THE SCOTCH OF SAINT JAMES

The Scotch Of Saint James took to the stage after the sun had set and the lighting show begun, and confirmed just why they are so popular on the local gig circuit at the moment. Their sound is currently bigger and better than ever, and pretty much every song in their set could stand on it’s own as being a killer single. These guys are sure to make some waves throughout 2009

Perri Bastian, XPress Magazine, 29.01.09
- XPress Magazine

“as were The Scotch Of Saint James [shit-hot], who are surely destined for big things. All of the boxes are ticked…they sound great, they look great, and their music is as interesting live as it is recorded…The Scotch Of Saint James keep making one wonder why the hell they haven’t been signed yet, for out of the current crop of Perth hopefuls, they are by far the most hopeful”

Mike Wafer, 05.11.09 - XPress Magazine

“what greeted them was the totally rad band of more roll than rock, The Scotch Of Saint James…cranking tunes like My Shoes and The Happy Peacock are just the kind of party you suckers want to be at”

Daniel Parkinson, Issue 149 13.08.09
- Drum Media

Oh boy, Mummy and Father, did Saint Nick bring me another blaoted slab of good ol'Aussie rawk'n'roll? With five songs infused with the delicate subtlety of 2003? Hip, hip, hip lashing of meaty riffs and energetic drumming!

Clem Bastow, Inpress, 16.07.08 - Inpress Magazine

Swapping their name with their EP title may have been poorly timed considering it left the lads but a few weeks to not only promote their launch, but also promote a band no one had heard of (in place of one they had), but when you strip all of this away, this EP was well worth carrying over into the groups new era.

Slamming down the bulk of The Slim Pickins-era live favorites; The Slim Pickins sees The Scotch Of Saint James at their best and most varied - summed up neatly in the great studio translation of live favourite Killer Line. Slick, clean and boasting some of the most clear-cut vocal harmonies of the bands repertoire; the song is as majestic as the new monkier under which it now flies.

From there on, The Slim Pickins is hook after hook...the band allowing some time to breath with the charming Suit and Saviour jangling along like Supergrass' better singles. Calling in the horns to contrast against Michael Paver's classic sounding voice, and Bobby Burgess' guitar heroics, the Scotch of Saint James may have spelled out the shape of things to come with this exploratory- but- controlled ditty.

Ten Past Twelve sees the band up the grunt somewhat, taking their Who like crispness through darker melodic lines and fuzzier Orange tones to great effect - again, complete with smashing harmonies courtesy of bassist Tim Hamzah. And, again, complete with Burgess waiting in the wings to lay down a soulful guitar squall reminiscent of the days when John Squire seemed to have fallen in love with Jimmy Page.

As if to prove the point furthermore, Burgess returns, slide-on-finger, for the crashing finale of Oliver - another of the bands most-loved songs. Here we see the Paver/Hamzah duo rise to more soaring, eerie heights as the slow-burning chorus rises; subtle guitar layers adding colour to a near-psychedelic level before the band as a whole drops back in unison for a gloriously sparkling middle-eight.

Songwriting skills alone make this one of the year's best releases, but considering the band's musicianship and knack for brooding moodiness (insert first single Thomas Thomas) it's almost untouchable.

So, while the name-swap may have folks confused, there's very little confusion going on within the band...and TSOSJ have said goodbye to The Slim Pickins in the most spectacular way possible here.

Mike Wafer, XPress Magazine, Issue 1135, 13.11.08
- XPress Magazine

"The Scotch Of Saint James (previously The Slim Pickins) has made a valiant debut into Perth's murky waters. Thomas Thomas is undoubtedly of the best songs doing the pub rounds in this little town and it appears on the EP sounding bigger and better than ever. Closer Oliver is another highlight with it's Moby Dick-like pulsating rythmn section. A rocking good time”

Matthew Hogan, Drum Media, 06.11.08
- Drum Media

After a boozy, somber funeral and scattering of ashes around Bon Scott’s grave, The Slim Pickins are no more and like a phoenix, The Scotch of Saint James has risen. The four-piece recently decided on a new name for their well-known booze-rock venture as they felt the old name pigeonholed them into an idea that they had outgrown and moved past. No longer were the Pickins to be thought of as a bunch of hillbillies, playing banjos like a scene from Deliverance. The Scotch launched their new EP, confusingly titled The Slim Pickins to a healthy crowd at the Hydey Back room with support from Blackmilk, Ghengis and Capital City.
But tonight was all about the Scotch, the somewhat regal and esteemed, yet still a little tainted, new incarnation of the hardworking rockers. Fronted by rock pig/god Michael Paver, who Faster Louder hears on good authority never wears shorts, even when he is bricklaying on 40 degree days, The Scotch certainly look the part when they stroll on stage. With new guitarist Bobby Burgess spicing up the riffing, and rhythm section Simon Roggio and Timothy Hamzah tightening the screws of their sound, opener Oliver sounds fresh but it is the next two tracks of Thomas Thomas and Killer Line that are noticeably reshaped from some of the band’s previous material. It is the galloping rhythms and four to the floor beats that animate the now sizey crowd on the dancefloor. Killer Line is perhaps the band’s catchiest song to date and Paver leaves nothing behind, belting out the naughty refrain of ‘One more killer line!’ Emphasis on melody has clearly been reinforced in the new ethos and songwriting has stepped up a notch to bring the band’s sound into clearly more unique and accessible territory. With an occasional shredding guitar solo from Burgess and the clear passion displayed by Paver as he progressively loses more and more items of clothing, the crowd is responsive and happy to join in the enthusiasm shown by the band.
One can only feel that with new name and new direction for the band, they are just awaiting that big single to catapult them into the next widely recognised name coming from Perth. Let’s hope their second EP, due out in a couple of months, contains that breakthrough that so many think they’re capable of.

Ben Swan, FasterLouder.com, 30.10.08
- FasterLouder.com

With each successive release their brand of Black Rebel-esque rock ‘n’ roll has slowly grown and matured. Starting as a bit of a mish mash of influences and gradually maturing into a well-honed sharp pointy stick of stoner-cool-as-fuck-rock… they can back up all the tight rock licks in their recordings with enough swagger to make Vince Noir self conscious.

Mark Spillane, Who The Hell Are They, 09.06.09
- Who The Bloody Hell Are They

Their sound matched the moody expressions on their faces and took the audience into an addictive circular spin.

Steph Holt, FasterLouder, 08.06.09
- FasterLouder

“Motivated Stoner…It’s oxymoronic, of course, but a fitting descriptor for the groove ladden track [The Happy Peacock], which sounds a bit like The Vines jamming with Fu Manchu… on pot.”

Darren Levin, Mess + Noise, 03.05.09
- Mess + Noise