Ears still a bit sensitive after the pummelling from two gigs in one night in Glasgow.
Kvelertak at Stereo and then United Fruit at Bar Bloc. Sitting here looking at a blank screen wondering how on earth to return to music criticism and wordsmithery.
For a guy who started out as a copywriter, writing copy is a habit I create and break more often than I would like to admit. Random thoughts pop into my head such as, “I have no desire to write a normal music blog.” Then I try to analyse what that even means. With any luck I’ll become distracted by yet another tangent before long.
Usually I’ll do a Google search to see if anyone else has already written something about a gig I’ve been at. The List, The Skinny and the various Scottish music blogs often have well-written, functional reviews. I say functional because many of them read like all the music press I’ve ever encountered in my numerous years of reading the music press. I would normally namecheck Dave Kerr at The Skinny at this point as being one of the few writers in Scotland that I enjoy reading. There’s been plenty of Scottish musicians in well-known bands, whose records I buy and love, who write for various outlets and I never enjoy the articles. But if they’re making a few quid from it then I won’t grumble.
Philosophy can be a tricky thing to communicate. It’s much easier to make a snap judgement based on our own preconceptions. Why go to the effort to be logical? Especially when it’s about other people. We’re all equal yet we know we can make ourselves feel better if we put someone else down. Music criticism is one way to put yourself in the line of fire. Which is why I’ve had so many false starts in recent years when writing for this site. Attracting negative attention isn’t a healthy option. If I dislike a band, I’d rather just ignore them and wait for the obituary. If I do write about a band and criticise them then it’s because I want them to raise their game for my own selfish enjoyment of music according to my own narrow view of the world.
After all, the odds of the average unsigned indie band existing five years from now is slim. The odds that band will still be going and making a living from music – is almost zero.
