You could never accuse Glasgow’s premo-hybrid gig/club venue, The Arches, for doing things in half measures.
Whilst similar venues in Edinburgh put their feet up post-Fringe and the competition sorts their gig listings for Autumn, the Argyle Street hive is buzzing with Freshers fuelled antics this weekend.
Saturday night features a (rescheduled) gig with I’m From Barcelona and a double dunt of Death Disco who have a line up heaving with such quality they’ve had to rope in the SW3 Studio Warehouse and a suitable fleet of party Disco Buses to get revellers to and from the venues.
Did we mention the 4am licence?

I’m From Barcelona

Some seven hours before, things begin freshly with the Swedish indie-pop ensemble I’m From Barcelona squeezing up to (subject to availability!) 29 members on stage.

Formed in 2005 when Emanuel Lundgren rounded up friends to help record a bunch of new songs, a DIY EP was put together and subsequently performed by the 28 muscians he assembled. EMI quickly snapped “the biggest band in Sweden” up, releasing debut “Let Me Introduce My Friends” the following year.

Their Arches date was originally planned for April, in support of new LP “Forever Today”, pushing further back a return to Scotland for the troupe that last visited for the short lived but long remembered Indian Summer festival in 2006.

Live performances are as enthralling and hectic as you can imagine, an encompassing blend of multiple vocalists and brass held together by a twee thread of classic guitar/bass/drums and keys without a drop of cacophony. It’s unsurprising that ringleader Lundgren is as warm and humble a frontman you’re likely to encounter, to keep a musical adventure as unique as this on the road for over five years.

There’s little running around your head that won’t happen on Saturday: crowd surfing on lilos, a barrage of balloons and showers of confetti all shaken up with one of the happiest/hand clappiest bands TVB has ever witnessed.

The Arches will be picking debris from this explosion of musical fun from the air vents until Christmas...

Death Disco – 10pm @ Arches & SW3

The monthly Arches instalment has taken sets from a variation of dance-floor puppeteers in it’s stride with the recently deceased DJ Mehdi, Mylo, Justice, Cajuan and Erol Akran to name a few.

Whilst the dual venue antics adds a likely unforgettable zest to the evening, it leaves some tough choices of how your evening should roll that we’re hopefully going to make a bit smoother for you…

Mondkopf – 10:15pm @ SW3

Late addition to the bill, France’s Mondkopf, will no doubt prove a tempting course of upcoming breakaway tunes from the Toulouse born, hip hop bred, elecro connoisseur Paul Régimbeau.

A master of the remix, encompassing a berth of artists and eras from The Teenagers to Johnny Cash he stepped things into his own crunching French sideswipe at the House genre. At the ripe age of 23, Régimbeau released this years’ intestine wringing single, Day of Anger, is an epic example of orchestrating all that is good in aspects of ambiance and soulful electronica into five minutes of danceable bliss.

Factory Floor – 11pm @ SW3

Arguably the gem of the evening and easily the reason for spreading Death Disco’s wings into the Trans-Europe Expressway will tag team into effect with Factory Floor churning out some of the most pulsating and perpetual live electronic flanked music seen in years.

A London based triforce of cohesion (featuring Nik Colk (guitar/vocals/electronics), Gabe Gurnsey (drums/electronics) and Dom Butler (electronics/vocals)) TVB was fortunate enough to catch their hyperdriven set, late into the Friday at this years Primavera Sound – a unquestionable mesh of visual backdrop, attention burning live drums and swirling vocals.

The lads are set to take on the US, with the aid of ATP, in a few weeks. We don’t doubt Saturday will be a more than decent stretching exercise for things to come.

Prins Thomas – 1am @ Arches

Make sure you take the time to mop down before getting on the DISCO SHUTTLE BUS back to The Arches for the conclusion of the evenings antics, featuring two Nordic dance heavyweights.

First into the ring will be Prins, AKA Thomas Moen Hermansen, a kraut rock engrained producer who gets his hands on some of the filthiest disco hits and splices them with the cleanest dancefloor breaks when behind the decks.

Lindstrøm – 02:30am @ Arches

The fateful Primavera evening, following TVB being blown away by Factory Floor, we were blissed by the Balearic in the company of Norwegian cultivator of quality electro, Lindstrøm.

It’s difficult to ascert his impact on the scene over the last few years without touching on those fortunate enough to collaborate with him – but the main thread has been with the forerunner to Saturday’s set in Prins Thomas. Since 2004’s the pair have put together ten buff bodies of original work, with a splintering amount of remix antics along the way.

Lindstrøm himself has come on a structural learning curve from his early groove based 12”s (There’s A Drink In My Bedroom And I Need A Hot Lady) to last years epic 42 minute, Rough Trade released, “Little Drummer Boy“.

To see the this pair live back to back is an honour and privledge that should set a new batch of dance friendly Freshers up for four years studying at the Death Disco Academy of Disco.