The boys of San Sebastian had already made such a good impression on The-Mag, and our Edinburgh correspondent Laura S in particular, that when we found out they were hosting their own night in the rather fantastic Brunswick Hotel venue, it was too good an offer to turn down.

Wasting no time in crashing into their set, the early part of the show featured some thoughtful sounds whilst easing the band into their stride. Initial thoughts were of Bloc Party colliding with the early 80’s U2 or Echo and The Bunnymen, such was the combination of the spatial atmospheric guitars and piercing vocals. In such a venue the potential for sound problems to arise was always a possibility but the band made the most of the set-up and quickly upped the tempo in driving the set onwards.

‘Say Something’ appeared to be the most fully formed song of the night, even inspiring handclaps from the crowd. Any band can usually engineer an audience to participate but it tends to take some form of cajoling - when the accompaniment originates from the floor, there has to be a bit more to it. This track also featured an excellent coda with the band drilling away instrumentally and locking themselves into a rhythm. Was it any wonder the fans were trying to muscle into the action?

The high camaraderie feeling was quickly changed however by a dark and menacing track, which at times would have made Mogwai proud, such was the underlying edge to it. With the bass player taking centre stage to intone his spoken dialect over the track, the rest of the band prowled in the background, emerging at the end to once again increase the tempo and passion of the song to bring it home.

A really strong point of San Sebastians sound is that, whilst at times there are familiarities to their songs, there’s never a direct steal and the influences seem so varied at times that it comes across freshly.

With the vocals being shared primarily between Niall Gahagan and Craig McGinnis, whose differing styles harmonised well together, there’s a lot of different aspects and interests in this band. Make no mistake that San Sebastian are definitely an act worth leaving the house for.

Reviewed Live By: Andy R (855 - [?]) View The Mag Team

Venue: Brunswick Hotel, Glasgow

Date: 18/08/2006

http://www.the-mag.me.uk/?ArticleId=1219

Posted: September 24th, 2007 under PRESS.
Comments: none

San Sebastian

King Tuts

San Sebastian have got a magnetism that is hard to ignore. Closing the second night of T Break, their alluring and ambient sound was a refreshing alternative to the raucous bands that had come before them.

Lead vocalist Niall Gahagan’s whispery vocals and moody aura draw you in like an almost supernatural force. “La Beat Humaine” vividly captures the unconscious by combining a wall of distorted sound with harmonic interludes, which then catapults fiercely into a breathtaking rush of guitar riffs, adding a fascinating dimension to the track. The truly spellbinding “This is Modern” also stands out, with its triple vocals replicating melancholic lyrics above mesmerising drum beats.

Bass player Mark Stansfield has a particularly captivating quality, enticing the audience with his seductive scowl whilst also providing a cool dynamic by way of some sensual arpeggic lines. The only flaw I can really identify is a slight lack of charisma, which may prove problematic when they try to capture wider audiences. The band could also do with cutting the length of some of their songs, as some tracks start promisingly but get lost en route, leaving the crowd wanting something more. But make no mistake, San Sebastian have a unique essence and style that is hard to come by these days.

> Andrea O’Neill

Posted: September 24th, 2007 under PRESS.
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Small feature in Sound Control’s free nationwide Reverb magazine. Excuse the appalling quality of photo. Blame the Samsung EGH-900…

Posted: September 24th, 2007 under PRESS.
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Managed to get a copy of Bergman’s film off Amazon. I first heard about it when I came across Scott Walker. On Scott 4, the first track tells the story of the film.

I’d recommend it - a brilliant insight into one man’s search for faith. He finds it by challenging Death to a game of chess. Death inadvertently allows him to see how faith has saved and scorned other people. This shows the man, a knight, how important faith is to them.

Death cheats the knight, tricking him into explaining his strategy and eventually wins the game of chess. By this point the knight, who had no desire to live at the start of the film, must now face his inevitable demise. He and his friends are lead away by Death.

Despite the film being released in 1957, a lot of the themes are still relevant in today’s society. The knight returns from the Crusades, where he lost his faith. Perhaps similarities can be seen between his experiences and those of the soldiers fighting in the current Gulf War?

Also interesting is the performance of Max Von Sydow, who plays the knight. Those eagle-eyed viewers may recognise him in The Exorcist.

P.S. It’s Swedish.

Vinny

Posted: September 16th, 2007 under NEWS.
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Evening-

First of all thanks to all those who came to see us at the first ever pinups at the Beat Club it was a cracking night and our first gig in a few months. You’ll be glad to know we’ve not lost that magic touch…

On that note, we’re playing the Buff Club tomorrow night. It’s before the club opens mind, at 8.30pm, just enter through the Butterfly and Pig, it’s free.

See you there

Posted: September 14th, 2007 under LIVE.
Comments: none

Can’t believe (the) Klaxons won the Mercury Prize. I remember when the award used to be credible

Posted: September 5th, 2007 under NEWS.
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7 Sep 2007 20:00
NEW VENUE - THE BEAT CLUB - PINUP NIGHTS Glasgow

14 Sep 2007 20:00
Buff Club Glasgow

30 Sep 2007 20:00
SUPPORTING ATTIC LIGHTS @ MAGGIE MAY’S Glasgow

7 Oct 2007 20:00
Jools Hollands Jam House Edinburgh

10 Nov 2007 22:00
THE ARCHES (RESCHEDULED) GLASGOW

Posted: September 3rd, 2007 under LIVE.
Comments: none

Hello everyone. Welcome to our new look website. It’ll be updated regularly to let you in on all the goings on in our exciting world.

Peace

x

Posted: September 3rd, 2007 under NEWS.
Comments: 1