Good to be writing about a “wee” show again, as we’ve had a lot of big shiny things on here of late, room for everything and all that though:

Aberdeen’s own grungy, Dinosaur Jr-esque Min Diesel have put this together to coincide with the release of their new EP  ”Mínage à Twa“, which is simultaneously the best and worst name for a collection of recorded music ever.  Quite an achievement, and a great excuse for a celebration.

Also on the bill are noisy Dundonian garage types The Shithawks, and two bands who don’t even seem to have any presence on the internet whatsoever;  Glasgow-based Platypus, who apparently make “woozy, lo-fi psychedelia”, they’re also described as “enigmatic”, which may account for their lack of Google results, and locals Das McManus, who play their first ever show.  All very intruging.

While we’re on the subject of Cellar 35, I’ll draw your attention to a new club which starts there the night before this show (Friday 18 May, 9pm, £2), it’s called Strawberry Wine, and it’s  ”An Evening of C86, Early Creation Records, Shoegaze & 80s Indie.”  Here’s the Facebook event page for it.  Time to get agonising over the perfect badge to wear…

We told you about The Scottish Album of the Year Award a wee while ago, and now it’s crunch time;  for one day only on Monday 14 May you, the punters, can vote for your favourite album on the longlist via The SAY Award website  or the iPhone/Android app.  On Tuesday the judging panel will then decide the ten album shortlist, one of which will be the album with the most public votes.

There’s still time to listen to streams of five of the longlisted albums on the site/app this weekend, after which the shortlisted albums will be streaming for four weeks.  That’s a lot of free music, and it’s all Scottish. Power to the people.

Oh God, where do I start?

Got it, like this:  YAAAAAASSSSSSSSS!

I’ve been waiting for a large-scale event outside of the usual club and gig spaces to happen ever since I moved back to Aberdeen, and this, this is it.

It’s kinda difficult to cherry-pick things out of the truly excellent line-up, take a look at the poster at the bottom of this if you don’t believe me, let’s try and break things down a bit though:

The Peace and Jam Live and Acoustic Room features many, many bands you’ll have read about on here before, including some of the city’s very best (Stanley, The Little Kicks et al), so I’m going to leave that alone and focus on some of the other stuff if you don’t mind.  Heads-up for Stonehaven’s chaotic, scuzzy pop duo DOLFiNZ and Edinburgh’s afrobeat-y Bwani Junction though…

The Main Stage, in the iconic Beach Ballroom, complete with legendary boingy-boingy sprung dancefloor, is headlined by a couple of  legends:  Derrick Carter, major player in the second-wave of proper Chicago House music which blew up in the mid-90s (although he’s been around longer) and Glasgow house/techno duo Slam, y’know Soma Records founders, released the first Daft Punk singles, those two.  I’m not going to pass up this opportunity to post their classic “Positive Education“, one of the most important pieces of music ever to come out of Scotland; nearly 20 years after its 1993 release, and it still sounds like it comes from the future:

Still in the ballroom, techno types Bigfoot’s Tea Party will be familiar to some of you from their nights at Snafu and The Sub Club while Aberdeen/Glasgow electro-rockers Fridge Magnets have already picked up a Scottish Alternative Music Award this year, and are gaining popularity by the second.

Moving to The Beach Hut Stage, headliners Friendly Fires make a mockery of those awful indie-bands-as-DJs sets by actually being able to play music for a club crowd (here’s an Essential Mix from a while ago), Oneman brings the dubstep/funky/garage sounds of his show on must-listen London station Rinse FM north, and there’s a deserved proper place on the bill for Aberdeen’s own bass-driven Tuff Wax Records crew.

Speaking of bass, the DSR Audio Room has Scottish Album of the Year Award-nominated sound system Mungo’s Hi Fi and fellow weegies Chungo Bungo bringing the reggae and dub, alongside local beach & terrace party specialists Minival.  The Red Bull Event Truck has yet more DJs, and there’s all manner of  food, drink and clothing stalls, most of whom seem to be peddling wares which are a notch above the usual festival tat.

That’s just a very small selection, there’s a lot more in-depth information, site maps, artist bios, videos and the like over at the event’s excellent website.  A word about that in fact;  in a town where, at times, things can be promoted in a rather ramshackle, half-arsed manner (not everything, before you start), this stands out like a beacon.

Ballin’.

Here’s the first in a new series of monthly posts from one of the city’s best venues, The Lemon Tree:

We’ve quite a music programme at The Lemon Tree this May!  From start to finish there really is something for everyone.   Here are some highlights and a full listing so you can handpick the shows you want to attend:

Kicking us off on the 4th May are the brilliant Three Blind Wolves.  Described as “loud, hairy and unpredictable” this Glasgow four-piece have been gathering pace of late.  With influences such as Led Zeppelin and Creedance Clearwater Revival this is certainly for those who are fans of old school rock.  They released their critically acclaimed mini-album last year, played a slot at T in the Park and have some European festivals lined up this summer.  Support comes from The Deportees and CS Buchan.

On the 17th we host Aberdeen’s own The Xcerts.  These local heroes return to play what will be a scintillating set comprising of old favourites such as Scatterbrain and Crisis In The Slow Lane and we may even be lucky enough to hear some new material.  Anyone who has been to their previous shows will know what a great singalong moment Aberdeen 1987 is, so this is a gig not to be missed.

We’ve got a good one on the 18th with The Pigeon Detectives playing The Lemon Tree as part of their Summer By The Sea tour.  These guys are festival favourites and can boast several hits including I’m Not Sorry and This Is An Emergency.  This will certainly be one for those who like bouncing around at gigs!  With platinum and gold albums under their belts it’s a great way to see them in a more intimate venue.

The Magnets are something a bit different…a band with no instruments!  This London a capella group perform the singing and backing track using nothing but vocals.  What’s more they perform tracks from bands and solo artists of past and present such as The Killers, Lady Gaga and Blur, with some Bon Jovi thrown in for good measure.  Check out some of their videos on YouTube to see what they are all about. These guys visit us on the 20th for what will be a great night of entertainment.

Admiral Fallow are a group from Glasgow who are really starting to turn heads.  Currently being championed by the likes of Elbow’s Guy Garvey and Edith Bowman, you can catch them at The Lemon Tree on the 23rd.  Playing a stunning brand of orchestral folk-pop they’re about to release their second album Tree Bursts In Snow.  We reckon this lot will be playing on some big stages this time next year so get in quick for an “I was there” gig.

We Were Promised Jetpacks are up on the 24th and this will be a cracker!  Known for their “thunderous” live performances they have been described as having the impact of Mogwai with the pop sensibilities of Bloc Party and Foals.  Their releases have been met with critical acclaim and the band has toured with the likes of Jimmy Eat World and Frightened Rabbit.  Having won the Best Live Act award at the Scottish Alternative Music Awards in March they are touring to promote new album In The Pit Of The Stomach.  With one of the band members fighting back from a serious illness recently we’re really pleased to welcome them to The Lemon Tree.

Not music shows per se but Howard Marks and John Peel’s Shed will appeal to those who like good tunes.  Howard has a fascinating story to tell and will be joining us for a talk on the 11th.  How many people can claim to be a drug smuggler, DJ, inmate, connected to the mafia and linked to the British Secret Service?Not many we’d imagine!  John Peels’s Shed is a story about a competition winner on the late DJ’s radio show who wins a box of records and sets out to listen to them all.  The performance features albums owned by John Peel and is an ode to radio and the legendary record collection.  This show is in our upstairs Studio space on the 22nd and was a five-star sell out hit at the Edinburgh Fringe.  You really shouldn’t miss it…

Full May Listings:

4th May –  Three Blind Wolves
5th May –  Same Faces
6th May –   Who’s Who
11th May – Howard Marks
12th May – Ultimate Eagles
13th May – James Grant
17th May – The Xcerts
18th May – The Pigeon Detectives
20th May – The Magnets
22nd May – Newton Faulkner – SOLD OUT
22nd May – John Peel’s Shed (The Lemon Tree Studio)
23rd May – Admiral Fallow
24th May – We Were Promised Jetpacks
25th May – Fat Hippy Records Showcase
26th May – Hedgehog Pie
27th May – Dennis Rollins Velocity Trio

Tickets can be booked at www.boxofficeaberdeen.com, by calling 01224 641122 or visiting any of our Box Office venues.  Get in quick to avoid disappointment and we’ll see you down the front!

Another day, another pair of tickets to give away, this time courtesy of Midnight Resistance Promotions.  You lucky people.  You’ve only got a few days to enter this one, so get your wee bottoms in gear…

Brighton psych-folkster Chris T-T has more than a few strings to his bow;  described by The Independent as “a national gem”, and with eight albums (and a bunch of EPs/singles) under his belt, he’s a true modern troubadour whose beautifully-crafted lyrics on life, love and politics will strike a chord with anyone in possession of a soul.

He’s also a regular columnist for The Morning Star, charity fundraiser, speaker and panellist at various songwriting and digital seminars/workshops, and has been creating an indispensable photographic archive of every toilet he’s visited since 2010 on Twitter (see the hashtag #loo2012 for this year’s entries).

He pays Cellar 35 (and, no doubt, its bog) a visit on his “Sings Jeremy Clarkson To Sleep Tour” for forthcoming EP The Taking Of Clarkson’s Lighthouse which ”tells the tragic (made up) tale of a divisive genius TV presenter, a violent island uprising and the last surviving Fraggle.”  The mind boggles.  Support on the night comes from London multi-instrumentalist She Makes War and local singer-songwriter Davy Shanks.

Here’s a video for Chris’s 2010 single “Nintendo.”  Watch it, then find out how to win tickets below.

Okay, to be in with a chance of winning a pair of tickets to the show, simply answer this easy question:

Which controversial BBC presenter is referenced in Chris T-T’s upcoming E.P?

…and email it to midnightresistance.promotions@gmail.com under the subject “Chris TT Comp” by Midnight on Sunday 22 April, after which the winner will be picked at random.  Good luck!

Before all that though, a “longlist” of 20 albums has been announced today.  Complied from lists submitted by 100 “nominators” (including your own wee Kiosque *blush*), it’s a pretty cool selection of music from across a number of different genres, and quite a few of the names will be familiar to readers of this site.  I’m prepared to bet that you won’t have heard them all though, so you can stream a free track from each (and a whole “Album of the Day” from the 16th of this month) over at the SAY Award site.  A rather natty smartphone app with more free music is available for iPhone and Android too, and you also get the chance to vote for your favourite album, the most popular of which will be guaranteed a place on the shortlist.   This is all very positive for Scottish music as a whole I reckon, and while there may not be any North-East acts on the list this time, there’s always next year.  Make it happen.

(Drumroll)  Here’s the longlist:

• 6th Borough Project  “One Night In the Borough”
• Bill Wells & Aidan Moffat  “Everything’s Getting Older”
• Bwani Junction  “Fully Cocked”
• Chris Stout’s Brazilian Theory  “Live In Concert”
• Conquering Animal Sound  “Kammerspiel”
• FOUND  “factorycraft”
• Fudge Fingas  “Now About How”
• Happy Particles  “Under Sleeping Waves”
• Jonny  “Jonny”
• King Creosote & Jon Hopkins  “Diamond Mine”
• Mogwai  “Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will”
• Mungo’s Hi Fi  “Forward Ever”
• Muscles Of Joy  “Muscles Of Joy”
• Remember Remember  “The Quickening”
• Richard Craig  “Inward”
• Rustie  “Glass Swords”
• Steve Mason & Dennis Bovell  “Ghosts Outside”
• Tommy Smith  “Karma”
• Twin Atlantic  “Free”
• We Were Promised Jetpacks  “In The Pit Of the Stomach”

See?  Pretty diverse;  jazz, house, reggae, folk, the lot.  Get listening, agreeing and disagreeing…

The SAY Award

Peterhead clubnight Shmeet The Beat has been putting on bands in the Blue Toon since 2010,  pulling in crowds that would make the larger cities jealous in the process.   Now they’re hitting Aberdeen (or the “big smoke” according to The Buchan Observer *notsureifsarcasticornotsmiley*), so it makes sense that IndianRedlopez are playing,  being from round those parts and all.  You’ve read about them on here many times before, but an aligning of the planets due to me “basking” in the sunshine yesterday instead of doing this preview as planned means I can link you to a free download of remixes of their recent single “Prometheus” which has been released this very day through Bedford Records.  Karmic.

Also on the bill are Glasgow’s Song of Return, who are bloody good.  Featuring Louis Abbot of Admiral Fallow and Craig Grant of the now defunct Union of Knives, last year’s album “Limits” is an excellent slice of post-rock-and-electronica, they’re off to New York next month as winners of the Creative Scotland’s Big Apple award too.  Opening the show are fellow Weegie post-rock types Skies Fell.  Hit up their Soundcloud for a taste of their latest (poppier) stuff.  Promising.  It’s a good line-up that.  See you there.

Yes.  Bet there’s at least one person thinking:

Jazz?  I’m nae reading this…

More fool him, as there’s some very cool stuff on indeed,  here’s our pick of the shows during the festival:

Skadne Krek
Friday 16 March | The Blue Lamp |  10.30pm | £5

A Norwegian quartet who play mind-bending trip-hop-influenced rock and electronica with a definite punk attitude.  Just right for a late-night show.

Jazz on the Green
Saturday 17 March | Various Venues | 12.30pm | Free

Soulatino, Gerry Jablonski, Leppard & the Big Cats, Blow, Marisha Addison, Aberdeenshire Jazz Projects, MJ5, Scott Cruickshank, Colin Black & more playing in venues such as  The Carmelite, Old King’s Highway, Musa, Sopranos, R&B Music and, best of all, an outdoor stage in front of Cafe 52 on The Green.   Potentially an excellent afternoon out..  Update:  Here’s the schedule for the day

Hypnotic Brass Ensemble
Saturday 17 March | The Lemon Tree | 8.30pm | £15

Nine-piece melting pot of jazz, hip-hop and funk from Chicago, known for their appearances on Later With Jools Holland and work with Gorillaz, as well as releases on labels like Honest Jon’s and Choice Cuts. Oh yeah, eight of them are brothers, which is absolutely insane.

Kind of Larkin
Sunday 18 March | The Blue Lamp | 2.30pm | £10

The Dave Batchelor Quintet and well-known Scottish actor David Hayman celebrate poet Philip Larkin’s love of jazz with an afternoon of verse and music.  Different.

That’s just a selection.  Click here for the full programme and ticket details

Hypnotic Brass Ensemble

Cardboard and electronic beats, together at last.  The concept is quite simple; spend the day constructing forts from cardboard, then listen to electronica emanate from them at night.  Sarah J Stanley (live electro set), and DJs MWX & Digital Stitch will come if you build it, in a Field of Dreams kinda way that is…

Tuesday 6 March | The Tunnels | 7.30pm | £7/£6adv (from One Up)
Thomas Truax, Matricarians, Craig John Davidson
A welcome return for the NYC multi-instrumentalist with the home-made instruments

Thursday 8 March | The Tunnels | 8pm | £5
Iain McLaughlin & The Outsiders, Velvet Audio,  Brown Bear & The Bandits, Bellocs Bar
Spacey Invernesian indie-rockers and great support from equally out-there locals Velvet Audio

Friday 9 March | The Lemon Tree | 8pm | £6
The Ruckus, Estrella, Gutter Godz, Evil Demon Theory
Fat Hippy Records’ album release show for local rock outfit The Ruckus 

Friday 9 March | Snafu | 11pm | £4/Free before 12
Tuff Wax Aberdeen Truth Vol. 3 Release Show
Hip-hop/garage/house/dubstep from the excellent local label with Lockah, Bones & Money, Grobbie &  Yoin

Wednesday 14-Sunday 18 March | Various Venues, Times & Prices
Aberdeen Jazz Festival
Jazz/funk/soul/latin/loads of things inc. a free outdoor Saturday show on The Green.  More info here

Friday 16 March | Woodend Barn, Banchory | 7.30pm | £9/£8adv   Tickets
Meursault, Wounded Knee
Edinburgh post-rock/twisted folk outfit make a welcome return to the NE.  Worth the bus journey.

Friday 16 March | The Tunnels | 8pm | £7/£6adv  Tickets 
Fatherson, Duke, He Slept On 57,  Rambler
Glasgow-based, Ayrshire-born & unmistakably Scottish indie-rockers headline 

Sunday 18 March | The Forum | 10pm | £20 (From One Up/Attic)
2ManyDJs
Superstar DJ duo & one of Belgium’s biggest exports outside hangover-inducing bevvy

Wednesday 21 March | Snafu | 11pm | £tbc
Phop Presents: DOLFiNZ, Min Diesel, DJ Bad Panda
A lo-fi Stonehaven scuzzy pop duo.  Some ramshackle grunge from Aberdeen.  And a good DJ.  

Thursday 22 March | The Blue Lamp | 8pm |  Sold Out
Pokey LaFarge & The South City Three
Ragtime/country/swing/blues band from St Louis, Missouri (pictured below). Recently appeared on Jools Holland’s Hootenanny.

Friday 23 March | The Tunnels | 7.30pm | £6  Tickets
Bwani Junction, This Silent Forest, Boy With Compass, Steven Milne
Headline show by Afrobeat-influenced Edinburgh band currently being branded “hot” by tipsters who do such things

Friday 23 March | The Malt Mill | 8pm | £5
The Komet Club
New venue for the Rockabilly/Rock ‘n’ Roll/Vintage Rhythm & Blues night 

Saturday 24 March | The Tunnels | 7.30pm | £7/£6adv (From One Up)
Fridge Magnets, The Tijuana Sun, The Suburban Saints, Kushty (DJ Set)
Aberdeen/Glasgow electro-rockers recently crowned “Best Electronic Act” at the Scottish Alternative Music Awards headline

Saturday 24 March | Origin | 11pm | £7/£6 before 12
Table Mannerz
Electro/Hip Hop/Drum ‘n’ Bass with guest turntablist & 2010 DMC  World Champion DJ Ligone (France)

Tuesday 27 March | The Lemon Tree | 7.30pm | £15
YolanDa Brown
Double MOBO Award-winning saxophonist/vocalist

Thursday 29 March | The Tunnels | 7.30pm | £5/£4adv  Tickets
IndianRedLopez, Song Of Return
Locals you should know by now joined by kindred electronics/guitar-wielding spirits from Glasgow (Feat. Admiral Fallow’s Louis Abbot)

Friday 30 & Saturday 31 March | Cellar 35 | 8pm | £5 per night/£8 weekend
The Little Kicks
Read more & win tickets! 

Friday 30 March | Snafu | 11pm | £10
Dubpressure
Dubstep/House/Garage with Hessle Audio co-founder/Rinse FM DJ Ben UFO 

…and every Friday throughout March there are free shows at Slains Castle (the pub, not the alleged literary vampire-influencing ruin) click here for the line-ups.

Pokey LaFarge & The South City Three.  Photo: Paul Nordmann