The Neds

Please check full article on my Facebook. - The Sun (SFTW)

Please check full article on my Facebook. - The Sun

Please check full article on my Facebook. - The Glaswegian

He’s the Rutherglen rapper who’s dreaming of a T In The Park appearance.

And Gavin Livingston is not going to stop there … as he would love to inspire a new generation of Scottish acts to put away their guitars and start freestyling instead.

Under the name Gav Livz, Gavin has already enjoyed success, with his Scottish take on the American style which has seen him dubbed ‘the Rabbie Burns of hip-hop’ and has led to a headline gig at the Classic Grand tonight.

Now the 21-year-old from King’s Park is shooting for a T In The Park slot, where he will appear on the same weekend as the man who kick-started his musical dreams, Eminem.

“I really want to play T In The Park this year, there should be a Scottish hip-hop representative there” he said.

“There’s a lot of good MCs out there in Scotland so if they got a slot and I didn’t I’d be cool with that. But if there was no hip-hop acts playing at a festival that has Eminem and Jay-Z, I’d be angry. So I’m hoping to play the T-Break stage, for young Scottish acts.”

It was watching the 8 Mile movie as a teenager that led Gavin to become interested in hip-hop, and his early career saw him adopt an American accent and call himself Da BlinGz, as he tried to match his heroes.

It was successful too, as it landed him a support slot with hip-hop pioneers De La Soul, gigs at the Edinburgh Festival and a management deal. But eventually Gavin became fed up, and decided to go back to his roots.

“The key thing was when I changed the accent from the US one to a Scottish one” he said.

“I came back from touring abroad with De La Soul and I was really obsessed with various other things in my life.

“I was 16, I thought I was in love, and I was thinking that I didn’t want to be involved in the music industry.

“It got to the point where I was thinking about not doing shows, and that’s what inspired the Gav Livz thing as I realised I couldn’t rap in this American accent when I was 25.

“And then I realised I needed to do the Da BlinGz stuff, but with a Scottish accent. Now it has all come together musically.”

Gavin tries to keep swearing out of his lyrics because he wants to set a good example for any kids listening, and he talks about how much he loves his parents for supporting his music. He’s also proud of the fact that he manages his own career and directs his own videos.

During the last few years he has released the albums Twenty’s Plenty and Double 6’s, offering up his Scottish take on hip-hop, with tunes that he feels are ideally suited to getting people moving in clubs.

And now he sees himself as being the Scottish version of acts like N-Dubz and Tinchy Stryder.

“My long-term plan is to hit the Top 40 and then start putting out the music on my own label eventually” he revealed.

“I do get labelled as just doing Scottish rap, and my music is not just that, it’s mainstream too. I’d describe myself as N-Dubz or Tinchy but with a Scottish accent, and a bit of rawness. Urban and hip-hop … it’s what the industry is buying right now.

“It can be hard doing rap in Scotland it’s easier to get gigs if you’re an indie band. I don’t get many support slots here.”

But Gavin hopes that his own music can help lead the way in setting up a new generation of Scottish rap artists.

“I feel like I’m the only person doing this stuff. There’s still a good hip-hop scene in Scotland, with a lot of guys who are really talented writers. I feel you can be stuck in the 90s if you’re inspired only by Eminem. You need to be commercialised now, and I love writing mainstream songs.

“Sometimes when you come to people with this sound, they don’t know what to do with it. I want to be someone that kids listen to and say they want to be like that guy.”

For now, Gavin just wants to make his own mark on Scottish music, and doesn’t mind going pop if he has to.

“I’m totally open to being pop. The next album will be different. I’m already looking at working with indie guys, just trying to get a better sound. With the last album, it wasn’t recorded in a proper studio and I feel that if was properly mixed it could have had hits.

“A few years ago I saw myself as this artist that was going to make it … now I realise I might not make it, and that makes me want to work harder … if I don’t do it myself then no-one else will.”
- Evening Times

RUTHERGLEN rapper Gav Livz is back on the gigging trail.

After taking a year-and-a-half off to focus on writing new material, the King’s Park singer, real name Gavin Livingston, is thrilled to be playing live again.

Ahead of a show at the Classic Grand on May 21, he said: “We’ve just done the O2 Academy a few months ago -all those years of driving by the place and I finally got to play there!

“I didn’t actually know there were two rooms, so we were in the other room but it was still packed, and I’ve got a good fan base now, that I’ve built up over the years.

“I hadn’t gigged in about a year and a half, so it was good to get back on the live scene.

“I finally got to play King Tut’s as well a few weeks ago. That was also great.

“Six days before the concert I got an e-mail from DF Concerts asking if I was free, so we had a few days to sell about 60 tickets, and we sold them all.

“I’d say Tuts was the best gig I’ve ever done, but I’m looking forward to playing the Classic Grand.”

And Gavin feels that his gigs have improved over the past few years, as he’s become a more talented and varied performer.

He added: “At my first gigs, I would just grab the microphone and put loud beats on.

“Now, it’s much more of a show - I’ve got a DJ, and backing dancers and it’s a much better experience.

“I try and just play upbeat songs as well, that’ll get people dancing.”

The former Holyrood Secondary pupil fell in love with rap after seeing the film 8 Mile, and has now been performing for the past five years.

Last year he released his Double 6’s album, which included the track Whistle For A Hottie.

But the singer’s idea to promote his new song didn’t quite work out as he’d hoped.

He laughed: “We gave out whistles to the crowd, which they could use during Whistle For A Hottie.

“But the noise got so much I actually couldn’t hear myself, or the music!

“It was a still a good idea though, just trying to do something different.”

The singer also hopes to be able to play T Break this year, and will be working on another album, with the aim of releasing it in 2011.

More information on Gavin’s music, and his next gigs, can be found at www.myspace.com/gavlivz - Rutherglen Reformer

Jim Gellatly’s back with his weekly update of what’s hot and happening in the Scottish scene.

This time round even more first-timers on Jim Gellatly’s New Music including a band who recorded their album with legendary US producer Kramer, but more recently have been working with former Beta Band man Steve Mason… there’s a couple of ex-pats now living out the Rock N Roll dream in Denver, Colorado… just why Jim thinks a Glasgow hip hop act wipes the floor with the latest Black Eyed Peas chart-topper. - Radio Magnetic

A RAPPER who says he is the "Rabbie Burns of hip hop" is looking to re-launch his career.

Gav Livz - formerly known as Da BlinGz - was signed by a record label at 16, put out an album and even went on tour with influential American hip hop group De La Soul.

But the whole experience overwhelmed 'Da BlinGz' and he took a step back from the limelight following a fallout with his management.

After re-inventing himself as Gav Livz, the "Bard of hip hop", the 21-year-old has released a new album, Double 6's, with his producer MC-VA, and it is something he feels much more comfortable with.

It is a collection of mainstream hip hop offerings, that he hopes will be Scotland's answer to English artists N Dubz and Tinchy Stryder.

Now living in Clydebank, Gav Livz - real name Gavin Livingston - told the Post: "I used to write more personal stuff when I was younger but now I'm doing more mainstream tunes for clubs.

"This is my first major release for about three years. In 2006 I released an album called The Octagon which was available in HMV and sold ten thousand copies.

"I had just left school then and I went to a management team down south.

"I also went with De La Soul out to the Czech Republic and other places in Eastern Europe.

"The first few gigs we did were in front of about a hundred people and then we played to about fifteen hundred. The shows were more or less sold out and the crowds out there really appreciate the music.

"But it was quite hard because I wasn't able to bring anyone with me.

"It was the first time I had been away from my parents so I definitely did struggle.

"When I came back I really took a step back and thought - is this really what I want to do?"

However, after years of working out his sound, dropping his dodgy American rapping voice and deciding to rap with his native Scottish accent, Gavin is ready for another shot at the big time.

He said: "I would love the chance to go on tour again - I would appreciate it more now.

"I really want to concentrate on making it now. I'm just putting myself out there and doing lots of gigs. And a TV channel called Channel AKA - which is really supportive of unsigned acts - is going to be playing my video."

Gav's new album is called Double 6's, and anyone wanting a listen can contact Gav through www.myspace.com/gavlivz. - Clydebank Post