Friday, October 06, 2006

The perfect backflip?



As you know, I'm always trying to post towards exciting Scottish bands on here, so tonight I'm going to do a wee post on Ballboy. Like My Latest Novel Ballboy were a band I saw supporting the Delgados (RIP. one day I WILL do a post on Chemikal Underground records and the Delgados). Like Arab Strap, there's just a real honestness here, and maybe the fact that they come from my adopted hometown of Edinburgh and singer Gordon McIntyre was a Primary School teacher (alright, so I'm secondary but.) Ballboy may have a fair bit in common with the aforementioned Strap, Novel, Delgados and Belle and Sebastian, they are also quite political: 'I hate Scotland' was dedicated to Brian Souter and his 'Keep Clause 28' campaign, while 'The Sash My Father Wore' was actually an attack on sectarianism. They also covered Bruce Springsteen's Born in the USA, minus the bombast, but with the direct hit of the man's intent. Not to mention 'Sex is Boring' which reminds me of one of my exasperated rants at trendier than thou types. Though not about sex, obviously.

Ballboy -'I Hate Scotland.' mp3

Ballboy -'Sex Is Boring (John Peel Session version March 21 2000).' mp3

If this whets your appetite, please check their website which has a whole load of downloads. Then, as always,, go and buy Ballboy

Also check out their website sl records which has more on Ballboy and other bands.

Finally, I have now changed the blog so that people can leave comments if they do not have a blog. However, these are monitored - i.e. if you write stuff that's unpleasant or offensive, it won't be permitted, and you'll be hunted down like a dog. There's also a really nifty little counter letting me know how many poeple have read the blog so I can see how many people are reading this!

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

These guys are absolutely fantastic - thanks for sharing them!

Anonymous said...

It's good to see a fellow Ballboy fan. Thanks for linking to my site I'll return the favour.

The Oafing Loaf aka The Devil Has The Best Tuna.

Anonymous said...

I'm hoping that someone will read this message who either has or has knowledge of Delgados (or Emma Pollock) concerts available for download. I'm aware of The Delgados January 2001 Fruitmarket concert that can be purchased through Chemikal Underground's website, but am leery of buying it because I heard the sound on the CD isn't very good at all (Is this true?). The Delgados were my favorite band, and as their biggest fan in Los Angeles (and possibly the entire "U.S. and A"--to quote Borat:) I'm eagerly anticipating the release of Emma Pollock's solo debut (this year...I hope?). Well, to make a long story short (too late!:)...I would deeply appreciate any help that can be offered in locating downloadable Delgados or Emma Pollock concerts. I've heard that The Delgados performance at Le Nouveau Casino, Paris on December 13, 2004 is floating around somewhere, but have had no luck finding it. Anywho...

Thanks,
Alan:)