Late last month, Scottish indie rock legends PAWS shared news of an upcoming album along with the hit single “One Nation Under Dog”. Understandably our interest was peaked with the new tunes, and today brings even more excitement and buzz with another new single called “Uncertain.” It sticks with the theme of a bleak outlook on the current state of things while growing older, all while cranking through some gnarly guitar solos and straight slacker rock.
The day is coming to a close and you know what that means, we are one day closer to things going wild in Austin for SXSW music festival. Of course some stuff kicks off this weekend, like our annual Sunday day show, but things will really be kicking into high gear about a week from RIGHT NOW. It’s time to get ready people. Ending our day today is a nice interview from Scottish based artist Hamish Hawk. Hit the jump for everything you need.
What’s the name of the band/group? Where are you from?
I am Hamish Hawk, we are Hamish Hawk. I’m a singer, songwriter and frontman based in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Describe your group’s sound using only adjectives or superlatives.
Wordy. Exuberant. Moustachioed.
What was your most recent release? Any planned releases for 2023?
Our new album, Angel Numbers, came out this month, and we’re gonna be heading back into the studio in the next couple of months to record the follow-up.
Why play SXSW? What’s the draw for the band? What about this festival will bring you to Austin?
We played SXSW last year, so we are delighted to be invited again. Admittedly we ran into a few obstacles last time, namely illness and tornados, so armed with those experiences we’ll bring a certain wind-swept danger to SXSW. You get the sense there’s a world of possibility at SXSW, and it’s a thrill to feel a part of that – again!
There are tons of bands coming into town, but if you could create your own perfect festival, who would you have playing? Would it have a sick name? Where would it take place? Feel free to disregard the rules of time and space.
I was a regular festival goer in my teens and associate them with a feeling of new-found fun and freedom. I’d be keen to have a line-up that’s properly joyous, in the business of ensuring everyone’s having a good time. Bob Marley & The Wailers headlining. The Flaming Lips somewhere up there. Dolly Parton. Sly & The Family Stone. ABBA. You get the ridiculous idea. As much as I grew used to trudging around in the mud at Scottish festivals, I’d like to be somewhere warm, with a big lake for swimming.
What has everyone in the band been listening to, or, what plays in the tour van/car/bus
We’ve gotten into the habit of being geographically specific with our music choices in the van. Beatles en route to Liverpool. Sabbath en route to Birmingham. At SXSW I’m gonna have to go Texas wide. I’ll be listening to Willie Nelson on the plane over.
Obviously you have seen or heard about the issues coming up this year about fair pay for artists at SXSW? Care to offer any insight or comment?
The money, sweat and toil it takes to put together a show fit for an audience, to tour it, and to ensure everyone is fed, watered and accommodated would most likely shock anywhere unfamiliar with that world. I think any argument against “fair pay” is a fairly shameful signal to send to artists, to those who make it their lives’ work to put these shows on and bring them to people’s doorsteps. Sadly it’s a trend that continues to worsen, and there are those who are in a position to improve things, and do their utmost to make it worse. We’re in a very precarious place.
Thanks again for this Hamish! Here are current show dates for the band:
Edinburgh based band Vistas have long been well known on our site for making solid indie rock tunes with slight pop inspiration and hints of garage rock. Today I am pleased to drop the Scots latest single “Follow You Down” which features heavier, distorted guitars and a crazy catchy chorus to boot. Sort of reminds you of early Vaccines work or the more pop stylings of Kaiser Chiefs. It’s a jam.
Vistas will release a new EP entitled Beautiful Nothing in January 2023.
Our old friends in Edinburgh’s finest band, We Were Promised Jetpacks, are making their way back into Austin on Thursday night and you can count on ATH being in attendance. If you’ve never been to a WWPJP show, these lads pour everything they have into every performance and truly leave it all out on the stage. Tickets are still available via Mohawk’s website, and between you and me, this will be the best band playing all weekend (yeah I said it).
In other WWPJP news, the band just released a new EP entitled A Complete One-Eighty which features 3 re-workings of songs from their last album Enjoy the View. You can stream the 3 tracks via Youtube below or even purchase the EP on vinyl from Big Scary Monsters. The vinyl edition features remixes of each song from Manchester Orchestra, Andy Monaghan, and Zoe Graham. Let’s get it.
For some time, I’ve been singing the praises of Stephen McCall and Constant Follower; seeing the band perform in a church at SXSW was, well, spiritual, as we expected. Unfortunately, I didn’t see you all, so instead I’m really pleased to share some special live footage recorded at the National Wallace Monument in Scotland, featuring three songs from the excellent Neither Is, Nor Ever Was LP. McCall’s voice has this purity to it, as you’ll hear, seemingly ready to shatter into pieces the moment you reach out to touch it. As for the recording, there’s such patience in their togetherness, each note serving to carry the song’s lofty goals to near perfection. Take a listen, and be sure to go back and visit the LP, if you haven’t.
I spent a lot of last year hyping Constant Follower, particularly around the release of Neither Is, Nor Ever Was. So, I’m really excited to see the band coming over here to play SXSW this year. We were fortunate enough to grab a few moments from the band and have them fill out our little questionnaire, with one of their hits below to sample.
Well just in case you weren’t ready for SXSW to kick off in a couple of weeks, you’ve clearly seen that the ATH crew is more then ready. We’ve been dropping these interviews every day for the last few weeks now with no plans of slowing down until the bands stop responding or the festival week arrives. Have you started planning yet? Today I have the Glasgow based outfit Walt Disco who should be on your radar on the music side of things for SXSW week. They were kind enough to answer our little questionnaire and you can find their answers after the jump.
Fresh off the release of their stunning The Power of Rocks LP, Scottish outfit Buffet Lunch have returned with their brand new 7″, and today we get a video for the A-Side! I love how this entire 7″ is exploring the weirder elements of the band’s sound; the more skronk and textured side if you will. It’s just taking that sort of post-punk brand and getting a little weirder, which we need. Plus, speaking of strange, take a moment to marvel at the incredible video; it’s all combined with the pop-centric cacophony swirls about in attempt to warp your brain…in the best of ways of course! The new 7″ is available today from Upset the Rhythm!
Scottish outfit Buffet Lunch already released a banger of an album this past May with the Power of Rocks, but they’re back a few months later with a new 7″ for Upset the Rhythm. Today we’ve got the B-side to that 7″, and while there’s the obvious off-kilter jittering from the band’s work, the voice of the song comes from collaborator Jayne Dent of Me Lost Me. Her voice seems to operate as some sort musical ringmaster amidst the band’s clever musical circus; it’s such a striking performance against the dreary backdrop that I rushed over to listen to more of Dent’s work. It’s an interesting little nugget from a young band that we hope to hear more from in 2022. The 7″ drops on November 5th, order it HERE.
They’ve been hinting at it for a bit, but the Scottish outfit We Were Promised Jetpacks have officially announced their new record, Enjoy the View. The band have come a long way since dropping one of my all time favorites, “It’s Thunder and Lightning;” they seem to have come out with this sharp optimism in place of their typical bombast. Personally, I love that, as you don’t want to hear a band write the same record time and time again. Plus, Adam Thomspon’s voice will always hold a special place, so listening to him in any fashion immediately feels like home to me. Enjoy the View is out September 10th via Big Scary Monsters.
The day is coming to a close and you know what that means, we are one day closer to things going wild in Austin for 
I spent a lot of last year hyping Constant Follower, particularly around the release of Neither Is, Nor Ever Was. So, I’m really excited to see the band coming over here to play SXSW this year. We were fortunate enough to grab a few moments from the band and have them fill out our little questionnaire, with one of their hits below to sample.