest bands when we all lived in Perth. 'Broxden' (named after a roundabout in Perth) consisted of four band members, Craig Angus, Richard Stratton, Gavin Redford (these 3 are in Poor Things) and Ethan Wylie. 

The boys have now grown up and moved on (literally - to Glasgow). Poor Things officially formed in late 2009 and changed their old Broxden style from indie to more alternative rock. They have a long history of live performances including Glasgow's famous 'King Tut's Wah Wah Hut'. 

Whilst doing a bit of research I figured the best information could only come from the band themselves. After Craig Angus told me what I thought was something interesting to quote, I asked if he was lead vocals (I remember a few of them singing when I saw them).

"and richard... it's a taking turns job, one of sharing and caring"

 I also asked him what he would class Poor Things genre as...

"alternative rock with a summery pop feel"

Poor Things Craig Angus performs at King Tuts, Jan 2011

Although I'd consider the members of Poor Things to be friends, it was nice to find that like their individual selves, as a band they can have a joke and don't take themselves to seriously. On their facebook page, found here, the boys have stated, rather humorously, in their bio that...

"Unlike other bands, none of Poor Things are full time smokers. Understand this is not for health reasons - they are just too afraid to go into the shop and ask for them."

In terms of succeeding in the music industry, I feel the boys have the right approach. They have fun, make good music and keep themselves in peoples heads by playing live regularly throughout Glasgow and Scotland as a whole.

Considering we're now on the brink of summer, I feel these guys make perfect music for the whole bbq/back garden/cider in your hand/sunburnt shoulders type of day. They're easy to listen to with catchy tunes that make you want to tap your feet. For 3 young guys their lyrics are also rather impressive and I believe they truly are brilliant songwriters.

Check out their recent track Miss World Contemplates below...

Poor Things are : Craig Angus (vocals/guitar/bass); Richard Stratton (vocals/bass/guitar); Gavin Redford (backing vocals/drums).

You can check them out at the links below

Facebook

Soundcloud

The Hydro

Do we really need another venue in Glasgow?


Apparently the answer is yes, we do!

And that's where The Hydro comes in. The Hydro Arena will be Scotland's newest entertainment venue, catering to music, sport, comedy and much more. The currently under construction venue will seat up to 12,000  and is set to take in an audience of 1 million per year.

The Hydro under construction, March 2012

Whilst walking past the construction site recently, I decided the foundations resembled that of a football (or other sports) stadium. The round structure and rapidly raised seating shows the extent to which they want to fit in as many people as they can.

I took to the streets to find out the publics opinions on the new venue.

Matt, 23 says

I don't understand why they're putting it so close to the SECC. It's already an inconvenient location for people who don't know Glasgow and the car park system is a nightmare. 

Hilda, 63 had a more positive outlook on the new Arena

The Commonwealth Games are coming in 2014 and I think everyone's excited at the prospect of a brand new venue for them. They can't expect to hold something as prestigious as the Games in the Kelvin Hall or the SECC can they?

As Matt pointed out, the Arena is being built within extremely close proximity to the SECC. However, is this really a bad thing? Yes and No. It could be disastrous for Glasgow public transport if there were to be an event in both venues on the same day. Also, as there are very little bus/train routes that go near the Queen's Dock, this could cause congestion during Commonwealth time. The positives that could come of this however is a boost of economy in the area. We may start to see other developments in the area, residential and commercial, and I certainly hope Glasgow City Council boost the transport available to the area.

Due to open in 2013, you can visit the official website here.

The 'Armadillo' (left) with Scotland's newest venue, The Hydro. Expected View of Queens Dock

 

GLASvegas

Although this band don't conform so much to the pop-punk semi theme of this blog, I had to put them in here. They are called GLASvegas after all, and they are from GLASgow.

Glasgow Indie Rock band, Glasvegas

I first got into Glasvegas when I heard their single 'Daddy's Gone'. I found it to be really catchy and pretty sure I overplayed it on my iTunes to the extent it entered the 'Top 25 played' playlist in about a day. 

Glasvegas perform 'Daddy's Gone'

Glasvegas consist of James Allan (vocals), Rab Allan (lead guitar), Paul Donoghue (bass guitar) and Jonna Lofgren (drums).

NME compared the band to the likes of the Libertines and Arctic Monkeys stating that...

If The Libertines defined the start of the decade and Arctic Monkeys it's middle, then Glasvegas are almost certainly going to define it's end and beyond.

They have released two studio albums and one mini album since their inception and are still going strong.

To see Glasvegas play live in Glasgow on Thursday the 5th of April at the Classic Grand CLICK HERE.

To keep up to date with the band, check out their Twitter page HERE.

Forever the Sickest Kids

I can't quite remember when I was introduced to this band, but it was around my 'Disney Channel' obsession faze. I had subscribed to Selena Gomez on YouTube and this video popped up on my feed.

I'm pretty sure this was the band that started my pop-punk obsession, and I'm also pretty sure they came before the All Time Low obsession so they do have a special place in my music memories.

Starting off in 2007 as 6 guys from Dallas, Texas they have now been reduced to 4, but the band is still as strong as ever.

The band reached almost instant success landing a supporting slot on the 2008 Alternative press tour with extremely successful pop-punk bands such as All Time Low, The Maine and Metro Station.


Since then the band has gone from strength to strength with two studio albums and 4 EP's released over the years.

So this brings me on to how I got to see them perform live...

I get the ticketmaster emails every now and again but they're usually something that bypass my attention. For some reason on this particular Friday however I decided to check them and nearly caused my flatmates a heart attack with my reaction. Forever The Sickest Kids were scheduled to play at the Garage... IN THREE DAYS TIME.

I immediately purchased two tickets and begged one of my flatmates to come with me. As I was paying, she agreed. Don't think she knew what she was in for.

The night of the gig I was overwhelmed with excitement and as the band took to the stage I started to cry. I feel pretty ridiculous thinking back on it now but as a relatively unknown band in the UK and no friends I knew to share my fandom with I was too psyched at the fact I was actually getting to see them.

Forever The Sickest Kids perform 'Believe Me, I'm Lying' at the Garage Oct 2011

They played all their best songs such as She's a Lady and Hey Brittany to a small but dedicated fan base. I didn't care about the fact I was being pushed about because I was having too much fun. I'm not sure if my flatmate could say the same however, and I made it worse for her by demanding we wait out the back for two hours after the gig finished. And guess what, I struck gold. The drummer, Kyle Burns, who has been my favourite band member since I first watched that Selena Gomez video happened to walk by. And this is what happened next.... drum roll please

YAY! Me and drummer, Kyle Burns

The boys are returning to Glasgow on the 25th of May to Play at the Cathouse. Tickets can be bought here

To keep up to date with the boys, follow them on twitter here

My Glasgow Music Memories

This post will take the form of a photo/video blog, documenting my music memories in the City of Glasgow

My First Gig in Glasgow - On the way to 'Air Traffic' @ the Garage - 2007

Air Traffic - Just Abuse Me

The Garage, 2007

Air Traffic was one of the first gigs I went to without parental supervision. A massive group of us from school, my own year and the year above got on the train to Glasgow and had a right laugh. Air Traffic were one of my favourites for a while and although they're not around anymore, I still enjoy listening to them.

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Jaret and Erik of Bowling For Soup perform acoustically.

Me, My Dad and Bowling for Soup, O2 Academy, Oct 2009

 This photo was taken in the O2 Academy in a small bar upstairs. Jaret Reddick and Erik Chandler of Bowling for Soup performed a live acoustic set to a small group of vip ticket holders.

Bowling for Soup perform at the O2 Academy, Oct 2009

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Arctic Monkeys - When the Sun Goes Down

SECC, NOV 2009

Arctic Monkeys, SECC, Nov 2009 

I was lucky enough to get these tickets for free and had an amazing time. This was my second time seeing Arctic Monkeys and have seen them again since. Never fail to disappoint.

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Poor Things perform at Glasgow's King Tut's Wah Wah Hut, Jan 2011

This band consist of a group of friends of mine from Perth who have titled themselves 'Poor Things'.  These three guys have experience gigging together and have been doing it for about 6 years now. A great local band to check out. This picture was taken when I saw them perform at King Tut's back in Jan 2011

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Greg James DJ's @ 'Propaganda', O2 ABC, Sep 2011

Greg James DJ's @ 'Propaganda', O2 ABC, Sep 2011

Greg James has been one of my favourite DJ's since he started his 1pm-4pm slot after Fearne Cotton and before Scott Mills, weekdays on BBC RADIO 1. Usually an avid follower of his on Twitter, I got a massive shock to find out 1 HOUR before that he was to DJ at ABC on Sauchiehall Street. As I didn't have internet set up in my flat yet, I had been quite negligent to check twitter on my phone due to the costs of connecting to 3G.  After frantically zooming about to get ready and try to recruit some friends to come with me, I somehow managed to make it on time and to the front of the barrier. Safe to say I didn't move from that spot all night, lost my friends 5 minutes in and had the best night of my life. 

Follow Greg James on Twitter here

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Forever the Sickest Kids perform 'Whoa Oh! (Me vs. Everyone)

Forever the Sickest Kids are probably as much of a staple in my life as All Time Low. I saw these guys in October 2011 and as they were a band I never thought I'd see perform live, I was over the moon when I heard they were coming to Glasgow. Look out for them as an upcoming feature on this blog.

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All Time Low obviously need no introduction after expressing how much I like them in an earlier blog post. This is them performing at Glasgow's O2 Academy in Jan of this year.

Alex Gaskarth of All Time Low speaks to the

 crowd, Jan 2012, O2 Academy

Glasgow's got the X Factor

Deviating slightly from my usual topic of 'pop-punk in Glasgow', I'm going to discuss yesterdays 'X Factor' tour at the SECC. 

My Mum decided to surprise me and my 7 year old brother to 'X Factor' tour tickets as our Christmas presents. We were both pretty excited and I was looking forward to sharing my experience with my little brother - it was his very first concert. I remember how I felt before my first concert, Steps, around '99, also at the SECC. The anticipation of walking down the long tunnel, over the motorway. The smell of the burger van outside. Knowing you had your tickets as you were watching others buying them from touts.

My little brother Callum standing outside the SECC before the show

For someone who shows little emotional expression, I could tell he was excited as he entered the arena yesterday and said "Wow! This is awesome". The concert was held in Hall 4, the biggest space available at the secc with a capacity of up to 12,500 people. Already you could tell there was to be a host of show spectaculars with multiple stages, harnesses from the ceilings, large screens and many stage props.

Little Mix suspended from ceiling, image courtesy of  tellymix.co.uk

Sitting on the raised seating meant there was no giant in-front of you blocking your view - good for the wee one. However I don't think he was impressed when nearly all the acts at some point walked through the floor crowd and we were unable to see.

Amelia Lily performs 'Since U Been Gone' whilst walking through the crowd

In terms of the additions to the performances - the set, lighting, fire and glitter - it was all very overwhelming, however I felt the actual acts and their timings to be rather disappointing. As each act came on and came on again for 1 or 2 songs each time there was no real grasp for our attention. Every time someone left the stage and we waited for a new act to appear, I felt a little bored and un-exhilarated.

We all seemed to be a little confused as to why the X Factor 2011 winners 'Little Mix' didn't come on till the very end. Although we agreed they deserved a little longer than the rest and a defining block of stage time, we felt an appearance earlier on in the show would have heightened excitement.

Little Mix perform 'You've Got the Love

Overall, the performances in terms of vocal ability and stage presence were outstanding and it seemed obvious why these acts had came to be in the final in last years competition. I do feel however that the crowd were a bit of a letdown. I don't know if this was due to the fact there was a large percentage of <10 year olds who seemed to be at their first concert and unaware of how to raise an atmosphere or due to the fact I was extremely hungover from a 21st the night before.

X Factor hosts a live tour every year from the majority of 'live show' acts and SECC are continuing to be the venue for Glasgow's appearance. Tickets can be found on the Ticketmaster website and are usually in the £30-£40 region. I would recommend the tour to any avid X Factor fans/children (the Brother once again emphasised the "awesomeness" of the day) however, as I wasn't largely interested in this years contestants, I felt the money would have been spent better elsewhere.

ALL TIME LOWWWWW

Now on to the post I've been wanting to write from the start, hence the capitals and extra letters in the title. I shall start with a picture of these beautiful boys. 

All Time Low, from left to right; Rian, Dawson, Jack Barakat, Alex Gaskarth, Zack Merrick

I think its plain enough to say that by looking at these 4 cheeky chappies, anyone with half a brain could decipher what genre All Time Low fall under. However, according to their official Facebook page they do confirm it's pop-punk (YAY MY FAVE).

From Baltimore, U.S, (no, their songs sound nothing like those in that movie 'Hairspray') Alex, Zack, Jack and Rian formed All Time Low in 2003 whilst still in high school. They originated by covering well known pop punk band Blink 182. Alex and co. hit instant success, securing a record deal in 2004, an EP later that same year and their début studio album, The Party Scene, in the summer of the following year.

All Time Low's debut album 'The Party Scene'

With a wealth of albums and a massive chunk of touring the world under their belt, it'd be hard to argue that these guys aren't doing well for themselves and I am extremely cheesed (in the good cheshire cat type of way) to say that I've had the pleasure of seeing them twice.

First time was in 2011 at our lovely, Scottish, summery (questionable) festival T in the Park. I was extremely proud of them managing to secure a place on the main stage on the Sunday. Considering the main stage has been host to Beyonce, Coldplay, Sir Tom Jones and other very famous and successful acts, I couldn't help but laugh in the face of those bitter friends who told me they were no good. Although they put on a brilliant performance to a semi-small crowd I was so unbelievably disappointed when walking down the campers mile (on time, for once in my life) I hear nothing more, nothing less than lead singer Alex belting out "maybe it's not my weekend, but it's gonna be my year". The words to my favourite All Time Low song, Weightless were being blared out around me, so I ran. I ran as fast as I could and joined in the crowd at the end of the song. Although I was pretty furious they'd been sent on early and I'd missed half the set, they were still, in the words of 'weegies'... pure dead brilliant.

All Time Low perform 'Dear Maria, Count Me In' at T in The Park 2011

The rest of the set was a little bit of a blur as I had consumed a little too much of that beverage that sponsors T in The Park...you know the one I mean. But... I got to see them again!

All Time Low perform at T in The Park 2011

And here comes the reason they are relevant to a Glasgow music blog...

I had bought tickets about 5 months in advance to see the boys play in Glasgow early 2012, and I was too excited for my own good. They were playing at my favourite Glasgow venue, the O2 Academy (formerly Carling Academy). Although, once again, my enjoyment of the performance was mildly disrupted by things such as the ridiculously long queue through Glasgow's Southside to get in the bleeding place (not good after downing a bottle of Stella in the taxi) and the fact I had psyched myself up to the point I was shaking, I still had an amazing night and the boys didn't disappoint... will they ever?

All Time Low perform 'Six Feet Under the Stars' at O2 Academy, Jan 2012

After all this All Time Low chat, I feel I deserve a music break... I wonder who I'll listen to ;)

Until next time, here are some ways you can find out more/get in contact with the band/make them monies etc...


To listen to/buy their music, click here.
Facebook page, click here
Twitter, click here
Website, click here

King Tut's WAH WAH HUT

NME describes King Tut's as "quite possibly the finest small venue in the world", so on that note, this deserves to be kept short.


King Tuts started back in 1990 and has had growing success ever since. Host to a wide variety of music from mainstream to unsigned acts and the lively atmosphere it exhumes, this has led the venue to be named BBC Radio 1's "UK's best live venue" for three years in a row.

The stairs up to the main hall showcase the array of artists who have performed here over the years

On first arrival at the venue, it seems nothing more than a small pub with friendly bar staff and the smell of tasty (cheap) food. However, once you get past that first room, ticket in hand and up the stairs, you can really see where the magic is. For a venue, you can't get more up close and personal than here. No matter where you stand, the stage is unlikely to be more than 20 metres from you and this provides not only viewing satisfaction, but great acoustics to the room.

Hometown Heroes, 'Biffy Clyro' perform at King Tut's Wah Wah Hut in 2005

Fully equipped with a bar a couple feet away, a gig at King Tuts is bound to be a memorable night.

The small venue has helped many bands on their way to success. One of the more notable stories tells of how Oasis were signed by Alan McGee after seeing them play at King Tut's.

I've seen two bands play the King Tut's venue, first was in the pub down stairs. My friends Dad's band, The John McIain Band, were making their first Glasgow appearance (based in Perth) and I'd say King Tut's isn't a bad place to start. You can find them here.

Secondly was another band originally from Perth. The boys of Poor Things are friends of mine so I was immensely happy for them when I got to see them perform on the main stage at King Tuts Wah Wah Hut.

To learn more about the venue, it's histories and upcoming events, visit the website below.

KING TUT'S WAH WAH HUT

Bowling for Glasgow

Bowling for Soup can be argued as one of the greatest, oldest, but still current, pop-punk bands of our generation. The band was formed in their home state of Texas back in 1994 and are well known for their hits such as Girls all the Bad Guys Want, High School Never ends and 1985. The band consists of Jaret Reddick  (lead vocals, rhythm guitar, Chris Burney (lead guitar, backing vocals), Erik Chandler (bass guitar, backing vocals) and Gary Wiseman (drums), who replaced Lance Morrill in 1998.

Having seen Bowling for Soup perform 3 times now, I can say with all honesty they are a brilliant act to watch. The range of venues and situations they can perform in and still keep the crowd entertained is spectacular. The first time I attended one of their gigs, I was lucky enough to see them in Texas, at Houston’s Warehouse Live in 2006. This was to a small crowd of dedicated fans in a venue that holds 350. As an avid stand-up comedy fan I was pleasantly surprised to find comedy largely incorporated into the performance. Lead singer Jaret can really hold the audience’s attention. A feature I’ve seen run throughout the duration of their career is to stop a song mid way and have a laugh with the audience, some interaction and some (probably) pre-written jokes. The band then simultaneously start to play where they left off, astonishing the audience with no visibly obvious countdown.

The second time I attended a performance was during the year of 2008 at Scotland’s largest music festival, T In The Park. Although they were scheduled for the main stage and this obviously meant a large percentage of the festival goers would attend, there was still some speculation as to whether the Scottish T in The Park loyalists would really ‘get them’ as an act. However, once again, Jaret and the band did not disappoint. Like always, they performed their classics to a unanimous sing-along from the crowd. 

Bowling for Soup perform at Scotland's 'T IN THE PARK', 2008

The most recent time I've seen Jaret and co. perform was here in Glasgow. My Dad surprised me with tickets to see them at the O2 Academy (formerly Carling Academy) in October of 2009 during the 'Party in Your Pants' tour. However, the surprises didn't end there. He had infact bought vip/meet and greet tickets for myself and him which entitled us to an acoustic pre-show performance by Jaret and Erik. Although this was fantastic and I noticed the fact that Jaret can actually sing, it was just a smaller, mirrored version of the show I was to see later.

Myself and my Dad with the band 

During the main show the band once again followed their usual set of classic hits and comedy. I was excited to hear them cover Katy Perry's 'Hot n Cold', a favourite song of mine at the time which received a great reaction from the crowd. 

Performing '1985' at the O2 Academy, Oct 2009

Bowling for Soup are set to return to Glasgow this month for an acoustic performance from Jaret and Erik. They will don the West End's 'Oran Mor' on Tuesday the 27th of March with support from People on Vacation. More details and tickets can be found at the links below.

Ticketmaster

Website

Bowling for Soup Twitter Account

"Hello Glasgow!"

Hello all in Bloggersphere,

Gonna fire right in to this and list the reasons why I think YOU should subscribe...

1. This is the only 'pop-punk', glasgow area blog I could find (I dare you to search(and post them here if you find any :p))
2. For those of you in to a wider variety of music, there will be slight deviation from the pop-punk genre
3. There will be a number of reviews on the following;
1. Gigs
2. Venues
3. Bands/Artists
4. I will contact for interview up and coming/ already established/ slowly approaching the grave pop-punk acts within the Glasgow/Strathclyde/Lanarkshire area.
5. For those of you not in Glasgow, there'll still be a lot of mention of those artists more international if I can find a reason to relate them slightly to Glasgow

Hope you enjoy and here's a wee video from American band 'All Time Low' who recently played at Glasgow's O2 Academy.