Kieran Glasgow

Great little swinger of a number. He's got a train backing him and the engineer is hanging out the window playing the accordian while he is not shoveling coal. Great voice, rounded mellow yet can run up the higher parts of the range while keeping it sounding strong and steady. Makes me kind of wish i had of taken those line dancing lessons at the Warragul scout hall. Maybe thats what the song is about. - Triple J Unearthed

RECORDED in studios in Strathfield and Croydon, the debut single by Inner West band Glasgow & The Fourth Wall, Wasn't Just The Drugs has been released.
The single was launched on November 24 at the Cat & Fiddle pub in Balmain and the band will perform live again on Tuesday, December 4 at the Unity Hall Hotel, Balmain.
It is almost impossible to adequately describe music using just words. It is much better to listen and make up your own mind easily done since three Glasgow & The Fourth Wall tracks, including the single, can be downloaded free from: www.glasgowandthe
fourthwall.com
Led by singer-songwriter Kieran Glasgow, the band won the prestigious Vanguard Peats Ridge Festival 2006 competition.
They have also received national airplay and supported bands including Youth Group, Old Man River and Peabody.
By Xavier Toby, Inner-West Weekly - Cumberland Newspapers

Kieran Glasgow is a singer-songwriter whose talent has somehow, so far gone unnoticed. His outstanding voice poignant lyrics and talented musicianship create captivating music. He is renowned for relating to his audience and sparking emotion to any hardened audience member. Glasgow affirms he wants people to feel something emotionally when they attend his gigs: “I want to take the listener away and make them feel something emotionally”.

Glasgow is a highly experienced performer. Since he was 17 he has fronted numerous bands, including a popular larger than life rock band from Lismore called Pot Belly, and Sydney funk band subsonic, he’s produced an EP with Mirthania and has played in pubs with various Irish acts all over the United Kingdom.

Currently, Glasgow is developing songs in his home studio for a new album with his band, The Fourth Wall. The auspicious demo he supplied me shows off his warm syrupy voice that glues together the gentle folk/blues support from his band members. His music evokes a situation where Ben Harper meets
Coldplay.

Glasgow is excited about the process of recording his new album “I love that feeling of getting into a rehearsal room and everybody’s hearts are beating at the same time. Emotionally people are focused at the same time and are all on the same wavelength”.

Glasgow plays solo as well as playing vocals for a band. He enjoys the camaraderie of being part of a band, but also the full sound that only a band can produce. “I love my band. I love the big, full sound of the electric guitar, the acoustic guitar, the keyboard, the piano, drums and vocals… when it comes to performing live, I love the way the set is not calculated at all. I love moments like when I hear my guitarist pull out an amazing guitar solo”.

Despite being a keen band member, Glasgow also enjoys playing multi-instruments in his solo act. “ I like the control of playing solo. I play drums with my right foot and play high-hat with my left foot and play
the tambourine, the harmonica and sing at the same time. It’s great as I have complete control.” Glasgow is un-phased by the complexity of playing this many instruments at once. “It’s pretty easy really. It’s all about the rhythm. I love doing it because it’s like jamming with myself. I also don’t have to worry about the band trying to follow me and can stop and chat to the crowd after five minutes, if I want to do that”.

The skilled craftsmanship involved in Glasgow’s music is reflected in his lyric writing. “I love writing songs; the whole process of writing a song and how it makes you feel, I love getting excited when you can feel it all coming together.”

Glasgow’s lyrics journey on the emotional roller coaster of love and relationships but a few of the songs carry blatant messages about the world’s unstable political situation. “The main reason why I am a song
writer is because music can cross boundaries. It is a great gift if you can make someone more in touch with their emotions or how they think about the world and broaden their minds”.

Singin’ Words is a song off the latest demo that reflects Glasgow’s attempts to illustrate what is important in the world. “The song mentions how world greed seems to be more important than getting on with everybody and trying to be open minded and to understand where different cultures are coming
from, which I think is really important”.

“I tend not to write directly from an intellectual perspective on political writings. I write from a personal, emotional level. It [Kool Skat Giva] was a song that I wrote when busting my arse in a bunch of different jobs and wishing that I could make a living out of playing music. It made me realise why I play music, I don’t play it to get rich and famous, I play it because I love it and it brings joys to people. So, I also had to write this song to remind myself why I love making music”.
- Beat Magazine (Melbourne)

• How many gigs have you done to date? Also, do you have anything coming up?

We've done loads of local Sydney gigs at places like the Basement, The Vanguard, the Hopetoun, Lansdowne and the Excelsior Hotels. We also played the Peat’s Ridge Festival last year and Dylan (guitar) and I have toured down to Melbourne and Tasmania and up to Newcastle quite a bit for gigs. As far as upcoming gigs goes, look out for us in the coming months!

• What does it mean for you to have the chance to play nationally at the Big Day Out?

It would be the culmination of quite a few years of artistic aspirations and shear hard work at practicing our craft, gigging and putting together our websites etc. It would be the best exposure we could ever hope for and the boys and I would put on the show of our lives.

• How did all your band members meet to form the band?

Dylan and I had played in a band called Potbelly in Lismore, which is on the North Coast of NSW. This was before I moved to Sydney. That band featured Joe Hanson of Grinspoon and had lotsa potential but wasn't to be. Glen, I also met in Lismore around the same time. Chris and Lindsay I met through different friends and muso networks here in Sydney.

• What bands influence you? And what band would you most like to meet?

As a songwriter and lyricist I think I'm probably influenced by people like Neil Finn, Bono, Eddie Vedder, Ryan Adams and Don Walker but I listen to how lot of different music as diverse as Johnny Cash, Bjork, Zeppelin and Fishbone.

• What do you think about Tooheys Extra Dry bringing the uncharTED competition to life - what does it do for musicians and for the listening public?

I think it's great. It's a mutually beneficial partnering of talent. Musical and promotion I guess and it offers unsigned artists a chance to play at a huge festival and meet loads of other bands and industry types that love music.

• How are you drumming up support for the public/fans to vote for you in the
competition?

We're linking our website with our myspace to the UncharTED site and basically sending out flyers and through word of mouth.
- Tooheys Uncharted

The songs might begin with the supply emotive voice of guitarist Kieran Glasgow but it's obvious they're unequivocally transformed into true band collaborations by the musical sensibility of the five members of The Fourth Wall, evoking the inherent tension and drama in these seeminly simple songs of life and love. There's something of early Reg Dwight (alright Elton John then) in Glasgow's voice on the plaintive track; the Dwight who was capable of convincingly delivering a love song with genuine passion, and that's what you get here. - Drum Media

Glasgow And The Fourth Wall left no doubt where there preferences were directed thanks to the number of KEVIN 07 posters on the drum kit and guitarist Dylan Hartas' 'Howard is a Bush pig' T-shirt. Political and personal asides [a cheeky dedication of 'Wasn't Just The Drugs' to Hartas' heavily pregnant partner Elaine] peppered the set as the quintet cranked out solid roots/rock tunes underpinned by nice melody, accomplished songwriting and a sense of occassion. Although the anticipated broadcast of the band's DVD was unable to go ahead, the show kept pace, mixing new numbers and crowd favourites Dog's Life, Shiny Box and How To Love into an undeniable brew.

By Fiona Cameron - Drum Media 4/12/07 (Issue 883)

- Drum Media - Street Press Australia Pty Ltd