Christmas With... Eddy & the T-Bolts

Time to get some Christmas stuff posted then eh?

Former Aye Tunes gig stars and blog pals Eddy & the T-Bolts promised me a Christmas song. I then decided not to do the advent calendar, but they delivered the song anyway.

They’ve chosen to cover Darlene Love. This pleases me, since the song in question, Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) is one of my favourite things. It turns up here by various folk every year, so now we have another version to add to the list.

Listen to and download the tune below.



Eddy & the T-Bolts play at The 13th Note in Glasgow on Tuesday, 17th December as part of Bastard’s Xmas, with Ross Gilchrist, The Hate 80s and the wonderfully named Destroyevsky.

You can find more of their music on Bandcamp.

What Happened to the Advent Calendar Anyway?

December 6th and not a single Christmas song posted so far. Why? Well, a couple of reasons. Number one being that my computer took another of its funny turns and didn't work for several days, number two is that there's been very little interest in the series. My blogging motivation has been very low all year already, so there was nothing that made me feel there was a pressing need to post stuff.

Added into number two is that working in retail in the run up to Christmas means that free time is as rare as a unicorn, a bad release by Song, by Toad or Gerry Loves Records, a financially successful Aye Tunes gig, Niall from The Spook School keeping his top on, or a good Fatherson song.

Not much time to do stuff then, and since I've missed a week already it seems a bit late to start an advent calendar now.

There's still Christmas music to be posted though, I just won't be doing it in the usual format.

Since this is getting written on my phone there's nae music to go here, I'll shove some stuff up over the weekend if I get a minute.

The Annual Christmas Song Cattle Call

We're a fair way through November, and I've spent weeks covered in a thin coating of glitter from working in the Christmas section of my employer, so I think I can get away with this now without being too early.

For years now, both here on Aye Tunes and before that on previous blogs, I've ran an advent calendar of sorts on the blog, treating readers to a festive themed song each day of December up until Christmas, because that's how advent calendars work. I'm going to try it again this year.

Last year the Advent Calendar was a bit of a slog, there wasn't very much in the way of new stuff for me to post, so a lot was recycled from previous years. If that's going to happen again this year then it barely seems worth doing. Hence this cattle call.

I turn to any bands and/or artists that might be reading. Are you planning a Christmas song, EP, whatever? Do let me know, I'd like to include it here if you are.
I'm ideally looking for free stuff. I'm not saying I won't plug your special Christmas release if it costs money, but it won't be at the top of my list, so don't bug me if I don't get to it. At the very least make sure I can embed a stream of the song, EP, whatever.
Lastly, I'm mainly after stuff that can be downloaded here. That video of your band drunkenly ruining something is great, yes, but no, I don't want to post it.

A couple of years ago there was an awkward turn of events when a band didn't quite get what I was doing with the advent calendar posts, and completely fell out with me. To avoid that happening again I'll clear one or two things up.
While I'm always happy to plug something a band is giving away for free, that's not really the point of the advent calendar. I'm sure the EP you released in March is great, but unless there's an oddly timed Christmassy song on there that you want me to link to, it isn't going in the advent calendar.

So if you and/or your band have something up your sleeve, be it new, found in a vault, or a cover you've thrown together in rehearsal  get in touch. The sooner the better, as these things start on December 1st and I like to attempt to plan ahead.

Love Letter to The Spook School

As well as being generally fab and one of my favourite bands in YEARS, The Spook School also have a fine line in love letters. Pop by their website to see what I mean.

At the end of last year they even wrote me one, snuck into the envelope containing their 7" double A side single Here We Go/Cameraman. With their debut album out this week, and letters to people seemingly being all the rage at the moment, I thought I should finally write back to them.

This is what happened. Click to make bigger.

Shockingly that is both my actual handwriting, and my very best artistic skills.

The Spook School's debut album Dress Up is out now, you should be able to buy it in record shops and stuff. I've not heard it yet, but I'll be very surprised if it isn't ace. Other things are available to buy and listen to on Bandcamp.
There's a launch gig in Edinburgh at Henry's Cellar Bar. I'll be making one of my "once every four years" trips through to Edinburgh for it and everything. You can buy tickets for that here.
Glasgow folk can see them at The Glad Cafe on Saturday 19th November. You can go to that one without the risk of meeting me, as I'm busy elsewhere.

Here's a video for the first single from their album, I'll Be Honest.

Gig Plugs, Mine and Other People

As you should know, this Saturday is my latest gig venture.

Taking place at The Art School in Glasgow, I've got Cleavers, The Cherry Wave and Mad Nurse playing. It'll be excellent and you should come. Further details, including songs and stuff, here.

There's other cool stuff happening over the next week or so too. A lot of it involves bands that have done gigs for me before, so here's some plugs for their efforts.

Birdhead haven't done anything with me, but are fab anyway, and one day I'll get them to say yes to a gig. They play Bloc on Wednesday night with Electric Gardens and Kill Surrrf

Black International have a new single out, released by Electric Company Music, and are off on tour to launch the thing. On Thursday they are at Edinburgh's Wee Red Bar, joined by the fab Little Anchors and Algernon Doll. Friday has them at Broadcast in Glasgow with Young Philadelphia and Pinact, in a night of entertainment where everyone has played a gig I've been involved in. After that they are off to Sheffield and Nottingham, but I doubt anyone reading this is from there. Until midnight on Tuesday you can get a ticket for the Edinburgh or Glasgow gigs and a copy of the 7" single for just £6, which is a grand deal, here.

King Tut's Summer Nights starts this week. I made a pie chart about the bands playing.

I probably won't bother.

Saturday is all about me, so while other gigs are available, I'm not telling you what.

Sunday has Miaoux Miaoux, now with a new full band, playing at Stereo in Glasgow. Support comes from Jonnie Common and Atom Tree. Cheaper than door price tickets are available in advance here.

Into next week and our best friends forever The Spook School are back in Glasgow, playing at The Glad Cafe on Tuesday the 23rd. They are supporting Tunabunny, who I'd have endorsed on their name alone. Then I heard their album and they are now one of my new favourite things.

Next Gig, Cheap Tickets!

Time waits for no man, so I'd better get on with plugging the next Scottish Fiction Presents: Aye Tunes Vs Peenko shindig eh?

I've been left in charge for July, so you get a very loud line up of bands I like, a bit more like my solo efforts than the group ones so far.

Mad Nurse have only made a brief appearance on the blog before in Friday Freebies, ages ago. You can still get hold of a free EP from them here, and I also fully encourage spending a couple of quid on their recently released The Rip EP here. They should be getting things off to a suitably raucous start.



The Cherry Wave have been pleasing my ears for about a year now, since the release of their first self titled EP. Both that and their second EP, Blush, released earlier this year can be yours over here. I asked them to play mostly because I like them lots, but also in part because they've been causing trouble recently, and I always enjoy that kind of thing. Wear your best shoes for them, to enhance your gazing fun.



I asked Cleavers to do a gig for me a full year ago, having decided they were my favourite new band in ages. They couldn't do it then, but this July they can, and although they aren't so new anymore, they are still one of my favourite bands in the country. They also cost me a decent chunk of cash, since they seem to put out something new for me to buy with alarming regularity. Noisy, brash, fast, but packed with melodies, I'm really delighted to finally be putting Cleavers on. If we ask them nicely they may even bring pyrotechnics.
There's loads of stuff available over here, a lot of it can be had for free, but as the band were recently robbed in London I'll urge you to pay for the music if you like it and have a few extra quid, they'd really appreciate the cash.



The gig takes place at The Art School on Sauchiehall Street in Glasgow on Saturday July 20th, probably starting about 8. Entry will cost you a mere six pounds.

BUT if you buy a ticket in advance this week, you can get in for just £4. Bargain, eh? Tickets are available here. After Saturday the price goes up again, so act fast for big savings now, as people say in annoying adverts.

Friday Freebies - 10.05.2013

What, no six week gap between freebies? Shocker.

Adam Stafford
There's a new album from long term blog fave Adam Stafford coming up in a couple of months. Smugly I'll now tell you that I've already heard it. It's brilliant. It'll be released by Song, by Toad Records in July, which is good, since it keeps up Adam's recent track record of releasing things with labels I really like, what with his last single having been on Gerry Loves Records and all. You can get a wee taster for yourself now, with the first single from the album, Please, available as a free download here.

Sparrow and the Workshop
Carrying on the "really good bands with albums out from Song, by Toad" theme, here's a new single from the always ace Sparrow and the Workshop. The Faster You Spin is the second single to be taken from their new album Murderopolis, and you can download it for free here. If you like the sound of that - and why wouldn't you? - then you can buy yourself a copy of Murderopilis here.

Kellar
Cash always tend to be pretty tight around Aye Tunes towers, so it's a compliment and accomplishment that every time Kellar stick out a new album I happily pay money for it at the earliest possible opportunity. Their last album Fulminant was no different. The band have made some stuff available for free now, so I'm off to grab them post haste. Get your paws on four out takes from Fulminant for free here.You can get some free remixes here too.

Cuddly Shark
I love Cuddly Shark. Great band, fab name, swell songs. They've got a new single out this week, which I also, unsurprisingly, really like. Out of Sight, Out of Mind is a pay what you want download, available here.

The Lonely Oatcake
I went to a Lonely Oatcake gig years ago, really enjoyed it, but could never get anything to listen to afterwards. Lots of patience has apparently paid off though, as along comes an EP at last. A free one at that, meaning I get to plug it here. A Portrait of the Oatcake as a Young Man is available as a free download here. I rather enjoyed it.

Book Group
Rounding off this week is one of my favourite new bands. One of your favourite new bands too, if the last set of Readers' Poll results are to be believed, though there's been a name change since then, with The Bad Books moniker being dropped in favour of Book Group. Their debut EP Homeward Sound is out at the end of this month, but the lovely Book Group gentlemen will let you have one song, Year of the Cat, from it right now for absolutely free, over here. Edinburgh dwellers can thank them and buy a copy of the EP at the launch gig on May 18th, tickets for that are available here.