Still just a teenager, she played at the Homecoming Scotland Burns Supper last year, and followed a tour with Stornoway earlier in 2010 with a number of festival appearances. She is booked to play next year’s Celtic Connections festival.

It was on the Stornoway tour that I first saw Rachel, and was instantly taken by the contrast between her strong delivery of her songs and the slightly nervous chat in between.

In the intervening months, she has clearly become more comfortable with that aspect of her shows, and through the night we learn that she’s a bit of a dreamer and, with a little assistance from the crowd, that being asleep is “the only time you really know yourself”.

But that’s a wee bit deep for the back of eleven on a Thursday night, and Snafu was happy just to allow Rachel to captivate us all with her soaring voice.

A lolloping rendition of Pirate Song sets the tone but I’m most impressed with The Burger Van Song, a frustrated riposte at a difficult customer Rachel experienced while spending a week working in a Burger Van.

What connects these songs is that they’re the ones that seem a bit more experimental and allow Rachel to stretch her voice a little more.That feeling of experimentation is also evident in The Circus Song, which seems to reference the likes of KT Tunstall.

Throughout her set there’s a sense Rachel is genuinely appreciative, not just of the small but attentive crowd who have turned out, but also of the talent she has. She tackles this in Ever Since The Chocolate, a song written at a time when she had lost her voice and was unable to sing.

A 40-ish minute set comes to an end with a touching rendition of Song To A Fox, written after seeing one of said animals for the very first time last year.

Rachel performed Bones for BalconyTV back in May:

She’s on Myspace at: http://www.myspace.com/RachelSermanni

And so, my next load of gigs is coming up. In the next wee while I have…

This Month:
Hold Your Horse Is + Shoes and Socks Off + Shakedown Project + Transmata + Del Noble. Note, Del is a top bloke.
Sky Larkin + Deportees + Min Diesel. Two of the best bands in Aberdeen, and Sky Larkin? YAS!
Oceansize + This Town Needs Guns. Seen both before, maybe I’ll remember them this time…
Mark Morriss from the Bluetones. I’ve somehow never seen the Bluetones, but looking forward to seeing Mark. How have I not seen the Bluetones?!?!
Manic Street Preachers + British Sea Power. MSP + BSP = entertianing, I’m sure. Strangely looking forward to BSP more…

Next Month:
A wee trip to Fife to see blog favourites the Deportees with A Genuine Freakshow, followed by the same bands in Abz the following day. Hopefully with a cup semi-final in between!

Further ahead, I’ve got Motorhead, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, and two, yes two, Mogwai gigs (Edinburgh and Manchester, baby!). Hoping to add BRMC to the list shortly. Busy times!

Having seen The Twilight Sad there earlier in the year, I knew it wouldn’t be long before I was back. Indeed, I was proved right as I was tempted back by what looked on paper a decent lineup of Carson Wells, Right Hand Left and headlining Liverpudlians, Hot Club de Paris.

I’d been assured I needed to see Hot Club, but as usual waited until afterwards to listen to their recorded output, instead letting the live experience make my mind up for me.

Carson Wells are another of my favourite local bands but I’d only seen them at Drummonds before, so it was interesting to see how they made the transition to the larger Warehouse. Quite easily as it happens. I must admit that they’re not the kind of thing I normally listen to, but Huw’s punchy vocals grab you, just staying the right side of the line marked “Shut up! You’re too shouty!”

What strikes me more this time than at Drummonds is how well Ross’ more intricate guitar work comes across. With Dallas holding things together with his usual reliable sticksmanship, it’s a winning combination.

Sadly, the same can’t be said for Right Hand Left. I’ve seen them quite a few times as they’ve been on the same bill as mates’ bands etc, and I really enjoyed their set at Wizard last year.

Indeed, they seemed to come across well at the launch party for recent single Lipstick (which, by the way, is a tune), but this performance had me wondering if I’d been imbibing a little too much when I last saw them.

Lipstick was the opener and it came across reasonably well, but unfortunately for the band their set quickly descended into a one-paced mediocrity I wasn’t really expecting of a band who are fairly well established in the city. Indeed, a few people I spoke to left during their set, to watch the football and epic tennis match in the pub.

Thankfully, most had returned by the time Hot Club appeared and delivered their slightly deranged indie rock. I do love a band you can dance to, and Hot Club are undoubtedly one of these.

Technical issues beset opening number “I’m Not In Love and Neither Are You”, a dodgy buzzing coming from the bass and a broken drum pedal affecting the delivery, but onwards our heroes ride.

It’s guitarist Matthew Smith rather than frontman Paul Rafferty who delivers much of the banter between songs, and he’s clearly a dab hand, telling the crowd how he’d fallen over four times during the day, proclaiming Aberdeen the “slippiest city ever”. Later he would tell us how a friend impregnated his (the friend’s) mother by masturbating in the bath. “Not really, we’re joking” he clarifies.

The sense of humour in their on-stage demeanour is matched by the songs themselves, the titles telling half the story. Among those on show tonight are “Free The Pterodactyl 3”, “Hey! Housebrick”, and “Biggie Smalls and the Ghetto Slams”.

Of these, it’s “Hey! Housebrick” that grabs my attention most, lyrically at least. “Hey! Housebrick are you sitting in a building, are you resting in a hand, are you heading for a windscreen?” just tickles me, somehow. The other highlight for me as a newcomer to the band was “Shipwreck”, though this time it was the guitar riff that grabbed me by the balls.

Having a listen back on Spotify later, it struck me that as well as the obvious Scouse and indie influences, Hot Club De Paris also have much in common with the likes of Danananaykroyd, putting a nice twist on their sound.

Check out:
Carson Wells: http://www.myspace.com/guyguyrock
Right Hand Left: http://www.myspace.com/righthandleft
Hot Club De Paris: http://hotclubdeparis.com/

Unfortunately I missed most of JJ’s set due to a late-ish arrival back in the ‘Deen from playing football in Lossiemouth, but the song-and-a-half I did catch was very slick.
JJ is joined on stage by Patty Shearer and Joe Nolan from Right Hand Left and Carson Wells drummer Iain Dallas, it all sounds very slick despite Dallas later telling me they’d only practiced for the second time the night before. Hard to believe.

The tunes I heard were “Duck Soup” and “Tokyo”, and they impressed enough that I’ll be making sure to check out JJ’s solo album “Ou Sont Les Elephants”, which is on Spotify, handily.

As JJ & The Dinosaurs vacate the stage, I note that the music between bands is Allo Darlin’s debut album. Nice choice.

I didn’t know what to expect from the evening’s second band, Three Knots. The Stonehaven five-piece have clearly brought a young crowd with them, as the dancefloor fills steadily just before they come on.

And once they start playing, I can see why. Driven by a pounding bass, stabbing synths and angular guitar, it quickly becomes evident just how danceable their songs are. I can hear hints of Kasabian, Bloc Party, Franz Ferdinand, Vampire Weekend and Crystal Castles kicking about in there (and having just checked their influences on Myspace, I’m doing not too badly!)

Although they’re a young band, they’ve clearly worked hard at what they want to do and it’s paid off big-time if the comments people were making afterwards were anything to go by. They’ve jumped right into my top five North East bands.

So, onto The Deportees. My love for the Deportees folk/country/rock stylings has been documented on here before, and judging by the number of places the previous review I did shows up, I’m not being allowed to forget it.

So here we are again, and the first thing that strikes me is that big orange Gretsch Adam’s got. I don’t know why it’s suddenly grabbed my attention (is it new?), but it’s a beauty of a thing and, quite sadly, adds to my enjoyment. Guitars excite me a wee bit too much, I think.

They kick off with “First Breath of The Day”, which is just as catchy as ever. The harmonies draw in the newcomer immediately and I must admit that when the song was rested for The Deportees’ previous gig, supporting Right Hand Left, it was a big miss from the set.

Having grabbed the crowd’s attention, they launch into new song Alibis, which provides the first opportunity for drummer Christy to go absolutely ape. Once he gets in the groove, you don’t want him to stop, pounding the skins like Keith Moon in his pomp.

Somewhat fittingly on Armed Forces Day, the band then ease into their cover of Woody Guthrie’s “When The Roses Bloom Again”, recounting the tale of a soldier’s promise to his sweetheart on departure for war. Adam brings his harmonica into play, adding to the haunting nature of the track which has been covered, among others, by Wilco and Laura Cantrell.

“Tongue Can’t Tell” follows as The Deportees slow the tempo, before guitarist Ricky moves to lap steel for North, another recent addition to the band’s canon.
The “evil in beautiful faces” refrain still lingers in the mind as Christy and keys player Diarmid kick up a storm, leading the band straight into “Bastard”. I might have mentioned this last time, but if you want a track to dance to, this is very much THE one.

That said “The Birth of Industry” is probably the band’s best track and it’s very close behind in the dancing stakes. The driving beat sucks you in just as easily as the harmonies of “First Breath Of The Day” and sadly it’s over almost too soon.

Rounding out the set nicely is “All Night”, which sounds all the better for the addition of Ricky’s lap steel.

It goes without saying that I enjoyed the Deportees set, but big kudos to Three Knots in particular for their tight sound. Muchly impressed.

Links for your audio pleasure:
JJ Bull & The Dinosaurs: http://www.myspace.com/jjbull
Three Knots: http://www.myspace.com/threeknotsstonehaven
The Deportees: http://www.myspace.com/deporteesuk

So when I go along to a gig and feel absolutely compelled to write about it, you know it must have been thoroughly enjoyable. And let me tell you, that’s a massive understatement.

Deportees could perhaps be described as something of an Aberdeen supergroup. Take two parts Eddison (singer/guitarist Adam K and guitarist Rick), Adam Mo from 10 Easy Wishes, Edgar Prais drummer Christy and erstwhile keys player Diarmaid, add ridiculous harmonies and a few monster riffs. Spin and repeat. They’re a bit good.

This evening, they’re support to Welsh indiepop wizards (and wizardesses) The School, along with Flora Cook and the brilliantly named Allo, Darlin’. Sadly a busy night of meetings and football writing meant I could only catch a little of Allo, Darlin’s ukelele-laden set and, the main attraction in my eyes, Deportees.

If you’ve not seen them before, opening track “First Breath of the Day” provides quite an introduction. Three of the quintet unleash those harmonies,with only the merest hint of percussion to keep time, before Adam K’s powerful voice joins the fray. It’s a good 75 seconds before the keys ease their way in, but when the rest of the band kicks in thirty seconds later, by God do they kick in.

Although their folk and country references are there for all to see, there’s nothing Deportees like more than to rock out, and they’ve got the blend between those influences and the rock tendencies nailed down.

After the crashing crescendo of the opening track, they launch into the rootsy reggae blast of “Lover Don’t Feel So Sad”, and you can’t help be drawn in by the beautiful “somebody loves you” hook. Even this early in the set, if you’re not absolutely awestruck, then your soul must be with Lucifer in the seventh layer of Hell.

The tight-sounding “Tongue Can’t Tell” keeps you hooked, before Adam Mo ditches his bass in favour of the fiddle for the folk-tinged “Stay The Night”, but you won’t hear Robbie Shepherd introducing this on a Saturday night. There’s that wall of sound again, looming large in front of you, and there’s really no escaping now.

The fiddle is swiftly put back down as Adam K introduces an as-yet-untitled track. “This has been called Big Marching Drum One, or just Bastard,” he says. “We’ll go with Bastard. I like Bastard.” I like Bastard too, Mr Keenan. Very much so.

The catchy song comes to an end to rapturous applause from the respectable crowd, and Deportees launch into a brand new song. I didn’t catch the name of it, but by god (yes, I’m running out of superlatives and recycling them) it’s rocking. Massive chords and a none-too-shabby Keith Moon impersonation from Christy see to that.

Alas, time flies when you’re having fun and before long Adam K is crooning set closer “When The Roses Bloom Again”, a cover of a Woody Guthrie track with an interesting history.

Just three gigs in, and there’s already more than a whisper about Deportees being the best local band in years. On this showing, it won’t be long before they take that crown and run with it, leaving a marker way off in the distance. Fair play to them.

Thanks to aekido (www.weareaekido.co.uk) for use of the photo.

Given the exceptionally harsh winter, it wasn’t a great surprise to find the bad boy often won’t start, especially as it looked like this at one point:

Whoops.

So, I’ve now discovered why it struggles to start so bloody often. You may not know, but there are different types of car batteries, identified by a three digit code.The higher, the better. If you were to go to Helfrauds and ask for a Mini battery, they’d sell you a 038, which is the only one on their list for a Mini. This is recommended by BMC/Austin/Rover for an 848cc engine. I have a 1275cc. According to Rover, this should have a 051 battery. You can see where this is going, can’t you?

Well, no, actually. I don’t have a Type 038 in my car. Oh no, you’re way off the mark. I currently have a 015. Yes. 015. Dyslexic battery syndrome? To be on the safe side, I’ve ordered myself an even bigger battery than recommended, a 063.

It does seem, though, that this is becoming a bit of a project, which I didn’t intend it to become. I keep seeing shiny things on ScottishMini (link to the right) and thinking “that looks ace… I want!”. It also appears the snow on top of the car and lack of ventilation has led to condensation discolouring the dash. Which is merely an excuse to replace the thing. Oh dear..

Before that, though, I need to fit a cigarette lighter (to power/charge the iPhone), and I want a Saltire roof decal. Hello, credit card.

In music news…

Aberdeen people! Check out The Deportees! They are most excellent! They’ve only played two gigs so far, but I can honestly say I’ve never heard so much buzz about a local band so soon. I’ve had the fortune to be at both their gigs so far, and they have another lined up for Sunday, at Tunnels. Be there if you can!

Some of my favourite bands have been releasing albums lately, so check out BRMC’s “Beat The Devil’s Tattoo”, The Courteeners’ “Falcon” and Blood Red Shoes’ “Fire Like This”.

On that note, I’ll leave you with the video for BRS’ last single, “Light It Up”. It’s near-annoyingly catchy:

Fortunately the illness also came after the London trip… which was now so long agao I can barely remember the highlights. Hmm, let’s see…

On arrival at the super-shiny and super-huge T5, we cleverly bought four tickets for the Heathrow Express. Only to be presented with this when after the third had printed:

Technology fail. After seeking human intervention we were swiftly sorted out and able to continue on our merry way to our cheap hotel 5 minutes from Paddington Station. Handy, and also very cheap. Did the job though!

Nothing much exciting happened on the Friday night, so I’ll skip on to Saturday. When not much happened.

Dave joined our merry crew before we split into two groups – Edd, Dave and myself doing the cool stuff while Gary and his sister Gemma proceeded to get lost lots having no clue how London works. The cool stuff wasn’t particularly cool at all, to be fair. A quick trip down Carnaby Street, a wee wander round some of the touristy stuff, the highlight being walking into Hamleys. I was wearing my ultra-cool Dangermouse t-shirt, and was welcomed by the dude on the door with a cheery “‘ello Dangermouse, good to have you with us!”. Mega.

Ooh, ooh! We also managed to stumble upon the Dons pub, the Rob Roy, purely by chance thanks to my navigational skills. Win. I was, though, disappointed to find it dead both times we were in. Even at 10pm on a Saturday night. Boo.

What else happened? Not a whole lot. Sunday saw us head back towards central Lahndahn Town to partake in some food/shopping antics, and for me to Geek out over the musical heritage. Yes, I do have a photo of Wardour Street made famous by The Jam’s “A-Bomb on Wardour Street”. A photo of the street from the What’s The Story album cover was also taken. Oh yes.

Then there was the gig. That Wembley’s a bit impressive is it not?! We timed it perfectly to see Kasabian who were excellent. Oasis were… Oasis. I’ve seen them 13 times now so there were no surprises. It was certainly better than the Murrayfield shambles though. Getting back to Paddington was easier than anticipated as well. Bonus.

So, that was London. Then followed a few days of work before three weeks of bed. Not particularly nice, though I’d recommend it to anyone who needs to lose some weight.

Thankfully, I recovered in time to go on a three-day course, which I passed, and then have another busy weekend. One of the few football matches I’ve made it to away to Alloa, followed by comedy in Glasgow and thrills ‘n’ spills at Knockhill. Yay!

The football was poor, but the meal and comedy at Jongleurs were of acceptable standard. Dave also enjoyed, but his girlfriend, Gemma (not Gary’s sister!), didn’t seem too impressed. Too many wanking jokes I think. Stayed at their place on the Saturday night, then Dave and myself headed through to Knockhill where we were impressed to see local boy Gordon Shedden come second in the first BTCC race. Mon the Scots.

Keeping the theme going, Aberdeen’s very own Glynn Geddie manged to win his class and finish second overall in the Porsche Carrera Cup race that followed. Sadly the later races weren’t so successful with Sheds and another local boy, Jonny Adam, having various issues. Jonny’s fire extinguisher randomly deciding to cover him in foam was quite amusing though, even if it did put him out of race three.

More recently, on Saturday night no less, I went to the theatre. Yes! A theatre! I’m officially cultured! Edd and I made a late decision to see Quadrophenia, and despite being sat way up in “Ye Gads!” it was found to be thoroughly enjoyable. The band were rather good too, although the bass solo in My Generation completely failed to impress me. I’m just picky, though.

Hmm, this was a bit longer than intended, but I think that’s all the excitement for the moment. Apart from the motor, but we’ve already covered that. I’m currently trying to come up with a name for it. Ritchie is the best (read: only) suggestion so far, but I’m not keen.

Another busy weekend looms. No football for me, as I’m off to New Deer for the Wizard Festival, where I’ll see my good friends Proud Mary. Nice one.