Randan Discotheque

Album Review (4 carrots out of 5)

this is a review from "The Bluesbunny - Independent Music Reviews" (http://www.bluesbunny.com)
RANDAN DISCOTHEQUE
I am the Singer You are The Song
No catalogue number
2007

In a world full of conformity, it is always good to find an individual. Even in the entertainment business where insanity and triviality often share the same bed, the end result is often uninspired. One thing that you have to give Randan Discotheque with this album "I am the Singer You are the Song" is that they don't quite fit the mould.

From the pen of Craig Coulthard comes 13 songs that share an oddball charm (and a strange affinity for reverb too). There's a bit of political commentary mixed with sarcasm in "The Prince Must Go to Iraq". In days gone by, this folk flavoured ditty would have got you jailed for treason. But underneath it all there is the soul of a clean living country boy as evidenced by the dryly amusing "Courting" as it bounces out of the speakers. With the aforementioned reverb maxed out, the best song of the album, "Love is on the Line", lays on the woe and melodrama to great effect. It should be on a David Lynch movie soundtrack, perhaps in a scene set in a strip club. There are some more conventional musical moments but the overall feeling is of musical experimentation. Nothing wild and dramatic but everything is just that little bit outside the norm.

Randan Discotheque is a cracking name for a band and, for once, is indicative of a real quirkiness. In terms of vocal performances, you'll easily find a better singer but we can honestly say that you won't get bored with this album in a hurry. - www.bluesbunny.com

Liquid Ship Live Review
Washington Irving, Randan Discotheque, Simon Kempston and David Duffy live at The Liquid Ship, Glasgow

Small world. You know what we mean. You look at a guy on a stage and think to yourself that he looks familiar. It could just be the drink, of course. Talking of the drink, better order one now. David Duffy, Simon Kempston, Randan Discotheque and Washington Irving are making an appearance at a Free Candy Session. Can't do reviews without drinkies.

His name is David Duffy and Bluesbunny has actually seen him before. Down at O'Henrys on a Saturday night as I recall. Did not think he was a musician then. Must be the drink. Hope my mother isn't reading this as she will start doing that praying for my soul thing again. Not lacking is soul, however, is our Mr Duffy. Maybe it is that whole central Scotland thing mixing up folk with rock and soul to make the kind of music that you can raise your glass too. With songs like "Quietly Outspoken" and "The Life Pursuit" highlighting his confident, warm voice and fluent guitar style, he manages to make the world seem a happier place.

Simon Kempston is a serious guy. His songs are intelligent and show that concern that right minded people show for world events. With subject matter ranging from Northern Ireland ("Mad Dog") to the Baltic States ("Barricade"), he puts his point across with conviction. Seated and looking serious throughout, he has the kind of voice that makes everything he sings seem important. He is from Edinburgh, after all, and they don't party like Glaswegians do.

Randan Discotheque? A pure magic name of a band and they prove to be rather more light hearted than Mr Kempston even having a song dedicated to the legendary Scottish woman of the weather, Heather Reid. Adolescent fantasies and sunny days intertwine in this sweet anthem of obsession but just as you start writing them off as a younger, jauntier version of the Proclaimers they go off on a wander through the darker side of country music with "Grieve Mourn". There's a subtlety to the lyrics that bears closer examination otherwise you'll miss much of the dark humour that lives in there.

Rounding things off tonight are Washington Irving. Reckon this five piece band have been doing a lot of gigging given their solid and confident performance tonight. They mesh their folk influences into a catchy pop sound reminiscent of Prefab Sprout or even Aztec Camera. It is a sound that is easy to listen to and you can imagine "I Love It Here" becoming a bit of an anthem on the festival circuit this summer. Doubt that there are any serious drinkers amongst them but it would not be a surprise if they end up scaling the heights of musical success.

Another review. Another drink. The future's so bright, I've got to wear factor 50 sunblock. God bless global warming! - www.bluesbunny.com

With the likes of King Creosote and Alasdair Roberts flying the flag high for Scottish country folk, Edinburghs Randan Discotheque is in good company. "I am the Singer, You are the Song", is an emotive and evocative record thats displays Craig Coulthard's masterful song-crafting skills, even though tracks like "The Prince Must Go to Iraq" sounds a tad on the preachy side. Nonetheless, Randan Discotheque is surely a talent that deserves greater notoriety. - The Stool Pigeon

Reviews in general, some good, some bad......

Ooh, its a right mixed bag. make of them what you will, i did.....

Stool Pigeon review of "I am the Singer"...

With the likes of King Creosote and Alasdair Roberts flying the flag high for Scottish country folk, Edinburghs Randan Discotheque is in good company. "I am the Singer, You are the Song", is an emotive and evocative record thats displays Craig Coulthard's masterful song-crafting skills, even though tracks like "The Prince Must Go to Iraq" sounds a tad on the preachy side. Nonetheless, Randan Discotheque is surely a talent that deserves greater notoriety.

Lots of Random Words review of "I am the Singer.."

* * *

(Fife Kills)





The most basic conceit of folk, rock or pop music is the combination of voice and guitar. It's a conceit that naturally places emphasis on words over music, and has fanned the lyrical fire of anyone from Woody Guthrie to Elliot Smith. But recently, many artists we understand as singer-songwriters, such as Sufjan Stevens or Bright Eyes, have gone for a much bigger, orchestral sound. But Craig Coulthard, the Scot behind Randan Discotheque, has reacted against the notions of immaculate production and string sections with an album of pared-down, lyrically dextrous songs. Coulthard is most interested in matters of the heart (and of the libido) but his pen also castigates the futility of war (Sheets and Scrolls of Paper) and the tabloid press (New Art Sensation). The album's integrity is a welcome change from the throwaway verses of the 'LDN set', but you feel that Coulthard's plain voice could benefit from just a little more musical complexity. - Lots of Random Words

ist Review of "I am the Singer, You are the Song"

Randan Discotheque
"I Am the Singer, You Are the Song"
Snaking from Johnny Cash train stomp rhythms to delicate love stung paeans to departed muses, Randan Discotheque throws up an occasionally disconcerting musical bag of tricks. Craig Coulthard combines his lyrical candour with delicate strumming, resulting in a wildly varying tone to this record's many high points. This is typified by the excellent "Love Is On the Line", which buzzes and blows into a haunting requiem to a doomed relationship, while "The Prince Must Go to Iraq" is a convincing and humourous protest song on the "expendable royal" not being booted off to Basra.
4/5
Miles Johnson - The List

..> Live Review in The Skinny..>
Randan Discotheque @ Collective Gallery, 4 Jul
..> ..>
Written by Chris Bathgate
Tuesday, 07 August 2007

A varied collection; from love and war to political and religious insights
The last in a series of weekly gigs at this gallery sees two acoustic acts complementing an exhibition by Johanna Billing. The Collective Gallery is small and cosy, with a PA system facing directly onto the street through huge windows. It has the feel of a goldfish bowl, though the performers are spared the stress of being on display in the former shop window. Instead, all you can see from the street are the backs of the 50-odd souls who have crammed inside.

Jamie Wallace O'Connor, or 'The Wee Rogue' starts the proceedings, and much of the audience are initially mesmerised by his pure vocals. He sounds at times like King Creosote playing James Orr Complex's guitar. His songs are long, with many exposed, instrumental passages. They come across like Scots ballads, dealing in love and loss of innocence. Awkward chord shapes complement his Fife lilt and there's a sweet progression on I Partnered the Devil.

Craig Coulthard, or Randan Discotheque, has a more varied collection, from love and war to political and religious insights. The songs are split with passages of pre-scripted dialogue, providing snapshots of his psyche and hinting at influences and relationships. The Prince Must Go To Iraq raises much laughter but many of the songs are bittersweet and it's slightly uncomfortable to watch as he beats himself up over a lost relationship. However, his sharp, self-deprecating humour smoothes the atmosphere and the gig peaks in a glee club sing-a-long about Heather Reid the weather presenter. - The Skinny

Dazed & Confused

February 2006



EDINBURGH: OUT ON THE TILES



CRAIG COULTHARD'S RANDAN DISCO PARTIES ARE GIVING EDINBURGH SOMETHING TO SMILE ABOUT.



With Scotland recently being awarded the dubious accolade of having the second highest Homicide rate in Europe, out-slaughtering non-EU countries such as Uruguay and Uzbekistan in the process, one could be forgiven for having the impression that all is not well north of the border. However, despite the cruel press his country may have received of late, Edinburgh-based artist Craig Coulthard is using his songs to drive home the finer aspects of all things Caledonian through the gentler means of song.

Randan Discotheque, held in the dinky surroundings of Edinburgh College of Art's Wee Red Bar, played host to slide shows of Scottish heraldry and projections of skeleton gangs dancing to accordions, alongside the young Scotsman's harmonious crooning.

Better known for having his art exhibited as part of the New Work Scotland Programme at the Collective Gallery, Coulthard was looking for a name with which to release the songs he had been working on for over ten years. He was inspired by a trip to Lake Como in Italy, where he stumbled across an abandoned building with a defunct light-box reading "Randan Discotheque Music Nightclub". "I'd heard the word 'randan' a lot from relatives, as well as in some old folk songs. 'Out on the randan' is a bit like saying 'out on the tiles'. I like to think that my music has a certain Scottishness to it without being backwards, and so the old randan music and modern disco worked well".

With Randan Discotheque, Coulthard also took the opportunity to circulate a fanzine called Babliography which contains the life stories of figures like suffragette pioneer Flora Drummond, and Scots-American playboy james Gordon-Bennett, albeit with some entertaining twists. "The Babliographies contain a mixture of fact and fiction, but its hard to tell which is which, as is the case with a lot of 'fact' these days." Ultimately, Craig Coulthard's antics prove that in Scotland, at least, the guitar is still mightier than the sword.

MILES JOHNSON - Dazed & Confused