The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
ROCKTALK GIG GUIDE
The reformed Skids are playing two major home town shows this weekend.
The punk legends are hosting their eagerly-awaited convention, with a plethora of events taking place across Dunfermline over two days.
Tomorrow’s activities start with a walk-through and meet-and-greet at Carnegie Galleries, which is staging its Skids Exhibition, followed by music workshops and readings from frontman Richard Jobson’s new autobiography.
The highlight is a full Skids show at PJ Molloys, with the five-piece pledging to perform their recent album Burning Cities in its entirety.
Sunday includes the premiere of a new Skids documentary and a live video performance of last year’s 40th anniversary tour, with an acoustic show and Q&A at Molloys at 2.30pm.
Go to www.ticketweb.uk for tickets, priced £50.
Veteran post-punk outfit Spear Of Destiny arrive in Dunfermline on their latest UK tour on Sunday.
Led by Kirk Brandon since their formation in 1982, the four-piece are at PJ Molloys to promote their blistering 14th album Tontine, which received its live debut at the band’s two-day Westworld event in Cheshire last weekend.
The songsmith, who also fronts Theatre Of Hate, says the new offering’s a typically dark affair. “Tontine is a French phrase originally, and it started as a joke from our keyboard player Steve Allan Jones,” he explains.
“It’s when a group of guys would get together and put into a pot of a hundred francs or whatever and the last man alive got the lot. You were gambling on your own life.
“People were going round killing people to get the money, so the authorities had to ban it. Steve said we should have tontine and the last guy alive in the band gets the pot, and it seemed quite fitting in a black, ironic way.”
Always a formidable live prospect, Spear Of Destiny found fame with their five 80s albums, including top 20 sets World Service and Outland.
The band’s biggest single Never Take Me Alive hit number 14 in 1987, with other well-known anthems including Liberator, All My Love, Mickey and Radio Radio. In recent years they’ve received acclaim for the uncompromising albums Imperial Prototype, Omega Point and 31.
Kirk, 61, says running his own Eastersnow record label has helped extend his career. “It’s got harder for bands because of the financial thing,” he declares.
“So many are just locking themselves into the system, looking for the deals and whatever. But there’s also people who think they’ll never get signed and they’re good at building up their own thing, cottage industry-style, which is what we do.
“We’ve some involvement with the industry but in many ways it’s better to build up your own base yourself. At least you know where it’s come from and how it works, and that people are genuinely into the music.”
Joining Kirk and Jones in Spear’s current line-up are longtime cohorts Adrian Portas on guitar (ex-New Model Army), bassist Craig Adams (Sisters Of Mercy / Cult) and drummer Phil Martini.
“We’re friends, so it’s a nice sort of thing to do, but there’s always fire in the furnace,” laughs Kirk, who’s promising to play classics like World Service alongside new material at Molloys.
“They care enough to get geed up about it. Sometimes it’s serious but mostly it’s funny. This isn’t just some bunch of guys saying yes to somebody like me. Everybody’s got an opinion and they’ll keep shouting about it.”
Kirk’s hoping to cross paths with The Skids — who’re also in town — on Sunday. “Theatre Of Hate did a one-off tour of Scotland years ago and Stuart Adamson came down with his wife,” he recalls.
“We met and had some chats and he was a super-nice guy, a great guy. When Spear Of Destiny started the first gig we had was in Brixton at the Ace Cinema and Big Country supported us that night.
“Stuart’s a fondly remembered, sweet guy. The Skids’ music will live on forever regardless of anything. It’s absolutely brilliant, Masquerade is fantastic.
“I think there’s a lot of love for The Skids wherever you go. It’s great that their music has been resurrected and brought back to life.
“Bruce’s guitar is the sound of Scotland, it’s incredible. What a player and a nice guy too. They’re all good guys.”
Tickets for Sunday’s gig are £15 via Ticketweb.
Dundee’s Number 57 has Independence tomorrow from 5.50pm and Junkyard Dogs on Sunday at 7pm.
Covers outfit Cherry Bombz play at Nine Maidens tonight at 8.30pm, Station Bar Arbroath tomorrow from 9pm and Brechin’s City Royal on Sunday at 4pm.