Shack review — a night of shimmering, glimmering guitar pop
St Luke's, a converted church once gutted by fire, is an appropriate place in which to see Shack, the Liverpool band whose beloved album Waterpistol was once thought lost in a studio blaze. Such stories, and a certain against-all-odds spirit, helps to explain why the group attract worshippers more than fans. Well, that and Michael Head's songs, which — as this Glasgow show proved — are often divine. Although Shack never formally split, this short tour marks their first shows in 15 years.
Support had come from another master songwriter: Gerard Love, formerly of Teenage Fanclub, whose own time in the wilderness seems to be coming to an end. His TFC classics — in particular, a lovely, lullabying version of Star Sign — were greeted
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The Guardian
22-05-2025
- The Guardian
Scotland's most reliable sunshine! Teenage Fanclub's greatest songs
In 2018, bassist Gerry Love departed Teenage Fanclub (TFC) after 29 years, much to fans' despair. It's perhaps a little romantic to see The First Sight as his parting gift, but it's certainly an impressive closing statement of his songwriting talent: an intricate mesh of guitars, a buoyant horn section, and a typically stunning tune. Most artists called upon to pad out a best-of collection with a few new tracks – by a major label about to drop them – would understandably offer something substandard. Not TFC. Driven by an unexpectedly tricky rhythm, Did I Say is folky, beautiful and a noticeable diversion from their usual style. Bandwagonesque's follow-up Thirteen gets a bad rap, not least from the band themselves – its recording was fraught – but 30-odd years on, it sounds better than its reputation suggests. Escher certainly smooths out Bandwagonesque's rougher edges, but its drawing of a muddled relationship is no less charming for that. From its title down, TFC's most recent album Nothing Lasts Forever conjured up a kind of twilit optimism: a band staring down their 60s, slightly bruised by life but facing forward. Final track, I Will Love You sums the mood up: slowly shimmering atmospherics that eventually burst into striking, warm vocal harmonies. A joy. The arrangement of Your Love Is the Place Where I Come From is almost wilfully understated – for most of its three minutes, you could be eavesdropping on a rehearsal – but its no-frills simplicity allows the songwriting, a sigh of contentment in musical form, to shine all the more clearly. TFC aren't famous for brooding, which makes the sombre tone of Cells all the more striking: the muted take on their sound perfectly fits a set of lyrics haunted by a very middle-aged sense of ageing and loss. And the lengthy acoustic guitar coda is just exquisite. Before their perplexing second album, The King – seven grungy instrumental originals and covers of Pink Floyd's Interstellar Overdrive and Madonna's Like a Virgin – TFC released one-off single God Knows It's True. It's solo-heavy and slacker sloppy but crucially also a fabulous song. Initially, TFC were a boozy, chaotic proposition, particularly live, but they proved surprisingly adept at growing up in public. Planets alchemises an unpromising subject – relocating to the countryside with your growing family – into musical gold. Sweet, but not cloying, there's something really moving about its string-laden sense of contentment. You couldn't miss the influence of Big Star on Bandwagonesque – it even featured a quote from their lyrics on the cover – but nowhere was it deployed more spectacularly than on Alcoholiday, a glorious, harmony-laden depiction of uncertainty over a blossoming relationship: 'Went to bed, but I'm not ready / Baby I've been fucked already.' It was Bandwagonesque producer Don Fleming who first suggested TFC concentrate on harmony vocals, but nowhere in their catalogue were they deployed to more euphoric effect than on the second single from Songs from Northern Britain, which is furthermore blessed with the kind of tune that isn't ripped off from anywhere yet sounds instantly familiar. The chaotic early Fanclub had their moments, but the release of The Concept introduced the TFC that Kurt Cobain called 'the best band in the world': the guitars are still unruly with feedback, but the melodies are amped up to match them, the vocal harmonies are luscious, the lyrics smart and witty. The idea that none of the singles from Grand Prix made the Top 30 seems absolutely confounding: how could anything as self-evidently brilliant, as insanely tuneful as Neil Jung – romantic disaster plus incredible chorus plus fantastic (and suitably Neil Young-ish) guitar solo – not have been a huge hit? What was wrong with people? The great TFC deep cut, Broken was inexplicably relegated to a B-side. An acoustic guitar and organ-driven masterpiece of beautiful, mournful simplicity – the lyrics feature just one line, endlessly repeated – it has subsequently also evaded streaming services. If you don't know it, seek it out and luxuriate in its divine melancholy. Packaged in a terrible sleeve and released by an indifferent major label to a decidedly muted response, 2000's Howdy! tends to get overlooked. But if it's not quite as good as its two predecessors (Songs from Northern Britain and Grand Prix), it's still pretty great, as demonstrated by opener I Need Direction: unassuming but utterly delightful, thick with Beach Boys harmonies. By the time of 2010's Shadows, it was clear that TFC were refining their sound rather than radically overhauling it, but they could still surprise you with the sheer quality of their songwriting. The Norman Blake-penned Baby Lee – lyrical misery, impossibly sunny music – is a triumph. Apparently, Love's favourite among the songs he wrote for Teenage Fanclub, the autumnal Don't Look Back builds wonderfully from reflective verses into a monster chorus. The advice said chorus doles out, and the acoustic version on the Teenage Fanclub Have Lost It EP, are both worth heeding. Debut album A Catholic Education is messier and noisier than the rest of TFC's output: a decisive, Crazy Horse-influenced, instrumental jam-laden break with the members' C86 pasts. But, Everything Flows – twentysomething ennui with a wonderful, wistful melody beneath the guitar overload – pointed the way ahead, an early song as good as any they've written. Star Sign initially sounds like a Sonic Youth-y drone experiment – over a minute of beat-less monotone guitar – before exploding into life: an irresistible tune built around the kind of descending-but-uplifting chord sequences that helped define glam rock, and a lyric that keeps indifferently shrugging 'big deal' in a way that's very early 90s. Songs from Northern Britain's jewel, and – perhaps – TFC's essence distilled: plangent guitars, sunlit harmonies, a melody the Fifth Dimension-era Byrds would have been proud of, life's simple pleasures unfashionably hymned at the height of Britpop's gruesome cokey grandiosity ('here is a sunrise – ain't that enough?'). What a lovely song. The songs at the top of this list are all so great, ranking them is mostly just a matter of personal preference, but the highlight of Grand Prix clinches it on the basis of its sheer ebullience – enough to pull any listener out of a gloomy mood – and its absolutely preposterous abundance of hooks: the main riff, the moment in the verses where the vocal melody soars upwards, the solo guitar motif that introduces the chorus, all three parts of the chorus. It's essentially an album's worth of incredible tunes crammed into three minutes – not a second of them wasted – and it sounds effortless.
Time Out
20-05-2025
- Time Out
Shake Shack burgers have a new sidekick: crunchy fried pickles
Shake Shack just dropped a brand new side, giving the chain's legendary crinkle-cut fries a run for their money. Say hello to Fried Pickles with Ranch—and yes, they're as addictive as they sound. These aren't your run-of-the-mill pickle chips. Shake Shack is using its own proprietary-brined pickles, sliced thin, coated just right, seasoned like a pro and fried until crispy and golden. Every bite hits that perfect sweet spot between tangy and salty, with a crunch that can't be stopped. Dunk one in their house-made ranch (or Shack Sauce if you're wild), and you're tasting snack heaven. Pickles have long played the humble co-star in Shack burgers, but now they're taking the lead. This new side is built for dipping, with plenty of crunch to stand alone. The best part? These fried pickles are a steal. The new side rolls out nationwide starting May 20, and prices start at just $3.99. It's the perfect accompaniment to Shake Shack's newly-launched summer BBQ menu.
Scotsman
16-05-2025
- Scotsman
Record Fairs in Scotland: 42 events taking place across the summer to check out
Over 40 record fairs to check out in Scotland over the summer for the ardent collectors out there Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Scottish music lovers - this one is for you. Looking for that coveted release but found out that international shipping costs more than the item itself? Why not investigate a number of record fairs across the region this summer before taking the plunge shopping online? So, you're looking for that one item to complete your music collection's back catalog, but for some reason, you either can't find it or the dreaded postage costs are deterring you. Thankfully, there's the option of heading to one of the many record fairs taking place throughout Scotland during the sunnier months, which may help alleviate those postage costs. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad However, we cannot be held responsible if it inspires a brand new interest in collecting another artist; maybe a touch of Teenage Fanclub or that rare Belle and Sebastian bootleg that inspires you to discover the world of bootleg releases? We've consulted the comprehensive list of events provided by Record Fairs UK to bring you 42 events taking place across Scotland, from Glasgow and Edinburgh to Elgin and Inverness, that might just scratch that collector 'itch' you might have ahead of the UK summer festival season. Those of you who may want to set up shop at one of the many record fairs listed below can check out Record Fairs UK, which has contact details for the organizers in case you fancy offloading some of your collection. So, where in Scotland can you visit for the great vinyl (or CD) hunt? Read on to find out where the closest record fairs are to you. What record fairs are taking place in Scotland in 2025? Where can music lovers pick up new items, including rare oddities, for their collection in Scotland over the summer months? | Canva All information correct as of writing Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad
