Grant McPhee
@grantmcphee
Film director: Big Gold Dream, Teenage Superstars, Far From the Apple Tree. Book Writer - Postcards From Scotland and co-writer Hungry Beat
Thank you The Wire and Claire Sawers for this review of Scene Within a Scene. 'A super enjoyable dive into an ethically and musically fertile time.'' You can pick up the mag in all good magazine shops, and you should.
50 Years of Punk at Edinburgh Book Festival. 28th August. An evening of music and chat. A Q&A with author Grant McPhee and Nicola Meighan, and concludes with a special performance by the Caledonia Screaming Band performing deep cuts from the punk explosion of 1976 and 1977.
Scene Within a Scene is one of this week's 'Reads of the Week' in the Sunday Post. "This is the fascinating history of how visionary Scottish bands changed the trajectory of the country's indie scene'
I only discovered this album existed yesterday and it's great. It's on the same label as The Watersons' Bright Phoebus, so, already in great company. Dark drones and spooky folky goings-on, helped by the backing band including Martin Carthy, Tim Hart and Ashley Hutchings.
49 years ago today the Sex Pistols didn't play Clouds, Edinburgh, due to the fall-out from the Jubilee boat-trip. Emergency Exit were due to support and Jim Kerr was due to attend. Edinburgh was more open to punk than Glasgow and pressure rarely applied. Generation X would see similar weeks later
50 Years Jung order of screenings for the event on the 6th of June at Mathew St. These will be playing in the former O'Halligans Parlour all afternoon. So, plenty of time for everyone to have a chat, share memories and reflections; have food, a drink, go and come back or watch some rare films
Proof that music can change people and cities On the left, 50 years ago today: Sex Pistols at Lesser Free Trade Hall (Paul Welsh) On the right: Tony Wilson Place, 40 years later With lots of money and great records made inbetween. Hopefully new footage gets released today
The double helix parallel evolution of Scottish 80s/90s indie music. Despite the 1992 subtitle of Scene Within a Scene they both effectively start in 1983. Same God but different prophets.
#PetSounds by the #BeachBoys was released exactly 60 years ago today, on the 16th May 1966. Or was it? The preceding week, from the 11th of May to the 15th of May certainly suggests otherwise, showing record stores having it available for purchase. grantmcphee.substack.com/p/happy-60th...
Article 58 and Creeping Bent 100. Get your order in for both of these straight away - essential purchases for anyone vaguely interested in Scottish post-punk, and related friends of Scottish post-punkers such as Alan Vega and Vic Godard. Get them on Creeping Bent/LNFG. And get them now!
Scottish indie-music and Nirvana 2 Nirvana's connection with Scottish indie superstars The Vaselines, Teenage Fanclub and BMX Bandits is rightly celebrated. The band's first Scottish love though was the excellent Cateran and here's a fine photo of Krist Novoselic sporting a t-shirt while their tour
"One of the greatest health advocates in rock music is Lou Reed" 23rd October, 1970 -The Republican This and many, many more Velvet Underground news clippings in The Velvet Underground Myth Archive thevelvetundergroundmyth.com
Scene Within a Scene. When Postcards From Scotland was being put together it was written at the same time as this. Not a sequel but an alternative timeline of Scotland's late 80s to 90s independent music scene, tracing a different evolution. Out - 6/8 from @OmnibusPress
The Pool of Life at 50 #1 : O'Halligan's Parlour In Liverpool, it’s not just the legendary Eric’s club that will be celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2026. And this is A LITTLE of the story of how one of these others , O'Halligan's Parlour came to be. grantmcphee.substack.com/p/the-pool-o...
The Beastie Boys' crazy 1987 UK Tour – As Told Through the UK and Irish Press. grantmcphee.substack.com/p/the-beasti...
49 years ago today, The Stooges and Funhouse were re-released and the Wishaw Press, far ahead of most of the other regional papers reviewed them. Along with the recently released Television album.
Arab Strap think it ironic that Guinness picked their song. They were once barred from a Falkirk nightclub after one pint of Guinness too many. Rosie’s manager said “I’m pleased they are doing well, they are nice lads but they did get carried away here once and we had to bar them
But you should also never trust the press of the day. The supposed World Premiere (in its US title, The Conqueror Worm) was claimed to have taken place on the 9th of May, 4 days after screening in England. And it's not a Poe film either. Don't trust newspapers either.
A few weeks earlier, Manchester Evening News had an advert stating it began playing there, another week earlier, from the 5th of May. This wasn't a premiere as the Reading Evening Post had it running there too, from the same day.
Witchfinder General and why you should never trust Wikipedia. It's a cliche born in truth. Wikipedia states WG was released on 19/5/68 - and as a result so do most texts. But if you look at contemporary cinema listings it was clearly released earlier. Never use it as a source!
Thanks to Joe Why Te for this cracking review of Caledonia Screaming in this month's Vive Le Rock. It luckily coincides with a few copies appearing in Monorail. You can pick them up on the link below. And you can pick up your copy of Vive Le Rock in newsagents. monorailmusic.com/product/cale...
As was the next few days. All before the 12th. It's inconceivable that so many papers would break an embargo, and rather than previewing the suggestion is these were 'that weeks' MGM albums dripped out. The likeliest date would be the 20th of February for a release, the Monday.
Of course, nowadays there are press embargoes and a more structured release schedule but at this time, in the mid 60s albums were reviewed when they were available to the public and at the soonest opportunity. The 4th, 5th and 6th was littered with more album reviews
59 years ago today, the Velvet Underground and Nico album WASN"T released, despite what the internet tells you. It was almost certainly released the previous month. A - The 12th of March 1967 was a Sunday so clearly wouldn't be released then. B - Reviews began 3 weeks earlier >.
I love this story. A politician you can trust - The Alter 8-tive (Hard Core) Party. Chris came 4th in 1992, amazingly! "Chris Peat one half of Stafford’s chart-topping Altern 8 pop group is standing for the Altern 8-tive (Hard Core) Party He said: “The other parties are far too boring"