Category: News

It’s a genuine delight to announce that influential Glasgow four piece El Hombre Trajeado have not only reconvened, they’ve only gone and recorded a new album.  ‘Fast Diagonal’, their first long player in twelve years will be released through Chemikal Underground on December 2nd, but you can pre-order it NOW and have a listen to ‘Do It Puritan!‘ featuring the extraordinary vocals of Sue Tompkins (Life Without Buildings)…

A stoutly democratic alliance featuring the acclaimed flamenco punk guitarist RM Hubbert and multi-instrumentalist Stevie Jones (Sound of Yell, Arab Strap), Glasgwegian mutant-disco kings El Hombre Trajeado return after a decade’s absence with the album ‘Fast Diagonal’: a firework display of irresistibly warped beats, basslines and bleary-eyed synth work gilded by appearances from guest vocalists Sue Tompkins (Life Without Buildings), Ela Orleans and Sao Paulo-based Chris Mack (James Orr Complex).

 

With beautifully intuitive artwork by award-winning, Glasgow based artist Toby Paterson, ‘Fast Diagonal’ is a triumph of abstract melodicism or, as producer Paul Savage commented in the studio: “like a math rock band doing the soundtrack to Gregory’s Girl”.

We were always big, big fans of the band and there are fond memories of seeing them play in Sleazys and 13th Note.  El Hombre supported The Delgados in 2000 when we were touring The Great Eastern but they also hit the road with far more illustrious company in the form of Nick Cave, Sebadoh and Tortoise (the uninitiated might find some more musical reference points in there too if they look hard enough).

John Peel got it too, asking the band to record three sessions and a fourth set, live to air, on one of his greatly missed shows. The band dissolved in 2005 with their members going off in different directions: Ben and Stef would pursue careers outwith music while Stevie played with the likes of Arab Strap before crossing paths more directly with Chemikal at the vanguard of his Sound of Yell project;  Hubby’s circuitous path would also lead back to Chemikal through his inspired, flamenco-infused solo work.

And so the circle is squared: El Hombre Trajeado, reformed in 2014 to play as part of Chemikal’s East End Social, have produced their first album in more than 12 years – Fast Diagonal – and it’s as dazzling and fluid and inventively melodic as anything they’ve ever written.

Two of Chemikal Underground’s finest, each with acclaimed new releases under their arms are setting out on the road this November for a clutch of intimate Scottish gigs….

RM Hubbert and Rick Redbeard who respectively released ‘Telling The Trees‘ and ‘Awake Unto‘ earlier this year will be touring together for the first time, bringing their glorious brand of acoustic/flamenco/folk/americana to whichever lucky souls amongst you manage to bag tickets.

Thanks to Dominic at Rio Community Centre in Newport-on-Tay, Steve Robertson at TwentyTen for sorting out Tooth & Claw in Inverness, Dan and Tallah at Electric Circus, Kenny at Stirling’s Tolbooth (and Strange Behaviours Festival), Mark McPherson at IMP Aberdeen for arranging Rick’s Society of Advocates show and Andy Shearer at Horsecross Arts in Perth for all their help pulling these shows together!

“20 Songs for 20 Years”

Not content with sending their fans into delirium by announcing a handful of very special live shows this October, Aidan and Malcolm have also compiled a double album of Arab Strap ‘secret hits and rarities’ to celebrate their 20th anniversary.

Reflecting on a 10 year career that was as influential as it was controversial, the compilation highlights an extraordinary output that staunchly refused to conform to expectation.  From the string-led sashay of ‘Shy Retirer’ to the piano-driven noir of ‘Love Detective’; the lo-fi crunch of ‘The Clearing’ to the spartan electronica of ‘Rocket, Take Your Turn’, Arab Strap were a fearless and resolutely original proposition from the minute Aidan regaled us with tales of their ‘First Big Weekend’ back in 1996.

Here’s Aidan on the tracklisting for ‘Arab Strap’:

“We chose 20 songs – one for each year since we started – and decided to split them into two lots of 10. The first disc’s a kind of best-of, but we just stuck to the more electronic stuff for this – there’s so many different sounds going on in Arab Strap albums, so we wanted to make it a more coherent whole.

The second disc’s filled with rarities from EPs and b-sides and out-takes and stuff, so there’s some louder rock stuff on there. I think all of these songs could’ve been on the albums they were recorded for, but sometimes you’re trying to tell a story and they just don’t fit. This disc is more live drums and rock-y too, so anyone looking for the noise should hopefully be satisfied.”

The album complements Arab Strap’s anniversary live shows, two of which still have tickets available:

Oct 14th: O2 Ritz, Manchester
Oct 16th: Barrowland Ballroom, Glasgow.

‘Arab Strap’ Release Date: 30th September, 2016
Formats: 2CD | 2LP | DD
Pre-Order Now!

Rejoice! Aidan and Malcolm reconvene Arab Strap for a short series of anniversary performances in October.   

Live Dates (Tickets on sale: 9am | Friday 17th June)

Oct 13: Electric Brixton, London. SOLD OUT!
Oct 14: O2 Ritz, Manchester
Oct 15: Barrowland Ballroom, Glasgow  SOLD OUT!

EXTRA SHOW! (Tickets onsale from 5pm 1st July)
Oct 16: Barrowland Ballroom, Glasgow

OFFICIAL ARAB STRAP WEBSITE

Sing Hosannah!  Rick Redbeard has finally announced details of the follow up to his quietly revered debut ‘No Selfish Heart‘ and there’s a new song to herald the news.  ‘Wild Young Country’ is the first single to be taken from ‘Awake Unto‘, his second collection of solo material due for release on June 17th.

In typical Rick Redbeard fashion, there’s a timeless, careworn quality to ‘Wild Young Country’: a starstruck, saloon-bar waltz that’s just as redolent of the Dakotan Black Hills as it is the salt-lashed landscapes of Gibbon’s northeast.  But, as always with Rick, it’s his voice that gets you: a rich, laconic baritone that’s as seasoned as the lyrics and melodies which make his songs so memorable.

Thanks to Tom at Gold Flake Paint for previewing the track for us, click here to have a listen…

After Tom at Gold Flake Paint very kindly premiered Graeme Roger and Kevin Reid’s excellent video for ‘The Dog’ last week, we can now host it here on our site which is great, cos it’s brilliant.

Our first single from RM Hubbert‘s new album ‘Telling The Trees‘, ‘The Dog’ has a stunning guest vocal from none other than the wonderful Kathryn Joseph.  Not only did Tom premiere the video he also wrote a tremendous article about the track which you can read HERE.

Chemikal Underground founder and ex-Delgado Alun Woodward makes a more than welcome return after seven long years of radio silence, producing this spectral and emotive score for Battle Mountain: a film documenting the incredible exploits of maverick Scottish cyclist Graeme Obree.

While the cycling connection with Woodward’s old band will no doubt resonate with some, it’s secondary to the dazzling and poignant backdrop he’s skilfully created for David Street’s portrait of a quixotic sporting genius.  Battles are waged throughout: the attritional preparations for the landspeed record itself, dogged by technical and physical setbacks; the subsequent, nerve-jangling trials on a windswept Nevadan highway; and the ongoing internal struggles that Graeme’s bravely fought throughout his life.

All of these elements are illuminated and intensified by Alun’s uplifting score, capturing the warmth, wit and willfulness of a remarkable man and highlighting the intuitive musical talent of a songwriter who can still pack a formidable emotional punch.

 Check out the track ‘In School’ for a taste of what you can expect from the album.

There are also a series of trailers for the film…

Teaser

Battle Mountain ‘In School’

Hubby has just announced a trio of dates to launch his latest album ‘Telling The Trees’ in Glasgow, Aberdeen and Edinburgh. The Aberdeen show will be as a duo but the Glasgow & Edinburgh ones will feature a selection of collaborators from the project. If you don’t want to miss out then get yourself along to one of the them.

Can’t wait for your fix of the big man? Hubby is playing a solo set at the Mitchell Library, Glasgow as part of a Neu! Reekie! event on the 19th of March.

[gigpress_shows artist=8 limit=15]

Telling The Trees (April 29th, 2016)

The extraordinary, tattoo-bedecked, flamenco-inspired guitarist – and dare we say profane raconteur – that is RM Hubbert (Hubby to you and me) has returned with a new album, ‘Telling the Trees’ and it’s every bit as bold, unpredictable and affecting as we could have dared expect. 

A reprisal of the collaborative format that so enriched 2012’s SAY Award winning ‘Thirteen Lost & Found’, this new project finds Hubby co-writing at arm’s-length from a dazzling array of musicians, songwriters and lyricists in stark contrast to the previous album’s up close and personal approach.  Enlisting an amazingly diverse ensemble of talent, Telling the Trees features:

Anneliese Mackintosh | Anneke Kampman | Rachel Grimes | Kathryn Williams | Marnie | Kathryn Joseph | Martha Ffion | Sarah J. Stanley | Aby Vulliamy | Karine Polwart | Eleanor Friedberger

The result is a mesmerising collection of styles, songs and instrumentals, linked by their infusion of Hubby’s trademark guitar playing and the sparkling production techniques of Paul Savage at Chem19. 

As far as jaw-dropping previews go, this Kathryn Williams track should probably do the trick and you can pre-order the LP or CD on the Chemikal Shop NOW:

More screenings have been announced for Paul Fegan’s brilliant documentary ‘Where You’re Meant To Be’ featuring the inimitable Aidan Moffat and the late, great travelling balladeer Sheila Stewart.  With its premiere in Glasgow’s Barrowland Ballroom already sold out, seats for this run of eleven preview screenings will no doubt disappear rapidly so visit the website below and snap up some tickets…

Where You’re Meant To Be – Official Website  |  Facebook

Background

In the spring of 2014, Scottish cult‐pop raconteur Aidan Moffat and award‐winning filmmaker Paul Fegan made plans to tour the length of Scotland – to socialise with local characters, carouse into the early hours, and explore the country’s music traditions as part of a folkloric pop voyage called Where You’re Meant To Be. 

It was meant to be the basis for a film depicting Moffat’s road trip. It was meant to be a film that celebrated Scotland’s communities and lore, as the former Arab Strap frontman toured his modern re‐interpretations of old folk songs. But just before they hit the road, Fegan and Moffat met Sheila Stewart: a 79‐year‐old force of nature, the last in a line of travelling folk royalty, and a balladeer whose life – and unexpected death in September 2014 – upturned Moffat’s folk assumptions, and diverted the course of Fegan’s film.

The ensuing film, Where You’re Meant To Be, is a warm‐hearted and open‐armed journey through Scottish music, landscape and time. It’s also a moving, wry and enlightening depiction of two of our country’s most distinct and vital voices, as they cross paths (and words): Moffat believes Scotland’s oldest songs are ripe for re‐working against a contemporary urban backdrop. Stewart does not.

Following Moffat’s initial encounter with Stewart last spring, and with her wrath ringing in his ears, we see him embark on a trip around Scotland’s remote parts with his band in tow, to immerse himself, and his bawdy muse, in folk clubs, gatherings, our oldest songs. He encounters myriad colourful myths and characters along the way: feuding monster hunters at Loch Ness; a heartbroken crofter singing at his kitchen table on the Isle of Skye; a gaggle of chain‐mail clad warriors, re‐animating history in a village cemetery outside Oban; and many singers, tales and songs.

When Moffat’s tour of Scotland comes full circle – back to Glasgow, where he lives, and where it all began – he finds himself cornered as Stewart takes her last stand at the Barrowland Ballroom.  The world‐famous venue is a fitting locale for their crowning face‐off: a symbol of social gatherings past; the best‐loved rock stage in the world; and a recurring character in a film – and love story – with a sense of community at its heart.

On bringing the film back to the communities involved director Paul Fegan commented, “I’m excited to show the film first within the communities that we toured and where the characters within the film live. All the songs and stories shared with us over the past three years have helped shape the film greatly. It’s been a long journey since we first started and I can’t wait to share the finished film with our Scottish audiences first, and then further afield. ”