Flying Matchstick Men, recently voted ‘Best Scottish Newcomers 2004’ by Scotland’s indie knowledge base, Jock Rock, are one of the most phenomenally talented and brilliantly crafted bands that are in existence at this very moment in time. You could happily play ‘Duvet’, a hilariously infectious two minute pop song that’s like bis during their prime (but, dare we say, better) over and over without ever getting bored; you’d still be bopping along to it in the grave. Their onstage antics, or rather that of their frontman, Graham Peel, add even more life to their already colourful performance thanks to his insane dance moves that Barry Hyde would be in envy of and his overly camp mid song gestures that verge on the ridiculous but never risk over-shadowing the superb music that he and his fellow band members manage to knock out.

Managed by former bis member, Manda Rin, The Multiplies follow the Matchstick Men’s musical style but focus much more heavily on the music with several of their songs being electro-pop instrumentals. The band are equally glorious but in a much more serious, and slightly sinister way. They crank the synth right up so much so that the guitar is rendered but a secondary instrument: something which is enough to send shivers down the spine of most bands nowadays. There’s never a dull moment during their set and you can’t help but feel that The Multiplies may just be spear heading a radical change in direction of Scottish music, and taking it all the way to the forefront of today’s gradually flattening music scene.

Having recently been given an injection of hype thanks to Gordon Bloc Party’s incessant wearing of their t-shirt, there’s quite a large bubble of anticipation surrounding Sluts of Trust. The guitar and drums two-piece are no longer as original as they once were, with bands like Winnebago Deal doing a much better job of their own style than they could ever manage. It’s safe to say that a lot of people were disappointed by the group who couldn’t quite live up to the level of the two preceding bands. The excessive fret tapping and general guitar wanking was enough to drive most of the scenesters to the back of the room and cringe. Maybe on another night, when they weren’t playing after two bands at the polar extreme of the musical genre scale to them, they might have gone down better.

Review by Jason Edwards
www.slutsoftrust.co.uk
www.multiplies.tk
www.flyingmatchstickmen.com

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