“The nights are fair drawin’ in, ken?” is a phrase you’ve likely heard enough times over the last week to make you want to hibernate until March. But think of all the sweet gigs you’ll miss! It’s always dark, but importantly warm and dryin the venues we try sending you to…

A fairly hectic week for Glasgow awaits, gig clashes akimbo bottlenecking the end of the week.

Thursday sees Tom Vek face off against Los Campesinos. The former’s album has been out for month and played The Classic Grand back in June, the latter’s album isn’t out yet and haven’t played town since Halloween 2009!

It’s hard to say what Tom Vek spent his time between the release of 2005’s  We Have Sound and this year’s Leisure Seizure doing, although safe to say not dying (as one Sauchiehall Street rumour went) was one of them.

His downtime from the music industry did nothing to dull the stylized edges of this indie icon, with his trademark guttural mixing of basslines and electro on top of frantic guitar/drum-work being lifted wholesale by numerous bands that followed.  As a forefather of this sound, Vek does little to change his game – as ‘Aroused’ and

Latest release ‘Hello Sadness’ may only be ten tracks, but details a more isolated sound – certainly lyrically, rumoured to be recorded in Spain shortly after frontman and manifesto writer Gareth split up with his girlfriend of the time – whilst maintaing the kaledoscopic approach to British indie-pop that put them at the head of the modern day pack.
The dialled down but poignant keyboards, strings and brass tango unapologetically well with Hefner-eque pulsating drums and refreshingly outlandish lead riffs. Their tell tale zest from previous records was diluted already on 2009’s “2222”, with new mission statements ‘Tundra’ and ‘XXX’ showcasing how comfortable the band are with the direction.
Even with their modicum of success the band maintain a very dedicated, hands on approach – exemplified in quarterly zine ‘Heat Rash’ and a unique approach to the fanzone memberships used by the stadium bands to squeeze more pennies from dedicated followers.
The very opposite will be the case at Oran Mor, with ticket prices kept as plausably low as a six-piece playing 600+ venues can be, the majority of their audiences will have already poured over the new album. In the same breath, the release could give them an excuse to extend their sets another 15 minutes and still treat diehards to the indie classics already in their arsenal.
The spread of tour dates and their attention detail is the only thing keeping these guys from playing to the larger, souless venues in the country. Get down the front while you still can. Or at least where there’ll be no barrier stopping you getting right in their sweatboxes.
It may not have been the most unpredictable of reunions, but it’s certainly panning out to be one of the most effective in the recent spate since The Pixies made it a credible cashin.

Latest release ‘Hello Sadness’ may only be ten tracks, but details a more isolated sound – certainly lyrically, rumoured to be recorded in Spain shortly after frontman and manifesto writer Gareth split up with his girlfriend of the time – whilst maintaing the kaledoscopic approach to British indie-pop that put them at the head of the modern day pack.

The dialled down but poignant keyboards, strings and brass tango unapologetically well with Hefner-eque pulsating drums and refreshingly outlandish lead riffs. Their tell tale zest from previous records was diluted already on 2009’s “2222”, with new mission statements ‘Tundra’ and ‘XXX’ showcasing how comfortable the band are with the direction.

Even with their modicum of success the band maintain a very dedicated, hands on approach – exemplified in quarterly zine ‘Heat Rash’ and a unique approach to the fanzone memberships used by the stadium bands to squeeze more pennies from dedicated followers.
The very opposite will be the case at Oran Mor, with ticket prices kept as plausably low as a six-piece playing 600+ venues can be, the majority of their audiences will have already poured over the new album. In the same breath, the release could give them an excuse to extend their sets another 15 minutes and still treat diehards to the indie classics already in their arsenal.

The spread of tour dates and their attention detail is the only thing keeping these guys from playing to the larger, souless venues in the country. Get down the front while you still can. Or at least where there’ll be no barrier stopping you getting right in their sweatboxes.

It may not have been the most unpredictable of reunions, but it’s certainly panning out to be one of the most effective in the recent spate since The Pixies made it a credible cashin.