TSA issue 36 - October 2017

Free | Issue 36 | October 2017 WeAreTSA.co.uk

clean bandit full interview pages 24 & 25

PLUS halloween special the hoosiers calum scott lewis capaldi all inside

YOU CAN BUILD ROCKETS. BUT CAN YOU START FIRES? Find out more now at teachinscotland.scot

FREE | Issue 36 | October 2017 | WeAreTSA.co.uk

contents Students warned to check their gadgets

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Will the insurance at your new halls of residence have your back during your newfound independence if your device gets damaged or, worse, stolen?

Cult horror classic at Kelvingrove Art Gallery

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Electric Frog and BAaD are kicking off Halloween with John Carpernter’s 1978 horror cult classic, Halloween on 28th October, followed by a DJ set.

Halloween Happenings

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What’s happening in Glasgow and Edinburgh this Halloween?

Festival Season Round-up

Edinburgh Horror Festival

A round-up of 2017’s festival season and the stand out gigs

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Album Reviews

The Edinburgh Horror Festival is one of the first of its kind in the UK.

Halloween Party Ideas

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Maybe something wicked, or something sexy – here are the top five costumes of 2017.

Calling all Design Students!

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Krafty Brew’s EH6 Festival will finally descend upon Leith, Edinburgh this month.

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Issue 36, October 2017 E. info@thestudentadvertiser.co.uk T. 0141 222 2202

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GAGA’s little monsters get a sneak peak behind closed doors in ‘Five Foot Two’

Have A Fantastically Queer Halloween We’ve compiled everything you will need to make this the gayest of gay Halloweens.

Camp Cult Classic Movies

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We’ve done the leg work for you and looked up all the films you will not want to miss on your list for the campest Halloween yet.

Clean Bandit COVER STORY

The Hoosiers are coming to King Tuts this November so we caught up with front man and singer Irwin Sparkles about the past, present and future of the band.

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what’s on | HALLOWEEN

TSA is the most widely distributed publication of it’s kind in Glasgow and Edinburgh and we work everyday to keep it that way. Our in depth local knowledge means we deliver the right number of copies to all the right outlets, and our regular fresh issue keeps readers engaged.

Get in touch to find out more about how to advertise.

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Four-time Brit Award nominees and renowned global hit producers, Clean Bandit, prepare for their UK tour – we caught up with supersonic front woman Grace Chatto.

Celebrating 10 Years of The Trick To Life with The Hoosiers

Suite 3.3, Station House, 34 St Enoch Square, Glasgow G1 4DF www.wearetsa.co.uk

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Every month we collaborate with Glasgow’s very own Newhellfire Club to introduce to you an artist who is doing especially well on the local music scene.

October 2017

Looking for a new queer-centric band? Look no further than MUNA, the LA-based trio.

Five foot two Review

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Glasgow has more to offer than great drinking joints and more rain than shine – it was the European city of culture after all!

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What’s on in Glasgow and Edinburgh this October

Stop what you’re doing and listen to MUNA

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We chat to Calum Scott about finding his own sound, being more comfortable in his skin, and staying humble in the face of overnight celebrity status

New Hellfire Club’s October Pick of the Month

Edinburgh Craft Beer Brewery prepare for EH6 Festival debut 15

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Prepare to hear a new up and coming star play over your radio every day, this new singer-songwriter on the scene is one to watch.

Glasgow’s Best Music Venues

A new competition dedicated to interior design has been announced with the chance to win up to 3,500EUR.

Let’s Look Ahead

A review of the top albums October has on offer

The Interview: Calum Scott

There’s no better way to get into the Halloween festivities than to watch a scary movie.

5 Costume Set To Dominate Halloween This Year

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Lewis Capaldi is a name you’ll be hearing a lot more of

If waiting in long queues and paying entry fees for clubs is not for you, then throwing your own party is the next best thing!

Netflix And Chill For Halloween

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Editorial Contributions Holly Fleming Sophie McLean Liam Menzies Rhiannon Melrose Keira McLean Natalie Miller Thomas Neil Rachael Procter Managing Director Mark Ferguson Editor Katie Jones LGBT Editor Jonny Stone

E. info@thestudentadvertiser.co.uk

New Hellfire Club Pick of the Month www.newhellfireclub.co.uk

Facebook: thestudentadvertiser Twitter: @TSA_Newspaper

Sales Executive kenny@thestudentadvertiser.co.uk

This publication is fully protected by copyright and nothing may be printed without the written permission of The Student Advertiser and the publishers. The proprietors of this publication are publishers and not agents, or sub-agents of those who advertise therein. They cannot be held liable for any loss suffered as a result of information gained from this publication.

The Student Advertiser takes no responsibility for claims made by advertisements in this publication.

We consider our sources reliable, and while every effort has been made to ensure that information is accurate at the time of print, reporting inaccuracies can occur, therefore readers using this information do so at their own risk.

Students warned to check gadget insurance cover before taking up residence in halls

Advertising Feature

You’ve done the hard part: you’ve actually attained access into the big, ol’ wide world of University and, wow, is it laden with gadgets galore. But will the insurance at your new halls of residence have your back during this newfound independence if, say, those extensions of your wrist get damaged or, worse, stolen?

You’re entering a period of newness, particularly in your living situation and social circle, and you’re more than likely going to be carting all of your tech into various liquid-orientated situations. (This is a direct shout out to the 47% of you who have damaged your phones by immersing them in liquids – i.e. the local pub toilets. Well done, everyone.) And, while most halls of residence or student accommodation will include some form of contents insurance as part of your Residences Agreement, comparison website, ProtectYourGadget.com, is actively urging all students to check the level of cover they get from their university to prevent anyone being out of pocket – and sync with the rest of the world – should something happen.

Unfortunately, a little scour over the small print of your Agreement is enough to educate you: your gadgets are not as protected as you might believe.

Steve Jones, CEO of Protect Your Gadget, has advised that: “Whilst many universities provide a basic level of cover for your belongings in halls of residence, many students may not realise that they’re not covered if they take their gadgets outside of their accommodation.”

The Complete University Guide recently reported that 22% of students have had their property stolen just outside of their place of residence, mobile phones being the prime target. Steve has warned that, “the basic level of cover will not pay out for any claim for theft or malicious damage from any communal area.”

Heads up, everyone: that includes common rooms and shared bathroom facilities.

As poster kids for the technological generation, you will likely never know of a world where students had to shake themselves alive at the crack of dawn, go hungry and suppress their need for the toilet in the quest for a desktop PC in the library.

Studying has become very portable. As Steve highlights, “the increase in number of public Wi-Fi hotspots means that as long as you’ve got a laptop or tablet, you can do your work in a cafe, shopping centre, or even in the pub”.

However, this added public exposure means that blemishes are far easier to come by and these can be extremely expensive to rectify if you don’t have the correct kind of cover for your device.

Steve advises that a dedicated gadget insurance policy is a sensible option for young people given that is isn’t unusual for students to take three or more gadgets to university.

We know what you’re thinking: I’ll deal with any problems when they arise. That’s fine if you believe you will be in a position to afford replacing your, uncovered, £1000 MacBook in the peak of student poverty: summer holidays. But for the mere mortals among us, the cost of cover can be as little as the price of two pints.

One of the many benefits of sourcing your contents insurance through ProtectYourGadget.com’s price comparison initiative is that there are no extra charges for paying your premium monthly rather than annually. No charges means no excuses!

O c t o b e r 1 7 | We A r e T S A . c o . u k

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HALLOWEEN HAPPENINGS Cult horror classic Halloween at Kelvingrove Art Gallery followed by movie-themed DJ set

And what better way to celebrate Halloween than in one of Glasgow’s most iconic buildings, watching a movie that not only inspired a generation of filmmaking in the horror genre, but also the entire film industry.

Accompanying the screening on the night will be a fully stocked bar serving beers and cocktails accompanied with cinema bites. But the fun doesn’t end there: the event will be followed by a movie-themed DJ set meaning you can party in the museum into the wee hours.

If there is one film that is meant for the big screen, it is Halloween, and if there is one place to host it, it is Kelvingrove Art Gallery. The museum’s spooky iconic surroundings will help set the scene and get everyone into the Halloween spirit.

Costumes and fancy dress are optional, but strongly recommended, and the afterparty will continue until 1am – just be careful you don’t run into Michael Myers on the dancefloor.

GLASGOW

Electric Frog and BAaD are kicking off Halloween with John Carpenter’s 1978 horror cult classic, Halloween on 28th October.

TSA SPOOKY

Special

The event follows a series of events taking place at Kelvingrove Art Gallery organised by Electric Frog. The ongoing series was kicked off last month by Vitalic’s visually stunning set, which sold out in 24 hours. The series will continue on 24th November with Talaboman (John Talabot and Axel Boman) in collaboration with Huntleys + Palmers who continue their 10th anniversary celebrations a mere stones-throw away from where they first kicked things off, at the tiny Hetherington Research Club back in 2007.

John Carpenter’s Halloween screening and themed DJ set is strictly over 18’s and tickets can be purchased from tickettailor.com at £18 plus £1.50 booking fee. Doors open at 8:30pm, with the screening starting at 9pm and the DJ set kicking off at 11pm.

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what’s on | HALLOWEEN

T

he season we all love has arrived – well to all those feeling autumnal that is.

October is here and brings with it the best time of the year (in our opinion). A night we can dress up as our favourite characters, watch our favourite scary films and have a spooktacular night out with all our friends.

To get you into the spirit of things (no pun intended) Glasgow and Edinburgh have a ton going on, so make sure you book these dates in.

by Natalie Miller n.miller@tsaglasgow.com

POPCORN HORROR GLASGOW Glasgow Horror Festival is back, due to popular demand, and on 4 and 5 November The Classic Grand will, this time, will be hosting two full days of horrific entertainment across two storeys.

The ground floor will be home to a conventional style horror market, where you’ll be able to pick up horror comics, merchandise, art, and gruesome snacks, a whole range of vendors for everything your black heart may desire. The perfect place to chill out, chat with fellow horror fans and support indie horror artists and creators.

In the main hall, the best of international horror will be showcased throughout the celebration. From scary short programs, feature films to fabulous and gory drag show – here’s a weekend filled with the best horror entertainment on offer.

CONTAGION HALLOWEEN SPECIAL WARNING: This interactive event utilises cutting-edge military training equipment within the walls of an abandoned 210,000 sq feet indoor training facility, can you escape a horde of zombies? It ends one of two ways – you fight your way through the breakout – or become part of it! Held over two days on 28 and 29 October from 4 pm to 11 pm.

ZOMBIE ESCAPE It’s coming! Zombie Escape comes to Combat City, Cambuslang on 27 – 29 October. Tickets are priced at £25 and you best get your’s now. You are equipped with an ultra-realistic infra-red weapon with limited ammunition to sweep throughout the facility. Your mission is to retrieve the antidote and escort the scientists from the overrun military base to safety. The site is swarming with the undead so approach with caution.

PSYCHO LIVE Held at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall on 26 October. The Bates Motel, that strange young man, the horror behind the shower-curtain – there’s never been a thriller quite as terrifying as Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho. And there’s never been a film score quite like Bernard Herrmann’s: those stabbing violins have been the soundtrack to all our nightmares. So give yourself the fright of your life with his big-screen showing, with Herrmann’s score performed live by the RSNO.

MUSEUMS AT NIGHT GLASGOW 2017 Running from 26 – 28 October, Museums at Night is a UK-wide festival within museums and galleries. It is produced by Culture24, the Brightonbased arts charity dedicated to shining a light on Britain’s sparkling culture and heritage. An opportunity for museums and galleries to come together around a single, simple campaign that is attractive to venues, audiences and the media. It’s a social experience, it’s an interactive social experiment, designed to help you delve deeper into fascinating subjects and perhaps enjoy a cocktail or two with friends.

A NIGHTMARE ON RENFIELD STREET Held at the Flying Duck on Sunday 29 October from 3pm with free entry for all. It’s set to be a Halloween extravaganza, where they will be screening The Shining, The Lost Boys, Halloween and of course Nightmare on Elm Street.

Fancy dress is encouraged – so best get prepping as there is a prize for best dressed!

JELLYBABY HALLOWEEN A popular event amongst students that gives the ABC a Halloween makeover from 10pm on Tuesday 31 October. In the Main Hall DJ Ted brings the main room monster mash, mixing music videos live on the big screens. In ABC2 Love Music residents play Indie-pop and rock-n-roll all night long. Plus it’s only £1 drinks! >> O c t o b e r 1 7 | We A r e T S A . c o . u k

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ELROW EDINBURGH – HAUNTED HOUSE Elrow has announced they are bringing a huge indoor festival to Scotland for their debut in Edinburgh, as Elrow Halloween Haunted House, one of the UK’s most anticipated Halloween events.

EDIN BUR GH

Putting a spooky twist on Elrow’s world-renowned, immersive production, Elrow Halloween Haunted House will open a portal, unleashing a world of spooky spectres, bloodied beasts, ghastly ghouls and the strangest, scariest creatures imagined in the darkest of nightmares. Lose yourself in the wildest Halloween house as interactive performers, stilt-walkers and street theatre keep party-goers on their toes for a fright-night like no other.

Surprises will lurk behind every creaking door of this supernatural spectacular, while thick cobwebs will quiver to the beats laid down by some of dance music’s most prominent dance floor aficionados.

Elrow Halloween Haunted House offers a full eleven hours of unmissable adventure as they show Edinburgh how to do Halloween Elrow style.

SAMHUINN FIRE FESTIVAL Edinburgh’s cobbled Old Town will once again host the country’s most spectacular Halloween night event. The Samhuinn Fire Festival celebrates the Celtic New Year, marking the end of summer and welcoming the onset of winter.

The event, starting at 9pm, takes the form of a stunning torch lit performance with wild drumming, acrobatics, fire-dancing, intricate costumes and battles between the forces of summer and winter. No tickets are required, so you should get there early to make sure you get a good view. Attendance is by donation to the Beltane Fire Society, a charity run by volunteers marking the fire festivals of the ancient Celtic calendar.

CONDEMNED MARY KING’S CLOSE The return of the 2016 sell-out tour Condemned will be held on 19 October. Join a character guide and travel back to a time when Mary King’s Close was open to the skies. Fear and suspicion lurked around every corner, and witch trials were a regular occurrence. Hear how the inhabitants of Mary King’s Close and the surrounding streets were implicated in witchcraft and the fate that befell them. It has always been a wellknown haunted place to visit, so if you are into the paranormal life, then this event is worth attending.

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what’s on | HALLOWEEN

EDINBURGH HORROR FEST The Edinburgh Horror Festival is one of the first of its kind in the UK – most horror festivals focus on one style of performance be it film or theatre, or possible one area of horror such as ghosts.

Edinburgh Horror Fest’s goal is to present a varied programme of performances in multiple disciplines and genres – from theatre to comedy, magic to walking tours, presenting authors to mediums, ghost hunters to scientists. ​​ Edinburgh Ghosts Stories | Friday 27th October (18:00 – 19:00) What might be lurking in Edinburgh’s shadows? Edinburgh’s long and bloody history has led to it being known as one of the most haunted cities in Europe.

Actor and writer Alex Staniforth unveils the phantoms of this ancient city.

The Twilight Seance | Friday 27th October (19:30 – 20:30) The Séance is a traditional part of Halloween, from Hollywood horror movies to the real life Houdini séances of the 1920s and 30s. Join paranormal illusionist Ash Pryce as he leads you into the netherworld, join hands and whisper gently as the bells ring, objects levitate and the spirits make contact. Please note, this is a magic themed event... or is it?

Selecting a Ghost | Sat 28th and Sun 29th October (17:00) Two classic tales of terror by Arthur Conan Doyle and Robert Louis Stevenson, Edinburgh born creators of Sherlock Holmes and Jekyll and Hyde. In addition to the quirky eponymous story by Doyle, thrill to the Bass Rock set tale of Tod Lapraik by Stevenson, performed by renowned actor and storyteller, Michael Daviot.

Ghosts of the Castle | Sat 28th and Sun 29th October (18:30 – 19:30, 19:15 – 20:15, 20:00 – 21:00) Lauriston Castle Housekeeper, Mrs Gifford invites you to take a tour of the historic building while the master is away and learn its secrets and history. But beware: just because nobody lives there doesn’t mean it is empty... A promenade theatre piece.

Glasgow & Clyde Rape Crisis

Support and Advocacy Services for survivors of rape, sexual abuse and exploitation – no matter when the incident has happened.

For more information about the range of services we have available visit www.glasgowclyderapecrisis.org.uk

PHONE US: We have a Freephone number on our helpline. You can contact us on 08088 00 00 14 every day between 11.00 am and 2.00 pm and on Monday – Thursday between 5.30 pm and 7.30 pm EMAIL US: support@rapecrisiscentre-glasgow.co.uk FACETIME US: itunes@glasgowclyderapecrisis.org during helpline opening times.

INSTANT MESSAGING: You can contact us anonymously using Instant Messaging via our website on www.glasgowclyderapecrisis.org.uk during our helpline opening hours.

SKYPE US: Call us on the SkypeTM app by searching for Glasgow Clyde Rape Crisis during the above helpline opening times DROP IN: Wednesdays 10.30 am until

FACEBOOK: @GlasgowRapeCrisis

3.00 pm and on Wednesday evenings from 5.30 pm until 7.30 pm. Address for drop in is 30 Bell Street, 5th Floor, Glasgow, G1 1LG.

TWITTER: @RCCGlasgow Student A5 leaflet GWR

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www.thecopyandprintshop.com O c t o b e r 1 7 | We A r e T S A . c o . u k

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HALLOWEEN PARTY IDEAS

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or most students October holds a certain defeated element to it; we associate it with sliding on newly fallen leaves on the beautifully, crisp morning walk to our lectures, trying desperately to avoid spilling our pumpkin spiced lattes over our new winter coats, and partially damaging our phone screens by stabbing gloved fingers into the screen. It’s the month of post-freshers blues and pre-winter exam stress, new jumpers, and fluffy socks – and the biggest event in the student calendar: Halloween. The 31st of October is the student night of the year, and if waiting in long queues and paying entry fees for clubs is not for you, then throwing your own party is the next best thing! However, here at TSA we appreciate that throwing a party can be quite daunting and expensive, especially for students, so here’s our guide to throwing the most spook-tacular Halloween party without the frightful costs.

THEME IT LIKE YOU MEAN IT The last thing you want whilst you’re trying to raise hell at your party is guests murdering the mood by not dressing up. Some people get stressed at the thought of having to dress up when there’s so many options for costumes out there and opt for a stress free casual option. Try and encourage your guests to dress up by giving them a theme to adhere to. Here are some suggestions: • • • •

Horror movies from the 90’s Boy Band and Girl Band members from the 2000’s Things with the word ‘Mary’ in them (you’d be surprised at how many costumes you can make out of this theme) Sci-fi characters

HAUNT-UP YOUR HOUSE Face your fears and brave emptying the milk cartons that have been souring in your fridge since freshers week. Once washed out, draw ghoulish faces on them with a black marker pen and cut out a medium sized hole from the back. Feed in fairy lights and line up against your stairs or wall to give your guests a supernatural entrance.

If you’re not exactly the best pumpkin carver in the world then save yourself the time and money by buying a pack of tangerines and drawing on creepy pumpkin faces with a black marker pen.

Dot them about the room to add to your spooky ambiance or hide them for a scavenger hunt!

GHASTLY GAMES Every party needs some entertainment and old school Halloween games like bobbing for apples or charades are always a massive hit. You can put your own spin on these games by making them Halloween themed, for instance, play charades but the Movies/ Books/TV Programmes have to be horrors, or play the name game except every character has to be a villain. You can make bobbing for apples more fun by placing milk chocolate buttons on baking trays and cover in spray cream. First to find all chocolate buttons using only their mouth wins!

DEVILISH DRINKS Whilst it’s customary that student parties are run on a BYOB basis, it’s a seasonal tradition to provide a killer punch bowl!

Here’s our favourite recipe for a wicked party concoction:

THE FANG-TASTIC POTION: BLOODY BANSHEE: • • • • • • • •

½ cup of white rum ½ cup of vodka 2 teaspoons of orange food colouring 1 cup of Tropical Sourz 2 cups of pineapple juice 2 cups of cranberry juice 1 bottle of sparkling white wine Fill up with energy juice

TIP – Mix 250ml of water with 3 drops of black food colouring,

pour into ice cube trays and freeze for two hours. Add ice cubes to your punch bowls for a chilling effect!

TRICK-OR-TREAT? TREAT, DEFINITELY TREAT Save money by making your own Halloween themed nibbles!

SWEET SPIRITS: Cover marshmallows in melted white

chocolate and leave to dry on a cocktail stick. Use milk chocolate to give your squidgy ghosts their eyes.

CHIP AND DIE: Cut tortillas into spooky shapes and toast in the oven. Serve with witch blood and ghost plasma (salsa and chive dip).

CRIME SCENE DELIGHTS: Mix red food colouring with icing sugar and water, splash over oreos to create blood splattered cookies!

by Cassay Baillie

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what’s on | HALLOWEEN

c.baillie@tsaglasgow.com

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NETFLIX AND CHILL FOR HALLOWEEN On the run up to Halloween it can be hard to get into the spirit of scary, we’ve got exams, bills to pay, it’s cold, and there’s no more sunny days to chill out in a beer garden on. There’s no better way to get into the Halloween festivities than to watch a scary movie, we’ve tried and tested Netflix’s finest and we’ve come to the conclusion that these are the Top 10 scariest movies on Netflix:

1/ THE HUMAN CENTIPEDE A truly sick and sadistic horror movie will make your skin crawl. Stretches the ability of the human body, or rather, a trio of human bodies, to the limit. Perfect pick if you want to be disgusted and appalled.

2/ INVADERS FROM MARS This 1986 sci-fi horror is a time-honoured masterpiece. Whilst it doesn’t match our modern standards of scary, and its graphics are older than old school, with a plotline most likely written for children, it achieves the 80s drive-in movie vibe that we all want to experience.

3/ ONCE BITTEN Not your usual terrifying horror, this is more of an easy watch for those of us who like to sleep at night. A teenage virgin hell bent on having sex with a beautiful girl from hell, throw in an American school prom and you have yourself the perfect Halloween chick flick.

4/ MAMA Mama is more for people who like the feeling of constantly looking over your shoulder. Two young girls found in the woods after years of surviving on their own are brought back to live with their uncle.

However, things take a sour turn when the adults find the girls talking to an unknown presence named ‘Mama’, who apparently has been looking after them all this time, and wants them back.

5/ CARRIE (1976) A must have classic if you’re throwing an old school Halloween movie night. An abused and isolated young girl with magical powers enacts terrifying revenge on those who have done her wrong. What more could you want?!

6/ FREDDY VS. JASON Two super psychotic evil villains battle it out to be the scariest and most mutilating bad guy on the planet. It’s also full of extremely cheesy American teenagers. What’s not to love?!?!

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7/ INSIDIOUS 8/ INSIDIOUS CHAPTER 2 The Insidious trilogy always seems to attract negative feedback from horror junkies; their main argument being that it’s too full of ‘jump-scares’ and therefore it’s not actually a scary movie. However, I fail to see why jump-scare movies devalue the scariness of said movie, if something scares you enough to jump, then theoretically speaking, it is in fact scary. Therefore, Insidious takes number 7 on our Top 10 list, with its plethora of jump-scares, a horrifically creepy violin intro, possessed children, and a scary loft!

Whereas Insidious chapter 2 takes eighth place, leading on from the first movie the film continues the path of jump-scares and demonic possession, however it beats the first movie purely because of the continuation of the plotline and intense twists.

9/ THE BABADOOK More of a psychological thriller, The Babadook follows the story of Amelia, a mother whose son becomes obsessed with an imaginary villain named Mister Babadook.

Initially ignoring her sons’ visions, and bad behaviour, Amelia finds herself under attack of the infamous Mister Babadook.

10/ EVIL DEAD This film is filled with gore and is not, I repeat, NOT for the faint hearted. A log cabin located deep in the woods, five young – rather good-looking – twentysomethings, throw in a mysterious book covered in chains with the words DO NOT OPEN scribed in blood and you have yourself a sure fired winner for your quiet night in.

Be prepared for jump scares, tense silences, cringe-worthy gore, a rather unsettling tree rape scene, and whilst you might find the scene of Jane Levy’s head poking up from the floorboards funny at the time, that image will haunt you whilst you’re alone in the dark, BE WARNED. This remake of the 1981 Evil Dead packs a punch and has a lot going on so is best if you’re in the mood for a lot of action (and blood).

what’s on | HALLOWEEN

by Cassay Baillie c.baillie@tsaglasgow.com

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COSTUME SET TO DOMINATE HALLOWEEN THIS YEAR

With Halloween now approaching, everyone ought to be getting excited as they come up with costume ideas for the one night of the year you get to play dress up. Maybe something wicked, or something sexy. Here are the top five costumes of 2017.

CLOWNS Due to the new adaptation of Stephen King’s IT hitting the theatres earlier this year, it’s not surprising that there has been a rise in people dressing up as clowns, even before Halloween.

The shirts with exaggerated, ruffled shoulders, the big puffy shorts and clownish pom-pom sneakers accompanied by a face covered in white with red lips will complete your scary clown look similar to Pennywise. Plenty of people have a clown phobia, so this will be a perfect way to scare your friends at the same time as having fun with them too. Clowns have and always will be the stuff of nightmares.

WONDER WOMAN With a lot of superhero films coming out over the next few years it’s no wonder there has been a rise in people dressing up as their favourite superhero or supervillain for Halloween.

One of the most popular for woman and girls is Wonder Woman, due to the hugely successful Wonder Woman movie that came out in June this year. So, dawning a Lasso of Truth and her iconic blue, red, and gold battle costume any girl would look amazing as the superhero demigoddess known as Princess Diana of Themyscira, a.k.a. Wonder Woman.

Superheroes are a classic Halloween staple.

And it also doesn’t hurt that a wonder woman costume is easy to replicate at home.

ZOMBIE TAYLOR SWIFT Lengthy hiatus aside, Taylor Swift is back and has made headlines world wide by dropping her ‘Look What You Made Me Do’ music video – brimming with not so subtle 2017 VMA references. Declaring that “the old Taylor” is dead, Taylor appears in the video as a zombie form of herself.

SALT BAE Ah, the internet. It’s the only place where a flamboyant Turkish steak connoisseur could become an overnight viral hit, catapulted to stardom and success purely due to the theatrical finesse with which he salts and seasons his meat. Salt Bae became a quintessential page in the book of meme history, and thanks to his signature outfit and culinary flair, you’ll also see him at Halloween parties everywhere come October 31.

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£15 for BYOB, Xmas Burger (full turkey dinner in burger format) & a Brownie or Xmas pudding *VEGGIE OPTION AVAILABLE* BOOK YOUR CHRISTMAS NIGHT OUT BEFORE 31 OCT & GET 10% DISCOUNT. DEPOSIT REQUIRED

GREAT CITIES 2 AMAZING NEWSPAPER

THE CHARACTERS FROM STRANGER THINGS Last year everyone wanted to be Eleven from Netflix’s tween mashup of sci-fi and horror tropes. The show returns for its second season on the 27th of October just days before Halloween which could give fans of the show major costume inspiration. This year it looks like boys will be more popular with the costumes, wearing trucker hats and 1980’s t-shirts. Just like IT, Stranger Things follows a group of kids battling a malevolent force bigger than they are.

If you’re feeling more adventurous you could even try dressing up as the creature from the first season known as the Demogorgon.

by Keira McLean @KeiraMclean_xo k.mclean@tsaglasgow.com

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A new competition dedicated to interior design has been announced which allows students to showcase their talents and compete against design professionals for the chance to win up to 3,500EUR and receive global recognition – and it’s now open for submissions.

The Antalis Interior Design Award has been created by Europe’s leading distributor of paper and visual communications solutions to celebrate the vast design possibilities presented by modern visual communications media.

The first international competition dedicated to customisable interior design, students have been invited to submit their best design by 31st December 2017. The winners which will be announced in March 2018 will not only have the opportunity to win 3,500EUR and 2,000EUR (for first and second prize respectively), but will also receive extensive media coverage in prestigious design magazines Wallpaper and Intramuros, with the potential to sky rocket their career.

Not to mention the extensive coverage on social media, at trade shows, and on Antalis’ website (which has 4 million hits per year), alongside the opportunity to bring your ideas to life by re-designing parts of the Antalis’ UK headquarters or one of their Group’s subsidiaries.

So how do you enter such a competition?

Now you ask, taking part couldn’t be easier. Entrants just need to submit their entries online at

www.antalisinteriordesignaward.com

by December 31st. You are invited to enter the ‘Blank 3D model projects’ category, which has been designed for students, and professionals, who don’t have any completed or current projects to submit but still want to let their talent shine. All designs must use at least one product from the Antalis Coala range – its flagship visual communication brand. The self-adhesive vinyl, wallpaper, textile and canvas element offers a wide range of products, allowing budding architects and interior designers’ to unleash their creativity.

Themed around the ‘just print your imagination’ concept, the competition is geared towards celebrating a true showcase of self-expression and ingenuity, marking the different artistic sensibilities from around the globe in a way that has never been done before.

Entries will then be judged by a jury of internationally renowned experts, chaired by François Confino, the Artistic Director and founder of Atelier Confino, who will then decide on the stand-out projects.

Following the competition, an exclusive book will be made showcasing the very best pieces of work and present the portrait of each winner. The book will be distributed to trade media, museums, architecture firms, design agencies and renowned designers.

To find out more information about the competition you can visit www. antalisInteriordesignaward.com. Or to find out more about the Coala range visit www.antalis.co.uk/coala

EH6 Advert.pdf

EDINBURGH CRAFT BEER BREWERY PREPARE FOR EH6 FESTIVAL DEBUT

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Krafty Brew’s EH6 Festival will finally descend upon Leith, Edinburgh this month and the eclectic mix of artists for the festival’s debut have been announced.

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For those more inclined by taste and musical preference (not to mention supporting the best of local acts) we’d be tempted to speculate that smaller festivals are the future. Although the boutique festival is not a new concept, we’re still constantly on the look out for the next tuneful treasure that Scotland has to offer and multi-venue city festivals are a brilliant way to catch up with what’s going on.

Taking place at various venues across the EH6 postcode on Saturday 21st and Sunday 22nd October, the EH6 Festival is preparing it’s debut. Featuring over 150 acts, alongside craft stalls and art exhibitions, the festival is designed in a way that allows people, who travel throughout the whole of Leith, to grasp the extraordinary talent today’s vibrant music scene has to offer.

The festival is organised by Linlithgow’s very own craft beer brewit-yourself facility, Krafty Brew, “who love great tasting beer, full of flavour and brewed with bravado.”

With headliners on Saturday including the “sweet mutherfucking country acid house” sounds of Brixton’s Alabama 3, Glasgow’s own Gerry Cinnamon and Colonel Mustard and The Dijon 5’s non stop party, the debut has been successful in bringing

together some of the UK’s best emerging talent.

The party doesn’t end there with Sunday ramping up the excellent tuneage.

“The line-up is excellent as you’d expect considering it is full of local talent and the local music scene in Scotland is one of the best in the world.” says Mickey 9’s frontman Dougie O’Neil aka ‘St. Cool’, who play Sunday’s festival. When asked what the crowd can expect from their gig, he had this to say, “we had to cancel the tigers because of new animal rights legislation in the Ukraine, so just the normal funkapocalypse and masked shamanic dancing from us.”

Mickey 9’s are not the only ones set to steal the show on Sunday: Check out the full line up on EH6music.com but highlights include Big Country, Mark Morris from The Bluetones and Pronto Mama – who just sold out their December King Tut’s gig – all set to make it a cracker of a day out.

K

MARK MORRIS

JONNY BROWN (TWISTED WHEEL) TIJUANA BIBLES - BARRY HYDE (THE FUTUREHEADS) BEN OTTEWELL (GOMEZ) - MIRACLE GLASS COMPANY THE FILTHY TONGUES - SINDERINS - PRONTO MAMA CRASH CLUB - MICKEY 9’S- BLACK CAT BONE THE ROLLIN DRONES • KATHLEEN MACINNES TONY MOORE (CUTTING CREW) • THE RISING SOULS SUPA & THE KRYPTONITES • URANG MATANG CARLY CONNOR • THE SNUTS • ROOT SYSTEM • GREGORY JAMES BAND • MACANTA • BILLY MITCHELL • PHANTOMS STILLIA • KEVILL • THE BEGBIES • AARON WRIGHT MARK MCGOWAN • SAYTR PLAY • SKELLUMS • LUKE GIBSON MARK SHARP • STERRE WELDRING • PYRO • BIG CLOUD I AM PLUTO • CALM FIASCO • LEE MUIR • OSKAR BRAVES SCARLETINAS • AGENT • THE BANTER THEIFS MEDIA WHORES • FEET OF CLAY • HEAVY DRAPES NINEBULLETS • REACTION • SUBVISION • EX • IRON SYSTEM MATINEE • ACRYLIC • TOM HINGLEY (INSPIRAL CARPETS) THE IMAGINEERS • MEDICINE MEN • BIG FAT PANDA BILLY MITCHELL • JACKY SAND & THE SOUL THE STATLER PROJECT • RASCALTON • WOLVES • Y.O.U.N.G EATERN SWELL • GARRY GREIG • THE LODGERS KASHMIR CROWS • HAILEY BEAVIS • DAN WHITEHOUSE BANSHEEMOONLIGHT ZOO • THE TREND • SHAMBOLICS BANJO LOUNGE 4 • THE NICKAJACK MEN • NICK SHANE EWAN BUTLER KEIRAN FISHER • SEASIDE SONS • DIXIE FRIED JAMIE COLEMANJOHNNY BROWN • SUNDAY PUNK CLUBAMPHETIMEANS • PANIC ATTAK UNDER THE DOG WOOD TREE • AYE N AYE • THE SHOWS • LOVE CRAFT STALLS • ART EXHIBITIONS • BEER TASTINGS • COMEDY GAELIC/FOLK MUSIC STAGE • WORLD FOOD • CRITTER SESSION RUNNING ALL DAY SUNDAY • KIDS ENTERTAINMENT PURPLE ORANGE ACOUSTIC STAGE

TSA have teamed up with the festival organisers to offer an exclusive £15 ticket deal for EH6 Sunday. £15 – get in!

Get them here. www.skiddle.com/festivals/eh6-festival/ See you there. EH6music.com

OVER 100 ACTS IN OVER 11 VENUES IN ONE WEEKEND - VISIT EH6MUSIC.COM O c t o b e r 1 7 | We A r e T S A . c o . u k

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We’re fully aware that October is all about Halloween, but if you want to take a break from planning your kick ass costumes, have a look at these events on offer in Glasgow and Edinburgh.

THE MACKINTOSH FESTIVAL

OXJAM GLASGOW FESTIVAL

Every October, The Mackintosh Festival invites you to celebrate the life of Charles Rennie Mackintosh through a series of events in Glasgow Mackintosh and partner venues taken further afield. From walks, workshops and exhibitions to performances and talks, events are designed for all ages, to appeal to those who know nothing about Mackintosh, as well as established aficionados. The programme will feature a range of formats with free exhibitions and workshops, ticketed tours and sociable evenings with food and drink.

Oxjam Glasgow Takeover Festival is back!

After the success of last year’s 10-venue music festival which raised over £4,600 for Oxfam, they are back for another year to bring you a similar festival this October 14. All money raised from the festival goes to Oxfam to help them achieve their goal of eradicating world poverty in the next 15 years and our goal this year is to raise £6,000. The line-up includes Busker Rhymes, The Gracious Attempt, Katie Wills, Lisa Kowalski, Rebecca Cameron, The Ronains and Steve Grozier to name a few.

BBC GOOD FOOD SHOW SCOTLAND

START TO END: DAFT PUNKS DISCOVERY

Taking place from 20 – 22 October, the BBC Good Food Show Scotland returns to the SECC. A Show that highlights the very best of Scotland’s cuisine, featuring top Scottish chefs alongside all your favourite TV cooks, bakers and experts, authentic local produce from across the UK and specialities from regions including Perthshire, East Lothian and the Highlands, plus pop-ups of some of Glasgow’s best restaurants. Ticket prices range from £20 – £70.50 and include a seat in the Big Kitchen.

Fresh from headlining Doune the Rabbit Hole Festival, Start to End bring their amazing 7 piece live band interpretation of Daft Punk’s sophomore 2001 album Discovery to SWG3 Glasgow!

Featuring musicians from Pronto Mama, The Vegan Leather, Fat-Suit, Admiral Fallow plus more. EVERYTHING IS LIVE, guitars, drums, keys... everything. Even Daft Punk themselves don’t play their material this live.

Taking place on 3rd November and tickets only cost £12.

SCOTLAND LOVES ANIME GLASGOW

GLASGOW TEQUILA FESTIVAL

The annual film festival, Scotland Loves Anime, has become renowned as the UK’s top film festival for Japanese animation.

Ready to present their most diverse lineup yet with a mix of the hottest films blended with classics back by popular demand, coming to screens across Scotland including Glasgow and Edinburgh. The festival remains home to the largest range of first-watch opportunities in the UK with one EU premiere, six UK premieres and two Scottish premieres this year. Get tickets now for Glasgow’s event at Glasgow Film Theatre 13 – 15 October and Edinburgh Filmhouse Cinema 16 – 22.

We’ve had rum festivals, beer fests galore and more gin events than we can shake a juniper branch at – but news of Glasgow’s first tequila festival has us very excited indeed.

Upon arrival your Tequila tasting journey will commence and you will be handed a complimentary shot along with your Tequila Bible, which will guide you through your Tequila experience (Hangover Bible not included… sorry). Expect live music, DJs, performers, Mariachi and surprises in the mix! Whether you’re a straight up slammer or a slow-time sipper familiarise yourself with over 30 different Tequilas in a true celebration of the agave craft on 21 October at the Barrowlands >>

O c t o b e r 1 7 | We A r e T S A . c o . u k

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EDINBURGH OKTOBERFEST

MEATS AND BEATS FESTIVAL

This iconic beer festival is returning to Edinburgh for another year of German beer, food and music. It’s a great way to experience Bavarian culture with Lederhosen, giant beer and “Schlager” music making for a great party. The Bavarian celebration takes place in the colourful Oktoberfest tent in West Princes Street Gardens from 11 – 15 October, with a great line up of live music from bands who have travelled all the way from southern Germany. On the menu there’ll be great German brewed beer and tasty German Schnitzel, all served up by the Edinburgh Oktoberfest team dressed in traditional Dirndl and Lederhosen.

Is it a food festival? Is it a music festival?

Even better... it’s both, but with a retro spin. So bring take your appetite and your dancing shoes with you to Assembly Roxy, 20 – 22 October. A feast of meatylicious street food – mainly the sticky, juicy, BBQ’d variety – mixed with all your favourite music from the past five decades. It’s as much about music as it is about food, but most importantly it’s about having a great night out with friends.

Every hour the music changes decade, starting with the pop classics of the 70s, working its way through the disco anthems of the 80s, dance tunes of the 90s and teen pop bands of the noughties until they reach 2017.

SCOTTISH INTERNATIONAL STORYTELLING FESTIVAL

SCOTTISH VEGAN FESTIVAL

Hospitality and an intercultural welcome are at the heart of this year’s Scottish International Storytelling Festival – Open World. Across ten event-filled days and nights, the SISF will assemble expert storytellers from across Scotland, Europe, Central and Southern America, offering an abundance of dreamscapes and myths celebrating oral traditions and cultural diversity. Taking place from 20 – 31 October at various locations across Edinburgh.

BRING IT ON THE MUSICAL Inspired by the hit film, Broadway’s Tony Award nominated Bring It On The Musical somersaults onto stage for its UK and European première to kick start its first ever UK tour! Dive into a highoctane thrill ride where the cutthroat world of competitive cheerleading meets high school politics and teenage romance. With an exciting score, explosive choreography and breathtaking athleticism, this is a universal coming-ofage story. Written by a team including Tony Award winner Lin-Manuel Miranda, Tony Award winner Jeff Whitty and Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winner Tom Kitt.

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The Scottish Vegan Festival returns to the Edinburgh Corn Exchange on Sunday 22 October 2017. Expect lots of stalls, music, talks, hot and cold food, bar and so much more besides. The Festival is being organised by Farplace Animal Rescue, a UK animal rescue who help specialist cases and have helped many such cases in need from Scotland as well as the rest of the UK and Ireland. All the profits from the festival will directly help the animals.

THE SENSATIONAL 60s EXPERIENCE Without doubt the most explosive 60’s show touring the UK, for one night only. With a brand new production for 2017 – The Sensational 60s Experience.

Five legendary names take to the stage and deliver to you a night never to be forgotten. With the definite feel good factor this is a must see 60’s show for 2017. Starring Mike Pender (Original voice of The Searchers) Chris Farlowe, Herman’s Hermits, The Fortunes, The New Amen Corner. Step back in time to when pop music was at its very best.

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LGBTI NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD The Labour party has pledged to put an end to period poverty and stated its intention to provide free sanitary products at schools, food banks and homeless shelters, a potential landmark victory for women and trans men. Shadow woman and equalities minister Dawn Butler unveiled the policies at the Labour Women’s Conference, contending that hygiene products should be made available to everybody who menstruates regardless of age, social status or background. She explained to Huffington

Post that “It is a scandal that women on low incomes are having to deal with the additional burden of struggling to afford sanitary products, and young girls missing school once a month because they can’t afford sanitary protection.” In the US, the average woman menstruates from ages 13-51 and spends $150-300 on feminine hygiene products each year, with a staggering $11,400 spent throughout her lifetime; surely it’s time to stop demonising women and trans men in this way.

Ellen DeGeneres is pretty much universally adored, and a lot of that has to do with her, in turn, treating everyone with love and respect and promoting equality. It comes as no surprise, then, that she has made an explicit enemy out of Donald Trump and made it clear that he is not welcome on her talk show; the second-most watched daytime TV show in the US. While chatting to news anchor Megyn Kelly, herself a victim to Trump’s sexist bullying during his

campaign, DeGeneres stated “For me to have someone on the show, I have to at least admire them in some way, and I can’t have someone that I feel is dangerous – not only for the country, and for me personally as a gay woman – but to the world. He’s dividing all of us… I don’t want him on the show.” A bold and inspiring move in putting him in his place; if only her male talk show counterparts had followed suit during the election.

Following the Hong Kong government’s refusal to recognise their civil partnership, a British lesbian who was not allowed to work and had to leave her wife every six months has won legal recognition of their union.

The woman would have been allowed to bring a husband on a spousal visa, but as their union is not recognised under Hong Kong law, immigration authorities had repeatedly rejected their spousal visa application. The couple faced a lengthy

court battle but now will receive the same spousal benefits as those of a heterosexual couple with the same partnership. While same-sex marriage is not yet legal in Hong Kong, the judges involved stated that “immigration, by definition, requires one to consider not only the local, but also the relevant overseas situation.” A happy ending to a story that reminds us of the legal struggles our community still faces internationally in 2017.

As we go to print, support for Australian marriage equality has dipped ahead of its public vote according to polls. The proportion of voters who support samesex marriage now stands at 57 per cent, compared to 63 per cent in August and 62 per cent in September last year. The no vote has lifted to 34 per cent, from 30 per cent in August and 32 per cent a year ago. It may be that apathy proves to

be the vote’s biggest challenge; as TSA has discussed previously, there is at times complacency about LGBT+ equality, and voter apathy may be the vote’s downfall if people decide the vote is not worth their time. If the volatile and baffling political landscape of the past two years has taught us anything, it is that we must not take anything for granted and exercise our democratic power to the best of our ability.

LGBT+ citizens currently face adversity in Azerbaijan following reports on a brutal anti-gay crackdown that has seen dozens beaten, humiliated and arrested by authorities. Civil Rights Defenders has suggested that at least a hundred gay men and trans women have been arrested indiscriminately by police in an operation cloaked as an initiative tackling sex workers in Baku. While authorities maintain they are only responding to complaints of sex workers and drug trafficking, reports echo the attacks on LGBT+ Chechens and include citizens being released only

in exchange for revealing the identities and addresses of other queer people.

According to New Now Next, Ayaz Efendiyev of the Justice Party has called for the raids to continue, and blames the West for attempting to destroy traditional values by “defending these creatures who are sources of immorality, dangerous diseases, and who have been cursed by God.” The predominantly Muslim nation ranked last among 49 European countries in the 2016 ILGA-Europe Rainbow Index, meeting only 5% of group’s the criteria to be considered LGBT-friendly.

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ooking for a new queer-centric band? Look no further than MUNA, an LA-based trio that write thoughtful, politically conscious and most importantly, infectious pop songs. The band consists of Katie Gavin, Josette Maskin, and Naomi McPherson and following their two EPs released their full-length debut About U earlier this year.

Each member of the band identifies as queer, which permeates everything in their music. Guitarist McPherson contends “I am out and I feel safe being out because the three of us are a little army for one another. I don’t feel afraid to be myself. That makes me proud to be queer. That’s the whole point of why we do this. We want a safe haven.” This insistence of celebrating the tribe that is our LGBT+ community, alongside the neglect of using gender pronouns in their music, solidifies MUNA’s status as a queer band to invest in.

Many of their tracks have an 80s new wave vibe; MUNA certainly would appeal to fans of HAIM, with their blend of Fleetwood Mac-style melodies and infectious pop driven production.

Somewhat surprisingly, the band were announced as the opening act for One Direction alumna Harry Style’s solo gigs in the US and Europe, exposing them to a completely different audience who will no doubt respond to their grand ideas and pop sensibilities.

Each of the songs on About U exemplifies the band’s queer and feminist ethos. ‘So Special,’ for example, is a song written with the explicit intention of being “an anthem

for the slut-shamed girls of the world who have to assert their own value.”

And McPherson has stated clearly that ‘Loudspeaker’ is “about how common sexual assault is for women. It felt important to say as people who talk about sexually assaulting women are becoming president,” boasting the lyrics “What you’ve done to me / Well I’ve seen many a friend be silenced / Thinking nobody would believe them / Well baby you’ve got another thing coming;” if ever there was a time for groups with an accessible sound and inclusive agenda to be overtly political, it is now.

But their music isn’t totally, uncompromisingly political, exploring relationships and all the other fun stuff your favourite pop music needs to; ‘Around U’ is a dreamy ode to doomed love, and on the CHVRCHES-reminiscent ‘Promise’ we see the narrator list off all she does to build walls around herself to her partner. These themes are universal, not specific to queer people alone, which is arguably the point of it all.

Album highlights include the dynamic, pulsating ‘Crying on the Bathroom Floor’ and ‘End of Desire’, neither of which would be out of place on a Robyn/Royksopp collaboration.

So what separates MUNA from the pack? Emotive, provocative lyrics and vocal delivery, queer sensibilities and slick production all come to mind; but MUNA feels like the latest in a long line of queer-centric bands bringing a new voice to the table and promoting positive messages in a world that feels out to get us.

GAGA’S LITTLE MONSTERS GET A SNEAK PEAK BEHIND CLOSED DOORS IN ‘FIVE FOOT TWO’

I

vividly remember years ago, when she was promoting her debut album The Fame, when Lady Gaga was asked if she wore these outrageous costumes when she’s in the house, or does she wear joggies and hoodies like everyone else. She informed the reader in a gravelly New York drawl that, in fact, she opts to wear these couture creations all the time, when the cameras aren’t rolling. Cut to 2017, when in the opening scenes of her documentary Five Foot Two, Gaga is wearing sweatpants and a sports bra, grilling chicken and feeding her dogs. Regardless of whether her first statement was completely true, a wry fabrication or whatever, is Gaga finally ready to let her guard down and show her little monsters what goes on behind closed doors?

Following its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, Five Foot Two was made available to stream on Netflix and follows Gaga during the recording, release and promotion of her fifth album Joanne, culminating with her showstopping, gravity defying performance at the Super Bowl half-time show in February. Part of me was hoping for a continuation of Madonna’s Truth or Dare, the documentary following the singer’s game-changing Blonde Ambition Tour.

Truth or Dare it is not. And while on the topic of the Queen of Pop, it would be remiss to not discuss Gaga’s take on

the pair’s tumultuous relationship over the years. Following years of comparison and seemingly mutual admiration, Madonna was not impressed with Gaga’s single ‘Born This Way’ – perhaps too derivative of her own single ‘Express Yourself’ – and branded Gaga’s imitation of her “reductive.” Gaga states she “just wants Madonna to fucking push me up against the wall and kiss me and tell me I’m a piece of s**t,” (who wouldn’t?) and is it wrong to wish Madonna was more upfront with her criticism as opposed to running her mouth in interviews. Can’t we all just get along?

Moukarbel’s direction is intimate, often jarringly so. Gaga has resigned herself to sharing this vulnerability, at its most unsettling when she plays “Joanne” to her grandmother, seeking approval from the woman whose daughter died on lupus years before Gaga was even born. Between her father’s high emotions and swift exit from the room to the realisation that her grandmother has spent forty years moving on with her life, the scene leaves the viewer uncomfortable and uncertain as to why Gaga remains fixated on Joanne, and aside from a clear parallel with her creative aunt, why it continues to haunt and inform her work.

(Side note: I would like to have seen the film address why, after months of wearing a cowboy hat and talking about showing the real Gaga, she released

‘The Cure,’ an EDM pop song unlike anything on Joanne that sounds like every other pop song out just now…)

What may be the most illuminating and painful aspects of the film is Gaga’s struggle with chronic pain caused by the onset of fibromyalgia, a medical condition characterised by chronic widespread pain and a heightened pain response to pressure. While most casual fans will have been aware of the singer’s medical problems, namely the broken hip that derailed her career slightly post-’Born This Way’, the audience gains previously unseen insight into the depths of her body struggles. It makes for uncomfortable viewing seeing Gaga writhe and moan in pain and portrays a humanity or vulnerability it has taken nearly a decade for her to show the world.

There are glimpses of Gaga’s authentic personality displayed sporadically throughout but not frequently enough. It is only when she makes a funny joke or says something dry off the cuff that I realise that Gaga misses one of the major criteria to be a true gay icon: a self-deprecating humour. She has never really been funny, unlike Kylie or Cher or Dolly, who are able to send themselves up and endear us to them.

While Gaga bares herself in a way never quite achieved in her surprisingly short career, Five Foot Two still feels

too controlled or orchestrated to feel authentic. Perhaps after over a decade of deconstructing fame and what it means to be a public figure she is quite simply incapable of displaying anything other than a persona whose prime objective is to perform. She may not wear as many of the bizarre and breathtaking outfits for which she was once synonymous, but she struggles to convince us of the difference between Gaga and Stefani, if such a difference really exists.

If nothing else, Five Foot Two functions as a compelling look into what day to day life is like for this era of Lady Gaga, but therein lies the predicament: the Joanne era has felt like a reach, a bid for personal reinvention that has not quite stuck with critics or fans the same way her previous work has resonated.

Her vulnerability is engaging, which as a viewer feels a little exploitative in itself, but the film as a whole at least informs us of Gaga’s exploration of identity in the second decade of her career. Gaga remains one of pop culture’s most fascinating and important figures. She says she wants to be an old lady rock star, which she undoubtedly and hopefully will be: it’s deciding how to get there that seems to be the challenge.

by Jonny Stone @jonny_stone_ j.stone@tsaglasgow.com

O c t o b e r 1 7 | We A r e T S A . c o . u k

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HAVE A FANTASTICALLY

QUEER HALLOWEEN

I

adore Halloween. It exhausts the people around me to endure my year-round affinity for the macabre, old school horror movies and costume ideas. I love all things ghoulish, witchy, anything gratuitously bloody and wear my orange pumpkin t-shirt year-round with pride.

And of course, I am not alone. But is there a particular LGBT+ leaning towards Halloween? In a celebration of camp kitsch, costumes and the macabre, it might not be out of the question.

Many believe Halloween does have an inherently queer angle to it, with some tracing this back to San Francisco In 1979, where the ghost of Castro Halloween, as it came to be called, lived on under the leadership of the drag performance group, the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. The San Francisco LGBT community partied in the Castro almost every Halloween in the ‘80s, ‘90s and early 2000s, as did the Greenwich Village Halloween parades. With LGBT+ communities enduring so much adversity throughout the last 40 years, perhaps Halloween can be seen as a night of revelry that the community deserved.

Anyone can be whoever or whatever they want for a night, and are encouraged to shock, repulse and have fun. Samantha Allen suggests that on Halloween, “straight people shed their inhibitions, dress up in ridiculous outfits, and join us queer folk in the gleeful dissection of popular culture that we find so sustaining.”

When I was little, thinking of and executing my Halloween costume was as much fun as the night itself, and this has remained with me ever since. Am I perhaps at an age now that is socially

unacceptable to celebrate Halloween?

Perhaps…but I feel I’m owed it, partly because I don’t celebrate Valentine’s Day, but mostly because it’s one night where the macabre, creativity and fluid identity are at the forefront. Why shouldn’t we indulge in the spooky once in a while?

On that note, we have compiled everything you will need to make this the gayest of gay Halloweens, whether you take your terror to the streets or are setting up a séance in the comfort of your own crypt.

There are a whole host of queer – friendly club nights and events to sink your teeth into this Halloween. First and foremost is Club Noir’s annual Halloween celebration, this year entitled “The Beautiful and the Damned.” This year’s party will no doubt be a bittersweet affair as it will be the club night’s last ever Halloween outing – so by all means get yourself a ticket and indulge in some macabre debauchery one last time. Expect the club night’s usual array of pulse-racing burlesque and Pin Up Parlour, Volkova and the Den of Equity freak show, queerlesque performer Dis Charge, pole dance troupe Seven Deadly Sinners, bizarre acrobatics and singing and much more. The evening takes place on Saturday 28th October at O2 Academy on Eglinton Street. Tickets are £20 and dress code is as follows: strictly no jeans or trainers. Let your imagination go wild and make an effort for the legendary Club Noir’s final Halloween curtain call.

Metropolitan is hosting Scotland’s Femme Lesbian Spooky Singles Mingles on Wednesday 25th October, where Pink Lobster Dating and Pink Lobster Matchmaking hostesses will be there to

We’ve compiled everything you will need to make this the gayest of gay Halloweens, whether you take your terror to the streets or are setting up a séance in the comfort of your own crypt.

guide you through the evening and put you at ease. There will also be plenty of goodies, prizes, ice breaker activities and lots of scarily gorgeous femmes, so be sure to get your ticket to avoid disappointment.

Our friends at AXM are hosting their own Halloween spectacular. Between Friday 27th and Sunday 29th, the Glasgow institution presents “Day of the Dead,” the chance to celebrate all things sugar skull and Mexicana. Remember the TRIGGER queens never look anything less than perfect, so the costume calibre has never been higher. And don’t forget that AXM’s profits go towards Moni Malawi, which works to improve the lives of Malawians affected by poverty and poor health, and that TSA is holding its own competition to make your Halloween night even more special to win a booth, a bottle of Grey Goose and free entry for six on their Halloween Night My personal highlight of Halloween events, comes in the shape of Heels of Hell, an all star cast of RuPaul’s Drag Race alumni bring their very best Halloween performances. We are lucky enough to be joined by unofficial bearded lady Willam, TSA’s favourite Barbie brought to life Trixie Mattel, Aussie songbird Courtney Act, season 5 winner and Broadway queen Jinkx Monsoon, the planet Glamtron’s very own Alaska Thunderf**k, and the official Queen of Halloween, Sharon Needles. You couldn’t pick a better night to see these queens, especially with Sharon’s $100,000-winning spooky shtick and Alaska’s affinity for turning trash into treasure. So channel your inner Lil Poundcake, perfect your Trixie makeup or be sure to stop off at Party City and

head to O2 Academy on Saturday 21st October.

Some of you, however, may want to give the explicitly spooky a miss and prefer something more mellow. In which case, there are a number of horror classics showing throughout the city, such as The Shining at the Glasgow Film Theatre on Halloween night. And exciting, GFT is showing We Are The Weirdos; The Finals Girls present a selection of shorts from some of the most exciting new female voices in genre cinema. These films delve deep into the darkest human desires and bring an unforgettable array of monsters to the screen. A slick and striking selection of cinematic scares that explore themes of body anxiety, repressed desires, social pressures and unspoken fears. Get ready to embrace your nightmares, and remember that the future of horror is female.

And wherever you decide to haunt, make sure your costume is up to scratch.

No onesies welcome. Better still, there are a whole host of LGBT+ friendly costume ideas, for if you’re flying solo, have a partner or a whole gang of ghouls. If you’re a comic fan, Batwoman, Mystique, Deadpool and Midnighter are all amazing characters that fall under the LGBT+ umbrella, while there are a ton of team costumes to think about. For example, a gender-swapping Team Rocket, Patsy and Eddie from Absolutely Fabulous for the trashy and fabulous among you, Willow from Buffy (or anyone from Buffy) and Daria and Jane as a throwback.

Oh, and Cher. In fact, everyone just go as Cher.

by Jonny Stone @jonny_stone_ j.stone@tsaglasgow.com

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For me, horror films served as the perfect escape growing up and LGBT+ audiences have always been drawn to horror with a queer angle. Whether it was a revenge thriller, subversive archetypes being examined through the lens of a demonic director or just a high camp classic; queer horror cinema is to be celebrated.

We have updated last year’s essential viewing and included even more spine tingling classics to make your Halloween one to never forget. No need to thank us. Costumes are still mandatory, and your host should theme their house accordingly: that’s the TSA Halloween way.

Elvira, Mistress of the Dark I completely neglected to put this on last year’s list, and the gay gods look down on me with shame. While not an explicit horror movie as such, B movie legend Elvira leads this bonkers fish

out of water comedy following her as she moves to a small town where her spooky shtick and penchant for the macabre do not go down so well. It. Is. Brilliant.

Dracula’s Daughter An underrated classic, this 1936 movie rejects any Bela Lugosi (legend) style shenanigans in favour of a more subtle focus on Dracula’s daughter, played

by Gloria Holden, who is desperate to rid herself of her murderous addiction but has to accept her destiny and the person she was meant to be. If that doesn’t lend itself to queer subtext I don’t know what does.

Addams Family Values We recently re-watched this camp classic and learned it makes for essential year-round viewing. Somehow better than the original, this sequel follows a little family going by Addams who indulge in the macabre and sinister,

who find themselves infiltrated by a murderous gold digger after Uncle Fester’s fortune. With an all star cast, one liners you will be quoting incessantly after viewing and the alternative hero known as Wednesday Addams, this film is essential viewing.

Hocus Pocus Yes, your favourite childhood Halloween film certainly holds its own in the harsh light of 2017. Gay icons Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Kathy Najimy cut the comic ham an inch thick is this high-camp tale of three resurrected witch sisters who reek Halloween havoc on Salem, Mass. If you didn’t sing along to the witches’ rendition of I Put a Spell On You…did you really have a childhood?

Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge As mainstream horror films go, it doesn’t get much gayer than this. Actor

Mark Patton is often touted as the first male” scream queen,” seeing as rather than having a teenage girl in jeopardy, the audience sees a bisexual male who, intentionally or not, finds himself in untraditionally homoerotic situations as well as peril. Terrifying? Yes. Super gay? Indeed. Plus Freddie Krueger is the quintessential horror villain, especially when he delivers camp one liners.

Plan 9 from Outer Space One of my all time favourite films, Plan 9 is a jewel in the crown of infamous director Ed Wood, often cited as the worst filmmaker of all time. Starring Bela Lugosi in his final role and horror hostess Vampira (inspiration behind the aforementioned Elvira), this berserk horror-sci-fi hot mess boasts vampires, aliens, zombies and terrible special effects. 60s B movie horror at its best.

by Jonny Stone @jonny_stone_ j.stone@tsaglasgow.com

O c t o b e r 1 7 | We A r e T S A . c o . u k

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F

our-time Brit Award nominees and renowned global hit producers – like seriously, ‘Rockabye’ and ‘Symphony’ from 2017 alone – are preparing to embark on another nationwide UK tour in the wake of their – currently incomplete – brand new album.

The tour kicks off in Glasgow, 29 October, and in our totally humble, non-biased* opinion we know that opening to a Scottish crowd was a great decision to make. Someone pass us our dancing shoes. The trio’s tour news follows a monumental stretch for Clean Bandit. The release of their UK #1 single ‘Rockabye’ at the beginning of the year, made in collaboration with Zara Larsson, achieved historic success having spent nine weeks at the top of the charts - officially, the longest-running UK #1 in 22 years.

CLE BAN

TSA’s Riannon chats to supersonic front woman Grace Chatto about goldfish, hide and seek, and preparing to storm the world with album number two.

The first night of your UK shows is in Glasgow, what are you looking forward to about playing here?

Glasgow is always one of the best shows of our UK tour because people are so ready to party. Because of the music we play often in other places, in England, people take a bit more warming up and it’s not as fun because its kind of dance music. It’s so great that in Glasgow people are just ready for it. King Tuts was our first show in Glasgow and it was just such an amazing atmosphere – and such a historic place as well. The people for some reason just made it different to down south in England.

Where did you get the idea from to take your goldfish, Dolce & Gabbana, to the Brit Awards?

I have goldfish myself but it has never crossed my mind to take them out the house.

Well I saw it in the designer’s cat walk show! She had all the bags rucksacks and handbags like my one, with fish in them. They are literally fish bowls with handles so it was perfectly safe for the fish, they don’t really know where they are anyway.

It is quite different for band members to make and edit their own music videos. Why did you decide to do this. Do you face any problems taking this approach?

We started doing it because we didn’t have any other option. We didn’t have any money. We could hardly afford to pay our rent. We lived in one room together and there was no way we could get someone else to make a music video. We had always been interested in film. I have studied film theory as part of my university course, Jack had done a lot of visual stuff and photography in his life. He studied in Moscow to be a camera operator, so, when we were in Moscow, we just kind of borrowed a friend’s camera and went around.

We thought of this technique – this was for our first music video, ‘Mozart’s House’ — where you filmed everything slowly so the singer is mouthing everything five times as slowly as it – actually ever filmed and then sped it up so it looked like everything was moving fast around us. That video made us realise the power of having a visual side to our project. Before that, we had music online that no one was listening 24

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to on Myspace for years, and we put that video up on YouTube and it kind of went viral. That’s how we managed to get our music on the radio. Radio 1 started playing it so we just carried on making more and more music videos. We have always just done it ourselves. Now we kind of see ourselves as music video producers, so we produce music and video and they can’t really be separated.

Some of your music videos reference pieces of culture. ‘Dust Clears’ and the ice-skating minister. How do you decide what to feature?

That came about quite randomly. The whole idea for that video was the guy who played the ice skating minister was our friend’s dad. We just found out that he used to figure skate when he was younger and so the whole idea came from that. We though up this world where he was working in a factory where he was really bored and hated it but then in the chorus break out into this fantasy dream world, ice skating on a vast lake. When we met to look at his ice skating to see if it was right for the film, he brought a print of that picture (Reverend Robert Walker (1755 – 1808) Skating on Duddingston Loch, by Sir Henry Raeburn) and said, ‘I think I should dress like this,” so it kind of came from him. A lot of our videos are very organic like that: it depends who we meet and little chats. For ‘Rather Be’ we went over to

EAN NDIT

as responsive as if its 9pm in Glastonbury on the John Peel stage. That was really an amazing reaction, being inside the tent at night is more of a party atmosphere.

What is your favourite song to play live and why?

Probably ‘Rockabye’ or ‘Dust Clears’ but we never play that much anymore. ‘Rockabye’ is so uplifting and I love the beat.

Who has been your favourite artist to work with and why?

Maybe Sean Paul because he is just such a legend.

He is so funny and charming; his voice brings back so many memories from my teenage years. Also, he came up with the rap about single mothers struggling. It was just such an amazing feeling. We don’t usually make political music but there was suddenly a deeper meaning and at the moment in the political climate it felt really special and to be doing that with him as well.

Are there any other artists you want to work with, who would be your dream collaboration?

Lana Del Rey or Bruno Mars.

With the release of new material – where are you at now and what is coming up for you musically?

We are just about to release a new single, very soon, so we are making a music video for that at the moment. I am really excited for everyone to hear that, its quite different. I guess all of our singles are quite different to each other but this one is different.

I don’t want to say too much about it, I just want everyone to hear it. We are slowly finishing our second album as well, we thought we had finished it but we keep making new songs and it’s just deciding which ones are going to go on the album. Eventually we are just going to have to stop. I’m so excited for our new single. We will be performing that for the first time in Glasgow.

How do you find being the only girl in group?

I don’t see it as an issue. We have a lot of girls in the band anyway because we tend to feature female artist on the vocals. When we go around touring we have two female singers, Yasmin Green and Kirsten Joy, who are amazing. We have female violinist Stephanie Benedetti. So, it is actually quite girl heavy.

Do you do anything to prepare yourself on tour?

Tokyo to film it but we didn’t know that much about what we were going to do and we didn’t have any permission. It was kind of like who we met on the street and that turned into who was in the video and how it developed. It is very dependent on the location and that determines how things develop.

Where do you feel you get the best response: at your own concerts, where you are the headline act, or at a festival where you share the bill with other bands?

It totally depends really. I guess probably at our own concerts especially when we play really far away like South Korea or Japan because people are so happy that we have come so far. Whereas over here we play quite a lot. We did a load of festivals this year. It depends on what time of day you’re playing the festival because if its early on and people have just got out of bed they are not

Before gigs I tend to just get dressed really quickly and then we chant some Craig David lyrics before we go on. Sometimes we do the insanity workout but I don’t think we will be doing that this time.

What is your funniest moment on your tour so far?

There have been a lot of funny moments. We have been playing a lot of games over the summer like hide and seek but where you have to get back to a base without being caught. When you get back you have to drink a shot from a roulette and we have the crystal maze theme tune playing which is actually really scary. We have had some really funny moments from that.

by Rhiannon Melrose @RhiannonAdele r.melrose@tsaglasgow.com

O c t o b e r 1 7 | We A r e T S A . c o . u k

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THE HOOSIERS

T

he Hoosiers are coming to King Tuts this November so we caught up with front man and singer Irwin Sparkles about the past, present and future of the band.

If I could tell my 11 year old self that one day I’d be speaking to Irwin Sparkles of the Hoosiers, I’d go absolutely crazy. No matter the time of day, their debut album The Trick to Life would be playing wherever I was: filling my head through my earphones or filling my little room with their hits ‘Goodbye Mr A’ or ‘Worried About Ray’.

“You know you’ve been around for a bit because you get people coming up to you after gigs and telling you that you were the first band they ever bought; you know, like the CD’s or something,” Sparkles told me after I shared my story with him. “You’re like ‘oooh right,’ but it still all feels like yesterday for us.” Putting my fascination briefly to the side, I went on to ask my questions about the Hoosier’s ever evolving style and their journey over the past ten years; from The Trick to Life to their latest album released in 2015, the Secret Service.

Your latest album, The Secret Service, has been described as a completely new sound compared to your earlier albums. What do you think encouraged the change in style?

I don’t know if it was necessarily us who would have said that. We always feel like our sound’s evolving and developing, and I think no-one wants to be making or listening to the same album over and over again.

I mean, it conserves some bands but I think we would have given up by now if that was the case. Now we’ve set up our own little label, and we’re self-releasing. So when we sent out our third album The News from Nowhere, it was probably even more of a change because we were experimenting electronically and mixing up some more live sounds and samples and sampling ourselves; that kind of thing. I think you’ve got to keep yourself interested and motivated to make music. That’s key.

What made you want to start selfreleasing?

Partly, I guess it’s what happens when you leave a major label.

I’m still not sure if we jumped or were pushed when we left but the end result is much the same. We knew that we wanted to continue making music and it was really out of necessity. And the saying goes; of invention.

26 necessity is the m umother sic

So in the past ten years, aside from leaving the label and self-releasing, what do you think has influenced the Hoosiers the most?

For us, it’s been a huge learning curve as we rolled our sleeves up and started doing a lot more work because you haven’t got a label there who knows. But what we do have is complete freedom and we’re very lucky to have a few people who have followed us on our journey.

We still have a bit of an audience and we’re still able to play gigs and sometimes people even turn up! Through the years you play to no-one, loads of people…you never know what you’re going to get. But you play for the people who are there.

I like to put a bit of the personal life in the music so I guess the band kind of relies on having a good time because we’re friends and we hang out, myself and Al [Sharland], which is the original line up. Now we use a bit of humour and try to retain a little bit of mystique. There are lots of things, personally, in terms of growing up. I feel like I’ve been about 17 years old for about 17 years. Growing up doesn’t happen in line with some of your friends that have something closer in line to normality. So basically, loads of life shit like having your heart broken and putting back the pieces and just finding your way – having your expectations challenged. We

thought every album we’d release would be number one after our first – we thought as long as we kept working hard it would keep happening! That’s not necessarily true. I can say for myself and Al, we’re in a far happier place than we ever were than when we were number one. That can be a bit of a poison chalice, it can bring a lot of other stresses and pressure with it. You can be number one and be miserable. Some things are more important than finances and being commercially successful, that’s for sure.

What would you say is your favourite track from The Trick to Life?

It’s interesting now having to learn it all again because we haven’t played some of the songs in a long while.

I’m quite enjoying ‘Killer’. We haven’t played it for like, years or so, so it’s almost like approaching a new song.

CELEBRATING

10

YEARS OF

THE TRICK TO LIFE

T H E

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2 0 1 8

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THURSDAY 12 APRIL

GLASGOW THE SSE HYDRO

TICKETS ONLINE AT DUALIPA.COM/LIVE GIGSINSCOTLAND.COM TICKETMASTER.CO.UK 08444 999 990

up we’re very excited about. We love the idea as well of continuing to make music and it does help if people want to hear it, I won’t lie.

Ten years ago you were performing completely different music, so where do you see the Hoosiers ten years from now?

As long as we still get offers to play gigs then we still really enjoy it every time. When we all meet up like it’s a little reunion. It’s great to see the band that we built around us. We’re a tight unit and that’s really great, so as long as we continue to get gigs, we really enjoy playing our songs regardless of the fact we might have played ‘Goodbye Mr A’ a million times.

It’s great to see it have an effect on people still, and we feel really fortunate and it’s not all the time you get songs people know. So in ten years’ time, hopefully if there are still gig offers we’ll still be playing!

W O R L D

SU NDAY

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2018

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GIGSINSCOTLAND.COM | TICKETMASTER.CO.UK | 08444 999 990 OUT NOW

IMAGINEDRAGONSMUSIC.COM

UK TOUR 2017

@IMAGINEDRAGONS

clean bandit plus special guest

Have you played King Tuts before?

by Holly Fleming Twitter: @hol7ly h.fleming@tsaglasgow.com

What can we expect from the Hoosiers in the coming months and years?

I wish I could tell you! At the moment, we’re all involved in other projects as well. Al’s been involved in a kid’s musical and he’s involved with a project that relies on his love of puns as well as his love for education and music. I do a bit of acting and Al and I are writing as well; a sort of two man show at the moment with music; that’s something that’s just starting

We have! We’ve played King Tuts a few times and without going into clichés, it is great and everyone says it. The further away from the M25 you get, the crowds just get better. King Tuts probably has one of my favourite audiences. There’s just something in the air, regardless of the band, the audience was much better than we were. People decide, we’re going out for a night out and we’re going to enjoy it!

They’re not gonna stand there with their arms folded. It’s got great sound, but loading up those stairs is a nightmare! Come on, someone get a lift!!

Catch The Hoosiers at King Tuts on Friday 3 November.

plus guests

Glasgow Barrowland OUT Saturday 11th 2017 SOLD November SECOND DATE ADDED DUE TO PHENOMENAL DEMAND

Glasgow, Barrowland Sunday 29 th October 2017 cleanbandit .co.uk

Sunday 12th November 2017 ‘Visions Of A Life’ out now www.wolfalice.co.uk

08444 999 990 O c t o b e r 1 7 | We A r e T S A . c o . u k

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2017 SUMMER FESTIVAL ROUND-UP 2017 has not been an easy year for Scottish Festivals. Poor weather for most events meant that if you were one of the thousands that braved the elements over the summer you most likely spent a good deal of your weekends calf deep in mud. We’re used to it though, right?

Sure, in Scotland we’re used to battling the rain and wind in search of good times and to me that’s where at least some of the famous Scottish gig atmosphere stems from. Battling the elements, triumph over adversity, smiling in the face of the deluge. The grit sharpens the blade. This year was though, exceptional.

It’s not just the sodden effect on the public. Make no mistake, even under ideal conditions these festivals are a logistical miracle. A temporarily assembled assortment of grizzled organisers and enthusiastic volunteers coming together to, in often little more than a week, create a what are essentially temporary villages. Throw in a run of torrential rain in the lead up and the strain inevitably starts to show, though community spirit and outright bloody mindedness mostly win the day.

So on the face of it, a pretty bleak festival season? Not at all.

For one it was Kelburn Garden Party’s biggest year yet. A hedonistic whirl of energy set in glorious grounds, the line up was stellar and as always the lack of attitude disarming. Kelburn’s reputation as the hidden gem of Scottish festivals now seems a little patronising and has surely ran it’s course.

Day time and early evening sets saw the cream of the Scottish indie crop play: Be Charlotte, Man of Moon, Jackal Trades, Pronto Mama were stand outs.

Be Charlotte’s set had toddlers, wide eyed teens and yer indie da all happily dancing and singing along. ‘One Drop’ was a particular highlight of the weekend. A dependable euphoric fuzz of energy live, they have the obvious talent and individuality to take it to the next level, it’s going to be interesting to see where they want to take it next.

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Mr Scruff and Optimo did the night time business as only they can and The Hot 8 Brass Band were the perfect choice to bring the crowd together on the rainy Friday evening headline slot with brilliant covers of Luniz ‘I Got 5 On it’ and Snoop Dogg’s ‘Who Am I (What’s My Name)’ shining in amongst their originals.

One of Kelburn’s strengths is that doesn’t take itself too seriously, they have the hint in their title after all – it’s a party and it’s on that merit it definitely succeeds.

They even had a fake Police Rave Unit to bam up the punters as they arrived on site. What’s not to love?

Doune The Rabbit Hole had one of the year’s best line ups with Liars, Holy Fuck, PAWS, BMX Bandits, Songhoy Blues and The Ninth Wave all on the same bill.

Despite Songhoy Blues having to cancel due to finding themselves stranded in some far off land and Liars set being cut early due to sound problems of their own making it was a great showcase of international acts, cult favourites and homegrown Scottish talent. Liars should have just kept on playing without the vocals, a veiled and robed Angus Andrew silently screaming across the precipice kinda worked.

The Ninth Wave and PAWS were the homegrown highlights of the weekend.

Paws won the award for best mosh pit hands down. They’ve recently been signed to the Rough Trade for their 4th album and surely it’s time for them to reach the heights of their pop punk pals, Japandroids. The Ninth Wave being one of the local bands with a fair bit of hype behind them were put on early doors Saturday, an ideal move to drag the groggy revellers from their tents. With a performance glam and goth as all hell, in the muddy depths of early afternoon they shimmered.

Euphoric lo-fi improvisers and electronic toy botherers Holy Fuck were bumped up to the main stage headline slot in Songhoy Blues absence and they didn’t disappoint with a set full of classics from their four full length albums and new EP Bird Brains. They seemed to be a bit surprised at the crowd’s enthusiastic

The line up was full of attention grabbing headliners, quirky show stealers and quality hype bands toughened and tightened by a summer of festival touring. It’s hard to believe that Frightened Rabbit hadn’t headlined a Scottish festival before, now they have it’s unlikely to be much of a wait till the next one comes around for them. An emotional home crowd ate up song after song: chanting, greeting and singing along. Dizzie Rascal seemed on paper to be the odd act out. But he’s clearly a guy who knows how to deliver a headline set. Grimy mayhem ensued while his DJ rocked about like a demented Kryten.

reaction, what could people do at Holy Fuck gigs apart from dance about like madpersons?

Overall the elements brought their challenges but considering the war they raged upon the site, hard graft, community spirit and a fair good dose of goodwill kept the show on the road.

Coming at the tail end of August, Electric Fields was our first Scottish festival of 2017 not adversely affected by the weather. Set in the remote and picturesque grounds of Drumlanrig Castle It was a perfect setting in which to enjoy a cracking line-up and the organisers must surely kick on in 2018 and cement their place as one of the unmissable weekends of the year.

The camp site had a mini T in the Park without the bother vibe about it. Close enough to the main site that you could feed off the vibe but far enough away that it felt like an event in itself.

Elsewhere Winchester alt-folkers This Is The Kit charmed the audience with their winsome 6 music friendly ways, Kate Tempest brought everyday stories into sharp focus with an intense and spellbinding performance of 2016’s Let Them Eat Chaos and Medicine Men showed they’ve got what it takes to captivate and move a crowd. The ever dependable Arab Strap tied up the Saturday evening with an age hardened set of old favourites, The Shy Retirer and The First Big Weekend hitting all the right spots with an eager audience. Between songs Moffat mused on the festival’s big wheel centrepiece, something about it being ‘quite mesmerising, but there’s nobody on it’ perhaps a wee dig at the brash flash of the decibel competing Dizzy Rascal set? At any rate both acts were superb in their own way.

Overall despite the weather and the ever increasing police hassle/costs the Scottish festival scene is in rude health and nobody’s poor wee brother. Most of them already have early bird tickets out for their 2018 edition, saving you a few quid and giving you a longer hype in the process. Let’s see what happens next.

Glasgow City 0141 954 1000 Paisley 0141 887 3000

www.practical.co.uk O c t o b e r 1 7 | We A r e T S A . c o . u k

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ALBUM REVIEW

SUPERFOOD: BAMBINO

I

t can be borderline anxiety inducing to see how much your music scene has changed in such a short span of time. Superfood are one act that can back this up: having blown up during what has been penned as the ‘B-Town’ era, herald in by Peace and Swim Deep, the now-duo have had to adapt to a scene where not only the reign of their contemporaries has came to an end but the state of their line-up has been shook.

Admitting to a host of mistakes (a rushed debut, the subsequent fallout discussed in an interview with DIY), the now duo lead by Dom Ganderton and Ryan Malcolm have found redemption in the form of a sophomore record, titled Bambino. Released by arguably the hottest label in the UK, Dirty Hit Records, they couldn’t have found a more apt place to call home and they certainly don’t take this opportunity for granted; ‘Where’s The Bass Amp’ is a deliciously varied intro, alluring listeners with a bodacious bass drum before reeling them in with sketchy vocal harmonies that comes off as one of the catchiest hooks of the year despite its home video quality.

‘I Can’t See’ follows up this earworm quality with a chorus that squirms into your ear canals, at one point before the second verse it turns into the audio equivalent of blue balling, shifting pitch and creeping itself into the rest of the track. Digging

in a bit deeper exposes a love soaked core that perfectly matches up with the performances on board, possibly the result of the band not having to rush themselves this time around.

While a huge chunk of this album seems to rely solely on these fine tuned and lush instrumentals, the moments where Superfood take a breather and get in tune with their minimal side certainly results in a lot to love: ‘Lov’ is appropriately named, distant vocals that seem to have a romantic tinge sounding miles away from the microphone, giving off the feeling that the narrator is in a relationship that’s began to warp.

There are times where this becomes a double edged sword, most abundantly on ‘C Is For Colour’ which takes this “breather” notion of ‘Lov’ and kind of goes a bit far with it.

Superfood are certainly an act that can do well with a little but it does result in segments with very little substance.

To get down to brass tacks, Bambino is undoubtedly a more mature and thought out affair as opposed to the act’s first venture though even Superfood admit that the change from their debut will cause a divide. Whether you prefer their more care-free style or this new laid out and layered attempt, there’s certainly enjoyment to be had from nearly every morsel of this LP even if certain bits will leave you feeling a tad hungry.

SHANIA TWAIN: NOW

S

hania Twain, one of the bestselling female country music artists in history (not to mention being among the best-selling music artists of all time), has returned with a brand new album, titled Now. This is the first studio appearance Twain has made since the release of her last album Up! in 2002, a sizable gap bringing us to, well, “now”.

‘Swingin’ With My Eyes Closed’ is a strong opening track: clearly the troubles with her voice are a thing of the past. (In May, Twain was forced to cancel a string of performances due to

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music

WOLF ALICE: VISIONS OF A LIFE

T

he dread follow up release is as much of a trope in music as it is in music based journalism and in no genre is this more prevalent than indie rock. We’ve seen plenty of acts in this field fall from grace, whether it’s intentional (The Vaccines made sure their third LP would sound horrible over time) or not, but much like any blockbuster film we hold out hope that The One will come to break the curse.

Step in Wolf Alice, a north London band who have blown up in a way that not even the band could have imagined it: after the 2015 release of My Love Is Cool, the indie rock outfit saw themselves winning awards and appearing in films (albeit it in the soundtrack but Trainspotting 2 no less!).

With the momentum of a sleigh going down an ice laden hill, Visions Of A Life rears its head as simultaneously the most anticipated and dreaded album of the year.

Thankfully as soon as you press play, these doubts are washed away – variety is the spice of life and also a great one for your second album if this is anything to go by. Heavenward is a shoegazy nugget that opens things up with an all mighty build up of wishy washy

guitars and vocals, segwaying into a rage fuelled colossus in the form of ‘Yuk Foo’. “You bore me to death, I don’t give a shit” screams Ellie Rowsell, seen by some publications as a rather shy front woman though here we see that she possesses the anger and bite of a T-Rex. This contrast of soft loveliness and harsh roughness is what makes this album such a great time, somehow feeling cohesive despite all of its diversity. ‘Beautifully UnConventional’ takes us back to a more light hearted affair by acting as a tribute to the movie Heathers though its choice of narrating from the viewpoint of anti-hero JD is an interesting one, showing the band’s ability to create a multi faceted behemoth wearing the skin of a chill rock tune.

It should come as no surprise that an act often heralded as one of the best in Britain have managed to not only outdo themselves but the pitfalls that many of their contemporaries often fall victim to it. Much like the ascension felt on ‘Sky Musings’, Wolf Alice aren’t even close to stopping

by Liam Menzies their rise to Twitter: @blinkclyro www.blinkclyro.com the top.

contracting Lyme disease.) She knocks it out of the park with this track. Its lively, well balanced and has some tight instrumental sections.

‘Light of My Life’ opens with soft guitars and is a far more melancholic track than the two previous to it.

I think this is one of my personal favourites on the album, it might be a little bit slow but there are uplifting notes throughout that pick it up.

‘Who’s Gonna Be Your Girl’ is another beautiful song, and I actually think that, out of the first few tracks, this shows off her voice the most.

The track is nicely broken down: the harmony between the instrumental and vocal sections is tight. ‘More Fun’ opens with a nice, little piano riff that, to me, seems cheery, contrasting with the song itself. ‘I’m Alright’ is a different again. Twain’s haunting

vocals are backed up with a consistent drumbeat that takes on the qualities of a heartbeat ‘You Can’t Buy Love’ has a lot of swing to it and it reminded me of ‘Valerie’ (the version with Amy Winehouse), at least in the intro. I think in terms of style this track stands out among the other tracks in the album, but it does follow the narrative of the album as a whole.

‘Life’s About To Get Good’ is an upbeat track, but it follows the established narrative of the rest of the tracks which all speak of success and failure, of perseverance. ‘Soldier’ opens with a piano and closes this phenomenal album.

Twain doesn’t disappoint, she hits out with another beautiful song that demonstrates her voice at its best with a potent nod to our servicemen.

LEWIS CAPALDI P IS A NAME YOU’LL BE HEARING A LOT MORE OF

repare to hear a new up and coming star play over your radio every day, this new singer-songwriter on the scene is one to watch. Lewis Capaldi from Bathgate, a small town between Edinburgh and Glasgow, is taking the world by storm with some of his latest tracks which have led to sold out concerts across the UK less than three months after release. The young artist who is new on the music scene will support Rag ’N’ Bone Man this year on his European tour.

The Scottish singer-songwriter started out by playing covers of artists such as Paolo Nutini, The View and Jake Bugg, probably not realising that he’d penultimately end up touring with Jake Bugg this year.

Lewis reached over 20 million plays on Spotify and has been announced as the first performer and nominee for this year’s SSE Scottish Music Awards where he is nominated for Jack Daniel’s Best Breakthrough Artist of The Year 2017.

How has 2017 been for you?

“Aye, it’s been no bad. It’s just worked out in such a short space of time” Lewis headlined TRNSMT this summer and claimed it was one of the best gigs he’d every played and the crowd went absolutely wild for the young performer. Lewis has just announced his biggest Glasgow show to date, at the 02 ABC on February 17th 2018.

Lewis has received feedback from A-list celebrities such as Chloe Grace Moretz who retweeted his tweet about ‘Bruises’. The track which reached 20 million plays on Spotify delved deep into the pain of a broken relationship. Lewis’ rise to the top is showing no signs of slowing or peaking anytime soon.

The young rising star flew out to America and wrote songs with a well-known US record producer, songwriter and Grammy Award winner Malay, who has worked with artists such as Frank Ocean and Lorde. He later flew out to LA to collaborate with Daniel Rankle and produced music which became increasingly popular as soon as it was released.

We asked how Lewis felt about this sudden rise to fame and this is what he had to say: “I’ve been playing gigs since I was twelve and now I’m 21. In March this

year, as soon as we released ‘Bruises’ – it just went crazy... I had never released a single before, a proper single, so when they released that it got picked up by Spotify and got put as the number one single in the US. The success of ‘Bruises’, a truly heartbreaking and honest account of a failed relationship acoustic number has us anticipating what Lewis has up his sleeve next. The humble 21-year-old’s music is so successful because it feels real and relatable.

Although, Lewis’ music is mostly acoustic, he claims he’d love to break into the rap scene. When asked if he could collaborate with anyone, he said: “It changes on a day-to-day basis a wee bit. I’d probably say PostMalone and Kanye West. I do like rap and that kind of stuff too.”

Lewis has this advice for all aspiring singer songwriters trying to break into the music industry: “Just gig as much as possible, I would try and gig across Glasgow and just mix up it up every weekend, write your own songs as much as possible, even if it ends up as bad or that, just keep writing them or do a gig. From twelve to twenty, there probably isn’t a day that I didn’t play guitar. Do it as secretly as possible and get out and play as much as possible.

Lewis has lots of plans in the coming months and will be performing multiple shows across the UK, we know for certain, Lewis will continue to produce more incredible music and who knows what the future holds for Lewis’ ascending career.

“I just kind of show up where I’m told to go. In October, we’ve got some new stuff coming in as well, and in November, I’m going on tour in Europe. Then in December, I’ve got my own headline as well and then in January next year, then in February, I’ll come back and go to ABC in Glasgow and the Academy in Dublin. So, that’s the plan, keep it going for as long enough as possible.”

Lewis has just finished recording his new EP Bloom which will be released on October 20th 2017.

The album has acoustic singles such as ‘Fade’, ‘Bruises’, ‘Mercy’ and ‘Lost On’ You on the playlist and will be available to download on iTunes.

by Sophie McLean sophiemcleanblog. wordpress.com

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the interview: CALUM SCOTT

C

alum Scott has come a long way since his first, portentous performance of Robyn’s hit ‘Dancing on My Own’ on Britain’s Got Talent years ago now. Now, the 29-yearold British singer/songwriter is ready to leave his ballad bags at home in the light of his experimental debut solo

You’ve been chosen as Emeli Sandé’s main support on her upcoming arena tour. Can you tell us how that came about?

I think it was more to do with the pairing. I suppose the support acts that you choose must be relevant, in terms of sound it should be on a parallel and because I’ve now stepped up from just me and piano, up to a full band.

In terms of sound I think we are quite well matched. Emeli has a huge voice and sings these massive songs and I quite like to think that I do the same. I pride myself on singing big, emotional sort of heart felt songs and I think it’s just to do with the pairing. Plus, me are Emeli are label buddies, I met her while she was doing some work over at Capital where we are both signed in LA. She is lovely I met her at the Brits as well. I think it’s just a great pairing.

You’re original song ‘Rhythm Inside’ is fast approaching 20M Streams worldwide. Was it difficult finding your own sound, especially after the outstanding success of your version of Robyn’s ‘Dancing on my Own’?

It was kind of difficult because you know for me I had gone from a normal Yorkshire lad who had applied for a competition. And then, with the success of Britain’s Got Talent, I think it just kind of came out of nowhere.

I don’t think anyone was expecting the video to go viral and the song to be doing so well. When I met with my manager and we started working together, he said, “We should just put the single out for your fans because it has been requested on social media.

They are all asking for it. People are saying they are all running out of data streaming it on YouTube.”

I just figured, well, obviously now I have my foot in the door, original material is the focus, so, I put out ‘Dancing on My Own’ as a single, and there was my mark on the music world. I could then concentrate fully

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album which promises to cement that this gent is most certainly not a one-trickpony.

Now a passionate advocate for world peace and friendly supporter of the LGBT community, Scott talks

on my original work. When I started writing my EP, ‘Dancing on My Own’ completely blew up and went seriously out of control. We thought that we were going to sell maybe 10,000 if we were lucky, he said we are now approaching 4.5m worldwide. It blows my mind every time he tells me stuff like that.

Finding my original sound was quite a weird process, I was already promoting the single ‘Dancing On My Own’ in Europe and America whilst I was still writing the album, so I was still trying to discover my sound.

The things I have been through, this journey, and the people I’ve met along the way, have helped me write this album. A lot of the songs that are on the album, if not all of them, are very personal. So, ‘Rhythm Inside’ was kind of more because my fans have been so loyal and so patient since the show.

I wanted to give them a little taste of what I have been working on. I wanted to show people I’m not just a one-trick pony.

I did a track with Matrix and Futurebound, called ‘Light Us Up’, which is this big drum and base song.

When the album comes out early next year people will see the diversity through the album. They will hear the ballads, the heartfelt songs and they will hear the up-tempo ones that make you want to move around. I would like to be diverse enough where I can go play at a festival or at a theatre.

You’ve mentioned in a previous interview that you hope your new record will be an anthem for the LGBT community, can you tell us more about your new record and what kind story or message it sends?

I’ve struggled with talking about my sexuality growing up, and then I was kind of thrust into it a little bit with the success I have had. It took me from a small town up north to a global audience and people were asking who I was dating and all that kind of stuff.

to TSA’s Rihannon about finding his own sound, being more comfortable in his skin, and staying humble in the face of overnight celebrity status and a 2017 Brit Award nomination.

There was a bit of pressure on me to be a bit more open and honest about how I felt.

I started using my music as a therapy, and anytime I felt down or pressured I would put that into song. There are a couple of songs on the album that talk about sexuality. The opening song is about me coming out to the press.

It’s a very personal song for me but it is an empowering one, and hopefully audiences who listen to these songs will be able to relate in a way. It feels like an anthem to sing it to feel more empowered by your sexuality and not feel like you should hide away and you can’t talk about it.

I’ve always been inspired by Michael Jackson, my all-time favourite. Not only is he incredibly talented, he tried to use music to heal and change the world and I think that’s beautiful. To use something that you love in a way to change peoples mind sets or to help and heal the world with your music. I have had my issues and hiding away feeling ashamed and not being able to talk about my sexuality to now talking to all different LGBT newspapers, magazines and press and being so open and feeling so liberated. To know that my album has got songs on there to potentially help other people, it just means that every tear I have cried and horrible situation I have been through, if it helps one person, then it means that it was all worthwhile.

It is like there is a lot going on at the moment, a lot of devastation and hatred and the world needs a bit more love and hopefully I can bring that.

When on Britain’s Got Talent, was it what you imagined it would be like?

O-M-G. It was so far away from what you think it’s going to be.

You can rehearse, but you can’t prepare for it. When I was on there with my sister, as soon as she was told no by Simon and he said she had a bedroom voice, everything just came crashing down for me.

Everything I prepared just got swallowed up in the drama of it all.

Every time I have given advice to people who want to go for a show like that, I’ve always said go for it.

If it’s something you enjoy and love it’s the perfect platform to be seen by millions of people. I wouldn’t be where I am if it wasn’t for such a platform like that. Just prepare yourself because it’s an emotional rollercoaster, especially with BGT: it’s over in three performances, where as X-Factor can potentially be ten weeks or something. It’s hard because you go from being a relatively modest, unknown person to having this spotlight on you.

This is why I’ve tried so hard to keep my feet on the floor to try and see family back in my home town

“You’ll soon find out that if you don’t tell me to shut up then I’ll just end up chewing your ear off” often. It is a rollercoaster. It isn’t real life and then after the show finishes it’s done and you know that’s that series finished with, and if you haven’t been fortunate enough to get a deal out of it then you’re thrown back into the world and its harsh. At the end of the day if you’re doing something you love anyway then you never lose, you’re just trying to show it to a new audience.

What was the strangest thing about going from normal life to stardom?

Plenty of things. I have travelled the world, seen places I never thought I would see, which has been such a massive honour, and performed in all these different countries.

You know, I think for me the biggest thing is the fans. I did a small show in Hull last night for SoFar Sounds which was aligned with a charity that help raise human rights, Amnesty. We did a small intimate sort of secret show in Hull, to maybe less than 100 people and I had already said to them, last

night performing in my home town, that, when I did my headline show in Hull earlier in the year, it was one of the best I have ever done, simply because you are surrounded by all these fans that are from your home town.

Don’t get me wrong I love all my fans from across the world but, obviously, being in your home town and on your home turf it’s something special.

To wake up in the morning and see all these beautiful messages from people that just adore you it is a very humbling feeling. To have all these people that are literally waiting on you hand and foot. That’s why I make a lot of time for my fans. I have a couple of group chats on twitter where its fans that have grouped themselves together and made friends with each other, through me, which is beautiful.

They come out in full force for my gigs, they all go live so they can watch each other’s stuff. I feel that across the world in the States, in Europe and Asia, to go from a normal life, the best part of my life is in Yorkshire, this tiny corner of the world, but to then be known globally and having fans in all corners of the world… its truly humbling. It’s something I will never get my head around: how many people have your back and want to see you do well. It’s beautiful.

What are you looking forward to about playing in Glasgow?

Every time I come to Scotland, I have said it time and time again: the Scottish have one of the best crowds to play to. The Scottish love their music and every time I’ve played in Scotland (I’ve played in Glasgow a couple of times and Edinburgh) people just go crazy for it. People don’t hold back. They are not going to sit quiet, they are going to cheer and clap.

It spurs you on as an artist. You give that little 1% more that you can and I’ve always had such a smile on my face performing for a Scottish crowd.

Honestly, I am not even joking. I cannot wait to get back to Scotland, and to perform in an arena – Jesus Christ. I’ve performed in a couple of places in Glasgow to a modest number but never to this size of crowd, so I cannot wait to sing to 10,000 Scottish people. It’s going to be a dream come true for me. I can’t wait for it.

by Rhiannon Melrose @RhiannonAdele r.melrose@tsaglasgow.com

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Gig Guide: Music Glasgow SUN, 01 OCT Bloc+Jam Open Mic Weekly Open Mic with hosts Louis Abbott (Admiral Fallow) and guests BLOC: 21:00 FREE

MON, 02 OCT Blochestra Bloc’s own mini orchestra - new members welcome to join no matter your experience BLOC: 21:00 FREE

TUE, 03 OCT The Butcher’s Rodeo (FRA) + Old Guard 5-piece French hardcore.

Bring a nappy.

BLOC: 21:00 FREE

WED, 04 OCT Dammit Presents: Oakman (FRA) + Bad Luck + Kevin Walls Exceptional French pop-punk blending the best in old-school Paramore vibes with the delicacy of Julien Baker BLOC: 21:00 FREE

THU, 05 OCT Control Social Club & Possession Records Present… SOFT RIOT, NAO KATAFUCHI, VIXXXIONARY, CURRENT AFFAIRS & DJS Broadcast: 19:30 £5.00 Words that Burn + Centrilia + Titan Breed Irish alternative metallers hit Scotland for the very first time in October in support of their highly successful album ‘Regret is for the Dead’.

Nice n Sleazy’s: 19:30 £5.00 PRAY 4 LOVE ALL love songs from ALL the genres. Truly, we will feel blessed.

Nice n Sleazy’s: 23:30 Free Slippery Nights Presents: Gay Panic Defence + Sick of Talk + Ideal Radical queercore punks from Kirkcaldy bring their riotous cavalcade to Bloc BLOC: 21:00 FREE

FRI, 06 OCT EMA + DUBAIS + KELORA EMA began with the urge to self-exile.

Broadcast: 19:00 £10.00 NHC Presents : Duncan Reid and the Big Heads The first UK punk band to sign an album deal in January 1977.

Nice n Sleazy’s: 19:30 £8 ADV Ghost Girls (club night) Expect the unexpected, your 90’s nostalgic dance classics, your 00s R&B and more!

BLOC: 23:00 FREE Glitterbang! Disco Divas & Europop Anthems for those ready to SWEAT Nice n Sleazy’s: 23:30 £3 (free for students) TORI AMOS American singersongwriter comes to Glasgow to delight the classically tuned ears among us.

O2 ACADEMY: 19:00 £48.50 / £37.50 / £25.00 THE STRYPES The four-piece Irish rock band return to Glasgow with their blissful vintage vibe.

GARAGE: 19:00 £13.00 adv

DOUBLE SIGHT ’17 – GLASGOW GARAGE & PSYCH WEEKEND With 60s psychedelic legends Kaleidoscope UK. Broadcast: 21:00 £4.00 Monster Hospital (club night) Botch meets Beyonce DJ smash, a club night like no other BLOC: 23:00 FREE HARSH TUG Hip Hop & RnB to the extreme Nice n Sleazy’s: 23:30 £3 (free for students) PAPA ROACH Californian rockers return on a rock mission like no other.

O2 ACADEMY: 19:00 £32.50 adv TOM GRENNAN Will this British heartthrob say your name?

ST. LUKES: 19:00 £9.00 adv

SUN, 08 OCT KRAUTWERK + ALTRES Harald Grosskopf & Eberhard Kranemann Broadcast: 19:00 £12.50 Serpent Kings + Dog Moon Howl + Warhead SERPENT KINGS “NIGHTMARE’S” TOUR! Nice n Sleazy’s: 19:30 £4.00 Bloc+Jam Open Mic Weekly Open Mic with hosts Louis Abbott (Admiral Fallow) and guests BLOC: 21:00 FREE

MON, 09 OCT PIP BLOM Angst-ridden of lo-fi indie Broadcast: 19:00 tbc JOSH PYKE Singer-songwriter vibes for the perpetual dreamer.

THE GARAGE (ATTIC BAR): 19:00

£10.00 adv Acoustic Open Mic Night with Gerry Lyons Free beer for performers! 8pm til late Nice n Sleazy’s: 20:00 Free STRATA with guest Kevin Cahill Enter a world blending minimalism, groove, and unhinged free improvisation (think Steve Reich meets Zu, and The Thing) BLOC: 21:00 FREE MARTY STUART AND HIS FABULOUS SUPERLATIVES Prepare for a experience that is as hyperbolic as their band name ORAN MOR: 19:00 £28.50 adv

TUE, 10 OCT SLØTFACE Norwegian band aiming to make moshing safe for women and create the most joyous punk ditties you’ve heard since the 90s.

Broadcast: 19:00 £6.00 FRENCH FOR RABBITS Dreamy indie-folk duo all the way from New Zealand.

STEREO: 19:00 £7.00 adv GARY NUMAN An evening of reminiscent synthpop with one of the 70s once-fading popstars.

O2 ABC: 19:00 £29.50 adv (a is to b) + Hoor_Paar_Kraat + Ted Volcunt The return of synthwave band (a is to b), with a new album and a mini-European tour. Ably supported by the cream of Glasgow’s underground bass and beats collectives.

Nice n Sleazy’s: 19:30 £4.00 Manu Louis (BEL/GER) Electroeccentric pop for fans of Beck BLOC: 21:00 FREE

WED, 11 OCT

SAT, 07 OCT King Witch + First Temple Of The Atom + Bacchus Baracus KING WITCH : Formed in early 2015 in a cavern beneath the streets of old Edinburgh, a leadheavy brew of old school Metal and the meatiest of 70’s classic rock emerges in the form of King Witch.

Nice n Sleazy’s: 19:30 £6 adv / £8otd

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in Edinburgh & Glasgow

FAKEAR Electronic music like a journey without destination Broadcast: 19:00 £10.00 JP COOPER Here to ensure that you have a bloody good time with a bunch of Perfect Strangers.

O2 ABC: 19:00 £16.00 adv MOONCHILD Flamboyant singer with a sexy style.

O2 ABC2: 19:00 £11.00 adv

music | gig guide

NADINE SHAH Mystique composer with a jazz-kissed, indie-rock nod to modern music.

ORAN MOR: 19:00 £14.00 adv DUA LIPA The YouTube singing sensation has come to preach about her Rules to you in person.

O2 ACADEMY: 19:00 £18.00 adv FATHERSON Euphoric Scottish trio set to blow the roof off the Art School on the hometown leg of their UK tour.

THE ART SCHOOL: 19:00 SOLD OUT POST MELVINS PARTY POST MELVINS PARTY Nice n Sleazy’s: 23:00 FREE ENTRY GoldMold Presents Bearfoot Beware Scrappy math-rock from Leeds BLOC: 21:00 FREE

THU, 12 OCT YOWL + LICE Yowl are a band who make Peckham sound like New York City 2002… a little bit Broadcast: 19:00 tbc FATHERSON Euphoric Scottish trio set to blow the roof off the Art School on the hometown leg of their UK tour.

THE ART SCHOOL: 19:00 SOLD OUT NICK MULVEY Mercury Prize nominated singer-songwriter bringing Havana vibes to a promising evening of sensational music.

O2 ABC: 19:00 £17.50 adv FICKLE FRIENDS Good music, good ol’ venue.

O2 ABC2: 19:00 £9.00 adv Prom Queen + Scunner + Ferri & The Fevers Dark-surf and Girl-group noir from Seattle’s Prom Queen.

Nice n Sleazy’s: 19:30 £5.00 SMALL TALK w/ DJ ADIDADIS Vaporbeat + Eurowave from Cosmic Lewis Nice n Sleazy’s: 23:30 Free Ceiling Demons + Eli Hermit Alternative Hip-Hop from northern England, taking influence from acts like The Streets, Tricky and Serenget BLOC: 21:00 FREE

VICTIMS OF TIME + THE KIDNEY FLOWERS + ROCKET REDUCER Protopunk supergroup consisting of members of the Brutes, Jackhammers, Rocket Reducer and the Primevals.

Broadcast: 19:00 £2.50 REVEREND AND THE MAKERS Responsible for now-slightlystomach-churning tunes of the British indie boom.

GARAGE: 19:00 £15.00 adv CLAY Heavily influenced by the likes of Jungle, The Charlatans and Primal Scream, THE GARAGE (ATTIC BAR): 19:00

£7.50 adv HP Presents : Future Glue + The Pale Kids + Fat Black Cats HP Presents : Future Glue + The Pale Kids + Fat Black Cats Nice n Sleazy’s: 19:30 £6.00 Dammit All To Hell Our new clubnight playing the best in Pop Punk, Emo, Indie, Rock and Pop! BLOC: 23:00 FREE SINGLES NIGHT Celebrate the perfect pop prescription with the 7” single Nice n Sleazy’s: 23:30 £3 (free for students)

SUN, 15 OCT EMELI SANDÉ Crackin tunes THE SSE HYDRO: 18:30 £55 / £45 / £39.50 adv MINK RECORDS LABEL NIGHT MINK RECORDS LABEL NIGHT Broadcast: 19:00 tbc THE BREEDERS New album and if we’re lucky they’ll play stuff from Last Splash too.

O2 ABC: 19:00 £20.00 adv The By Gods (usa) + Ravens + guests Trying to drill through your skull to plant their hook Nice n Sleazy’s: 19:30 £5.00 Bloc+Jam Open Mic Weekly Open Mic with hosts Louis Abbott (Admiral Fallow) and guests BLOC: 21:00 FREE FLAT WORMS (CASTLE FACE RECORDS) Three piece punk band from Los Angeles with Will Ivy, Tim Hellman (Thee Oh Sees, Sic Alps) and Justin Sullivan (Kevin Morby, The Babies).

Broadcast: 23:00 £7.00

FRI, 13 OCT

MON, 16 OCT

FRANK IERO & THE PATIENCE My Chemical Romance alumni here to clean up your looks with new lies and new books…

GARAGE: 18:30 £17.00 adv HMLTD + ROXY AGOGO HMLTD + ROXY AGOGO Broadcast: 19:00 £8.00 Freakender Presents : Thee MVPs + Guests Tight as hell garage punk from London!! (think Coachwhips, Ty Segall, Billy Childish etc etc etc) Nice n Sleazy’s: 19:30 £6 adv DEATHKILL 4000 Ultra-cutting edge dark electro, hip hop and post punk BLOC: 23:00 FREE LOW ISLAND & FRIENDS Music from the Oxford quartet.

STEREO: 23:00 £6.00 adv Anna & Holly’s Dance Party Ultimate rock n roll + 60’s girl group + garage psych beat music Nice n Sleazy’s: 23:30 £3 (free for students) NIGHTWAVE Most thunderous beats and warmest vibes Nice n Sleazy’s: 23:30 £4.00

THE RHYTHM METHOD Elton John and Suggs are fans, Mike Skinner produced.

Broadcast: 19:00 £7.00 adv Acoustic Open Mic Night with Gerry Lyons Free beer for performers! 8pm til late Nice n Sleazy’s: 20:00 Free The Blas Collective Celtic Connections glitterati perform a night of inspiring covers, originals and classics BLOC: 21:00 FREE

SAT, 14 OCT THE BELLRAYS (CANCELLED) THE BELLRAYS (CANCELLED) Broadcast: 19:00 Cancelled

TUE, 17 OCT RATIONALE Big love from Huw Stephens ORAN MOR: 19:00 £11.00 adv Riviera (FRA) French rock at the crossroads between Queens of the Stone Age, Foals and Arctic Monkeys BLOC: 21:00 FREE

WED, 18 OCT DIET CIG + THE SPOOK SCHOOL Diet Cig are here to have fun.

They’re here to tear you away from the soul-sucking sanctity of your dumpster-fire life and replace it with pop-blessed punk jams about navigating the impending doom of adulthood when all you want is to have ice cream on you Broadcast: 19:00 £7.50

GABRIELLE APLIN GABRIELLE APLIN ORAN MOR: 19:00 £16.50 adv ZARA LARSSON Won Sweden’s version of ‘Got Talent’ O2 ACADEMY: 19:00 £22.50 adv BEVERLEY KNIGHT Queen of British Soul and one of the UK’s most consistent recording artists O2 ABC: 19:00 £27.50 / £99 VIP KELE OKEREKE He of Bloc Party ST. LUKES: 19:00 £16.00 adv OVER ATLANTIC OVER ATLANTIC THE GARAGE (ATTIC BAR): 19:00 £10.00 (VIP Plat £40 + VIP Gold £30) Queer Theory Don’t you want to take off your clothes and be free!?

Nice n Sleazy’s: 19:30 £5.00 Not Moving Exotic vibes for the discerning dancer Nice n Sleazy’s: 23:30 Free Hello Creepy Spider (Album Launch) + Fighting Caravans Album launch from a band that play hard and fast, short and loud rock and roll BLOC: 21:00 FREE

THU, 19 OCT LITTLE MIX World-dominating, girl band with attitude guaranteed to give you a good ol’ sing-song and an injection of glam.

THE SSE HYDRO: 18:30 £45 / £35 / £25 adv MARMOZETS MARMOZETS ST. LUKES: 19:00 £12.00 adv THE HORRORS That new song sounds a lot like The Human League in a really good way eh?

QMU: 19:00 £17.50 adv Grace and Legend + Foxes Follow + Finding Argyle Heavy riffs and alluring melodies Nice n Sleazy’s: 19:30 £5 adv / £6 before 8.30pm / £7 after Drugstore Glamour The most tantalising Steamy Disco + Sleazy Hits Nice n Sleazy’s: 23:30 Free Repeater Presents: Stonethrower + Terrafraid Dundee emo/punk with a peppering of screamo BLOC: 21:00 FREE

FRI, 20 OCT JASMINE MINKS + THE JAZZ BUTCHER Hailing originally from Scotland, the Jasmine Minks were the first band signed to Alan McGee’s Creation records.

Broadcast: 19:00 £11.00 LIAM FRAY He of The Courteeners BARROWLAND: 19:00 £20.00 adv TRAIN TRAIN O2 ACADEMY: 19:00 £35.00 / £29.50 adv CHON CHON G2: 19:00 £12.00 adv PALE WAVES PALE WAVES THE GARAGE (ATTIC BAR): 19:00

£7.50 adv The Deviljocks + The Fuckups + 13 The Misfits covers band joined

by The Fuckups from Glasgow and 13 from Falkirk.

Nice n Sleazy’s: 19:30 £5.00 Enjoyable Moment (club night) Cosmic Dead curated avante-electro psyche-out DJs BLOC: 23:00 FREE

SAT, 21 OCT PLEASURE HEADS (SINGLE LAUNCH) Falkirk’s Finest Broadcast: 19:00 £5.00 Fantastic Man (club night) Incoherent madness for those with a deathwish, the worst clubnight in the world BLOC: 23:00 FREE

The Lance Vance Dance Discover Disco anew, refreshed, revitalised Nice n Sleazy’s: 23:30 £3 (free for students)

SUN, 22 OCT PENETRATION + REACTION Punk rock band from County Durham, England formed in 1976.

Broadcast: 19:00 £15.00 STARSAILOR Starsailor is an English post-Britpop band, formed in 2000.

O2 ABC: 19:00 £19.50 adv Bloc+Jam Open Mic Weekly Open Mic with hosts Louis Abbott (Admiral Fallow) and guests BLOC: 21:00 FREE

MON, 23 OCT ACID MOTHERS TEMPLE Headmelting psychedelia Broadcast: 19:00 £10.00 Acoustic Open Mic Night with Gerry Lyons Free beer for performers! 8pm til late Nice n Sleazy’s: 20:00 Free Blochestra Bloc’s own mini orchestra - new members welcome to join no matter your experience BLOC: 21:00 FREE

TUE, 24 OCT SLOWCOACHES London-based punk-fuelled trio Broadcast: 19:00 £7.00 ELDERBROOK Mambo Hero STEREO: 19:00 £10.00 adv WEEZER PACIFIC DAYDREAM. New album out October 27th featuring the single “Feels Like Summer” & “Mexican Fender” O2 ACADEMY: 19:00 £39.50 adv MØ MØ has been compared to electropop artists such as Grimes and Twin Shadow.

O2 ABC: 19:00 £15.00 adv MC LARS + Spose Punk energy and D.I.Y ethics fused with Hip-Hop tracks about Edgar Allen Poe, Game of Thrones and The Simpsons are what makes MC Lars’ signature LitHop style fans have come to love.

Nice n Sleazy’s: 20:00 £7 adv MYCIAA (FRA) + Angelic Boys Who Walk On Water French electro-punk BLOC: 21:00 FREE

WED, 25 OCT CRAZY TOWN + LOKA + MONKEY PUZZLE – bzzzz Broadcast: 19:00 tbc Rev Rev Rev (ITA) + THUS One for all the starry-headed dreamgazers and pedal-perv noiseniks alike BLOC: 21:00 FREE

THU, 26 OCT CASSIA / THE REASON / START STATIC Calypso-flavoured tropi-pop Broadcast: 19:00 tbc DECLAN MCKENNA Just 18.

Initially gained recognition for winning the Glastonbury Festival’s Emerging Talent Competition in 2015.

O2 ABC: 19:00 £13.50 adv IRIT Let Irit take you on an eclectic musical journey describing relationships, magical places, affairs of the heart and everything in between.

ORAN MOR: 19:00 £10.00 adv BLACK REBEL MOTORCYCLE CLUB Wrong Creatures album coming out in Jan 2018.

BARROWLAND: 19:00 £25.00 adv JASON ISBELL AND THE 400 UNIT JASON ISBELL AND THE 400 UNIT O2 ACADEMY: 19:00 £22.00 adv WILDWOOD KIN WILDWOOD KIN STEREO: 19:00 £10.00 adv

The events listed below were correct and up to date at time of going to print but please check the venue’s own website prior to booking

Synergy Concerts Presents : Mammal Hands + Guests Hypnotic fusion of jazz, folk and electronica Nice n Sleazy’s: 19:30 £10 adv / £13 OTD Breakfast Club with Gerry Lyons 80’s anthems! Decade specific attire encouraged!

Nice n Sleazy’s: 23:30 Free STRETCHED Presents: MIG The secret meeting place of contemporary jazz-enthused savants BLOC: 21:00 FREE

FRI, 27 OCT THIS FEELING W/ THE ASSIST They look like lovely boys they do.

Broadcast: 19:00 £7.00 Finiflex + GK Machine Supported with a DJ set by Glasgow music connoisseur & label boss of the ever excellent Invisible Inc Records GK Machine aka Gordon Macarena.

Nice n Sleazy’s: 19:30 £6 adv Shake Appeal (club night) 6 decades of rock and roll on under one roof hosted by the ultimate DJ trivium BLOC: 23:00 FREE

SAT, 28 OCT SLEAZY SAMHAIN : LUMINOUS BODIES + CUTTY’S GYM + SLIME CITY + SICK OF TALK + HITS FROM HELL Members of Part Chimp, Gum Takes Tooth, terminal Cheesecake, Jesus’s Boyfriend, Mummise Guns and Ikara Colt form a supergroup for the ages. 2 monstrous drummers, 8 massive riffs, 5 beautiful human beings who mainly live in London.

Nice n Sleazy’s: 18:45 £6 OTD CSC HALLOWEEN SPECIAL | W/ BAD BREEDING & MORE A late night Halloween Special showcase featuring Bad Breeding. Support from some of the country’s best new wave artists.

Broadcast: 19:00 £8.00 LITTLE EYE & VAMA (CoHeadline) VAMA one of Romanias top indie pop- rock bands O2 ABC2: 19:00 £11.00 adv Gonzo Wayne’s World Halloween Special (club night) The best indie disco in Glasgow brings all things MTV2 (pre-trash) and 120 Minutes with guests Wayne & Garth BLOC: 23:00 FREE Shaka Loves You Presents : Joints n Jams! Live Visuals, Percussion, Hip Hop! Crucial Hip Hop w/ Visuals + Live Percussion Nice n Sleazy’s: 23:30 £3 (free for students)

SUN, 29 OCT FRANKLY, THE SMITHS + ALEX WAYT Frankly, The Smiths are a Smiths tribute band from Glasgow and Fife.

Broadcast: 19:00 £6.00 BRANDY CLARK American country music singer-songwriter.

ORAN MOR: 19:00 £22.50 adv CLEAN BANDIT This month’s Cover Stars! See pages 24-25.

BARROWLAND: 19:00 £22.50 adv AN EVENING WITH FOY VANCE Northern Irish musician and singersongwriter signed to Glassnote Records in 2013. Has toured as a support act to Ed Sheeran ST LUKES: 19:00 £17.50 adv 10 000 RUSSOS + Black Doldrums + Acid Cannibals Industrial psych/post-punk psychedelia Nice n Sleazy’s: 19:30 £6 adv

Bloc+Jam Open Mic Weekly Open Mic with hosts Louis Abbott (Admiral Fallow) and guests BLOC: 21:00 FREE

MON, 30 OCT AN EVENING WITH FOY VANCE Northern Irish musician and singersongwriter signed to Glassnote Records in 2013. Has toured as a support act to Ed Sheeran ST LUKES: 19:00 £17.50 adv Acoustic Open Mic Night with Gerry Lyons Free beer for performers! 8pm til late Nice n Sleazy’s: 20:00 Free The Blas Collective Celtic Connections glitterati perform a night of inspiring covers, originals and classics BLOC: 21:00 FREE

TUE, 31 OCT CHRIS ISAAK CHRIS ISAAK CLYDE AUDITORIUM: 19:00

£47.50 / £40 / £37.50 adv GOLDFRAPP GOLDFRAPP O2 ACADEMY: 19:00 £28.50 adv Stranger Massaoke All Thrillers no fillers! The live band play the singalong anthems. Lyrics go on screen. And everyone sings along TOGETHER! Nice n Sleazy’s: 20:00 £7.00 NYOS (FIN) + Unkirk + Ideal ExKhuda doom math duo perfect for scraing the crap out of you BLOC: 21:00 FREE

WED, 01 NOV GURR Gurr is a garagepop band from Berlin that sounds like a trashy 60s girl group meshed with poppy vocals in two voices and a flavor of eeriness dug out from the deep darkness that is the Berlin rocknroll bar’s restroom at 5 am.

Broadcast: 19:00 £7.00 NEWTON FAULKNER Album no 6 : Hit The Ground Running GARAGE: 19:00 £22.00 adv Film Screening : Her Broken Shadow - 7.30pm - free entry This film follows two lonely female writers each living in different time zones, but who look so alike that they must be the other one’s doppelgänger.

Nice n Sleazy’s: 19:30 FREE

THU, 02 NOV GIRL RAY The fabulous Girl Ray Broadcast: 19:00 £7.50

Edinburgh THU, 05 OCT Dancing On Tables plus The Opera Comic and Nate Collins Officially formed in a school cupboard Sneaky Pete’s: 19:00 £6.00

FRI, 06 OCT

Heal Yourself And Move #11 with Johnny Nash and House Of Traps Oddball house, techno and electronica with teeth.

Sneaky Pete’s: 23:00 TBC THE ALARM Alternative rockers here to punk up your life for one night only.

LIQUID ROOM: 19:00 £22.50 adv PLACEBO Alt-duo, guitarist (Brian Molko) and bassist (Stefan Olsdal), arrive to prove that great things sometimes come in packages of two.

USHER HALL: 19:00 £37.50 adv

SUN, 08 OCT Orpheus Collective Presents…

Bad Protagonist Club, Nasari, AVU and Tape Deck Ghost Sneaky Pete’s: 19:00 £5.00

MON, 09 OCT Sløtface plus guests Fistymuffs Norwegian band aiming to make moshing safe for women and create the most joyous punk ditties you’ve heard since the 90s.

Sneaky Pete’s: 19:00 £7.00 FRENCH FOR RABBITS Dreamy indie-folk duo all the way from New Zealand.

THE MASH HOUSE: 19:00 £7.00 adv

WED, 11 OCT FRANK IERO & THE PATIENCE My Chemical Romance alumni here to clean up your looks with new lies and new books…

LA BELLE ANGELE: 18:30 £17.00 adv NICK MULVEY Mercury Prize nominated singer-songwriter bringing Havana vibes to a promising evening of sensational music.

LIQUID ROOM: 19:00 £17.50 adv Benji B at Witness Benji B at Witness Sneaky Pete’s: 23:00 £10.00

THU, 12 OCT Shame plus guests Confrontation, energy, adrenaline and anarchy Sneaky Pete’s: 19:00 £8.50 Artwork presents Art’s House at the Caves On a tour taking in nine cities across the length of the country from Aberdeen to Brighton, Art’s House has become the stuff of legends.

Sneaky Pete’s: 23:00 £12.00

FRI, 13 OCT Downtown Boys with Big Joanie and Brainglue #NoBan, #NoRegistry, #FuckWhiteSupremacy Sneaky Pete’s: 19:00 £9.00 Bigfoot’s Tea Party with Powder Snappy disco, industrial rhythms, house, acid, techno and the rest.

Sneaky Pete’s: 23:00 £7.00

Fling – Get Flung Tour Bradford’s FLING provide the previously unsearched-for missing link between T-Rex and the Fat White Family.

Sneaky Pete’s: 19:00 £6.00

SAT, 14 OCT

Nick’s Drum Workshop – Fundraiser for Children With Cancer Not just drums but just for Children With Cancer Sneaky Pete’s: 23:00 TBC

TEESH: 4th Birthday with Ruf Dug To celebrate 4 years of DJ Cheers ‘all you can eat mind buffet’ we welcome back a favourite DJ and broadcaster, Ruf Dug! Sneaky Pete’s: 23:00 £8.00

SAT, 07 OCT Peaness, Mt.Doubt, Tongue Trap Three piece DIY indie-pop band Peaness formed in Chester.

Sneaky Pete’s: 19:00 £6.00

Oxjam Lou Mclean (Band), The Rhemedies, Betty & the Bass, The Rich Sneaky Pete’s: 19:00 TBC

SUN, 15 OCT Glass Caves, RAZZ, The Social Order It all started on the streets.

Sneaky Pete’s: 19:00 TBC

TUE, 17 OCT

SAT, 21 OCT

Diet Cig plus The Spook School Diet Cig are here to have fun.

They’re here to tear you away from the soul-sucking sanctity of your dumpster-fire life and replace it with pop-blessed punk jams about navigating the impending doom of adulthood when all you want is to have ice cream on you Sneaky Pete’s: 19:00 £8.50

Acid Mothers Temple plus CaveYear Acid Mothers Temple & the Melting Paraiso U.F.O. (and subsequent offshoots) is a Japanese psychedelic band, the core of which formed in 1995.

Sneaky Pete’s: 19:00 £11.00 LOUIS BERRY Your new favourite singer-songwriter LA BELLE ANGELLE: 19:00 £10.00 adv

WED, 18 OCT

SUN, 22 OCT

Low Chimes, Ben Sunderland Tipped for great things by Elbow’s Guy Garvey and BBC 6 Music’s Marc Riley Sneaky Pete’s: 19:00 £7.00

WILL JOSEPH COOK A bit like Vampire Weekend THE MASH HOUSE: 19:00 £9.00 adv Night Music: Daedelus Live plus Glassmasterer Others get trapped in the maze; he knows how to build wings.

Sneaky Pete’s: 21:00 £9.00

ARCANE ROOTS Progressive, math and indie THE MASH HOUSE: 19:00 £12.00 adv

THU, 19 OCT Annie Booth Album Launch, with guests Laurence Made Me Cry and Jared Celosse Scottish Indie-rock tinged folk-pop melancholic songs with infectious melodies Sneaky Pete’s: 19:00 £7.00 LIAM FRAY He of The Courteeners LIQUID ROOM: 19:00 £20.00 adv

FRI, 20 OCT Frankie Rose plus guests Dakota and Belafre Frankie was an original member of cult acts Dum Dum Girls, Crystal Stilts, Vivian Girls and Beverly Sneaky Pete’s: 19:00 £9.00 PP ARNOLD PP ARNOLD PLEASANCE THEATRE: 19:30

£22.50 adv

TUE, 24 OCT Trudy and the Romance plus guests Shambolic rock ’n roll Sneaky Pete’s: 19:00 £8.00

WED, 25 OCT The Take Home plus guests Dootchi and Bubbatrees Sneaky Pete’s: 19:00 £6.00 TIGERCUB DEBUT ALBUM ‘ABSTRACT FIGURES IN THE DARK’ is out now THE MASH HOUSE: 19:00 £7.50 adv Hotflush on the road – Scuba & Or:la Hotflush on the road – Scuba & Or:la Sneaky Pete’s: 23:00 £10.00

THU, 26 OCT THE NINTH WAVE Back with ‘Reformation’ EP THE MASH HOUSE: 19:00 £6.00 adv

FRI, 27 OCT The Begbies Choose Rude Vol III The Begbies, Nickajack, The Dunts, The Calm Fiasco DJs Sneaky Pete’s: 19:00 tbc JOEY BADA$$ Founding member of the hip-hop collective Pro Era LIQUID ROOM: 19:00 £20.00 adv Lionoil: Andy Blake & Percy Main London rave, with punk sensibilities and an appropriate lack of seriousness.

Sneaky Pete’s: 23:00 £6.00

SAT, 28 OCT 10 000 Russos, Delta Mainline, Black Doldrums Dark experimental elements that are supported by a charming groove Sneaky Pete’s: 19:00 tbc BE CHARLOTTE The very best of modern Scottish pop.

THE MASH HOUSE: 19:00 £9.00 adv NEWTON FAULKNER Album no 6 : Hit The Ground Running LIQUID ROOM: 19:00 £22.00 adv

MON, 30 OCT Jacques Greene at Mindset Intersection of 90’s hip hop, RnB, house and techno.

Sneaky Pete’s: 23:00 £10.00

TUE, 31 OCT SQUEEZE SQUEEZE USHER HALL: 19:00

ma

WED, 01 NOV MALKA plus guests MALKA plus guests Sneaky Pete’s: 19:00 £8.00

NHC LIST OF TRUSTED PROMOTERS NHC MUSIC’s main remit in this musical world is to make life that much easier for the musicians and artists striving to make great music within it. That’s why we feel this list could help you. It’s a regularly updated list of ethically minded venues, promoters and bookers working throughout Scotland. These are people we would work with ourselves, and we guarantee you there will be no scammers, pay to play, or unethical business practices with the people and businesses on the list. So now you know who to safely work with, with your new college band in Glasgow and beyond! More names will be added monthly.

PROMOTER AREA GENRES NHC MUSIC Glasgow All genres Promise The Moon Ayrshire All genres STG Promotions Glasgow All genres EVO4Promotions Glasgow All genres/acoustic Daily Dischord Aberdeen All genres Shock City Promotions Glasgow All genres Fortune Promotions Edinburgh All genres Alternative Promotions Glasgow Rock/Metal The Littlest Hobo Scotland Wide All genres Cadaver Concerts North Ayrshire Metal Cadaver Concerts Glasgow Alt rock Rip It Up Promotions Glasgow All genres Red Door Records Glasgow Americana/Roots/Blues Vagabond Social Club Glasgow Americana/Folk The Fallen Angels Club Glasgow All genres Sound And Vision Glasgow All genres Events For Charities Glasgow All genres Dundee Disco Dancer Dundee All genres Dave Ritchie Scotland Wide Metal/Rock Good Grief Glasgow Progressive/Math Rock Noizy Indie Social Club Cumbernauld All genres Hashtag Management East Kilbride All genres Rusty Hip Collective Dundee All genres Cut Loose Promotions Glasgow All genres Critical Events Scotland Wide Metal/Hard Rock NDC Promotions / Events North Ayrshire All genres Scottish Tour Collective Scotland Wide All genres Black Reach Promotions Glasgow Metal/Hard Rock Traffic Cone Records Glasgow All genres Kstar Promotions Glasgow All genres Punk Rock Rammy Edinburgh/ Glasgow Punk

O c t o b e r 1 7 | We A r e T S A . c o . u k

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. with the studying e drinking to cope or m d an l! ng al yi r ud te st af nsist of drinking, an city of culture university will co it was the Europe at – e e in tim sh help ur yo To an . th of es in genr ore ra at the majority ts of all sizes and king joints and m ac in dr to t st You may think th ea ho gr g in an th ay ha r ur ears ppy. scene, pl has more to offe nsive live music wn that’ll keep yo pa do w ex lo its e th is However, Glasgow u le yo tit h this ing guide will give lped the city reac to see, the follow ho w Something that he d an be to re sk of knowing whe make the huge ta

BARROWLANDS: There’s no point listing the huge roster of acts that have called the Barras home in the past few decades – there’s already a pathway just a street away from the iconic venue that does just that! Formerly a dance hall, the Barrowland Ballroom is often regarded as the best venue in the UK and it’s not hard to see why: from the bounciest flooring that have somehow kept thousands of gig goers to the fluorescent ceiling, there’s an undeniable charm to this old dog, one that you’ll be hard-found to find anywhere in the world, let alone Scotland.

ACTS TO SEE: Mac DeMarco, LCD Soundsytem, Wolf Alice

SWG3: On paper, the SWG3 shouldn’t rank on a list like: a warehouse that’s a fair trek from the centre of Glasgow, surrounded by abandoned buildings, it sounds like the kind of place that your mum and dad warned you about.

To be fair, with some of the acts that

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tend to play here they may be right.

Over the past few years, the venue has welcomed the likes of industrial, experimental hip hop juggernauts Death Grips, grime juggernaut Skepta and emo kings Modern Baseball and American Football. SWG3 may be best known for showcasing a whole range of experimental DJ acts but its understated variety means that it deserves far more recognition in the books of gig goers.

ACTS TO SEE: Ghostface Killah, King Krule, Knuckle Puck

KING TUTS: Owned and managed

by DF Concerts, you’re no doubt going to find yourself in King Tuts Wah Wah Hut at least once in your life, even if it’s not for the music. However, if you come for the bar downstairs then you sure as hell should stay for the range of up and coming acts that would sell their soul to perform here. Much like the Barrowlands, King Tuts is proud to display the wide array of bands and artists that have performed in this intimate

venue, from homegrown talent like Biffy Clyro to international juggernauts like Nirvana. Due to how tightly knit the music community is in Glasgow, it really shouldn’t be taken lightly when nearly everyone signs King Tut’s praises.

ACTS TO SEE: The Cribs, The Hoosiers, Be Charlotte

MONO: Mono is an independent music, arts, drinking and dining hotspot, with a vegan café-bar, record store, concert venue and gallery all under one big domed roof. The calibre of artists booked here – often cult and left field bands and singer-songwriters or experimental noise artists – keeps Mono at the very heart and soul of the Glasgow music scene.

ACTS TO SEE: Amor, The Black Lips

THE GLAD CAFÉ: If you’re heading to the southside, then The Glad Café is one of the most happening spots. It’s laidback personality complements the artists that perform there. The venue’s musical catalogue ranges from indie and electronic, to experimental, world

and traditional. They also have The Glad Foundation (a charity committed to providing Glasgow’s youth with affordable and free music lessons).

ACTS TO SEE: Dick Valentine, Chris T-T, Redwood Mountain

BLOC+: Bar Bloc+, with it’s free gigs, clubs, it’s delicious food and drinks deals, and it’s quirky killer vibes, its understandable why it has developed a strong reputation in the local music scene. With gig and clubs on 7 nights a week showcasing alternative concerts and local music talent, it’s also home to Bloc+’s own mini orchestra, Blochestra.

Other musical highlights include their Sunday night jam night run by Admiral Fallow’s Louis Abbot and friends. Their musical calibre and the number of touring bands the venue accommodates has also earned them praise from the likes of BBC 6 Music.

ACTS TO SEE: Blochestra, Plastic Crimewave, Mannequin Death Squad,

by Liam Menzies @blinkclyro www.blinkclyro.com

OctoberPICK OF THE MONTH

It’s no great secret that Scotland’s music scene is a thing to be proud of. So we here at TSA have teamed up with Scotland’s very own New Hellfire Club to bring you a monthly pick of who we think are doing epically well right now. Keep your eyes out for these up and coming bands. This is TSA and New Hellfire Club’s ‘Pick of the Month’.

SPLINTERED HALO Splintered Halo! How are you? Glad to get you on as our POTM with TSA, considering the spooky nature of this Halloween Issue, you guys seemed the perfect choice for it! So please do start us off by telling the readers a bit about the band then, who are Splintered Halo?

Evilyn – Hey there! The boys don’t talk to strangers so you just have me... haha.

And yeah, Halloween is pretty much an all year round event for us! So who are Splintered Halo? Well, we’re what we refer to as a “character metal” band. We take a character and build a song from the ground up to fit them, so not just writing lyrics about them, actually creating the music, and vocal performance specifically for them. We blend various musical genres like baroque, rockabilly, musical theatre; whatever is really needed to tell the tale of the character. We like to put on a bit of a show too; if you come to see us, that’s exactly what you’ll get.

We’re based in Glasgow, but we get our brand of weirdness around the UK. You seem to be somewhat of a whole package deal as far as bands go.

You guys have themes thought out, stagecraft pretty much nailed down, and the songs are some of the best we have heard, so tell us, is this a much harder thing to put together, especially with each track having its own specific horror theme? Would you have it any other way?

Evilyn – Thank you so much, I’m glad you like the songs! Each song is definitely a labour of love. With a regular song, when you come up with a riff, or melody, or lyrics, all you have to decide is whether it’s good enough to make the cut. All you have to ask yourself is, is it a good song?

With the character themed metal that we do, I have to start by deciding how that

character should sound, how to convey their personality through the music, voice, and lyrics. I’ve scrapped so many riffs and ideas, sometimes full songs because, in the end, they just didn’t fit with the character. For example, with our song, ‘I Bathe in Blood’, it’s about the Hungarian Countess, Elizabeth Bathory who lived in the 1600s. Before writing the song, I did a lot of research into what sort of music was around then, what fit that era; the answer was baroque and renaissance, but I also had to make the musical vibe dark and heavy to suit her. I looked into the full story behind her murderous tendencies before writing the lyrics, and I also watched hours and hours of footage of Hungarian people learning to speak English so that I could get her accent right haha! But no, I wouldn’t have it any other way; I love what we do. Character metal lets us dabble in different genres and styles of music, each song is an adventure on its own. As a vocalist, it doesn’t get more interesting than this; I get to really try to emulate the character, so a lot of it is actually voice acting. I never get bored.

What is your own favourite track to perform on stage, and do you think the specific track is a shared favourite of your fans?

Evilyn – For me I have the most fun performing ‘Diabolus’, which is about The Exorcist. The chorus is a lot of fun to sing, and I really get to do a lot vocally in that song, acting out Regan as a little girl, and then transitioning to the demon, then to the priest. It really grabs the audience attention too, because I come on stage wearing a nightdress, and it’s very childlike and all very creepy, and it builds up to this evil and heavy chorus where I become the demon and fake masturbate with a crucifix. It’s a lot of fun. I think that the fans probably enjoy ‘Dark Side of Oz’

most though because it’s so catchy and accessible.

Keeping on the horror theme, we usually ask bands who their own favourite bands are, but let’s buck the trend today. Instead tell us what your favourite horror film (or series) is, and why?

Evilyn – Oh, it’s got to be The Exorcist!

That’s my favourite film of all time, not just my favourite horror movie. I’ve yet to find something that does demonic possession quite so well, and it has this oppressive feel to it throughout the movie. The movie that scared me the most as a child was the original IT though; I was terrified to be alone in school shower room because of that scene from that movie haha!

You put a lot of time and work into your music videos too, with my particular favourite being the Wizard of Oz themed one! I mean, that’s a pretty fantastic video for a band not yet signed to a huge label, so how much work actually goes into putting together such an epic looking music video then?

You know, you don’t actually need a huge budget to make a solid music video, you just need to have some good ideas and someone who understands the vision you’re trying to achieve. We absolutely found that in our director Andrew Marshall. He was the perfect choice because he’s a huge horror movie fan and he understood what it was that we were trying to do. The whole thing took a day to film, but there was a lot of conversations leading up to that to plot out what scenes we wanted and how they would work in practice with the limited budget we had.

So the floor is now yours, anything big coming up for the rest of the year that you can share with us? You working on new tracks to hit us with?

New videos perhaps?

Yes, we do actually! We have a crowdfund campaign running at the moment to fund a video for our upcoming single, ‘Fearleader!’ We’ll be working with Andrew again for this one, but he’ll have a full team behind it, and a special effects crew to make it bigger and better. The song is about Jennifer Check from Jennifer’s Body. For those who haven’t seen it, she’s a bitchy demonic cheerleader who feasts on boys. She’s a hell of a lot of fun to act out vocally; just this vacuous, self absorbed American girl who finds herself possessed by a demon. The whole song was fun to write because parts of it are like a cheerleading anthem, but it also has this horror pop vibe underpinning it, with splashes of djent and real brutality. So yeah, we have a lot of merch and exclusive packages on our crowdfund site that people can buy to help make this one a reality! For those who still want their fix of Halloween festivities after October, we’re also closing an awesome horror themed festival on the 5th of November at the Classic Grand in Glasgow run by Popcorn Horror; It’s the perfect setting to check us out if you have or haven’t already!

O c t o b e r 1 7 | We A r e T S A . c o . u k

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