Gigs

May 18 2008

PAUL WELLER *****

MOTHERWELL CIVIC CENTRE, MAY 14

We came along to this pre-album release warm-up tour expecting a short run-through of new material but Weller turned in a greatest hits show.

There were enough new songs to give us a flavour of record 22 Dreams. The two-hour show featured an acoustic session when he even took requests and recent favourites such as Come On, Let's Go and From The Floorboards Up.

Pebbles On The Beach and Peacock Suit were big hits with the crowd as were many of the new tracks such as Push It Along, All I Wanna Do (Is Be With You) and Have You Made Up Your Mind.

Weller has lost none of his knack for great melodies and killer choruses. Stunning stuff from one of rock's finest. Mickey McMonagle

DIRTY PRETTY THINGS ***

ABC, GLASGOW, MAY 14

There's something about Carl Barat's music which doesn't sit quite right without Pete Doherty's involvement. Where The Libertines felt like they were defining their time in some way, Dirty Pretty Things are just another bunch of rockers going through the motions.

Still, at least they're energetic motions - and the band praised the audience for their reaction.

The rowdy set included older tracks You F***ing Love It, Deadwood and Bang Bang You're Dead and new songs Tired Of England, Hippy's Son and Truth Begins. Overall, DPT offered vibrant city-slicking pop. John Kelly

THE BLACK ANGELS ****

NICE'N'SLEAZYS, GLASGOW, MAY 13

The Texan psychedelic rock five-piece opened with the hypnotic Young Men Dead but they seemed lost in a trance on The Sniper At The Gates Of Heaven.

Although there were points when the Angels' droning sound verged on a barely decipherable dirge, it was a short-coming easy to overlook such was their musical intensity and focus.

Crowd favourite Black Grease saw them at their most potent. But for energy and scale, final number Never Ever stole the show. Andy Kerr

DELAYS ***

ABC, GLASGOW, MAY 13

The Southampton four-piece were enthusiastic but couldn't reproduce their polished indie-pop sound, which was ruined by being too loud and poorly defined.

There were moments when their talent shone through. New single Hooray was catchy but their best song was Long Time Coming, with a sugary chorus and dreamy keyboard. Monty Archibald

LADYTRON ****

ORAN MOR, GLASGOW, MAY 13

Electro, synth and bleepy sounds oozed with style and substance from the female-fronted band.

New song Ghosts and the faster-paced High Rise were two of many fabulous tunes, while club favourite Seventeen went down well.

Destroy Everything You Touch was the perfect end to a magical set. Lesley Haw

PARAMORE ***

CARLING ACADEMY, GLASGOW, MAY 12

Hayley Williams, the 19-year-old singer of the Tennessee emo rockers, strutted around stage and shook her hair like a musical drama queen.

She brought an emotional rawness to her set as the band played powerful songs, including recent singles Misery Business and Crushcrushcrush.

When she said this was the best gig she had played, it sounded like she meant it. Dave Pollock

WE ARE SCIENTISTS ****

ABC, GLASGOW, MAY 12

The eccentric New Yorkers played a tasty set at this O2 Wireless Weekender gig. Tracks such as Nobody Moves Nobody Gets Hurt showcased their rock credentials. Their between-song banter was lame but they made up for it by headbanging their way through the set. The insanely catchy Chick Lit was the set highlight. Monty Archibald

IDA MARIA ****

THE TUNNELS, ABERDEEN, MAY 11

She's a Scandinavian star in the making if this short, sweet, raucous and lively set by Ida Maria and her indie rock band was anything to go by.

Drive Away My Heart was an angst-ridden love song and Ida's sultry yet hoarse vocals were beautiful. Last tune Oh My God was fast and manic with gorgeous vocals, desperate screams and a warming melody Lesley Haw

THE DYKEENIES *****

ORAN MOR, GLASGOW, MAY 10

The lads put on a flawless display at this intimate O2 Wireless Weekender gig. Live favourite Pick You Up had the frenzied fans gasping for more.

New material, such as Three's A Crowd and Boys Will Be Boys, promise more of the same sugar-sweet melodies and sing-along choruses that have become the band's forte.

The epic Stitches, with its strings and harmonising vocals, was the highlight of a successful evening. Ross McGowan

MGMT ***

LIQUID ROOM, GLASGOW, MAY 9

Save for a handful of tracks and a spot of jamming on Of Moons, Birds And Monsters, it was a case of what might have been for the psychedelic prog-popsters. The New Yorkers lacked presence and the bulk of their performance fell into the faithful album-recreation category. One of the few highlights was when they played Time To Pretend which sent the packed crowd into a bouncing frenzy. Andy Kerr

BURNSONG ****

EASTWOOD THEATRE, GLASGOW, MAY 10

Burnsong on tour was the product of a five-day song-writing retreat where a diverse range of songwriters, including BBC folk award winner Karine Polwart, collaborated to create a fusion of traditional Scottish music and electric rock.

Glasgow rapper MC Soom T's powerful What Is Life went down well. But it's a shame the well-crafted music and excellent sound quality attracted such a tiny crowd. Leo Forde