Viking Galaxy Nice n Sleazy's Glasgow 11th Dec 2010

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This is  a young band having fun with it all. Behind the scenes you sense that thought and care has gone into their music. The band say they are fans of Bach, Earth Wind and Fire, and metal band Mastodon and that they draw from classical, folk and metal for their music - which all makes me think genre matters not at all. 

Viking Galaxy Set list. The Shaft of Agony, The Hall of the Slain, Space Chariots, Galactic Plunder, The Sickle of Hate. 

Band members - Liam Hill (vocals) Matthew Brown (keys), Ross Keightley (bass), Mike Parkins (guitar) and  Andrew Scott (drums).  

The band appeared on stage in their helmets and wigs. Liam is a strikingly tall, engrossing and entertaining front man and he was cool in a leather waistcoat and fur top. They have been writing and rehearsing for several years and it was clear the boys were high about their first gig.

Clare Maguire

I took these images of Clare when she supported Hurts Oran Mor. She appeared in a dramatic scarlet red feathered outfit, with her rock band for one of her very first live shows. She certainly wooed the crowd with her theatrical performance and power vocals - and there are big things expected from Clare in 2011. The gig was started with the lovely local Glasgow girl Kelsey Hunter on guitar.

MUSIC 2010

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Music 2010 has taken some exciting new turns - subtle electronic to retro yet contemporary folk. The genres are blurring more and more and I see this as a positive.

The biggest band of 2010 was Arcade Fire who earned their place at the top end of stadium rock, and their sound reminds me of 70s rock tunes. Their gig Glasgow Barrowlands was one of the top live gigs of all time. 2010 was a year of many great gigs and albums - both large and small scale. Here are some of my thoughts on my own personal views on the biggest sounds of 2010. It is all hard to define now with the complexity of the media - is it about the ticket sales, the album sales, the downloads or the youtube hits...

My favourite new albums anyway, which I hope also represents a slice of the variety of sounds out there. *The biggest Albums - 'Suburbia' by Arcade Fire (indie rock); 'High Violet' The National (indie rock); 'Total Life Forever' the Foals ; ' The XX' won the Mercury with their album 'Crystallized' (Romy has an unforgettable vocal and look - new wave rock); 'I Speak Because I Can' Laura Marling (folk alternative); 'Hill of Thieves' Cara Dillon (folk, released 2009).

Diana Krall - Love Letters : Live in Paris