Short and Sweet !! James Mackenzie is currently recording his new EP in the Bahamas (at least I think it’s the Bahamas – no matter). He’s also announced a slew of dates (what the fuck is a slew?) supported by The Darling Mundaring. Here is the beautifully crafted posterage with all of the informational type shit what you needeth !! The image and posterage was by yours truly with James on tea and hobnob duties !! He is a wee smasher and a dab hand with a kettle and sideplate
Click on the image to go to a mahoooosive fuck-off big version in a seperate window !!
Now in it’s sixth year, the Scottish Mental Health Arts & Film Festival is one of Scotland’s most diverse cultural events, covering everything from music, film and visual art to theatre, dance and literature. The annual festival takes place in venues across Scotland throughout October, aiming to support the arts and challenge preconceived ideas about Mental Health.
For the Inverness event Hootananny and Mad Hatters will between them host 8 emerging bands of various flavours including:
What do you get if you stuff lots and lots of amazing musicians in a silver tin can over the space of two days in Inverness, add some coffee and lots of beers and let Netsounds Unsigned give it a good shake ?
This is what you get……………………………
goNORTH 2012 saw the Rockhopper change venue to Hootanannys wee ‘garden/patio’ and balcony for this years live sessions with Netsounds Unsigned. That was the preview and these are the first batch of videos.
Murray Stands Guard while the ‘magic’ is made inside …(lies actually as at this point there is no power)
A comedy weekend comes to Hootananny – 25th – 27th of this month (thats May, people) !! Click on the posters for larger versions and contact Hoots here for further information. If you like a laugh and a decent pint then this would be your best bet that weekend :-)
Gutted to have recieved an email this afternoon from Ruth and the Aerials Up gang. Sad News was the subject matter – sad news indeed……..
“I’m sorry to have to send you this email, but I’m writing to let you know that Aerials Up are no longer.
It’s been an absolute pleasure and we’re going to remember lots of good and fun times, but unfortunately the reality of life and the juggling of time and money has proved too much.
We’re planning to formally announce the news very soon, and would be grateful if you wouldn’t mention it just yet. But we just wanted to get in touch with you and a few other folk who have been good enough to support us along the way to say a heartfelt thanks.”
Id like to wish Kemy, Debbie, Murphy, Neil, Chris, Cat and my tweeting buddy, Ruth all the best for the future in any projects they become involved in. It was a pleasure to make their aquaintance and photograph them on a few occasions !! They were always very polite, even when hungover at beer festivals on strange non-islands !!
Ok so Murray the Net has been making his claims to attending millions of gigs in the space of a few minutes. Yeah well we’ve had enough of all that !! (No mention on the podcast for his tour manager for the last part of his oddyssey either – how quickly we forget – thatll be the Budvar). Well tonight his tour manager (ie ME) went on an oddyssey of his own and managed to see 28 musicians play live (potentially 29 but I missed the first act at the Ironworks as I was doing my nails). That is correct – 28 live musicians in the space of 2 and a half hours and 2 streets !! Let me explain………………………..
First up was a trip to the splendiferous Inverness Ironworksfor a shindig featuring my mates The Whisky River Band and some blokes and a lassie from Glasgow – naval types, Admiral Something or other. I shall start with them.
Admiral Fallow got stuck in setting up their own gear for the most part which was refreshing to see in this day and age. They stood and had a wee tune up too and the relaxed audience didnt really pay them any attention – almost like they werent supposed to…….yet. Kinda cool I thought. Off they went and had a quick break then returned with their gig heads and t-shirts on. Now the audience payed attention. Tracks from their forthcoming Tree Bursts in Snow long player sat well alongside the Boots Met My Face stuff. Louis Abbotts banter was good, as always, telling the assembled throng that their singalong antics had been better than Aviemores. Ooooh Controversy !! Careful now (bet he was right tho – hehe – ‘mon the Ness). Nice, though, to see another major player on the Scottish scene playing the smaller more intimate, out-of-the-way venues like Aviemore, Skye and the likes of Strathpeffer. (Frightened Rabbit were there last weekend remember).
Still it was to be an uphill struggle with me Im afraid. I find Admiral Fallow a tad bland for my liking – dont get me wrong, blands not a problem for me as such, theres a time and a place for it. Unfortunately for Louis and Team Fallow the time is not 25 minutes after our very own Whisky River Band had done serious damage to the roof of the Ironworks, almost to the point of tearing the facking thing off (metaphorically speaking of course otherwise a Health & Safety risk would have arisen requiring a whole new set of risk assessments – a world of HSE shit I can tell you !! ) Aye them Whisky River lads and lasses (hold on……..?? – Oh Mrs Wook was in fine voice on backing vocals between songs – the now infamous “We Love You Toby !!” shout however is attributed to Mrs Wooks sister – The Tellywifie), aye, they fairly cooked during their short but oh so sweet set of tunes, old faves and stuff from the new album – each member played a fucking stoater !! (even Matt Cardle – is that wearing thin yet ? Probably !!).
Now if you were in attendance and thought otherwise then please dont take offence – bear in mind these are merely my own humble opinions to ‘compliment’ the images. I have to say though, that when the hairs on yer neck are rigid and Im that proud of The Whisky River Band tonight Im close to squeezing one out – a tear that is – then I need no more convincing that this was WRB’s night – pure and simple !! I am, once again, piss-in-pant excited about the album release in June (some tasty cover images involved I believe )
Ahhhh but haud on I hear you say………youre short of musicians and it must be time you were nearly home !! Yes indeed – thats only 11 musicians (12 potentially, sorry James Cantry – tonights other support act with a cracking hat). Where do I find another 17 musicians at this time of night ??? Piece of piss……..see below……………..
Rooty Ma Toot Big Band in all their glory at Hootananny
Cheers for reading – thats yer lot – just another session of me blowing smoke up the Whiskys bums – Im biased of course but they are that good !!
Oh – before I go – here are the WRB Ladies Team in full flow !! :-)
No really folks – shut the fuck up !! I wanted to run round the tables and the bar slapping people and shouting that this is RMFUCKINGHUBBERT playing for you for free in a wee pub in Inverness so please, please shut up and bloody well listen !!
Then I realise that this is RM Hubbert playing for us all in a wee pub in Inverness on a Wednesday night, for free – therein lies the problem to a certain extent. Punters are punters whether theyre there to see the ‘act’ or just in for a pint ! There was an even mix between the two types tonight. The fans who sat or stood rapt in the music or the punters in for a beer who saw this as just another bloke with a guitar and paid no heed. Shame. Not to worry cos Mr Hubbert just got the hell on with it and treated those who were interested to a wonderful wonderful acoustic oddyssey – thems metal strings nae nylon !!
Sounded great but of course nothings ever simple when you shoot in Hoots – sounds great, looks well, red !! The photographers favourite light was in full effect tonight yet again…….hmmmmmm RED – fucking hate it but didnt detract from the music. Guess what ? I wont be reeling off set lists or track titles cos Id be lying if I tried to get all knowledgeable on your asses. What I do got tho is some pictures of the very tallended man (tallend is copyright This Silent Forest, coined during a dyslexic predictive text twitter convo we had earlier today).
I only managed a quick hello/goodbye with RM at the end of the night as he was leaving – heading off into the night with his guitar case and Lidl back of merchandise. The Little Millers were hogging him post-set and I dont mess with them cos they were in Shutter !! A very pleasant chap with a huge talent – hopefully next time there will be a greater percentage of attention-payers !!
Ill give you the website proper and a faecesbooklink – if I were to try and put in a link to everywhere that RM pops up online we’d be here all night !!
I just love the simplicity of the statement on his website so I shall leave you with that and wish him all the best on his journey back to Glasgow – haste ye back and all that though…….
Hello. I am a guitarist from Glasgow in Scotland. I have
made a new record called Thirteen Lost & Found with
and about some of the friends I have had over the last
twenty years. It’s a little bit cheerier than my previous
album, First & Last.
Copying, displaying, manipulating or redistribution of these images
without permission from the artist is strictly prohibited !!
Humble apologies for missing out on Kris and Andy Whisky Rivers set in their support slot – theyre humble about it and deny being any good but I heard reports from elsewhere that said different – catch you next time chaps !!
Christ the post titles get worse !! Just a quickie about an upcoming Inverness gig which is definitely worth venturing out in the April snow for !!
(c) Luke Joyce Photography 2011
RM Hubbert comes to Hootananny on Wednesday April 18th. Having released his second album Thirteen Lost and Found earlier this year which was produced by long-time friend Franz Ferdinands Alex Kapranos, Hubbert is treating Inverness to a midweek visit. A hugely talented artist, Hubbert is firmly established on the Glasgow scene and finally looks set to gain the wider recognition which he so rightly deserves.
As far as Im aware this is free entry and support is an acoustic set from Kris Douglas and Andy Davidson of this blogs good friends, dram suppliers and firm favourites The Whisky River Band.
Ive been a right lazy bastard this week. Its taken me more than a day to finally sit down and do this. Damn you dayjob !!
Right, where was I – Oh aye – April Fools day. Netsounds got floated on the stock market and Hootananny was decorated in the style of 17th Century French bordello and moved to Marseilles especially for the party. Ok thats just to set the April Fools theme on this post and is of course all fabricated bullshit. Actually the date was the only thing foolish about tonights thang – well that and the criminally small amount of people who turned out for this 5 bander in Hootananny !!
I was looking forward to Alex Wayt- I was – Id had a tootle about the web and I liked what Id heard. Partial to a bit of Americana me and I couldnt help notice (in a manly way of course) the flowing locks and beardy bits of Alex sitting with his guitar waiting to go on – he certainly looked the part of the troubador. A nice easy opener to this Netsounds Showcase but whe he got to “The Journey Song Whose Name Shall Never Be Mentioned” (Don’t Voldemort Believing) which slid nicely into a Bryan Adams cover (thats right – a medley !) couldnt help wishing that he’d stuck to his own stuff. Time to go and climb the stairs and see whats what up in ‘Hatters where I was met with an empty room apart from barstaff, Netsounds and my learned and eloquent friend Franky ‘Boy’ Finlayson.
Thankfully due to an anouncement downstairs after Alex’ set by Mr J Netsounds the bar began to fill and an appreciateve gaggle of punters came in just as I Build Collapsible Mountains ( Leith-based singer-songwriter Luke Joyce) began his set. Thank fook for that cos otherwise his heid wouldve been done in by the amount of photography Im sure. There were more of us cutting about with cameras in there on Sunday that Ive sometimes seen in the pit at the Ironworks for big name acts !! Thankfully we are all very professional and went one at a time :) No Elbows. A confident set taken from new album, The Spectator & The Act was greeted with generous applause. Horribly embarrassing audience of three scenario averted !! Phew ! Incidentally if this is the same Luke Joyce that Im thinking of then hes a talented professional photographer and artist who has created artwork for bands like Admiral Fallow .
The Dundee contingent were up next – Id heard them soundcheck while sitting about in the Backstage Enclosure with The Little Millers and the enigmatic Mrs Macaskill, their mentor/press officer/knower of the song titles. Wasnt sure if their full-on noise was going to go down in Hoots – more of a Hatters band maybe. This was obviously the case for a fair few punters who headed upstairs when Vladimir hit the stage for their set.
Those of us who stuck it out were treated to a Joy Division/Jesus & Mary Chain-esque assault on the senses which got better and better as the short set progressed !! See, it pays to give it a chance. Their set culminated in singer Ross Murray wrapping himself in mic cable before donning his jacket and leaving the bar while the band finished off. Intense like – aye INTENSE !! I followed him out expecting to find an Ian Curtis-type in the throes of some demonic fit but no – nice young lad catching his breath !! Not everyones slice of cake but the more time I gave them the more I enjoyed the grooves !!
Because of some timing issues Vladimir had overlapped with Esperi (Chris James Marr) so without further ado I bounded – yes bounded, Im like a fucking gazelle when I get the urge you know – up the stairs again to be met with the sight of Madhatters stage resembling my 6 month old daughters play-mat. What the fuck is going on ???? Erm, this………..
Espiri – “Made for Life” ( I think)
I have no words to describe Esperi – only video and pictures. Ok – Ill use two words. Bizarre. Fantastic !! There !!
Without further ado we shall move onto the reason for me being out tonight (apart from supporting the Netsounds Showcase – crawl crawl, asskiss asskiss etc etc). The Little Mill of Happpiness have new songs to play for you !! Lavellllly !! (rubs hands in a cockney geezah style)
Yep stuff from the, hopefully soon to be recorded, album was all sounding superb alongside the EP fodder !! New tracks Lepers Bell and Post Parentrivovite Blues got an airing tonight and the rest of the set was thus Villa Boas, Hosanna, the brilliant brilliant Article of Faith and Cold Blooded Revelry at Whitson featuring Mr Oberns favourite word Revelry……..hmmmm rings a bell for some reason. Little Mill failed to dissapoint as usual – even if they did who’s gonna tell them. Theres 6 of them and theyre big buggers. Incidentally Parentrivovite is a vitamin therapy to aid recovery in alchoholism – so no let up on the happy go lucky subject matter from Steve Obern then. Little Mill Fucking Brilliant. That would be the headline if I was a Murdoch-style media mogul (we dont need any more of them round here tho……..). Rumour has it certain Little Millers slept in for work next day and there were a few sair heeds being nursed. Job well done then !!
The Little Mill of Happiness
So to summarise, while I shuffle my papers and chat off camera in a newsreader style, a poor(ish) turn out for a well put together and eclectic showcase gig. Those that did show were treated to a real treat in a treaty way to say the least !! Here are some more Little Mill shots to finish off with. Sorry I took so long – must try harder !! Im blaming the snow. Bastard Snow (possible LMoH album title ?)
Partial to a bit of Americana me and I couldnt help notice (in a manly way of course) the flowing locks and beardy bits of Alex sitting with his guitar waiting to go on – he certainly looked the part of the troubador. A nice easy opener to this 
