Tag Archive: PAWS


The BAMS 2012

That’s Blogs and Music Sites to the likes of you, aye?

Yes, it’s the annual poll – marshalled by Peenko – of Scottish bloggers of the best album of each of the last four years. Previous winners have been the Phantom Band, the National and Bill Wells and Aidan Moffat and 2012 was as hotly contested as any that came before.

BAMS

You’ll know who the The Tidal Wave of Indifference voted for, but who else was involved?

This year there was a whopping 41 entries, including votes from the following bloggers, music sites and DJs:

Scots Whay Hae!, Jim Gellatly, Detour, Jock N Roll, Houdidontblog, Rave Child, Fusion New Music, Fish In A Sub, Manic Pop Thrills, Kowalskiy, 17 Seconds, Net Sounds, The Steinberg Principle, Songs Heard On Fast Trains, Hercules Moments, Dauphin Mag, JockRock, Play That Song For Me, The Spill, HP, Inverness Gigs, Elba Sessions, Fresh Air, Scottish Fiction, Tenement TV, Marion Scott MFR, Last Year’s Girl, Dear Scotland, Blues Bunny, The Pop Cop, Vic Galloway, Ally McCrae, Glasgow PodcART, I Hate Fun, Avalanche, Edinburgh Man, Everything Flows, Nicola Meighan, Aye Tunes and Song, by Toad.

So here’s the rundown:

Joint 9th – Chris Devotion & The Expectations – Amalgamation & Capital / Paul Buchanan – Mid Air / The Twilight Sad – No One Can Ever Know / We Are The Physics – Your Friend, The Atom

8th – Admiral Fallow – Tree Bursts In Snow

7th – Sharon Van Etten – Tramp

6th – Miaoux Miaoux – Light Of The North

5th – Errors – Have Some Faith In Magic

4th – RM Hubbert – Thirteen Lost & Found

3rd – PAWS – Cokefloat!

2nd – Django Django – Django Django

1st – Meursault – Something for the Weakened

We’re a little disappointed that our top pick Human Don’t Be Angry didn’t feature anywhere, but pleased to see PAWS and Sharon van Etten in there. The winner is also pretty hard to argue with! And good ole Lloyd fae Peenko knobbled Neil Pennycook fae Meursault for a word about this sensational victory.

Congratulations Neil, you are this years’ winners of the Scottish BAMS award, how do you feel?

Neil Pennycook by Mike Melville (Manic Pop Thrills)I feel like the chubby lad at school after being picked first for the football team. I fear that any minute now I’m going to be told it’s all a joke and you’re going to burn my shoes and flush my head down the toilet.

It seems to have been a pretty exciting year for the band, what with European tours supporting Clap Your Hands Say Yeah to headlining the Queen’s Hall back in July, aside from winning this years BAMS, what’s been your personal highlight of 2012?

My highlight is probably the Queen’s Hall gig. I’ve wanted to play that venue since I was eighteen. Feels nice to have ticked that one off.

Last years the BAMS was won by Aidan Moffat and Bill Wells, who later went on to win the SAY Awards. Have you allowed yourself the thought that you might potentially be in with a shout at next years SAY Awards?

What? I thought this was the SAY awards? You ARE still giving me £10,000 though right?

I noted that once again you’ve decided not to head over to Austin for next years SXSW, is not something that interests you or are you just keeping our friends on the other side of the pond waiting?

It’s not something that appeals to me to be honest. I get really tired of the competitive aspect of playing music and do my best to avoid it. I’ve no interest in travelling halfway round the world (at great expense) to peddle my music to pissed up strangers in laminates. Playing in the States is something that I’m keen to pursue but not that way.

How important do you feel that the support of music blogs has been to the band?

It’s been hugely important for us. After all it was a blogger (Song, by Toad) who put out our first three records.

Seeing as we are on the subject of albums of the year, what have been your personal favourites of the last 12 months?

I’ve not sure if all of these came out this year but I’m going with them anyway… ChadVangaalen – DiaperIsland; Youth Lagoon – The Year of Hibernation; Charles Latham – Fast Loans; Grouper – Alien Observer and PAWS – Cokefloat! Cheers!

Well, we hope you enjoyed that muchly. This is our last post of the year but 2013 is already looking braw with a fine slew of albums due in the first few months of the year alone. If you still fancy pissing about on blogs for the next few days however, may we direct you to the song and album of the year polls on Song, By Toad and the reader’s poll on Aye Tunes where you get to pretend that you both read and enjoy The Tidal Wave of Indifference in the ‘best blog’ category.

For us this year has seen a steady rise in readers right the way through which is awesome, so thanks all! We also put on four gigs too – we couldn’t possibly pick a highlight, as all the bands were amazing! If there was a standout moment, though, the sight of Philip from PAWS reacting to the news that his headline set only had one song left by launching his guitar across the stage, would definitely be up there!

Happy New Year, bitches!

Right. Here we go, the final five.

5. Cloud Nothings – Cloud Nothings

Angry and venomous, this was a broadside from absolutely nowhere that painted a bleak picture of young America in 2012. No Future, No Past got things off to a snarling start, and only the occasional poppy melody (Fall In) lifted the mood. Awesome stuff.

4. Sharon van Etten

The National’s Aaron Dessner played a huge part in the album, but in truth, this was the unveiling of a major new talent. Heartfelt and bruised, van Etten added a country twang to Tramp’s honest laments. We hear Pitchfork have lapped this one up too, which is no surprise, and will draw it to the attention of the wider world. Deservedly so.

3. PAWS – Cokefloat!

We heart PAWS. Of course we do. They topped the bill at the biggest of our gigs, then muscled their way on the 6 Music playlist and spewed out a superb album. We knew most of the songs already, but in this case familiarity bred adoration. Well done, boys. Well done.

2. Meursault – Something for the Weakened

After hearing ‘loud Meursault’ for the first time at Homegame 2011, we knew their third album was going to be a very different beast to previous efforts. Flittin’ and Dull Spark captured the beefed up live sound but there were quieter moments too – not that Settling and Dearly Distracted could be considered lightweight. A wonderful album, launched courtesy of the gig of the year at the Queen’s Hall.

1. Human Don’t Be Angry – Human Don’t Be Angry

The idea that Malcolm Middleton was retiring his solo act in favour of something more instrumental was deeply troubling at first. That wry Falkirk burr and dark hearted lyrics couldn’t possibly be shelved, could they? Well yes, for the most part at least. This wasn’t 100% instrumental, but it is 100% album of the year. Even with the ridiculous consistency of Middleton’s solo output, this stands out, with its wistful guitar work sounding like Remember Remember in patches, and UNKLE in others. A massive treat, go buy it if you don’t already have it, and enjoy our little chat with Mr Middleton himself below.

Malcolm! How does it feel to win such a non-prestigious, non-tangible award?

It feels amazing, I haven’t ever won an award before. I’ll put it on my virtual mantelpiece. I’ve always believed that I spent all my winning luck at the Falkirk Family Day when I was 10. I won a football, a coconut, a bag of sweets and two teddy bears. I was unstoppable! But since then….nothing. Zero. Zilch.

Sorry - we know it's an old picture but we couldn't resist...

Sorry – we know it’s an old picture but we couldn’t resist…

What inspired the change of direction in the first place?

I fancied doing something lighter, without the weight of all the words. I’d forgotten how much I enjoy playing guitar, without having to worry about saying anything.

Do you feel audiences have been receptive to the new songs?

Nah, not really! It was difficult, and I think people were confused by the name change and all that. It was good to see people who like my song stuff could appreciate it too, but I don’t think it won over many new listeners.

We hear you’re playing Kid Canaveral’s Christmas Baubles as yourself – looking forward to it?

Yeah, lots. It was good to have a break but now I’m excited again about embracing the misery! I’ve had time to clear my head and stand back and look at what I’ve been doing and where I want to go from here. Musically speaking. And it’ll be one hell of a Christmas party!

What do you think 2013 will bring?

I have no way of knowing this. For me, hopefully it’ll bring the release of my two collaboration albums, one with David Shrigley, and the other with Mira Calix. I’m working on my next solo album now too, but I’m not sure when it’ll be ready. I’d like to play live as much as I can too, to break the new songs in before I record them.

Cokefloat!

Album of the Week: PAWS – Cokefloat!

If there were ever an album that the Scottish music scene could roar to success on sheer willpower alone, it’s this one.

It’s been an incredible eighteen months for the Glasgow-based trio – releases in cahoots with Gerry Loves Records and Song, by Toad, huge shows, special support slots and inking a deal with Brighton independent favourites Fat Cat have been the massive highs, tempered by the sad death of frontman Philip Taylor’s Mum from cancer last year.

Unsurprisingly it’s the latter event that is the single driving theme behind the album. Catherine 1956 speaks for itself, but behind the cooing Taylor and Alice Costelloe (Big Deal) duet of Sore Tummy lies heartbreak and loss. Haunting lyrics lie elsewhere (I know that you’ll never die / I’ve got your nose / I’ve got your eyes – Bloodline) but Taylor’s unfaltering work ethic (drummer Josh Swinney and bassist Matt Scott complete the band ) means that any sympathy vote would be thrown straight back at any fool who marks an X.

PAWS stand on the cusp of being the biggest ‘scene’ breakthrough since Frightened Rabbit and it’s all down to hard work, effort and some scorching tunes. Cokefloat! collects the latter, thirteen of them to be precise, a good chunk of which have been around for a number of months, if not longer.

Jellyfish and the aforementioned Bloodline will be instantly familiar to anyone that’s caught a PAWS show of late – in amongst the serrated, grungy guitars and vitriol are terrific pop hooks. Such hooks have drawn the 6 Music programmers to Sore Tummy, an obvious choice for a single, and on daytime rotation at the time of writing. It’s fair to say they’ve come a long way since we stuck them on at the Wee Red Bar in February.

And we’re probably not the only ones listening in with a swell a pride either – PAWS have been rightly backed across the world of Scottish music. Cokefloat! is everything we hoped the band would be capable of and more. Their incredible live energy has been captured on tape and on old live favourite Winners Don’t Bleed you can easily imagine Taylor practically biting the mic as he screams into it before launching another doomed guitar across the stage.

There are quieter moments too. Get Bent and closer Poor Old Christopher Robin don’t jar at all and showcase a side of the band that’s often missed amongst the rage. Our favourite at the minute has to be Miss American Bookworm though, not a number that we can instantly recall from the many PAWS gigs we’ve seen, but an urgent, rushing number with sandblasting guitars and some of Taylor’s finest roars on the album.

Knowing PAWS, any high fives following this release will be kept at a minimum and they’ll want to get on with playing more shows and writing new material quickly, but they deserve a breather. This is a fantastic, at times harrowing listen and if you’re not already in the process of buying it by the end of this review, we’d have to question your sanity.

Cokefloat! is out on Monday and will be launched at Glasgow CCA this Thursday (October 4). More details HERE.

Just a quickie, with some added tunage below.

The Tidal Wave of Indifference will be on Freshair as part of their festival finge programme every Thursday from 6-7pm. Our first bash was last night, we had the excellent Fuzzystar in session and lots more twiffic music. Link below, enjoy!!

We’ll try and get back to some proper blogging soon, promise!

Yeah so, a few weeks back we had another gig and it was awesome. The bands were great, we sold out the Wee Red Bar and everything, and everyone had a spectacular night.

There was a the ragged folk of Jamie from Broken Records, upbeat pop fun with Sebastian Dangerfield, dischordant noise from Edinburgh School for the Deaf and guitar-smashing drama (and a whole lot more) from PAWS.

Also on board was intrepid photographer Erlend Barclay to capture the evening in photos. The results are below, and I think they sum up the evening rather nicely!

Sorry about the length of the post, but we hope you enjoy the visuals.

Yes folks, you read that correctly.

Not content with packing the bill with some of the finest local talent, we’re delighted to announce that Broken Records frontman Jamie Sutherland has joined the line-up of The Tidal Wave of Indifference Presents on February 25.

Taking time out from writing a new album, Jamie will kick things off with a short solo set of new songs and old, setting the scene nicely for the rest of the night.

With Sebastian Dangerfield, Edinburgh School for the Deaf and PAWS also on the bill you’d be batshit crazy to miss this one.

Tickets are available now from Avalanche Records and Brown Paper Tickets. Might we suggest that now might be a good time to get one to avoid the feeling of crushing disappointment that would come with missing out?

“Award winners, hot tips, and beautiful, beautiful noise….”

After the success of the first ‘the Tidal Wave of Indifference Presents…’ gig in September featuring Star Wheel Press, French Wives, the Douglas Firs and Lost Telegrams, we’re delighted to say that we’re putting on another event!

It’s on February 25 (yes, we realise this is ages away!) and will be at the fantastic Wee Red Bar once again.

So who’s playing?

In short, it’s another absolutely superb line-up. Topping the bill will be PAWS, whose ragged, spiky brand of pop bluster has caused quite a stir in the last six months. BBC sessions, a T in the Park appearance, NME mentions and a split single on Gerry Loves have been among their recent achievements. Excited to have them on board? Yes we are!

That’s subject to your eardrums being able to withstand Edinburgh School for the Deaf, of course. The capital-based six-piece make utterly beautiful, melodic music that just happens to be drenched in reverb with everything turned all the way up. Already planning their second album, they’ll have new material and a new line-up for February and we’re very pleased to have them involved.

Finally, we have Sebastian Dangerfield. Not a dashing tweed-wearing detective, but an exciting Edinburgh folk-pop band who’s The Sound of the Old Machines EP from earlier this year caused quite a stir to the extent that they’ve just been crowned winners of the Scotsman’s Radar Prize 2011. With 2010 winners French Wives going from strength to strength (including the inaugural Tidal Wave gig, of course), we’re tipping these guys for big things too.

No promises, but we MIGHT be able to pull a wee surprise or two out on the night to add to what’s already a splendid line-up. And we’re not just taking about the sweetie lollies which proved to be a massive hit last time round…

You can get tickets over here and the Facebook event page is here. Now for some audiovisual action…

Christmas is coming and the Tidal Wave of Indifference is getting fat.

Turkey, mince pies, huge fuck off vol-au-vents and the suspension of our weekly outdoor football match to allow Meadowbank to thaw out means that we’re likely to be a bit on the porky side come early January, and we haven’t even mentioned the copious amounts of booze to be consumed.

Undoubtedly, a lot of that is going to be at various Xmas-themed gigs happening throughout December. So who’s doing what and when? Well here’s a wee round-up for you.

1. Ok, not strictly a Christmas gig this, but it IS happening in December… Last Year’s Girl is the latest internet scribe to ignore the adage “bloggers putting on gigs? It’ll never work” and is dipping her toes into shark infested waters with her first event at on Dec 2. It’s billed as a “Friday Night Speakeasy” – it’s a great line-up, and a massive departure from other blogger nights, in that it’s not focused on quality local talent. Instead, we have former Hold Steady man and accomplished solo artist Franz Nicolay, Londoner Chris T-T and a chap called Dave Hughes who we’re not familiar with.

It’s at the intriguing Old Hairdresser’s venue which is across from Stereo in Glasgow Tickets are HERE:

2. Gerry Loves Records are now an Edinburgh institution and them holding a Christmas party is no great surprise. Nor is the fact that the line-up is all about the best of the bands who’ve put out material on the label, with PAWS headlining and Trapped in Kansas, Wounded Knee

It’s at the Banshee Labyrinth, also on Dec 2 and there’s more info on the Gerry Loves Facebook page.

3. New-ish Edinburgh blog Beard of Truth – which may or not be inextricably linked to the Last Battle – are putting on their Heavy Christmas Pop Party on December 3. Edinburgh NME tips PET are headlining with jangly indie from Spook School and the mysterious Calypso Brown also on the bill. There are also promises of mince pies for gig-goers. Yum! Tickets are HERE.

4. Song, By Toad‘s bash last year at the Queen Charlotte Rooms in Leith last year was absolutely superb and we’re delighted it’s happening again, this time fleshed out to an all-dayer (December 10) and relocated to the St Stephen’s Centre in Stockbridge. Matthew Toad says the emphasis should be on fun, with loose performances and collaborations by the cream of the label’s talent – including Meursault, Rob St. John, Lach and the Japanese War Effort… We’ll see you there, yes? You can get tickets HERE.

5. Details about this one are still a little sketchy, BUT Supermarionation and Trapped Mice will be playing the Wee Red on December 15, with hopefully a few more acts. Sounds like fun, we say. Find out more HERE.

6. Lets move west for what could be a massive mindfuck. The Phantom Band putting on a panto? Oh yes. It’s on the 16th and 17th of December at Stereo. The band will be playing live on both nights with a number of special, secret guests (try RM Hubbert for starters) and DJs. There will be art installations too, and the nights will be dressed up as a ‘proper’ panto albeit with a weird and wonderful narrative and over two nights. Baffling. Tickets HERE though.

 

7. Then there’s Kid Canaveral’s Christmas Baubles. This went down an absolute storm last year and it must have been an easy decision to bring it back for a second year. The Fence pop maestros are naturally playing, along with Scottish indie über-fan Josie Long, eagleowl and ex-De Rosa man Martin John Henry. Topping the bill are the rather fabulous Slow Club, whose new album has been getting rave reviews all around.

It’s happening at Summerhall in Edinburgh on Dec 17 and tickets are HERE.


 

8. Last, but not least is Glasgow Podcart’s Nightmare Before Christmas at the Captain’s Rest on December 18. Topping the bill are As In Bear with rather splendid support bill of PAWS (yes, them again), Citizens and Lady North. Tickets are a mere fiver on the door!

And hey – we’re not exactly all knowing like that fella Jesus. Or was it Sauron? Anyway, if there’s a Christmas themed music bash happening that we need to know about, tell us and we’ll update this post!

So we’re, ahem, tossing off the shackles of our usual WE ONLY REVIEWS ALBUM REVIEWS AND DO Q&As WITH BANDS, WE DON’T DO NEWS, NO WE WON’T ‘JUST PUT UP YOUR VIDEO’ mantra and, well, doing exactly that.

We’re not going to be doing a regular news slot but if a clump of interesting things that tickle our fancy crop up at around the same time, we’ll try and do something with them.

First up, following our exclusive Amusement Parks on Fire feature from a few months back, we’re delighted to hear that the band’s Michael Feerick is coming to Edinburgh on October 16. Hooray! To quote Pendulum Man, for tis he that’s putting on the gig:

Amusement Parks On Fire have variously been described as “sporadic, hedonistic, teenage genius”, “a subconscious, sleeping study in nightmarish beauty”, and “adventures in sound that merely wipe the floor with every seismic pretender who’s ever tried to work out the lyrics to ‘Soon’ and recreate every chord sequence found on ‘Isn’t Anything’ “.

This, though, promises to be something rather different to their usual thunderous crescendo of stargazing as perfectly highlighted in their third album, 2010′s ‘Road Eyes’.

In his first visit to Edinburgh since May 2009, Michael Feerick will return for a unique, intimate, acoustic solo show. This promises to be a rare chance to experience the ethereal APOF assault stripped back to it’s most haunting, beautiful rudiments.

Oh yes. It’s at the Wee Red Bar, £5 a skull with support from Matthew Collings. More details on the Facebook event page.

Get your asses along.

Staying with gigs, those big bairns Ayetunes and Peenko are staging their fourth gig on Saturday night (August 20) in Glasgow’s Stereo. The thunderous PAWS have pulled out, but it’s the launch night for Adam Stafford’s acclaimed new album with support from Miaoux Miaoux and Mondegreen.

£6 on the door, hope to see you there.

Finally, some news from Tidal Wave faves the Son(s). There’s a lovely new video for old single Dogs, Boys and Men doing the rounds and they’ve made another two songs to download for free as well. That makes us immensely happy, as does the video:

Dogs, Boys & Men from The Son(s) on Vimeo.

If you follow me on Twitter or Facebook, you may have picked up that I was on Freshair at the weekend.

For the uninitiated, that’s Edinburgh Uni’s student radio station which has an annual Festival Fringe programme, involving hordes of performing comedians, live music and, most ominously, roping in bloggers to present shows.

And that’s where I come in.

This is my debut effort. Not too bad I think, although I was pretty damn nervous to start with.

It’s not the whole thing sadly, as we only remembered to press record half way through the first of two session tracks from the Last September. You also miss my opening blurb and songs by Loch Awe, Ringo Deathstarr and the Son(s).

Shame. But I’m back on the air 9-10 this Sunday (August 21) - www.freshair.org.uk.

Happy listening.

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 58 other followers