Synergy Concerts presents:

Celtic Connections: Broken Records

+ Adam Stafford

The Hug and Pint, Glasgow, GB

£10
Entry Requirements: 18+
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Broken Records formed in 2007 in Edinburgh, Scotland. They use their different musical backgrounds and a wide variety of instrumentation to compliment the eclectic sound they create.

Their 2007 self released debut ‘gig’ EP created a genuine music industry buzz around the band. Drowned in Sound said of the release, “This is magical, engrossing and wholly enveloping, genuinely and excitingly bursting with commercial potential.” They refined their sound throughout 2007 and 2008 with numerous gigs throughout Scotland, including support slots with Idlewild, Sons & Daughters and Editors.

They released their highly acclaimed debut 7" single, “If the News Makes You Sad Don't Watch It”, on London based indie label Young Turks in April 2008. This received plaudits from such varied publications as NME, The Guardian, Drowned in Sound, The Sun and The Times. Radio 1’s Steve Lamacq made it his single of the week and Huw Stephens invited them to do a session for Radio 1 at Maida Vale. Limited releases of singles “Slow Parade” and “Lies” led to a scramble of album deal offers, with the band excited to sign to the prestigious 4AD label. They rounded off the year by playing at the Edinburgh Hogmanay Street Party and being tipped for 2009 in Q magazine, The Times and News Of The World amongst others.

In January 2009 they recorded their debut album, “Until The Earth Begins To Part” at Monnow Valley Studio in Monmouth with producer Ian Caple (Tricky, Tindersticks, Yann Tiersen). The album was released on 1st June 2009 to wide praise, and live performances in support of it garnered 5-star reviews in both The Guardian and The Times. Summer saw them perform at many UK and European festivals including Glastonbury, T in the Park, Haldern Pop Festival and a main-stage slot at Latitude. The successful summer culminated in an invitation to support The National at their Royal Festival Hall show in London, followed by their own sold-out show at The Queens Hall in Edinburgh.

Broken Records spent the Autumn touring Europe and the UK as well as releasing the “Out On The Water” EP in November. Early 2010 found them making their well received live debut in the US at the SXSW Festival in Austin, Texas. Their music was also featured in episodes of the TV dramas “Skins” and “Lost”, and once again appeared as support to The National on part of their European ‘High Violet’ LP tour in July. In August the band also announced the move from being a seven-piece band to a six-piece for with the departure of Arne and Gill, and the introduction of new member, Craig Ross taking up bass and guitar duties.

Oct 2010 saw the UK/EU release of their second album, “Let Me Come Home” along with single “A Darkness Rises Up” which was recorded in Glasgow with producer Tony Doogan (Mogwai, Delgados, Belle & Sebastian,). Once again the album received great reviews across press, including an 8/10 in NME and a B playlist on BBC 6 Music for the single amongst others. This was backed by a co-headline European tour alongside US band Freelance Whales and the single release of “You Know You’re Not Dead”.

In March 2011 they embarked on their debut US headline tour to coincide with the North American release of "Let Me Come Home". As well as performing several sold-out shows they recorded radio sessions for WNYC in New York, The World Cafe in Philadelphia, and Morning Becomes Eclectic on KCRW in LA. The third single "The Motorcycle Boy Reigns" will be released on May 16th and the band will be playing several festivals across Europe throughout the summer.

Line Up

Celtic Connections: Broken Records

Adam Stafford's solo albums include the experimental works "Awnings" (2009), "Miniature Porcelain Horse Emporium" (2010), a mini covers Lp "Music in The Mirabel" (2010) and the Paul Savage-Produced "Build a Harbour Immediately" (2011) which are all available to download via www.wisebloodindustries.com

His latest LP "Imaginary Walls Collapse" was released by Song, by Toad and Kingfisher Bluez (N. America) in July 2013 and was nominated for a Scottish Album of the Year Award in May 2014.

Stafford is known for his intense and energetic live performances which incorporate soul-pop, post-punk and a capela experimentalism to dizzying effect.

Recent praise for Stafford:

“This is a quietly bold album, it’s unique brew of singular creativity and deference to traditional sounds unearths an all too rare air of finess” – 8/10, The Line of Best-Fit

“Adam Stafford is back and he might just have surpassed his own standards…A quite remarkable record, one which is both highly complex and ultimately welcoming” – Clash

“For all of the mind-puzzling intricacies of Stafford’s approach it’s his ability to write simple and wonderfully rich pop-songs that shines the brightest, and it’s those very basic and fundamental charms that make Imaginary Walls Collapse such a rewarding listen, and one of the years finest records” – Goldflakepaint

“Stafford still remains relatively unknown outside of Scotland, this could be the album that quickly changes that” – 4/5, The Skinny

“Stafford creates a masterpiece of composition via pedals, loops and effects, conjuring harmonised guitars and voices from a swirling mist of sound” – The Herald on Sunday

“All loop-building, axe-fuelled sonic (mis)shapes and vivid narratives… Imaginary Walls Collapse is tooled up in all sorts of deviant ways: it’s less acoustic; more propelled by electronics and the sounds of human harmony and dissonance” – 4/5, Album-of-the-fortnight, The List

“Contributions are chopped, looped and sampled to serve the artist’s twisted vision” 5/5, The Arts Desk

“Imaginary Walls Collapse is clever, tuneful and wildly inventive” – The Tidal Wave of Indifference

“Layered guitars swimming in reverb and forming the base for a challenging yet tuneful collection. This is intelligently crafted soundscape meets highly accessible pop music with a few twists, in turns confident and robust and then heart-breakingly fragile” – Drunken Werewolf

“Walls is a focused, concentrated record that distils Stafford’s sound and style into an eccentric concoction” – Dauphin Mag

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