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1S Friday, February 7, 2014 53 JIM By GALLETLY CHRIS By SWEENEY PHOENIX SOARING AHEAD OF UK TOUR ALTERED SKY gression from our previous release. It shows agrowth and maturity in By CHRIS SWEENEY WHO: Ana Nowosielska (vocals), Neil Ramsay (guitar), Richard our writing.” IPREDICT ariot —that’s the Passe (guitar), Ross Archibald Altered Sky are very much asum message from French maver- RISING star Nick Mulvey tries leaving acclaimed band (bass), Amy Blair (drums) of their five members and have a icks Phoenix, ahead of their Portico Quartet in 2011. WHERE: Glasgow string of gigs at The Barfly and The UK tour next week. not to use his grey matter Since then he’s taken it FOR FANS OF: Paramore, You Me 100Club in London and King Tut’s The lads are riding the step by step —with his debut album now andThe Garage in Glasgow behind too much —and admits he’s ready to go. At Six, Avril Lavigne crest of wave thanks to last JIM SAYS: Pumping out infectious them. They now have their sights He said: “I was never worried it wouldn’t on spreading the Altered Sky gos- album Bankrupt!. It rocketed abit of atwit. pop punk, Altered Sky formed in into the top five in the US and happen, Iknew it would happen —but I pel further afield. Ross added: “We all over Europe too. USUALLY, we review FLAPPY BIRD/ MarioBros-style pipes, with depth and exhaustive instruc- That’s why the impulsive singer’s knew it would take the time and steps it 2010, and are now amainstay of thinkour sound is very suited to the But they’ve never played games separately but the IRONPANTS gaps at differing heights. tions do work, it’s often the sim- new single Cucurucu is amade-up has. The album is finished and is coming Kerrang! Radio and the video for States and plan to be over there the game with the music busi- plest that are most effective. word, that no one can pronounce. out in May. I’m really happy with it. Where IBelong has been on the within the next 18 months.” Both free on iOS For gamers who have come Kerrang! TV channel. Ross said: ness. And the album’s suc- emergence of two similar under the spell of its simplicity, There’s nothing “pants” about But that hasn’t stopped Radio 1cranking “The two years of developing the songs They’re planning European dates was areal journey. It’s so much hard work, “My teenage years were spent cess has given them license titles has changed that. trendiness. Which is strange there is another title —Iron- these games. Except the amount it out —and labelling it their hottest record this year but first they play an last month. but the word fun doesn’t even come close watching Kerrang! and Scuzz TV. to push things even further — Flappy Bird is in vogue. given it has the most basic of Pants. Comparatively jazzy and of time you find yourself sinking under-18s show at PJ Molloys in which is what they’ll be doing graphics, feels laggy when you Nick, 26, explained: “No one can say it. to how good it’s been.” To see our video on those channels Dunfermline on Friday, February Perhaps aided by its inclusion of speedy, we quickly developed a into them trying to out-score And adding to the fun, Nick is hitting at Glasgow’s Barrowlands on play it and is incredibly hard. tempestuous relationship with it. The word is made up, in Spanish it’s the was spectacular. The radio airplay 14, and Glasgow’s Cathouse for theword “bird” —the golden your smug mate Derek. sound of adove. And Iwanted the noise a the road for aEuropean tour —and stops has been tremendous and Johnny Monday night. ticket in apps if AngryBirds It’s this excruciating difficulty Both, of course, are tried and USIC the Voodoo under-18s Valentine’s Frontman Thomas Mars mother might make to ababy. at Edinburgh’s Electric Circus on March 5. Doom has had such great things to Ball, on February 15. was anything to go by —ithas that makes the game addictive, tested game formats. But the “So Imumbled it and thought ‘that will He explained: “The songs from the radio say about us and our fans.” fizzed: “Venues do try to stop become the most-talked-about propelling it to cult levels of 4 MORE: alteredsky.com us or forceustoact acertain model they’ve adopted literally do’ —and here we are with asingle no one are much fuller than live. Where IBelong is from the app of the moment. popularity. You move abird up tapsinto the brilliance of the Q Jim will be playing Altered Sky on way. It’s anever-ending battle can pronounce, what anumpty Iam. Ididn’t band’s second EP Stop And Live, In:Demand Uncut this Sunday from 7pm to play theshow we want to. Its discussion rate has reached and down the screen by tapping, iPhone, which can often be over- think far ahead. At least it stands out.” Hypnotic which came out last month. It was on Clyde 1, Forth One, Northsound 1, almost Candy Crush levels of and guiding it between two looked. While games offering 3.5 Cucurucu follows up on Nick’s last single recorded at Cardiff’s Longwave Stu- Radio Borders, Tay FM &West FM. “Every day, we have to talk Nitrous which was inspired by the “But when you come to ashow, you can to them and explain it. That if dios with Romesh Dodangoda, indemandscotland.co.uk. craze of natural highs at music fes- see what I’m doing with my fingers as WM people want to come up on tivals. Anything and everything amusician.It’s quite hypnotic, me who’s worked with Twin Atlantic, WATCH THE BAND AT stage, it’s fine. That we don’t could becomeasong for him. and the crowd get into agroove FuneralFor AFriend and Kids In want the security to grab the Nick said: “Your work as an together —Ilike where the repeti- Glass Houses. Ross said: “It’s apro- thescottishsun.co.uk girls who’re enjoying it. artist is only as interesting as tive and hypnotic qualities NE “We always have to battle your life. So all the things I meet.” to set it up like we want it. MUSIC INC 3.5 get up to, theywork their It’s emotional for Nick to “Everywhere has their own iOS, Free ways into the songs so it think back to the day in 2010 rules. Like in Germany it’s ends up quite varied. when he decided to go solo and hard to play aloud show. IRECENTLY got nostalgic over a “If Isat down and make his album. game Iplayed as ateen, in which thought ‘what should I He was standing on abeach Iconic you launched apop band and tried write about’ I’d have less in Honduras. Nick said: “When to make them global stars, manag- options and it would be less you get the reward, you also “Music should be loud but ing their marketing, their tour dates, interesting. get confirmation of the way by they don’t allow it. We’ve merchandiseand so on. “I’d end up thinking too which rewards come. Or put it been to the Barrowlands So Iwas excited to play Music Inc, much and that’s not good.” this way —it’s very easy to before, what Ilove about is which does exactly the same. And Saying that, he’s no fool. have nice epiphanies when the history and the fact that Nick has you’re sitting on the beach. though no music is heard during crafted a it’s so iconic —and Ilove the gameplay, it works fantastically. “I met alot of people there I’d riotous aspect.” buzz never see again, so Ihad nothing The lads scooped a Nurturing your artist and building a after fanbase is addictive and you will to lose —Imumbled these songs Grammy for Best Alternative out to them and they became the album back in 2010. But Bank- plough hours into what began as an innocent toilet-break play. bulk of the album, it’s blueprint. rupt! has really put them in the “It is so exhilarating and shop window. Thomas, 37, is My only criticism is that at acertain point, things become formulaic. AFTER its success as amobile SURGE DELUXE it’s like Paul Simon said, married to Oscar-winning game, PlayStation has launched 4 he’s the first audience movie director Sofia Coppola. Once you have astar on your PlayStation Vita, £3.99 hands, churning out material is as Surgeonthe Vita. member and Ifelt like But despite being seen as know the score. It looks good that over there too. having acool image and very easy as printing money. That is The rapid block-matching And to be honest, this when my interest waned. puzzler is astrategy gem for the andplays good. But, at £3.99, trendy, the mainstream world it’s ahigher price point than is just the beginning.” has never welcomed the Played in short bursts, Music Inc Vita, like Candy Crush on acid. band. It’s been that way since should get you through aweek of similar smartphone titles. Q For tour tickets and You drag electrical currents to It’s aneat addition to aVita downloads, go to: they started as youngsters in boredom. Hopefully they release destroy blocks of the same Versailles. However, crooner some sturdy updates.

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