RoCKTALK GIG GUIDE

Rising Scots rockers The Ninth Wave head up a strong bill at Dundee’s Church tonight.

The Glasgow noise pop four-piece released their new Never Crave Attention EP last month to follow up two wellreceived earlier singles and the buzz around them is growing all the time.

Influenced by the darker end of 80s synth-pop as well as goth pioneers like The Cure, the band’s jagged sound has the potential to earn them a seriously large following, with supercool frontman Haydn Park a star in the making. He’s joined by Louise MacLennan (synths), Millie Kidd (vocals/ bass) and Lewis Tollan (drums).

Also on tonight’s bill is Glasgow’s Lucia, who’re led by husky-voiced songwriter Lucia Fairfull, 21. The fourpiece boast American influences including Blondie, Phil Spector, Richard Hell, Patti Smith and Best Coast and they’ve supported the likes of Maxïmo Park, Honeyblood and The Van Ts.

Dundee’s own White Bear and Plasmas complete the four-band line-up at Ward Road, with tickets at £6 from Grouchos and Assai Records.

Former post-punk maverick Wreckless Eric is at Clarks on Lindsay Street on Sunday.

The East Sussex-born performer is best known for his 1977 cult classic Whole Wide World, which has spawned covers by the likes of Lightning Seeds, The Monkees, The Proclaimers, Replacements frontman Paul Westerberg and Cage The Elephant.

Now aged 63, Eric Goulden’s eponymous debut album on Stiff Records was a top 50 hit in the UK in 1978, but after its follow-up The Wonderful World Of Wreckless Eric failed to chart he decided to break from the influential label after releasing his most successful offering Big Smash in 1980.

He had a short stint in The Captains Of Industry, who were managed by The Clash’s former road manager Johnny Green, but the band split after just one album, 1985’s A Roomful Of Monkeys, and he later formed The Len Bright Combo.

Eric’s since preferred to record at his home studio and he’s released 11 albums mainly on indie imprints such as New Rose, Fire and his own Southern Domestic, including three with his wife, American songwriter Amy Rigby, and his latest solo offering Construction Time And Demolition.

Tickets for Sunday’s Dundee show are £12 from Clarks, Eventbrite, Grouchos and Assai Records.

Neil Young tribute Heart Of Rust are tomorrow night’s big gig at the Green Hotel.

The anthemic four-piece are led by guitar maestro David Henderson who first performed the icon’s solo work in an acoustic format in 2009. They’ve subsequently played across the UK and Europe, going down a storm with “Rusties”, as Young’s followers are known.

Heart Of Rust play material from Neil’s seminal 1970 album After The Gold Rush through the classic set Harvest and the Crazy Horsebacked touchstones Zuma and Rust Never Sleeps, along with gems from his earlier Buffalo Springfield days.

The Kinross gig starts at 9pm, with tickets £20 from www.mundellmusic.com

Mod revivalists The Absolute Jam are bringing their power-packed covers set to Beat Generator tomorrow night.

The Scottish four-piece will be blasting through a host of Paul Weller-penned classics, including Precious, “A” Bomb In Wardour Street and Going Underground, at the North Lindsay Street venue.

Doors open at 8pm with advance tickets £8 from Grouchos and Tickets Scotland.

There’s a showcase of breaking talents at Clarks on Lindsay Street on Thursday.

Tickets for Scots indie-folk duo Evering, Ugandan troubadour Daudi Matsiko and London-based acoustic songwriter Izzie Yardley are £10 from Clarks, Ticketweb, Grouchos and Assai Records.

One of Britain’s leading AC/DC tribute bands stops at Kinross on Sunday.

Bristol-based Hells Bells will enliven proceedings at the Green Hotel from 2.30pm. Tickets £18 from www. mundellmusic.com

Church has a Bryan Adams tribute this weekend to add to the retro vibes across Courier Country.

Snappily named six-piece Bryan McAdams are fronted by Michael Loszak and roll out all the big hits, with the likes of Summer Of 69, Everything I Do, Heaven and Kids Wanna Rock singalong staples.

Tickets are £11 and can be ordered via the Dundee venue’s Facebook page.

Perth hosts a Westfest Battle of the Bands semi-final tomorrow. Six hopefuls, including Fife trio Astral Suns (Glenrothes), Blind Summit (Dunfermline) and The Selkies (St Andrews), play the Green Room on Canal Crescent.

Covers outfit Cherry Bombz play unplugged at Arbroath’s The Pageant tonight and Coast tomorrow, with Dundee’s Harlequins their destination on Sunday.

The Ninth Wave.