The Martial Arts, Down the Tiny Steps, Darren Hayman - Nice n Sleazy

We stagger in about four songs from the end of The Martial Arts's set. Its Paul Plimptons' secret weapon, his suspiciously successful other band.

Some think that Paul is just an excellent song writer, Claires and other womenfolk say "Great", "Loved them", "smiled so much my cheeks hurt", and "ooh, sparkly guitar strap". Paul's on a plugged in acoustic guitar which sounded suprisingly electric guitar and lead vocals, and there's a drummer who also does vocals. Its kind of really bright pop rock, they got picked up off of MySpace by a Swedish record label

"Really do like them, but would be better if they weren't nervous" although, Paul seemed less nervous than usual.

On announcing that his set closer was a cover, I shouted out "Wonderwall" as is my thing, Paul, started muttering the Hector Collectors' Tony McCarroll song, before they launched into Carly Simon's You're so Vain, which was nice and had everyone in the audience smiling.

Down the Tiny Steps were on next, I thought it was just a two band bill, but no, pleasant surprise.



The boy sings like he's 20 years older and 20 pounds heavier. It sounds like a rawer, more guitary Beta Band. That laid back, pulsating happy music, gentle stroking a loved one and cool cool rum and tonic on my last night in town.

Amy wronggirl is here, she was at Indietracks, Claire and Claire are here too, they were at my Wolfknuckles gig last night. Ink Wilson from How to Swim is here, he's impressed by my natural musketeer facial hair.

Indie-trip? Electro twang? "Cross between Mad Skull and The Proclaimers, Mad Skull are really good" says Nastily

Darren Hayman sat near the front of the room, peering about. Paul "Fourth time I've seen him, first time he's been wrecked"

"They were all right, they were all right, everyone seems to be in a crap emo band, apart from these guys who are in a nice Beta Band. Kind if like in High Fidelity, which was on the other night, when everyone listens to the Beta Band and its really nice.

Yet again, I'm a little drunk when Darren Hayman hits the stage..

The violinist looks like Wookie from Something About Mary. Hang on, word comes through that Tony Wilson's dead.



The violin lends a mournful air, ooh, violin and ukulele duel. My companion Nastily gets up to dance, strangely like Audrey Horne. Somewhere in the set, segued into a song is a cover of The J Giels Band's Angel is a Centrefold.

From SoundsXP "As an outsider looking in, he identifies with the loveless and the lost; he dignifies the nobodies with a story worth telling." Now at Indietracks the other week, most people do at times feel like they are the loveless and the lost, but this is a bit of a stretch when you're holding hands with your other half and in a room with your bestest friends. At Indietracks, self inflictd or no, I was the outsider looking in, the loveless and the lost, and what I did was got drunk and threw up in my car

Now, the last time Dazza played Glasgow, Valentines Day last year, I was taken to see him by my then girlfriend Rachel, we were just starting out on our relationship.And it was great, it was the first time I'd seen him, and then I wasn't the outsider, the loveless or the lost.

Now, she's just a paradigm. Sometimes we're overcome by feelings of loss, loneliness and depression, sometimes there's a valid reason for it, and sometimes its just the state of mind we're in. But it comes and it goes. And there'll always be other great relationships, other great things, again. And when they come around you gotta appreciate them more.

And I hold onto Nastily tightly, gaze into her eyes, smile when I watch her dance. Remembering her face when she hears songs like Greedy Ugly People and Hello Kitty for the first time. Hold tightly when I can.

Hang on, thats the same shirt Darren Hayman wore at Indietracks!!! OMG. Hmm, he's playing again this Tuesday, should I go again?