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INDIE survivor EugeneMcGuinness is finally aboutto crash the mainstream —but it’s not been easy.The Londoner has released afew low-key albums and waspart of Miles Kane’s band beforeleaving earlier this year.Now he’s set to cash in on hisyears of hard graft with newalbum The Invitation To The Voy-age out in June.Eugene, 26, said: “You couldsay it’s hard to keep going whenit doesn’t take off immediately.“But for me, I could have

packed it in, but you lookaround and think ‘what else amI going to f*****g do?’ Am Igoing to start doing gardening?“You’re not being realistic. Itcan be difficult but you just geton with it and make it a positivething.

Aggressive“You look at so many peoplearound who should be packing itin but aren’t — so if they arenot, then there’s no way I am.“It’s the nature of the beast,there will be ups and downs.

You just need to look it in theeye and deal with it.”The album’s big single Shotgunhas got everyone talking.It’s a mega powerful tune andhits shops on March 26.Eugene raved: “I wanted to usesomething with that riff and dosomething a bit aggressive.“It’s early days, but the recep-tion so far has been really cool,people seem to be gettingexcited.“I’m dead chuffed, but there’sa hell of a lot more tunes forpeople to hear.“As cheesy it sounds, when I

was making the record I was try-ing to enjoy myself and get myown gears going.“A few of the tunes I see ascinematic — I wanted to go wide-screen on this record.“The album has got a few dif-ferent ideas of pop tunes.“I wanted the whole thing tosound modern.“There’s a lot of influences. Ilove Bowie and I’m a massiveBeatles fan, but I wanted it tosound like a record releasedtoday by someone who was intothose things.“I wanted the whole thing tosound a bit unusual.“For example, Primal Screamdo that kind of thing really well.“Plus if I tried to sound retroI’d be rubbish, I’d mess it upsomehow by sitting on a synthand giving the game away.”Putting together the album wasa tricky situation for Eugene, ashis good pal Miles’ own solocareer took off.So that meant Eugene had tohonour his touring commitmentsall over the world.He said: “It’s taken the bestpart of two years to piece it alltogether.

Working“I was in his band for about ayear and a half. I was therewhen it got up and runningand I left at the end of Janu-ary after a tour of Australia.“The plan was always toleave but I ended up stayinga bit longer than I intendedas it was just so much fun.“I had to leave to get myown band sorted out — itwas bittersweet.“If I got a week off, I’dbe in the studio workingon this album.“Being a musician, thebest possible thing thatcan happen is beingbusy — you feel likeyou’re the man.“It’s not good tobe sitting aroundwaiting for thephone to ring.”Now he’s back on

the Miles Kane tour-ing roadshow — butthis time as thesupport act.

The pair ofthem lineu p a tG l a s -g ow ’ s

Barrow-land on

April 21 withthe next two nights

at Dundee’s Fat Samsand The Ironworks in Inverness.Eugene said: “The thing Ireally want is for one of mytunes to be a big hitter this year,for it to do people’s heads in sothey are sick of hearing it.”Q Pre-order Shotgun and get tourtickets at eugenemcguinness.net

By CHRIS SWEENEY

THERE are certain thingsthat quirky pop babeMarina and the Diamondsswore never to do.They included singingabout breaking up, workingwith big-time American hit-makers and letting go ofcomplete control.But she’s done ALL of themon her highly-anticipated secondalbum Electra Heart.And Welsh girl Marina alsoadmits it’s got the dubious tagof being a ‘concept album’.She said: “When people sayconcept album, even I get turnedoff. I’m like, ‘Oh God almighty,it’s going to be really boring’.“But I really like dark hum-our and there’s tongue-in-cheekmoments in there.“The title represents the fourfemale character types whorun the album and liveshow. But I will warnpeople, there’s not muchserious stuff going on,it’s very ironic.”She added: “I comefrom a really DIYbackground, fromselling handmadeCDs to recordshops in Londonto having beengiven the chanceto work withpeople who arehigh up in theAmerican popindustry.“On myfirst album Isaw things ina black andwhite way, Irefused to workwith anyone elseand was all bymyself. I was scaredmy identity would bewatered down and I didn’tever want to sing about loveas I didn’t want any of mywork to feel cliched.“But I’ve actually done bothof those things on the newalbum and it feels like I’vegrown by not doing just what Iknow, which is to write pianoballads in my bedroom.“It was quite gradual. If youhave a black and white view itcan make you really cynicalabout things and quite jaded.“No one wants to be thatway. We all want to be happy,so my attitude has changed.”Marina, 26, added: “You don’treally want to talk about itwhen love goes t*ts up.“But I just thought there’s notreally an album out there thatdeals with it in a humorousway, like being really sarcastic,so I wanted to make an albumwith that tone and mood.“You’ve got to make sadthings funny, otherwise it’s justlike the end of the world.”Electra Heart’s four characterswere all created from Marina’sromantic notions of America.There’s the home-wrecker, theprima donna, the teen idol andthe suburban housewife. And

when she takes The LonelyHearts Tour around the UK inMay — including the Queens Hallin Edinburgh and Glasgow’sABC — they’ll all be present.Marina explained: “I’ve alwayshad a fascination with Americaand drawn inspiration from it.

Inspired“The first album was 40skitsch Hollywood, this new onehas lots of suburban fashionsfrom the 60s and 70s, stuff likepink, fluffy motel walls. I loveall that kind of stuff.“So the set-up for the tour isgoing to emulate a living room.

There will be a sofa, wallpaperand hat stand. It’s like theatrewhere plays have their own set-tings — that’s the idea I’ve beeninspired by.”Her first album, The FamilyJewels went gold as it broke thetop ten in the UK, and alsogave her a decent fanbase bothin America and Europe.But Marina said: “Lookingback, I don’t think I reallyachieved anything with it.“But I feel this one is a muchstronger representation of mypersonality and what I stand for.“Now that I listen to my firstalbum, I’m surprised it sold aswell as it did as it was a left-

field album even though I hadpop songs on there. It wasn’t analbum that could be played onmainstream radio. I wanted mysecond to have a more polishedsound — and I’ve done that.”One group of people whohave definitely been impressedare superstars Coldplay, whohave asked Marina to join theirEuropean and US stadium toursas the main support act.She said: “I’m more excitedthan anything. A stadium is theultimate training ground for aperformer at the beginning oftheir career, so it’s brilliant.”Q Electra Heart is out on April 30.Info at marinaandthediamonds.com

NEW YORK rockers Dispatchare big news back home —and now they are doing theirfirst-ever European shows.They kick off at King Tut’s

in Glasgow on Tuesday night.Check out dispatchmusic.

com

BYTOM

CHURCHILL

FATHERSONWHO: Ross Leighton (guitar/vocals), Marc Strain (bass),Greg Walkinshaw (drums)WHERE: KilmarnockFOR FANS OF: Coldplay,Frightened Rabbit, BiffyClyroJIM SAYS: This may sounddodgy, but the first time Isaw Ross Leighton performwas in the ladies toilets atThe Arches in Glasgow.I can assure you it was

all innocent.Ross was doing a solo

acoustic set as part of aninvite-only event curated byDetour Scotland.Set up by Radio 1 DJ Ally

McCrae and his pal DavidWeaver, Detour has gaineda reputation for off-the-wallactivities, including ‘kidnap-ping’ acts and taking themto secret locations to film.For A Wee Jaunt in May

2010, it was the audiencewho went on a magicalmystery tour to see variousartists in music venue lava-tories across the city.Ross’s set was one of

many highlights that day.I found it hard to believe

that a 17-year-old shouldsport such a fine beard, letalone be playing in a ladiesloo! His band at that timewere called Energy! andhad been formed whenthey were all 14. Towardsthe end of 2010, they were

rechristened Fatherson.Soon they were on tourwith Idlewild, and notchedup their first festival appear-ances including Wicker-man and the T Break Stageat T In The Park. They havealso supported Panic! AtThe Disco, FrightenedRabbit, Feeder and TwinAtlantic.Last July, Fatherson

released a self-titled EPthrough King Tut’s Record-ings and at the recent Scot-tish Alternative MusicAwards, I presented themwith the gong for BestRock/Alternative Act.There was a real buzz in

the room when Fathersonperformed and they shouldtake it as a compliment thatsome folk questioned theirinclusion in an “alternative”category.The three lads — who

are still just 19 — release anew single, First Born, onApril 9, and are on touracross Scotland.Catch them at the Tun-

nels in Aberdeen tonight,Edinburgh’s Electric Circustomorrow, The Doghousein Dundee on Sunday anda massive homecominggig at Kilmarnock’s GrandHall next Friday.MORE: fatherson.co.ukQ Jim will be playingFatherson on In:DemandUncut — Sunday 7-10pmon Clyde 1, Forth One,Northsound 1, Radio Bor-ders, Tay FM, West FM &West Sound FM.

!2MANYDJS @ The Arches,Glasgow, tonight: The

Belgian brothers are back for theirannual shakedown. 2manydjs,pictured — Stephen and DavidDewaele to their mum — firstblew the roof off The Arches in2003 and their unique, dance-floor-destroying electro mash-ups are just as potent today.They also play The Forum inAberdeen on Sunday.

$TELEFUNKEN @ TheAnnexe, Edinburgh,

tonight: Deep house perfectionfrom the mighty Moodymanc,who’s heading north from hisnative Manchester to help the

Telefunken crew celebrate eightyears in the game. And if you’reat the other end of the M8 thendon’t fret. The producer — realname Danny Ward — also headsto Glasgow tomorrow for DCSessions at The Berkeley Suite.

%MIXED BIZNESS @ LaCheetah, Glasgow, tonight:

Men of the moment BenjaminDamage and Doc Daneeka hitScotland. Point To C andDjamba also play back-to-back with their uniquetake on bleeding-edgehouse and techno.

&JACKHAMMER @The Third Door,

Edinburgh, tomorrow: Detroittechno legend DJ Rolando — ofLos Hermanos and UndergroundResistance fame — swings by toshow off his turntable skills. Localhero Stephen Brown also plays alive set, and there’s support fromWolfjazz, Keyte and Hammy.

(SUBCULTURE v ANIMALFARM @ Sub Club, Glas-

gow, tomorrow: Swedish duoSkudge bring their rawtechno to the mighty base-ment. Harri and the Ani-mal Farm DJs warm up.Q Email your news andlistings to tom.churchill@the-sun.co.uk

WE’RE giving FIVE luckyreaders and a pal thechance to see Canadianchart-topper Drake at theSECC on April 2 courtesy ofGigs in Scotland.Both of Drake’s albums,

Thank Me Later and TakeCare, have charted in the UKTop 20.He’s also collaborated

with the likes of Rihanna,Eminem, Kanye West andNicki Minaj.To be in with a chance of

winning a pair of tickets,simply tell us: Drake wasborn in which Canadiancity? A) Toronto, B)

Vancouver, or C) Quebec.Then text MUSIC plus youranswer, name and addressto 61192.Q Texts cost £1 plus standardnetwork rates. Over-18s only.Competition closes at midnighttonight. If you text after theclosing date/time of this com-petition you will not be enteredbut you may still be charged.Five winners will be selected atrandom after the closing datefrom all correct entriesreceived. Usual Scottish Sunrules apply. If you’re not luckyenough to win, tickets are avail-able from gigsinscotland.comor by calling 08444 999 990.

BY JIM GELLATLY

CLUBBING

2CANPLAYTHATGAME

FASHION and rock ‘n’ roll goUnder The Moonlight tomor-row when trendy vintage cloth-ing shop We Love To Boogieput on their annual bash atGlasgow’s StereoGet all the info at welove

toboogievintage.comONES2WATCH

BYCHRIS

SWEENEYWIN

tickets toseeDrakeinGlasgow

NEWMUSIC

8 SFTW Friday, March 16, 2012