Interview: Le Reno Amps

Since its release in March, Le Reno Amps’ third album ‘Tear It Open’ has attracted glowing reviews in both underground fanzines and the mainstream press. The quartet’s upbeat, catchy songs are a breath of fresh air and as they take their energetic live show around the UK it seems Le Reno Amps are attracting an ever-growing fan base.

Fronting the band are the dynamic duo of Al Nero and Scott Maple, who share lead vocals and form the band’s core songwriting partnership. Nero and Maple played in separate bands in Aberdeen before joining forces for the industry showcase ‘Go North’ to play an acoustic session. They enjoyed it so much they decided to write some more songs together, later releasing their first LP ‘LRA’ in 2004. The duo then decided to decamp to Glasgow and released ‘So For Your Thrills’ in 2007, recruiting bassist Lindsay and drummer Jason in the process.

‘Tear It Open’ is the first album Le Reno Amps have recorded as a full band and Al Nero is happy with the outcome. “I dare say we’re a tight-knit live band and I feel this album really captures what we’re about” says Al. “For the first time there’s four of us, so you’ve got Lindsay playing bass and singing and Jason playing drums instead of Scott. In the past it was just me and Scott layering all the instruments, but this one is a lot more about playing in a room live and getting everyone’s contribution.”

The album was recorded at Chem19 studios with funding from the Scottish Arts Council and was produced by Sons and Daughters cohort Andy Wallace. “Andy’s great, Chem19’s great and we really feel we’re on an upward curve with this album” says Al. “I think we’re well past the stage of just jamming as a band. I mean, that has its place, but when Le Reno Amps started it was just me and Scott. Because there was just two of us we had to really make sure our songs stood-up and we take the same approach when we write together now.”

Le Reno Amps- 'Outlaws'




According to Al, the band’s main aim with ‘Tear It Open’ was to reflect the upbeat, punchy sound of their live show. “We wanted to make a short, sweet, up-tempo album” he says. The band were also unafraid to get experimental in the studio. “‘Gilded Road’ was just this dumb song, with only four chords but we tagged this electronic intro onto it” says Al. “That’s one example of doing things a bit differently, but mostly we just wanted to build the songs around the melody.”

A lot of bands get tagged as being great live, but anyone who has seen Le Reno Amps in action will tell you they justify that description more than most. “We enjoy playing together, and people see that” says Al. “Some bands just go through the motions but we like putting on a good show and having a banter with the crowd. Sometimes me and Scott like to throw each other off by playing something different in a song or changing it in some way- it keeps us on our toes!”

Describing the sound of Le Reno Amps has certainly given a fair few reviewers headaches, as the band draw on a potpourri of different influences. “Yeah, people say power-pop, indie, country…we don’t know what we want to be” Al comments. “When we make the album it’s basically the best ten or eleven songs we’ve written over the past couple of years that make the cut. If we waited to have, say, ten ‘power-pop’ songs then it would take ages.”

Perhaps part of the reason Le Reno Amps are so hard to pigeon-hole stems from the different influences of their two songwriters. “When I met Scott I was listening to stuff like Blur and Weezer, while he was more into punk and metal.” says Al. “He’d go ‘listen to this’ and stick on some Metallica and at first I thought it was rubbish but eventually your music tastes kind of cross-over. Another thing is there’s an eight year age gap between us so I guess Scott grew up with different bands than I did.”

Whatever the reason for Le Reno Amps’ unique sound, it’s worth checking out. Whether you think its rockabilly, indie, power-pop, or Caledonian mariachi the chances are there will be plenty for you to enjoy.


Le Reno Amps play Tigerfest at Cabaret Voltaire in Edinburgh on 10th May

‘Tear It Open’ is out now on Drift Records

Check out Le Reno Amps on myspace

Tigerfest

The annual Tigerfest festival takes place throughout May and it looks like it will maintain the high standard of previous years. Over the space of three weeks venues in Dunfermline, Edinburgh and Aberdeen will play host to shows from the likes of James Yorkston, Aberdfely, King Creosote, De Rosa, Found and Amusement Parks on Fire.

With such a rich seam of musical talent peddling their wares, it seems that May will be a busy month for music lovers on the east coast.

Here's the line-up in all its glory.....

Aberdeen
Thu 21 May: Alasdair Roberts, Kitchen Cynics, Amber Wilson. Playing at The Tunnels. 8pm (£8)
Sun 24 May: King Creosote, The Pictish Trail, Player Piano. Playing at The Lemon Tree. 7.30pm (£14)

Dunfermline (Carnegie Hall)
Wed 13 May: James Yorkston, Lisa Knapp. 7.30pm (£10)
Thu 14 May: Cruiser, Found, Swimmer One. 7.30pm (£6)
Fri 15 May: ballboy, Audrey Sings Nico, The Rosie Thomas Project, Saint Jude's Infirmary. 7.30pm (£6)
Sat 16 May: Lord Cut-Glass, De Rosa, Angil & The Hiddentracks. 7.30pm (£6)

Edinburgh
Wed 6 May: Amusement Parks On Fire, The Gothenburg Address, Cryoverbillionaires. Playing at Cabaret Voltaire. 7pm (£8)
Thur 7 May : Meursault, Inspector Tapehead, The Japanese War Effort, Playing at The Bowery. 8pm (£5)
Fri 8 May: Aberfeldy, Ex Lion Tamer. Playing at Cabaret Voltaire. 7pm, £10
Sat 9 May: Ordinary Allstars, SupersonicSims, B-burg (DJ set). Playing at Cabaret Voltaire. 7pm (£7)
Sun 10 May: The Stantons, The Gillyflowers, Le Reno Amps. Playing at Cabaret Voltaire. 7pm (Free).

For more info check out the Tigerfest's website

Album Review: Dropkick

Dropkick- 'Patchwork' (Sound Asleep Records)

Dropkick specialise in the kind of breezy pop melodies that bring to mind the likes of Attic Lights and Teenage Fanclub. The band’s alternative-country sound is strewn with sing-alongs and they indulge in vocal harmonies that would make Brian Wilson blush. The prominent use of pedal steel guitars and banjo also lends a strong Americana feel to ‘Patchwork.’

‘Nowhere Girl’ opens things at a gentle pace, before the driving power-pop of the excellent ‘Breakdown’ kicks-in. There are cathcy hooks aplenty and a breezy vibe which is perfect for when the sun’s out. ‘Where I’m From’ revels in folksy sentiments as the banjo plucks away in the background and ‘Listen To You’ has some lovely harmonica flourishes. Title track ‘Patchwork’ also works well and has more of a power-pop element to it than, say, the relaxed country of ‘The State That Remains’.

‘Patchwork’ is certainly a strong collection of tunes, which could be down to the fact that the band features three songwriters- brothers Alastair and Andrew Taylor along with the unrelated Roy W Taylor. One of the best things about Dropkick’s sound is the quality of their harmonising vocals as all the band members possess strong, distinct voices.

This album may be a bit ‘folksy’ for some, but if you have a penchant for laid-back Americana then Dropkick are your band.

Check out Dropkick on their myspace

Album Review: Fink

Fink- 'Sort of Revolution' (Ninja Tune)

It seems that Brighton’s Fin Greenall aka Fink, is a songwriter in demand. He recently worked with John Legend on his ‘Evolver’ album, and being the ‘Legend’ he is, John returns the favour by co-writing two songs on Fink’s latest offering ‘Sort of Revolution’. Fink produced, mixed and mastered his third album himself and it proves to be a fine showcase for his talents.

For the most part the only accompaniment to Fink’s voice and guitar is Guy Whittaker on bass and Tom Thronton on drums. There is an understated, yet almost hypnotic quality to Fink’s music, as the sparse song arrangements bring his laconic vocals to the fore.

The mesmeric opener ‘Sort of Revolution’ draws you in as Fink’s subtle vocals intone over a falling chord sequence. He then teams-up with John Legend on the brooding ‘Move on Me’. It’s certainly a far cry from Legend’s poppier style, but he makes his presence felt with some backing vocals and the occasional piano flourish.

On the lush ‘See It All’ Fink sings about the ‘bright lights in New York’ and the playful a-capella of “Q & A” features some stunning vocal harmonising. ‘If I Had A Million’ just features Fink and his acoustic, as he speculates on how life would change for him and his woman if he became a millionaire

Fink collaborates with John Legend again to potent effect on ‘Maker’, which manages to sound both soulful yet slightly menacing at the same time, particularly when Legend’s powerful vocals lend weight to the chorus.

The dark undercurrents of ‘Maker’ are cleansed with the last number, a beautiful rendition of Jeff Barry’s 70s classic “walking in the sun”. However, while the cover is a nice closer, its Fink’s own low-key indie-folk which makes an indelible impression.

www.myspace.com/finkmusic

Hinterland Festival

The Hinterland Music and Arts festival is taking place in Glasgow from April 30th to May the 1st, with over 100 acts spread around 15 city centre venues.

Here's some of the acts to look out for......

Thursday, April 30th- Beerjacket, Dead Kids, De Rosa, De Salvo, Fangs, Jesus H Foxx, Mersault, Popup, The Fall, The Invisible, The Xcerts, Tommy Reilly


Friday, May 1st- Broken Records, Dinosaur Pile-Up, Foxface, I Like Trains, Isosceles, Juno, Ming Ming and the Ching Chings, Miss The Occupier, Sons and Daughters, We Were Promised Jetpacks, Y'All is Fantasy Island, Zoey Van Goey


There aren't too many details on who's playing what venue at the moment, but we do know this...

Thursday- The Fall are at The Arches, The Xcerts are at the Art School and Tommy Reilly is at King Tut's

Friday- Sons and Daughters are at the Arches, Broken Records are at the Classic Grand and We Were Promised Jetpacks are at the ABC 2.


A 2 day ticket costs £42 and a 1 day ticket costs £23.50. If you want more info then you can check out the Hinterland website