MUSIC
Dundee - the City of Music Discovery...

Ocean Colour Scene, Deacon Blue, Ash, Fun Loving Criminals, Snow Patrol, Astrid, King Adora, Feeder and Cliff Richard, believe it or not they've all played Dundee. Here in Dundee the music scene is thriving. In my experience playing in a band and being an avid gig go-er, I've never experienced such a great sense of community amongst the music crowd. Dundee has some amazing venues if you want to go and see big bands, new bands or unsigned bands. Already you may have noticed The Doghouse (Terrorvision, Saw Doctors and coming soon Elbow). You may have seen On Air East (Snow Patrol, King Adora and soon Turin Brakes and Mull Historical Society), plus the enormous Caird Hall; this venue has one of the best acoustics in the UK and has hosted Ocean Colour Scene, Fun Loving Criminals and Cliff Richard.

Dundee also has a huge number of clubs including, Mardi Gras, Enigma, Fat Sam's and Foundation; all these places will cater for your music taste at some point. And if you're into Cliff Richard - I'd bet you could find some Cliff vinyl's at either Groucho's or Rockpile, two great Record and disk exchanges, located in the west end of the city.

If you're excited about seeing gigs in Dundee then you've come at the right time. Next month we've got the most exciting line up of gigs I've ever seen. Mull Historical Society, Biffy Clyro, Turin Brakes, Haven, Elbow, Starsailor, Astrid, Snow Patrol and Aereogramme. All I can say is that I'm excited, especially because a lot of the gigs will be held at On Air East and therefore cost about a fiver. If you check back soon I'll put a proper gig guide online and through October you'll be able to check for daily gig reviews. You see, I'm gonna have to go to every one of those gigs just to review them for you - it's a tough job but someone's got to do it - I guess it's just hard luck, hey?. There's even a series of gigs happening at the Virgin Megastore in the Wellgate. The gigs are free and include local talent such as Boomhauer, Venetian Love Triangle, Illfunk and Misled Youth. If you're interested in these gigs they are free, there's no age restriction and they're on Thursday's at about 5.30PM. I've even heard a rumour that a band called Cosmic Rough Riders are playing one Thursday, I haven't confirmed this so keep it under your hats - SUBSEQUENTLY THE RUMOURS WERE TRUE - READ THE INTERVIEW WITH THE CRR'S - CLICK HERE -. I'll make sure that the news is posted on AbertayUnion.com as soon as I hear the full details.

If you play in a band or would like to start a band then you couldn't be in a better City. For starters you're going to need equipment, Sound Control, Rainbow Music, Forbes' Music are all shops which provide quality guitars, amps, drums, PA's and all the extra's. Then you're going to need practice space, Stage 2000, Seagate Studio and Dundee Music Centre all cater for that with varying prices depending on your needs. When you're practised up - you'll want a gig, for starters you can go to one of the many venues which book unsigned bands with no need for a demo - The Westport, The Doghouse, Chambers, Drouthy Neebors and sometimes even at "OUR Union" - Abertay Union. And once you start playing gigs you'll meet other bands who'll no doubt contact you in the future wanting to play gigs with you again. And finally, when you're getting good and want to record a disc you could go to Seagate or Riverside recording studios to cut that disc at reasonable prices. In the near future I'll be running a few feature articles on how to start a band and become successful, but you still need the talent.

If you're into your clubs then Dundee if full of them, and they cater for every taste. If you like cheese, hard house, trance, funk, pop, or even metal and alternative it's all here in Dundee. Clubs like Abertay Union's Liquid & "The Main Bar", Fat Sam's, Mardi Gras, Enigma, The Mission, Foundation, Oxygen, Dundee University SU and Rattrays all provide different tastes of music for all kinds of clubbers. Plus most clubs do student deals if you show you matriculation card (so remember to ask if there's a student discount). Also a lot of the clubs have drinks offers so you can save money (or drink more! - Decisions, decisions…).

Whatever your taste, Dundee will cater for it. In the future I'll keep you posted about gigs, local talent, new CD's and club nights. There'll also be a range of features to keep you informed and entertained. Remember if you hear any rumours, want to advertise your gigs, have a good recommendations, or anything interesting then just e-mail me on Matt.Ridgway@AbertayUnion.com and I'll see what I can do. Until the next time…

Matt