Scottish Fiction February 2012 EP

As time marches on, the wave of free music continues.   This month we welcome The Dirty Demographic, Maydays, Run/Lucky/Free and Wolves Of Winter onto our February EP.  Download/stream the EP below, and don't forget to check out more from each artsits.  Cheers!

The Dirty Demographic
Maydays
Run/Lucky/Free
Wolves Of Winter

We're Only Here For The Banter - The Dirty Demographic

The Dirty Demographic shape pop tunes to make sexy people dance.  The four piece from Glasgow banish guitars in place of keys and synths, and glittery vocals full of joy!  The are planning an album release for this year, following an EP released in 2011, and will be busy touring this year.  Lead vocalist Angus Munro took some time to chat to us.

Hello, how are you?

Hi, we're great, thanks for asking.

It's the question everyone hates, but could you tell us a little bit about your music and your influences?

We're a piano-based pop outfit from Glasgow that share a lot of influences. Some we can think of our Ben Folds Five, The Divine Comedy, System of a Down, Weezer, Duke Special, Dresden Dolls to name a few.

What's your song writing process like?

Angus (Piano/Vocals) will usually bring a new song to a rehearsal or record a demo for the rest of the guys. Once we've all found one we like we start arranging it; chopping and changing parts until we have a full band song.

What could we expect to see from a live show?

Piano-Smashing, Bass-Thrashing, Snare-Breaking, Synth-Shaking, Vocal-Quaking; high energy stuff. Also Alan (Bass/Vocals) is known to backflip on stage although that may or may not be a lie.

If it were all to end tomorrow, what would you say has been your greatest achievement?

We've played with a lot of great bands last year but the highlight was definitely supporting The Hoosiers. It was a real great show with a lovely bunch of guys and would have been an awesome one to go out on!

What have you got planned for 2012?

We're working on our first album this year so a lot of time will go into that. Saying that, this is our busiest year in terms of gigs so expect to see us play all over the shop.

At Scottish Fiction we focus on new Scottish music, how do you as a band view the Scottish music 'scene'?

There's a lot of good new music around and Scotland is a real melting-pot. London is still the hub and where to be heard but a lot of up and coming Scots are showing up down there reminding everyone just how vibrant our scene really is.

What other Scottish artists would you recommend to the Scottish Fiction readers?

Kids With Crayons, Kith & Kin & Rio Callahan. Really great bands and writers - go see them if you have the chance.

Thanks for speaking with us, would you care to share a joke with us?

Knock Knock
Who's there?
Britney Spears
Britney Spears who?
Knock Knock
Who's there?
Oops I did it again.


Check out more from The Dirty Demographic


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Scottish Fiction Shelter Christmas EP

A very merry Christmas one and all!

It's that special time of year, where amidst all the jam pies (we don't like mince pies here at Scottish Fiction), eggnog, tinsel and obligatory Cliff Richards songs it's very important to remember that Christmas a time for goodwill to all men.

Shelter are a charity who do an incredible amount of work, helping those who are unfortunate to be homeless at this time of year, and throughout the other 364 days of the year.  And you can do your bit to help too.

This month for the monthly Scottish Fiction EP we are asking for a minimum of £2 to download some fantastic seasonal music from a wide variety of talented Scottish musicians. £2 is not a lot to pay for seven tracks, but it will go a long way to helping Shelter continue their great work over Christmas and beyond. (Please note £2 is the minimum donation. By all means donate more should you wish to. Bandcamp let's you choose how much to pay.)

You can download the full EP here. Please also feel free to share this with as many people as possible.

So without further ado, let me introduce to you the participants in this month's EP:

Lonely And Lola - Cute pop influenced music with ear splittingly catchy harmonies, this duo take the essence of the '60's and twist it into a modern sound to behold. Lauren Reilly displays bewitching vocals on their take of 'Santa Claus Is Coming To Town'.

Ed Muirhead - Ed is a man who takes great enjoyment in crafting his simple, honest, brand of folk infused music. Also running Tattie Records, Ed's hardwork and DIY ethos is conducive to producing music that warms the cockles. Here Ed has reworked a 150 year old Christmas carol, 'Midnight Clear'.

The Spook School - I love The Spook School. So much so I have dreams of them bursting out a giant present under my tree on Christmas morning. I've posted lots about the C86 twee coated alternative rock before so you really should just read that. Their track 'Bah Humbug!' is as good as anything they have ever done, but with bells!

Linzi Murphy - With her traditional Scottish folk style Linzi has drawn much critical acclaim amongst the traditional and folk music scene. And rightly so, her stripped back version of the classic 'Silent Night' showcases her vocal talent and natural guitar playing extremely well.

Evil Hand - Evil Hand, a.k.a. Derek Bates, has an incredible knack of producing music which is both pays homage to the ever popular alt-folk sound and experiments with ambient electronica aspects. His album 'Huldra' was one of this year's highlights and it's a pleasure to have his track 'Around The Tree' on the EP.

The Dirty Demographic - Unashamedly catchy pop, that brings new meaning to the phrase, 'all that glitters is gold'. The Dirty Demographic are all about having fun, and making music to dance like a drunk student to. Their track

Lovers Turn To Monsters - A.k.a. Kyle Wood. A very talented individual who has the work rate of a honey bee. A honey bee that makes lo-fi emotional music. He enlisted the help of producer and multi instrumentalist Walker Smith Jr. for their track 'Snowflake Frustration'.

So there you have it folks. Seven songs all yours for only £2 (download here). And that warm fuzzy feeling that comes from doing a good deed. Plus once on the Scottish Fiction Bandcamp page you can fill your boots with previous month's EPs which are absolutely free!

A huge thanks from me to all of you for your support to the blog and for purchasing this EP. A massive thanks to each and every one of the above artists who have donated their time and music offerings for free, whilst the main thing is to raise money for Shelter, it's also a big plus to be able to share such great music with you. Be sure to show them support and check out more of their material via the links provided. And also a big thanks to Andrew Wilson for his artwork (below) which I've tweeked slightly to give a rather amatuerish festive feel to.

Please feel free to stream the album below, but please please please download it and help us give Shelter a nice sum of money.

Thanks. Oh and merry Christmas!



Please note that due to the way Bandcamp works your £2 will go into my Paypal account, and will show on your statements as a payment to 'Neil Wilson'. I don't have anyway around this unfortunately, and whilst I hope I'm trustworthy enough to not have to, I'll happily provide sales details along with the final amount passed to Shelter. Let me be extremely clear, ALL proceeds from this EP will go to Shelter. Thanks again.

Gig Review - Bwani Junction @ Bloc

Bwani Junction released their debut album 'Fully Cocked' on Monday 21st October and travelled along the M8 to give it a proper Glasgow release party at Bloc on Wednesday 23rd October.

First on the bill were Glasgow popsters The Dirty Demographic, who kicked things off on the third attempt. Vocalist and sporting a dashing vest top was Angus Munro, who along with Stefanie Lawrence serenaded us with glittery pop influenced songs. Second track was a wonderful little song about 'Lucky (The Matchmaking Wonderdog) where you can hear a little bit of Belle & Sebastian influence before kicking into full gear. Also given an airing was a newer laid back track 'Patchwork Heart'. The band have a sound that Elton John would be proud of, and with fantastic vocal range and performance from both singers, the crowd who had gathered certainly enjoyed the fun spirit of the show. Last track 'Little Time' was a real show stopper.

But luckily the show didn't stop because next up where The Seventeenth Century. The five piece had dove straight into proceedings, the opening number having a steady beat with raw strings over the top. Might have just been me, but the cornet solo in the next track reminded me slightly of the opening theme from Star Wars! Despite the thunderous drums, and emphatic efforts of lead singer Mark Brendan Farmer, who is sporting a rather nice set of braces, the band still maintain a very warm and homely sound. There's elements of Admiral Fallow sound in there, and the songs are well crafted, usually working up towards a climax. The rhythm section have no trouble making themselves heard over the din of the bar, which sadly did drown out a few of the more intimate moments. The closing track of a shortish set brings an eruption of cornet, violin, drums and even a few dance moves.

So it's onto the headliners, Bwani Junction who with the Afro-Caribbean sound get the party started straight away. Playing onstage in front of a huge cock drapped behind them (get your mind out the gutter, it's the picture at the top of the page) the band are keen to showcase songs from the brand spanking new album 'Fully Cocked'. It's easy to compare the sound to that of Vampire Weekend or Foals, and whilst there is a clear reggae tinge in the laid back basslines, Bwani Junction have a very unique sound. There's also room for a new song 'Neighbourhood Watch' which has a bit of a slower start than most of the set. As previously performed for Uncle Vic, a cover of The Pogues song 'Dirty Old Town' goes down well. At times it feels like I stumbled in a jam session such is the laid back vibe. 'Middle Meadow' goes down a treat, and the packed crowd at Bloc lap it up.

The album 'Fully Cocked' is out now and you can buy it here (Amazon), here (iTunes) or here (Avalanche)

They're Taking The Hobbits To Isengard

The fact that the highlight of my Sunday spent in Kelvingrove Park for the West End Festival was seeing Billy Boyd, a.k.a. Pippin, in no way reflects on the quality of the music on show. It's just I am a huge LOTR geek, and also needed a link to post the above video.

I could have down with some help getting through the parade, which snaked it's way down Kelvin Way dragons and all. Impressive though it was, the gathering crowds meant I missed the start of Woodenbox With A Fistful Of Fivers, who were playing on the Hear Glasgow Stage. That the stage was parked right in front of a skatepark, was certainly a new for me, and invoked memories of a Sum 41 video. It also meant the crowd who did want to see the acts on stage risked being slammed by 10 year old boys falling off their skateboards (yes, it was funny each time) or retreating back beyond the park.

The music from Woodenbox, was deserving of a better stage to hear it. Everyone Has A Price with it's sax intro, is typical of Woodenbox's jangly sound. Somewhat like The Coral, with a Scottish accent. Lead singer Ali Downer must not have felt the wind chill with those Gaz Comb-esqe mutton chops. Hang The Noose really got the party started, and even the skaters, who by Downer's own admission would have prefered Dr Dre must have felt their foot a-tappin'. Draw A Line continued the set, and they closed with a sax/trumpet led jam. The only complaint is that they couldn't have played for longer!

Taking advantage of the gaps between bands, I sauntered off to buy an ice-cream. Bad move, it was cold and I started shivering.

Luckily, the next band on stage, The Dirty Demographic, brought out such dance inspired music, that I soon warmed up. Ok, I didn't actually start dancing, but the thought was there. Despite the name, there was nothing dirty about The Dirty Demographic. Their music was pleasant, upbeat, '60's inspired pop. Two standout tracks for me where Porn and Lucky. Throughout the full set front two Angus and Stefanie had an infectious happy stage presence, this is one band who deserved the sun.

Sadly, the clouds persisted and the wind kept blowing. However, I stuck it out, for a band I have wanted to see for a while, Stirling's own Miniature Dinosaurs. In town for Electric Honey's showcase gig in Oran Mor last night, they played a blinder on the Hear Glasogw Stage. Indie/art rockers from the moment you clap eyes on them, they kicked off with Turn It On, a ska/reggae infused track. Again the location hampered the crowd, and they certainly were deserving of a bigger audience. Cold Shoulder had a Talking Head's feel to it, and set closer and highlight Fight Or Flight has tinges of The Futureheads. After the set, I picked up a copy of the song on their split 7" with Wake The President. And two free badges. Woooo!