shows // The Pop Cop

there will be fireworks in session

The Pop Cop // 12.05.13 // #27: May 2013 w/ There Will Be Fireworks session

It's the last Pop Cop radio show of term 2012/13 and we couldn't think of a more explosive wrap party than a session from the mighty There Will Be Fireworks.

In August 2011, I had the privilege of being invited into the band's studio lair to hear them working on their second album. Perhaps optimistically, I wrote that they were putting the "finishing touches" to it, but now - almost two years later - they have finally completed the recording of it and the new material being played for this radio show will offer a taste of what to expect when the album is released in the next few months. Exciting times.

TWBF frontman Nicky McManus is joined in the Subcity studio by guitarist and sometime-vocalist Gibran Farrah, who was one of 40 musicians to contribute to The Pop Cop blog's Scottish independence feature. Listen out for some chat about that.

Check out There Will Be Fireworks via Facebook, Twitter, and Bandcamp.

Posted at 01:48, 11th May 2013

kevin harper in session

The Pop Cop // 14.04.13 // #26: April 2013 w/ Kevin Harper session

For the first time we are graced with a return visitor to The Pop Cop radio show in the shape of Kevin Harper.

Kevin first played a live session for us in March 2011 when he was wearing his Little Eskimos hat - the band he fronted at the time. Now, however, he has released his first album under his own name, and it's a cracker, so we've invited him back for more songs and quality chat.

The title track of his new album Kingdom Of Wires is available as a free download through the February 2013 edition of the blog's Music Alliance Pact, with the following critique: "Influenced by warm, fuzzy guitar bands of the American West Coast, Kevin Harper... is back on his own again, not that you could tell from this talented multi-instrumentalist's canny knack of sounding like a full band is at work. Mr Harper is probably one of the most accomplished pop songwriters in Scotland, yet he's still little-known in his native land. If there’s any justice, his forthcoming debut solo album Kingdom Of Wires should change all that."

Check out Kevin Harper via Facebook, Twitter, and Bandcamp.

Posted at 15:41, 11th April 2013

lidh in session

The Pop Cop // 17.03.13 // #25: March 2013 w/ Lidh session

We are delighted to be joined by Lidh, the nom de plume of Eilidh Lawrence, who makes a 160-mile round trip from Anstruther for this live session and chit-chat.

She was featured in The Pop Cop blog's 10 acts to discover in 2013, in which she was described thus: "The songs of Fife teenager Eilidh Lawrence have a wistful, dreamy feel, slightly reminiscent of It’s Jo And Danny. The daughter of Eugenius drummer Roy Lawrence, her raw talent hasn’t gone unnoticed, with the local Fence mafia quickly taking her into their collective bosom. Her stage name is pronounced “Lid” in case you were wondering."

Check out Lidh via Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and SoundCloud.

Posted at 01:05, 14th March 2013

fake major in session

The Pop Cop // 17.02.13 // #24: February 2013 w/ Fake Major session

Say hello to the artist formerly known as Endor. Fake Major are made up of Jarv and Richard from the old band, who, as it happens, played a session on this very show as a duo in May 2011, so you could say we hosted the first ever Fake Major appearance without realising it.

You can read an introduction/interview feature on Fake Major at this blog post, in which Jarv explains their use of a recording technique borrowed from Simon & Garfunkel: "We wanted to sing more together, harmonise in and out of each other. We'd never done that before. It holds the recordings together in a way. We record on one microphone in one take and we record backing vocals separately. That's how you get that really close sound."

Check out Fake Major via their website, Facebook and Twitter.

Posted at 00:00, 16th February 2013

kitty the lion in session

The Pop Cop // 20.01.13 // #23: January 2013 w/ Kitty The Lion session

The first live session guest of 2013 is Kitty The Lion. The Glasgow-based band, fronted by Anna Meldrum, are a charming proposition with a big year ahead of them as they gear up for the release of their debut album in the autumn through local label Comets & Cartwheels.

Here's how I described them in a recent post on The Pop Cop blog: "Anna seems to set herself a personal challenge of writing songs about subject matters that are as mundane as possible, but first impressions can be deceiving. Closer inspection of her lyrics reveals exceptionally clever wordplay and crafty double entendres. What isn't ambiguous is Kitty The Lion's pop heart, with a near-flawless grasp of melody flowing through their indie-folk veins."

Their single Duck! (one of my favourite 20 songs of 2012) is available to download for free on the October 2012 edition of the Music Alliance Pact.

Check out Kitty The Lion via their website, Facebook and Twitter.

Posted at 13:15, 17th January 2013