A taste of the local scene, or alternatively, what the kids are up to these days...
Due to all the good bands being off doing festivals, I was given a local lot to review this month. I tried to be nice. Really I did. You can hear some of their music on their MySpace page.
From little acorns grow big oaks, a wise man once said. And from local bands grow international, stadium sell-out acts. Sometimes. Aberdeen's produced a number of excellent musical stars in recent years - take, for instance the magnificent Driveblind who are now signed to Geffen and give thanks to no less than Mr Johnny Depp on their album sleeve. The Little Kicks are currently making big licks, and who can forget that the likes of Pallas, The Shamen and Annie Lennox initially hailed from the Granite City?
Anyway. I was intrigued to hear the latest offering from (relatively)new kids on the block V:XV (FiveFifteen). The five-piece band formed two years ago and have an impressive CV, with support slots to Shed Seven's Rick Witter, Paulo Nutini and Kula Shaker to date. They're set to play this year's Belladrum Festival on 10th and 11th August. A quick glance at their MySpace page reveals that the band have 353 friends. That's more than most people can call on a dark night when they're stranded
with no money for a taxi. They also list their musical influences which range from Black Rebel Motorcycle Club to Beck, from The Kooks to The Killers. Clearly a band with varied tastes, they claim to take inspiration from almost 100 different artists.
I must confess that V:XV rather got off on the wrong foot with me. The promotional information that was sent to me along with their CDs had a typo in it for one thing - please, lads, learn to proofread! - and they have a confusing name. My feeling is that if you need an explanation in brackets to make sure people get your name right, you probably need to change it.
But perhaps I'm just pedantic.
And so. To the music.
The current single, The Killer Line, gets off to a slow start, but becomes catchy enough as it gets going. The vocalist, Simon Murray, has a pleasant enough voice, and the musical arrangements are inoffensive. The track has a sweet, almost whimsical feeling to it, but at five minutes long, it really does start to become a bit of a killer line. I’m not a fan of sitting in the cinema for hours on end, and the same goes for records. Sometimes less really is more. B-side Firepoint
23 begins with a lot more va-va-voom, and maintains a steady, high-energy tempo throughout, although it does get a bit too twirly for my liking towards the end. I can imagine this would be a great live track, and in all honesty much preferred it to the single.
While I wouldn’t have immediately rushed to buy V:XV’s CD if I’d heard the single on the radio, after a few listens I found myself humming along. The band clearly have a lot of energy, and their use of the Hammond organ adds something a bit different. I’d definitely be interested to see how they perform live. If you’re interested, you can catch them at the Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival next month - tickets
are available from One Up. Alternatively, their MySpace Page is www.myspace.com/fivefifteen.
From little acorns grow big oaks, a wise man once said. And from local bands grow international, stadium sell-out acts. Sometimes. Aberdeen's produced a number of excellent musical stars in recent years - take, for instance the magnificent Driveblind who are now signed to Geffen and give thanks to no less than Mr Johnny Depp on their album sleeve. The Little Kicks are currently making big licks, and who can forget that the likes of Pallas, The Shamen and Annie Lennox initially hailed from the Granite City?
Anyway. I was intrigued to hear the latest offering from (relatively)new kids on the block V:XV (FiveFifteen). The five-piece band formed two years ago and have an impressive CV, with support slots to Shed Seven's Rick Witter, Paulo Nutini and Kula Shaker to date. They're set to play this year's Belladrum Festival on 10th and 11th August. A quick glance at their MySpace page reveals that the band have 353 friends. That's more than most people can call on a dark night when they're stranded
with no money for a taxi. They also list their musical influences which range from Black Rebel Motorcycle Club to Beck, from The Kooks to The Killers. Clearly a band with varied tastes, they claim to take inspiration from almost 100 different artists.
I must confess that V:XV rather got off on the wrong foot with me. The promotional information that was sent to me along with their CDs had a typo in it for one thing - please, lads, learn to proofread! - and they have a confusing name. My feeling is that if you need an explanation in brackets to make sure people get your name right, you probably need to change it.
But perhaps I'm just pedantic.
And so. To the music.
The current single, The Killer Line, gets off to a slow start, but becomes catchy enough as it gets going. The vocalist, Simon Murray, has a pleasant enough voice, and the musical arrangements are inoffensive. The track has a sweet, almost whimsical feeling to it, but at five minutes long, it really does start to become a bit of a killer line. I’m not a fan of sitting in the cinema for hours on end, and the same goes for records. Sometimes less really is more. B-side Firepoint
23 begins with a lot more va-va-voom, and maintains a steady, high-energy tempo throughout, although it does get a bit too twirly for my liking towards the end. I can imagine this would be a great live track, and in all honesty much preferred it to the single.
While I wouldn’t have immediately rushed to buy V:XV’s CD if I’d heard the single on the radio, after a few listens I found myself humming along. The band clearly have a lot of energy, and their use of the Hammond organ adds something a bit different. I’d definitely be interested to see how they perform live. If you’re interested, you can catch them at the Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival next month - tickets
are available from One Up. Alternatively, their MySpace Page is www.myspace.com/fivefifteen.
delivered by Cat at 8:11 PM
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