New Sounds of Scotland--Part 7: SHe'S Hit, Fiction Faction, Peter Parker

What does the doctor order for a rainy Tuesday of a week that promises, no, threatens, to seem longer than the usual? New bands with energy and swagger, that's what. And here are three from Scotland.

We're kicking it off with SHe'S Hit. To my ears they seem to tend towards the garage band genre, but they've also been tagged with post punk and dirty surf. I'm not sure that I know what dirty surf is, but at first blush I strongly endorse the concept musically, if not environmentally. Formed in 2008, their name comes from a song by the Australian band Birthday Party. The members are David Wilson, Mike Hanson, Philip McLellan, Cammy Wilson and Fraser McFadzean. There are several "honorary" members, including Scott Paterson of Sons and Daughters and Jen Paley of Astral Planes. Drowned in Sound picked them as a band to watch. They also were picked to support Dead Weather in concert in 2010.

"Re:Peater" is their first single:



"Shimmer Shimmer"

Shimmer Shimmer by She's Hit

You can hear a bit of The Jesus and Mary Chain and the Stooges in these guys, and I hope there are plans for an album in the near future.

Facebook
Myspace
Soundcloud

Our next welcome jolt of energy is delivered by Fiction Faction, a Glasgow four man indie rock band that also incorporates electronic elements. Or, as they put it "keyboards on guitars that sound like guitars played on keyboards". The influential BBC DJ Vic Galloway has tipped them as a band to watch for this year, as have other UK publications and blogs.

I really like this tune -- "Malenky Lizards":
Malenky Lizards by Fiction Faction

And one of the things I really like about the band is that they don't feel wed to the folk rock conventions of many of their peers -- and that isn't on knock on their peers and what their peers are producing as readers of my posts can attest. In my view, the lads of Fiction Faction are modern post punk. The list their influences as Blur, Echo and the Bunnymen, Soft Cell, Pulp, The Cure and XTC.

"Count to Ten"



The members are Dave Richards, Paul Mclean, John Paul Dunne, and Graeme Ellis, and they released a single on 17 Seconds Records (whose founder operates a very nice blog called 17 Seconds) in January of this year.

"Appirations"



Facebook
Soundcloud (additional tracks)
Bandcamp

Finally, a big dose of sexy energy and, for US fans, a bit of mystery, the unsigned Glasgow band Peter Parker.



I don't have any more videos for this pop group, but there are more songs on at the Myspace link below. There also doesn't seem to be much recorded material, but the band seems to gig actively in the UK.

Facebook
Myspace