The Scotsman, Under The Radar, January 2013

Copyright The Scotsman Newspaper Published Thursday 3rd January 2013Artwork by Adam Smith Colonel Mustard & the Dijon 5 are an alternative/comedy/dance/rock group from Glasgow who specialise in tongue-in-cheek social commentary. Taken from their second EP – a double-A-side out on Traffic Cone Records on 21st January – our track of the month Gay Icon, couldn’t be more appropriate given the time of year: it was inspired by a night out during Edinburgh’s Hogmanay where the Colonel was embraced by the gay community. A pro-equal-marriage, disco/dance anthem, it has been endorsed by Stephen Fry, human rights activist Peter Tatchell and River City actor Gary Lamont who is set to star in the bands video.Live, the band deliver on every level – energetic, engaging, funny and slightly ridiculous with a variety of musical styles – from country-tinged spaghetti westerns, rock ‘n’ roll protest songs to party anthems. You can see them perform at London’s Dublin Castle on 18th January and in Glasgow at The Riding Rooms on 23rd January. Listen to Gay Icon here https://soundcloud.com/colonelmustard-1/sets/debut-e-p-we-are-the-party-by/ Glasgow’s Celtic Connections festival gets under way on 17th January and runs until 3rd February with the usual smorgasboard of world-class artists, workshops and free events. The talent on offer ranges from homegrown acts like Rachel Sermanni, Louis Abbott (Admiral Fallow), Lau and Roddy Hart to international acts like Martha Wainwright. Some of the Scottish highlights we’d recommend include Washington Irving and Olympic Swimmers at Oran Mor on 19th January, The Pictish Trail and Rozi Plain at Glasgow Art Club on 24th January, Three Blind Wolves at ABC on 2nd February and Sorren Maclean at The Mitchell Library on 3rd February. Visit www.celticconnections.com for full detailsEdinburgh hip-hop collective, Stanley Odd have just enjoyed a very successful year. They performed at most of the summer festivals, wrote the sound track for an animated advert promoting Edinburgh in the lead up to Christmas and Hogmanay, and will begin 2013 with a special collaborative performance at Celtic Connections with the intriguing Electric String Orchestra on 23rd January at the Old Fruit Market. Most recently the band won the Big Apple Award, organised by Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy in Scotland and they fly out to New York city to perform at the Bowery Ballroom on 7th April as part of the Scotland Week celebrations. Visit www.stanleyodd.com King Tut’s New Years Revolution festival returns from the 3-17 January and features over 50 Scottish bands. Highlights include; Honeyblood, Miaoux Miaoux, Fat Goth, Fatherson (acoustic), Michael Cassidy, Anderson McGinty Webster Ward and Fisher, Little Eye and plenty more, visit www.kingtuts.co.uk/NYR for full infoMeanwhile over on the East coast, Edinburgh’s 10:04s have had their song SOS included on the soundtrack for a worldwide feature about Edinburgh on the influential US network CNN. The track was given away for free along with latest single Lights Out which was added to a promotional bundle to coincide with the first airing of the CNN special on 12th December. The programme is still available to view online, visit http://edition.cnn.com Song By Toad Records host another fantastic label night at Henry’s Cellar Bar in Edinburgh on 19th January. The Yawns are headlining, with support from last month’s track of the month artist Garden of Elks and Edinburgh’s Plastic Animals. Tickets and event info are available from www.musicglue.com/theraft/eventdetails/19-jan-13-the-yawns-henrys-cellar-bar/ Highland-born rock ‘n’ roll/punk trio and former track of the month act Cuddly Shark release their new album The Road To Ugly on 28th January via Armellodie Records. Check out the video for their hilarious single Body Mass Index here:and http://cuddlyshark.tumblr.com for full details and live outings.• Olaf Furniss and Derick Mackinnon run the Born To Be Wide music industry seminars, which take place on the first Thursday of the month at Edinburgh’s Electric Circus. The next event is in February. Visit www.borntobewide.co.uk for full info