Features
Something's stirring
Something's stirring in UK music, and - whisper it - it's happening outside London. In fact, it's all taking place at the opposite end of the country.
Call it a resurgence if you will, but in truth it's more of an evolution: Scottish bands are making great music once again, and doing it on their own terms.
Franz Ferdinand's dizzying ascent to the peak of popular conciousness in 2004 gave musicians north of the border the impetus not only to exercise their creativity, but to push their art in the direction they wanted it to go. Franz's notorious Glasgow warehouse gigs-cum-parties helped bring them to the attention of the major labels, but it was with an independent, Domino, whom they chose to release their records.
Unless you've been living underneath a particularly soundproof rock for the last twelve months, chances are you'll have heard about The View, a band who've been described as Scotland's answer to The Libertines. Hailing from Dundee, they gigged extensively in their home country and released their debut EP on local imprint Two Thumbs before heading south to sign an album deal.
Rather than going for a label with a proven track record, The View chose one still in its infancy. Just months before they put pen to paper, 1965 Records owner James Endeacott was working for Rough Trade - in fact, he was at least partly responsible for the success of both The Libertines and The Strokes. Most people would kill for a job like that, but Endeacott had always wanted to start something of his own.
"Running a label was just one of those dreams you had when you were a kid", he told NME, "it was fantasy - like being England captain or being Spider-Man". It was the 41-year-old's passion for music that persuaded The View to turn down other potential suitors. As the band's guitarist Peter Reilly explained, they found themselves dealing with a fan as rather than a businessman. "He's a totally genuine guy who's really enthusiastic about what we do. He'd be down the front at our gigs shouting 'I love you, boys!'
He's far from alone in that. This year has seen The View's star rise considerably, from oversubscribed tents at The Carling Weekend and sold-out tours to a top 20 chart placing for 'Wasted Little DJs' and an appearance on Later With Jools Holland. Not bad for a band who, a little over a year ago, were banned from The Bayview pub where they rehearsed (and took their name) for riding a scooter across the bar.
Of course, for every band that breaks out of the local scene there's another dozen left behind plying their trade and waiting to be picked up. That's where the smaller independent labels come in, the ones run by enthusiasts with minimum resources but maximum passion. It's on this basis that Greenock's Grace Records operates, and co-owner Stuart Clark says it's more than worth the effort to discover an unknown gem:
"Releasing records for bands because you believe in them is the most rewarding part of it. I would never release a record that I wouldn't buy myself - that will always be the rule. Getting the finished product is easy, anyone can press a record/CD, but the real work in running a label is promotion/PR related. But once the reviews and the airplay starts the hard work pays off!"
2007 promises to be another good year for music north of the border: Stuart's tips are Orphan Boy, stopstarts, We Are The Physics and The Low Miffs. These bands all have Myspace pages, so why not get ahead of the game and give them a listen?
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