Glasgow's occultists

A band/musician spellbound by the occult (horrible pun intended) is hardly a radical concept (see Page, Bowie). However, Glasgow's The Golden Dawn took that fascination to another level, going as far as naming their band after The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, an organization that traces it roots to a magical fraternity founded in London in the late 1800s. The group also had a penchant for bestowing titles upon gigs (a curious thing that is), titles like "Musick In Theory And Practice," which is a play on the Aleister Crowley book, Magick In Theory And Practice.

Unfortunately, The Golden Dawn's side interests were likely just as talked about as their music, since the outfit's output was minimal at best. There were a pair of seven-inch singles on Sarah Records during the late 1980s, a few tracks on numerous pop compilations with Sarah and Breaking Down Records, and then a comeback of sorts in 2000, as the band cut a single for the Heaven label. That was it.

Hear it for yourself. Download: "George Hamilton's Dead" by The Golden Dawn. The track kicks off with a glossy, fragile melody and then, roughly halfway through, descends into a maelstrom of general guitar racket. It calls to mind shoegazer, but only for a moment. Also, one can't help but think "Stephen Pastel" when first hearing the vocals.

The group also has live versions of songs available for download here.

The story of Creation (part 4)

He wanted to do a tour of just the European principalities. He penned the ditty "Death Is Hanging Over Me" while watching the film Amadeus in a Hamburg cinema with his then girlfriend. He loved velvet jackets, yet despised crushed velvet.

His favorite song was "Telegram Sam" by T. Rex. His birth name was Nicholas Godfrey. He confessed that his initial reason for delving into songwriting was: He couldn't play anything by anyone else. He worked with members of The Waterboys, The Birthday Party, and R.E.M.

He once told a music writer, "I dress and act like a star because I am one -- even if only in the eyes of a few." He spent years working on an unpublished novel entitled Albion Sunrise and wrote the liner notes for all his re-issues. The German music press often referred to him as the "the god of underdogs."

He died on March 26 of this year. He was Nikki Sudden.

Hear them for yourself. Download:

CRE 033: Nikki Sudden - "Jangle Town," (7"+12"), 1986

CRE 040: Nikki Sudden - "Wedding Hotel," (12"), 1987

Hyping Tigerfest . . . one final time

The four-week-long Tigerfest comes to a close Saturday evening -- and at the venue where it officially kicked off back on April 27: The Swamp Bar in Edinburgh. By all accounts, the festival was a rousing success: an eclectic blend of upcoming and established bands, terrific live performances, raucous crowds, even a fond farewell to some indie legends, as Fire Engines played their last-ever show May 13 at Carnegie Hall in Dunfermline.

One of Tigerfest's final gigs will be going down May 24 at Henry's Cellar Bar in Edinburgh. On that night, Hobotalk will be taking the stage for its second Tigerfest appearance (they supported ballboy last August). Hobotalk, for the uninitiated, is a folk-pop outfit headed by singer/songwriter Marc Pilley. The band was shortlisted for the Mercury Music Prize nominations back in 2001 for its debut album, Beauty In Madness. However, a fallout with its label, Hut Records, waylaid Hobotalk a tad and helped squash any momentum the foursome had garnered.

The group didn't release a follow-up until last year's Notes On Sunset. Like its predecessor, the LP is chock full of intimate, introspective numbers, which showcase Pilley's unforgettable pipes –- pipes that have been described as coming from the "illegitimate lovechild of Joni Mitchell and Thom Yorke."

Hear it for yourself. Download: "Letter From A Friend" by Hobotalk. "These California sunsets don't mean shit when you're upset inside," Pilley intones over a lush backdrop driven by a twinkling piano line and a strummed guitar.

Stop us if you've heard this one before

We're probably up around the five million mark now in terms of how many times the McGee-discovers-Oasis-at-King-Tut's story has been told. Maybe that's why the details have become so fuzzy.

The Creation Records head was attending a May 31, 1993, gig at Glasgow's King Tut's Wah Wah Hut to hook up with a friend of his sister's. No, he was in attendance to surprise old chum Debbie Turner, who was a member of one of the three supporting acts, Sister Lovers (a band that shared rehearsal space with Oasis). Maybe he was there to check out one of his signed acts, who were headlining.

That act would be 18 Wheeler, a guitar pop quartet from Glasgow. One can't help but wonder if McGee even heard the band's set that renowned night, seeing how smitten he immediately was with Oasis -– particularly Liam Gallagher, on account of his aloofness, cocksuredness . . . . and Paul Weller haircut. Pished silly on Jack-and-Cokes, McGee is even alleged to have offered the Mancs a contract on the spot. Again, fuzzy details.

The track featured below is off 18 Wheeler's third and final LP, Year Zero. After being criticized for sounding too much like their influences (Big Star, The Beach Boys, Gram Parsons), including some harsh words from Noel Gallagher (rather ironic, eh?), 18 Wheeler decided to revamp its sound; it moved away from the charming guitar leanings of its earlier efforts and incorporated dance rhythms.

And a poor decision it proved to be as the group was dropped by Creation shortly afterwards.

Hear it for yourself. Download: "Stay" by 18 Wheeler.

Hyping Tigerfest . . . on a lonely weekend night

You callous over, really. Become hardened to all the rubbish being written in the press kits and on the web sites for today's up-and-coming bands. "Throwing Toasters combine the hilarious songwriting of Tenacious D with the onstage energy of Barenaked Ladies. A must see!"

But then, every once in a great while, something comes along to restore your faith in the PR folks. Lines such as this: "They are as tight as a terrorist cell." Brilliant.

This is a sentence used to describe Saint Jude's Infirmary, one of Scotland's most talked about fledgling bands. The Kirkcaldy outfit is fronted by twins Ashley (vocals/guitar) and Grant Campbell (bass/guitar), and features cousin Emma-Jane on percussion. Hmmm . . . we have a family here. Now that whole terrorist cell crack makes sense.

St. Jude's Infirmary will be performing at Edinburgh's Cabaret Voltaire May 20 as part of Tigerfest. Now, how to categorize their sound? How about: Fuzzy guitar pop with tinges of post-punk and folk, complete with cheeky, stream-of-consciousness rants. Yeah, sounds like the trite rubbish you'd find in your typical press kit.

Hear it for yourself. Download: "PS Scotland I Love You" by Saint Jude's Infirmary.