Cass McCombs' European Tour and The Great Western Festival.
We have another busy month. American musician Cass McCombs has asked us to supply the backline for his current European Tour. The tour comes off the back of his excellent new album Tip of the Sphere and includes shows in Lisboa, Barcelona, Köln, Utrecht and various shows in the Uk with the last performance of the tour coming at the Great Western Festival in Glasgow.
Cass McCombs is a prolific songwriter, his songs are cleverly crafted and wonderfully intriguing. His record label Anti- describes him as a ‘transient storyteller interested in words, music and dreams.’ While most of McCombs' albums have been pieced together in different studios over an extended period of time, Tip of the Sphere was recorded quickly and with a strong sense of purpose at Shahzad Ismaily’s Figure 8 Studios in Brooklyn. This new approach for McCombs brought his songs a raw immediacy and a special balance of compassion and experimentation with the intent of making a more consistent statement.
Video For "Absentee" of Cas McCombs' new album Tip of the Sphere.
We have have supplied our Tama Starclassic Kit, Hammond XK3, Ampeg SVT Classic bass head alongside an Ampeg 410 Cab plus much more equipment and accessories for the whole tour which culminates here in Glasgow on Saturday the 23rd November as part of the Great Western Festival.
Cass McCombs' European Tour Dates. Tickets available here.
The Great Western is a new music festival organised by 432 Presents taking place in various venues in Glasgow’s west end. It is billed as ‘a festival of musical exploration and discovery.' Alongside McCombs, desert blues outfit Songhoy Blues and Californian dance-punk band Chk Chk Chk top the bill. The line-up also includes the likes of Warmduscher, Peaness, Big Joanie, Dry Cleaning and Art School Girlfriend. There are also a lot of excellent Scottish acts playing at the festival with The Pastels, Lightships and Malcolm Middleton all confirmed to play. Former Scottish Album of the Year winners Sacred Paws and this years SAY Award shortlisted Free Love (FKA Happy Meals) have also been announced.
The Great Western Festival Poster. Full line up and tickets available here.
The festival will take place throughout the west end of Glasgow, from nearby community spaces such as Burnbank Bowling Club, The Glue Factory and Maryhill Community Central Halls to more established venues such as The Hug & Pint, Òran Mór and QMU, as well as the beautiful Mackintosh Queen’s Cross Church. As well as exceptional live music, The Great Western will also be working closely with local restaurants and bars in the area to offer attendees the chance to sample some of the finest food and drink on offer, with plenty of veggie, vegan and reasonably priced options available. And there will be a wide variety of community workshops on offer too, giving visitors the opportunity to try their hand at a new skill, or simply sharpen an old one. With all this talent on show and the price of full admission being only £31.50 getting a ticket is a no brainer. We will be there for the festival to catch McCombs alongside some of the other excellent acts. Make sure to pick yourself up a ticket here.
Moving from the West End to the East End we have a hire going to Platform in Easterhouse for Idris Ackamoor and The Pyramids. Platform is the arts centre at the heart of The Bridge, located in Easterhouse, offering a year-round programme of cutting edge performance, music, visual arts and participation. The venue views culture and creativity as a bedrock of a healthy and inclusive society and their work is rooted in our location and engages directly with their audiences. They work with a range of local and national partners to bring together communities and artists. As well as benefiting the local community encouraging, artistic expression and collaboration the venue also plays host to some excellent bands and performers.
Idris Ackamoor and the Pyramids playing at Platform on Saturday 9th November.
This Saturday sees them bring Idris Ackamoor and The Pyramids' intergalactic musical odyssey to Glasgow. Formed in 1972 The Pyramids fused influences from the rich jazz and funk scenes of the USA filtered through a musical spiritual journey around West Africa – resulting in an adventurous and bold Afrofuturism. After a trio of albums in the 70s Idris Ackamoor re-emerged in 2016 with We Be All Africans. Idris’ restless creativity sees each record move in a new and distinctive direction whilst maintaining that Pyramids sound. This tour will see them perform music from upcoming album ‘SHAMAN!’ and will feature Idris on saxophone, original Pyramid member Dr Margaux Simmons on flutes, Sandra Poindexter on violins and vocals, Bobby Cobb on guitar, Gary Brown on bass and George Hearst on drums and percussion. Tickets for the show can be found here.
Idris Ackamoor and the Pyramids - We Be All Africans
We have quite a lot more on this week including DJ Equipment for Festival of the Dead, a unique combination of carnival, circus and clubbing inspired by the art of the Day of The Dead celebration, at the O2 Academy tomorrow. On Monday our Dave Smith Prophet 08 is going to the Hug and Pint for American electronic musician Steve Hauschildt. On Tuesday we have backline going out for Sam Tomkins at the Poetry Club which includes our Moog Sub Phatty and Fender Hotrod Deville 212. On Wednesday our DW Collector's Series Drum Kit and one of our Fender Twin Reverb 65s are going to King Tut’s for Canadian Country group the James Barker Band and on Thursday various DJ Equipment is going out for the newly opened Max Mara shop on Multrees Walk in Edinburgh.
Its setting up to be another busy month here at ESP and we will keep you updated of all our upcoming events here and on our Twitter. As always get in touch at info@esp-musicrentals.co.uk if you would like to hire any of our equipment.