GIG REVIEW - THE INDELICATES - 13th NOTE, GLASGOW - WEDNESDAY 3rd NOVEMBER 2010

I consider myself to have been very privileged to be at such a memorable gig as this one.

For anyone who doesn't know, The Indelicates are an English band. Their most recent album tells you six musicians performed on it - Ed van Beinum, Al Clayton, Bastien Eppler, Keith TOTP, Simon Indelicate and Julia Indelicate. But for the most part, it is Simon and Julia's band - they are the songwriters, the vocalists and the only two who appear in most promo and record sleeves.

And in Glasgow the other night, the only two members of the band on the stage.

Their most recent LP Song For Swinging Lovers was released in April 2010 on download as a 'pay-what-you-like basis' and then given a standard release in June 2010. Well, I say standard, but what in fact happened was the band released it in a number of formats including one which offered the chance to buy a 'Super Special Edition' that included an acoustic show.

Two Glasgow fans - Sara and Tony - decided to follow through on this offer. So, during the week, Simon and Julia Indelicte came to Glasgow and performed an acoustic/unplugged/stripped-down version of the LP to an audience who were charged the ridiculously low amount of £3 for entry. The show was recorded, and as part of the deal, the rights to the recording are legally passed to Sara and Tony who will benefit from its upcoming release on Corporate Records (more on that later).

As a concept, this was something I was glad to be part of (and thanks to Comrade Colin for bringing to my attention - for one reason or another, it has been a full 2 weeks since I've been able to browse the internet and so this would have passed me by).

But it was a real joy to be there, for this was one of the most enjoyable gigs I can recall in many a year.

All of the songs were played in the order they appear on the album - and given I hadn't yet got round to buying it, this was the first time I had heard any of them. And I loved every single track. It was impossible not to.

There was a real enthusiasm in the way Simon and Julia approached this performance. They were smiling from the second they bounced on stage and never stopped interacting with the audience, which numbered around 60. If they weren't musicians, they could easily forge a career as a comedy partnership. They were spontaneous, witty, charming and incredibly entertaining. Oh and they weren't afraid to take the piss out of themselves either.

In some ways, it was more akin to a brilliant and unique cabaret performance that would get put on at the Edinburgh Fringe in the month of August than a gig. I went along hopeful of a good time, I came away wondering how long it would be until I was part of a such a perfect night.

After Songs For Swinging Lovers had been played in its entirety (or as Simon said, with a twinkle in his eye and his tongue in his cheek, after they had fulfilled their contractual obligations) we were treated to an exclusive preview of an upcoming track from their next LP, which is a concept album called David Koresh Superstar and then three old favourites from the 2008 LP, American Demo. All of which were nothing short of sensational.

I also came away from the night thinking that The Indelicates might well be the most innovative and imaginative band on Planet Earth at this point in time. Not only do we have the punk ethos of having the band interact so much with fans that they will perform a one-off gig and then pass on the recording rights to the fans, but there's the very way that the label they have established, the afore-mentioned Corporate Records operates.

Here's what it says on the website:-

Welcome To Corporate Records, a new kind of record company that you can sign to any time it suits you. As the traditional music industry struggles to adapt to the challenge of the internet, we make it simple for musicians to share, sell and promote their work. Sell single tracks or group them into multiple albums, set minimum prices or use a pay-what-you-like system, embed your tracks in blogs and share static download links on twitter and facebook... Corporate Records is designed to reflect the music market that exists and to make it easy for artists to get all they can from it.

It's free, simple and quick to sign up and, after paypal charges, you'll receive 80% of the revenue you generate. We take no rights, no setup fees and your music is available immediately. Take control, we're here for you to exploit.

As the meerkat might say......seemples.

I wanted so much to put something back after the gig that I ended up buying the latest long-player on CD as well as 3 x 7" singles and a six-track EP on CD. I was fascinated to read what it said on the back of Songs For Swinging Lovers:-

The copyright in this recording is owned by The Indelicates. The band waives the right to prevent you copying the data to your computer. They ask that, if you wish to share the music, you direct friends to http://corporaterecords.co.uk/artists/the+indelicates/songs+for+swinging+lovers/ where the album is available on a pay-what-you-like-basis (including free)

After all the grief some of us have been having in recent months this is just music to the ears. (Right now, I cant seem to be haunted by the folk who look after Elvis Costello - they even issued a dmca notice for a song called Accidents Will Happen that wasn't even written or recorded by him!!).

The best thing about all this is that the music made and performed by The Indelicates is hugely enjoyable. It is not simply art for arts sake.

This is the list of acts they cite as influences on the myspace site:-

The KLF, Carter USM, Joy Division, Art Goblins, Morrissey, Dresden Dolls, Cyndi Lauper, Sex Pistols, The Killers, Art Brut, The Flesh Happening, The Space Peacocks, Lily Rae, Philip Jeays, The White Stripes, Elvis.

Surely there's at least one act up there to get you interested.

This is probably their best known song. Released as their debut single in July 2006, this version is taken from the American Demo LP:-

mp3 : The Indelicates - We Hate The Kids

And here's one from Songs For Swinging Lovers:-

mp3 : The Indelicates - Sympathy For The Devil

And as they band ask, please pop over here where the LP is available.....

Oh and some very fine old stuff is kicking around on youtube:-














While a lot of the new songs have had official promos made which can be found at this site.

Finally. If you live in Germany, there's a chance The Indelicates will be coming near your home next month:-

1 Dec 2010 - Haus III & 70, HAMBURG,
2 Dec 2010 - SONIC BALLROOM, KOLN
3 Dec 2010 - AMP, MUNSTER,
4 Dec 2010 - BANG BANG (KARRERA KLUB), BERLIN,
5 Dec 2010 - KULTURFABRIK, OBERHAUEN
7 Dec 2010 - KULT41, BONN
8 Dec 2010 - KULTURFABRIK, KREFELD
9 Dec 2010 - KLEINE FREIHEIT, OSNABRUCK
10 Dec 2010 - SPARTE 4, SAARBRUCKEN
11 Dec 2010 - CAFE CENTRAL, WEINHEIM
12 Dec 2010 - LAAB, MUNICH
14 Dec 2010 - Zwolfzehn, STUTTGART
15 Dec 2010 - ALTER SCHLACHTHOF, WIESBADEN
16 Dec 2010 - OSTPOL, DRESDEN
17 Dec 2010 - ILSES ERIKA, LEIPZIG
18 Dec 2010 - PROJEKT 7, MAGDEBURG

More info on this myspace site

And yet more on this official site.

Consider today's posting to be the equivalent of a broadsheet Sunday paper with all sorts of supplements. So you dont need to digest it all in one sitting. Please come back and view or listen to a different bit day after day. There's no additional charge.

PS From Friday 19 November.

I've just been served a dmca notice about this post. Surely that's some sort of sick joke bearing in mind how this band operate and how I crafted the original postimg which encouraged all sorts of support from them.

I'm guessing someone out there is taking the pish. I'm ignoring the notice....