Marionettes

First of all, nothing to do with 80s goth band, The Screaming Marionettes (who I did indeed feature here once). The Marionettes hail from Aberdeen, and have been plying their wares since 2007.

They have just signed to Bedford Records, and seem reluctant to let us know who they are, but this is a free track they have released ahead of their debut single, a three track EP called The Rightness Of Blindness, released on April 9. It’s called ‘De Ja When?’ and it’s fab - I have played this four times this evening.

The following gig listings are lifted staright from Bedford Records’ site, but I hope will prove useful…

Thursday 12th April, The Doghouse Dundee. Doors at 8pm. £5/£3 for students. 14+, Under 18?s must be accompanied by an adult.

Friday 13th April, The Lemon Tree Aberdeen, support from Velvet Audio, Kobi and Joy Riot. Tickets are £6 + booking fee. Doors at 8pm. Under 16?s must be accompanied by an adult.

Saturday 14th April, Pivo Pivo, Glasgow. Doors at 7.30pm 18+ only.

Sunday 15th April, Sneaky Petes, Edinburgh, support from Suburban Saints and The Battle Adds, Tickets are £4. Doors at 7pm. 18+ only

Monday 16th April, Madhatters Inverness.
- 17 Seconds

The Aberdeen based label, Bedford Records continue to impress with their ability to unearth little hidden gems from the North East of Scotland. Boasting an impressive repertoire which includes the likes of IndianRedLopez, Steven Milne and you can now add frantic indie pop outfit, Marionettes to that list. With their their debut single, "The Rightness Of Blindless" due out on the 9th of April, the band are giving away a free download of "De Ja When?" as a wee introduction to the band. If oyu like what you hear then you can catch the band playing live at The Doghouse in Dundee on the 12th April, then The Lemon Tree in Aberdeen on the 13th, then on the14th April they'll be at Pivo Pivo in Glasgow, on the15th they're at Sneaky Petes in Edinburgh, before finishing up on the16th at Madhatters in Inverness. - Peenko

A lovely pop record, three tracks only, but fine… The opener, Horrorscope, is a jaunty strut relying on jangling guitar riffs to flesh out the tune and a rasping vocal that has something of “the Lee Mavers” about it. That the song feels aggressive and uncertain at the same time is the element that is most charming. It’s a classic lover’s lament by a kid who’s good with words but not too hot on pinning down his feelings. Dishwipe Fishwipe is another blast that again has a nice guitar line amongst all the thrashing about and verbal put downs. Not sure why it reminds me of the Wedding Present or The Bodines but it does and that’s me just showing my age. Last up is Panda Bears which is a bit of a guitar charge welded to a nice refrain - lots of tremolo sounds and high octane drumming. Classic assertive and literate pop, the band has something. - Incendiary Magazine

The Aberdeen based indie-rock troop bring us the eponymous track off their upcoming EP. Clocking in at just under 3 minutes, “Shrinking Violets” is an insatiable shot of indie-pop decorated with shout-along hooks and intricate guitar melodies. The track will be available to download for free on 2nd December. If you’re a fan of the likes of The Stokes and The Libertines, then Marionettes’ new EP needs to be in your record collection. Follow the band on facebook to get hold of the download link as well news on upcoming shows. - Hot For The Encore

By the time you read this with those beautiful eyes you have, the second Marionettes EP will be out in shops and online. If you like your bands to be energetic with fizzing guitar lines, frenetic rhythms and vocal hooks that wouldn't sound out of place amongst the best indie rock bands in the UK, then maybe you should buy this EP, right? Right. They're pretty friendly guys too, and it's nice to be nice. - The Fly

Second up were a band I've seen many times, but Marionettes have dropped the "The" from their name, lost a member, and added two new members and a synth since I last saw them. What these guys offer is incredibly fast, up- beat, verging on punky indie music. If you imagine what the Arctic Monkeys would have sounded like if they were from Inverurie, this is it. As always, Marionettes are brilliant. I really like this band, and love what they do. They never care if they're playing in front of three people or three million people, they just deliver their set with masses of enthusiasm, and Friday night was no different. I didn't get to pay as much attention to their set as I would have liked as there was a flurry of people coming through the door about halfway through their set, and my fellow doorman had gone awol... But what I heard was good. - Aberzine