We’re launching with a review from Sam Fraser from Cumbernauld. Sam is new to the city, and frequently takes in a few gigs in the new venues he finds. He’s into all genres of rock music, with a penchant for the heavier stuff.

Vive La Music! encourages submissions from all musical genres. If you’re an Oboist from Oban, get in touch!

On Friday, Sam had a somewhat polarising experience at Glasgow venue Maggie May’s. The venue as well as the acts don’t fail to escape his often acid tongued critique.

Our thanks to Sam, and read on for the full review in his words….

It was my first visit to Maggie May’s, so I was very intrigued as to what the venue would be like. I found Maggie’s is a terrible live music venue! There’s no stage for the band which leaves the band playing on the floor in front of the crowd, meaning that only the front few rows of the crowd can actually see them!

I had missed the first band so it was with much anticipation that I awaited the second band, We Are Rock Star, to take the stage (or should that be floor?). From the start, We Are Rock Star were awful! The lead singer screaming and writhing undecipherable words, the bassist trying to keep up with what ever tune they were trying to play, the lead guitarist inanimate and subdued, and the drummer looking ever more confused (as were the crowd) as to where in the song they actually were! This noise continued till the end with no crowd interaction. There was no doubting the singers enthusiasm but I’m afraid the crowd just didn’t get it, these guys are far from rock stars!

My hope of seeing a decent band this evening had pretty much gone, what decent band would play a venue like Maggie May’s, with no stage and poor acoustics?

Anyway! Next band up were Black Heart Fire. I was so blown away by the change in musical standard that I didn’t even start taking notes till the fourth song! Eureka! Tonight has not been a waste of time, it is possible to see a great band playing at Maggie May’s of all places.

Despite the poor acoustics, they were quickly overcome and the fourth song ((I Aint) Too Drunk To Dance) started with clear and defined bass by a fantastic player who slapped away at his bass guitar strings with seamless ease, and the song culminating with triumphant galloping horse sounds from the eighties.

The fifth song (Lie To Me In Spanish) was probably my favourite of the set. The song was akin to the band ‘Tool’, in that it didn’t rush straight into the lyrics. but slowly built itself up to each verse; which was well sung by the lead vocalist. Cracking number!

Their sixth song (Porno) was clearly the crowd’s favourite. Swooning the females, the song had lots of energy with a smattering of the wah-wah pedal which the excellent lead guitarist played with precision.

Mix all four together and you have random girls (The Mentalists, apparently), playing Kids, using only iPhones as instruments.

Really this should sound godawful, but for some reason…. I kinda like it.

Ok, I’ll admit, I won’t be hanging around to see Snow Patrol send everyone to sleep on Sunday night, but that’s the perfect excuse to beat the traffic.

Anyway, tickets go on sale at 9am sharpish, so click the image at 9am to buy buy buy.

Fri, 27 Feb    -    Ane Brun    -     O2 Academy
Fri, 27 Feb    -    CANCELLED! Fei Comodo + Bury Tomorrow This event has been moved to the Cathouse, . Tickets remain valid.    -    Barfly
Fri, 27 Feb    -    The Latecomers    -     Laurie’s Bar
Fri, 27 Feb    -    The Twisted Melons + Digital Dinosaur    -     The Classic Grand
Fri, 27 Feb    -    Madaleine Pritchard    -     Maggie Mays (formerly Bluu)
Fri, 27 Feb    -    Candi Staton    -     The Ferry (formerly Renfrew Ferry)
Fri, 27 Feb    -    How’s Your Party?: Fake Blood + A La Fu    -     Sub Club
Fri, 27 Feb    -    Pressure: Jeff Mills + Slam (1) + Jamie Jones + Nic Fanciulli + Mark Broom + Percy X + Edit/Select + Gary Beck    -     The Arches
Fri, 27 Feb    -    Fei Comodo + Bury Tomorrow    -     Cathouse Nightclub
Fri, 27 Feb    -    Wild Beasts + Napoleon IIIrd    -     King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut
Fri, 27 Feb    -    Scrub A Dub Record Label Launch: Mungo’s HiFi + Phokus + Mr Boogie + MC Ishu    -      School Of Art (GSA)
Fri, 27 Feb    -    Shred Yr Face 2 Tour: The Bronx + F***ed Up + Rolo Tomassi    -     The Garage & G2
Fri, 27 Feb    -    Fanfarlo    -     Captains Rest

Sat, 28 Feb    -    Skinflints    -     O2 Academy
Sat, 28 Feb    -    Ultra Violets Live Charity Gig: Jimmy Somerville + No Shame + Easy Riders + Eletricat + Abolicao Capoeira  -     Star Folk Club
Sat, 28 Feb    -    Ultra Violets Live Charity Gig: Jimmy Somerville + No Shame + Easy Riders + Electricat + Grupo Abolicao    -     St Andrews In The Square
Sat, 28 Feb    -    Mr Fog + Fanzine Hero    -     Barfly
Sat, 28 Feb    -    Romeo Must Die + Switchblade Scream + Grant Me Revenge    -     The Classic Grand
Sat, 28 Feb    -    Tam White + Sermon Organ Trio    -     The Classic Grand
Sat, 28 Feb    -    Candi Staton    -     The Ferry (formerly Renfrew Ferry)
Sat, 28 Feb    -    Inside Out: Marco V + Lisa Lashes + Headhunterz + Aly & Fila + Scot Project + Randy Katana + William Daniel     -     The Arches
Sat, 28 Feb    -    4 Past Midnight Album Launch: 4 Past Midnight (1) + Hateful + The Terrors    -     The Twisted Wheel & The Wheel
Sat, 28 Feb    -    Jamie T    -     King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut
Sat, 28 Feb    -    The Lafontaines    -     TheABC (ABC 1 & ABC 2)
Sat, 28 Feb    -    The Travelling Band    -     Nice N Sleazy
Sat, 28 Feb    -    Marco Cafolla Quartet    -     Brel Bar
Sat, 28 Feb    -    Jill Jackson (Speedway)    -     Oran Mor

Sun, 01 Mar    -    Los Mondo Bongo + Ray Gange (Rude Boy) + The Zips    -     The Classic Grand
Sun, 01 Mar    -    John Cooper Clarke + Darren Poyzer    -     The Arches
Sun, 01 Mar    -    Funkey Dorey: Federation of the Disco Pimp    -     The Twisted Wheel & The Wheel
Sun, 01 Mar    -    Savage Union + Radio Dynamics + Dark Before Dawn    -     Pivo Pivo
Sun, 01 Mar    -    Marc Atkinson Trio    -     The Tall Ship AtHarbour
Sun, 01 Mar    -    James Yuill + The Post War Years + Wave Machines    -     King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut
Sun, 01 Mar    -    Fairport Convention Winter Tour 2009: Fairport Convention    -     Pavilion Theatre
Sun, 01 Mar    -    Rise Against + Anti- Flag + Flobots    -     TheABC (ABC 1 & ABC 2)
Sun, 01 Mar    -    Wavves + Pens    -     Nice N Sleazy
Sun, 01 Mar    -    Baddies + Jack Butler    -     Captains Rest
Sun, 01 Mar    -    Brother Louis Collective + French Wives    -     Oran Mor

Mon, 02 Mar    -    Lights.Action! + This July + iseeshapes    -     O2 Academy
Mon, 02 Mar    -    Acoustic Bazooka: Muddyface + Gillian Christie + Jimmy Richards    -     Pivo Pivo
Mon, 02 Mar    -    General Fiasco    -     King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut
Mon, 02 Mar    -    Open Mic Night    -     Republic Bier Halle West

Tue, 03 Mar    -    Eclectiv: Unmortal + Marshall Chipped + I Am Enforcer    -     Pivo Pivo
Tue, 03 Mar    -    Fight Like Apes    -     King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut
Tue, 03 Mar    -    Vonda Shepard    -     Oran Mor

Wed, 04 Mar    -    Franz Ferdinand + The Soft Pack    -     Barrowland (1 & 2)
Wed, 04 Mar    -    Mono Jazz: Lorne Cowieson + Euan Stevenson + Jim Drummond + Andy Sharkey    -     Mono
Wed, 04 Mar    -    Outcry Collective    -     The Classic Grand
Wed, 04 Mar    -    Touch The Mains + Chris Crosbie    -     Rockers
Wed, 04 Mar    -    The Cover Up: Who The F**k Is Alan + Halycon Days + Divine Youth    -     Pivo Pivo
Wed, 04 Mar    -    Dan Smith (2)    -     Captains Rest
Wed, 04 Mar    -    Expecting To Fly: The Bluetones    -     Queen Margaret Union
Wed, 04 Mar    -    Sugar Crisis + Manda Rin    -     The Mill

Thu, 05 Mar    -    Franz Ferdinand + The Soft Pack    -     Barrowland (1 & 2)
Thu, 05 Mar    -    Live & Local: Alt    -     Barfly
Thu, 05 Mar    -    Protest The Hero + Chariot + Human Abstract    -     Ivory Blacks
Thu, 05 Mar    -    Elektra: A- Lix + Baby Bones + Miss Enemy + Sasha Von Thulen    -     Pivo Pivo
Thu, 05 Mar    -    CANCELLED! Deerhunter . This gig has been rescheduled for May 20th.    -    Stereo
Thu, 05 Mar    -    CANCELLED! The Wonky Pop Tour: Dan Black + Boy Crisis + Support. Refunds available from point of purchase.    -    King Tut’s
Thu, 05 Mar    -    The Nintendos    -     King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut
Thu, 05 Mar    -    Amplifier    -     Nice N Sleazy
Thu, 05 Mar    -    Tommy Reilly    -     The Garage & G2
Thu, 05 Mar    -    French Wives + Woodenbox    -     Brel Bar

Recent circulation figures show NME gets roughly 48,500 readers, down from around 300,000 in it’s 1970s heyday when it went under the moniker of The New Musical Express.

Comparing these to the list below of less well known publications shows some interesting results;

Famers Weekly (68,897)
Gas Installer (74.913)
New Civil Engineer (55,143)
The Law Society Gazette (118,927)
Improve Your Coarse Fishing (48,883)
Tractor & Machinery (50,229)
Period Living (48,576)
Cross Stitcher (62,229)
Freemasonry Today (224,685)

We wouldn’t expect to see the 2009 Cross Stiching awards, with the lead singer of The Cribs launching himself into a table; but it shows that NME enjoys a inversely proportionate amount of overall exposure compared to the above publications.

It seems that NME is becoming (or has become) more about a well-known brand than the magazine form it originated from.

We now have NME TV, NME.com, NME Radio, NME Tours, and the aforementioned NME Awards. Not bad from a publication which bosts a readership which could fit inside your average Premiership football stadium.

As a magazine, they’ve been criticised from some corners in recent years for latching on to the ‘next big thing’, whipping up a frenzy of hype on the basis of very little substance. Some of this hype has resulted in undoubted success, Arctic Monkeys being the prime example; but for every act like Arctic Monkeys, there are outfits like The Twang - hyped by NME before they’d even released any concrete material, then were fairly critical when the album dropped.

Others have drifted away due to it’s seemingly ‘teenybop’ style it has adopted over the last few years. The glossy format seems to be lost on the 25 and over agegroup.

NME is an extremely strong brand, and for a certain age group is probably as well known in the USA as it is in the UK, but it may require a substantial rethink on it’s ethos if it is to have a long term future in printed form.

Barfly on Clyde Street helped proper many bands to the bigtime, including The View and Glasvegas; and hosted a string of big names in the relatively small main hall, such as Arctic Monkeys, The Libertines, and Bloc Party.

Rumours persist that demolition work in a neighbouring building caused cracks to appear on the walls of Barfly, but management were giving little away - the venue’s answering machine simply states “Glasgow Barfly is no longer trading”.

The club has been running since 2002, when it took over from The 13th Note Club after they ran into financial difficulties. Since then they’ve hosted many gigs, after show parties, and recurring club nights.

If it is the end…. alas, I’ll be sad to see you go.