t-break showcase

NIGHT ONE The first night kicked off with Q Without U. Although there are notable influences from Glasgow bands of years gone by, the 4 piece manage to make their sound all their own. Edinburgh’s V-2 Schneider have lots of jangly guitars and a real urgency about their set. They also have a couple of good songs in ‘Never Stop’ and ‘What did you Expect?’. With their jumping around the stage antics Dance Lazarus Dance are the most visually arresting band of the evening. Their sharp, spiky guitars and shared vocal duties keenly represented the good time they were having, which couldn’t help but become infectious for the audience. If you ever wondered what would have happened if Motorhead had become a cabaret act then step forward The Blimp. They’ve seen all the rock‘n’roll clichés and they want to cram them all in tonight. Swigging from a half bottle of whisky, singer William Rogue asks for the time before throwing us all and revealing, “It’s time to rock”. Their Alex Harvey influence is never clearer in the lyrics “Hiding in the bushes waiting for a fight. Drinking electric soup laced with Diamond White.” A broken keyboard threatens to put paid to This Is Geneva before they even get started, but it’s only a minor setback, as they throw out some cracking tunes in ‘Only the Operator Can Save Us Now’ and ‘When Good Friends Make Bad Decisions’. Meanwhile, Project:Venhell don’t really care if you like them or not. And to this end they put in a spirited performance with a lot of rolling around on the floor and wailing. Imagine a young but tuneless Frank Black fronting Don Cabellero and you’re part of the way there. NIGHT TWO The second night opens with The Clicks - a real rarity, in that at last there’s a band on the bill with a female singer. They throw themselves into it, but the songs just aren’t as strong as the shapes they throw. The dramatic finale is somewhat lost as they come back onto the stage to pick up the instruments they threw to the ground as they made their exit. Some harder rock arrives in the shape of Yashin. They’ve brought a large contingent of fans with them as they meet with the most energetic response of the evening from the crowd. The 5-piece stomp around the stage and even seem to have choreographed all their moves. Red Snowman carry on the rock theme with their big hair and an explosive sound that pleases Tut’s increasingly hard-rocking crowd. If anyone has the songs and ability to be a breakout act from this night then the most likely are The Little Kicks. The Aberdeen based four-piece have a songwriting maturity that belies their years, and their set is over all too quickly. ‘Don’t Give up so Easily’ is the standout song. Push old ladies on Zimmer frames out of the way to get to see this lot next time they’re in your town. Following a band who have just killed isn’t always a bad thing and so it proves for Kiddo whose good time rock‘n’roll sound goes down a treat. The evening then ends with a frenetic set from Kobai, as they build their last song, ‘Wake Up’ into a big crescendo that sends the punters home happy. NIGHT THREE Edinburgh’s Little Doses look like a proper rock band dressed in matching red and black, and they also have a collection of great songs. A tight four piece, guitarist Paul Mellon offers some great hooks and vocalist Kirsten Ross is as good a frontperson as you could hope to see. Well polished songs, confidently delivered, you’ve not heard the last of them. The Draymin are slow to get started but once they’re in full flow they’re impressive. With big, anthemic Stone Roses influenced tunes that fill the room, they effortlessly grab hold of the crowd. ‘Rise Up’ is one of the showcase’s big highlights. Hailing from Aberdeen, Fiction/Action offer hard rocking songs with a strong Scottish accent. Or to be blunt, Rage Against the Arab Strap! Songs like ‘Red Red Red’ have a trace of Foo Fighters influence but they have an original enough sound to be a promising act for the future. Radars are compelling from the get-go. Michael Rattray’s crisp and clear vocals pull you in and refuse to let you go. There’s no pretension or posing here; the 3 strong group just want you to sit up and listen to their strong compositions about psychotic obsession and Kim Deal. Radars play songs you feel like singing along to on their first listen. Theatre Fall offer some indie-electronica. The young Inverness group are instantly likeable with strong tunes and a commanding performance. They play a fast and frantic set. Frontman Angus Carburns displays a strong vocal ability that anchors their keyboard and drum machine sound. Closing the night are San Sebastian, and their big sound full of crashing drums and guitars provides a fitting end to a strong line up. Frankly it’s surprising why some of these bands haven’t already been signed. If there’s any justice it shouldn’t be too long before some of them are pushing Franz Ferdinand and Travis off the pages of the music press.