Glasvegas
Encyclopedia
Glasvegas are a Scottish
indie rock
band from Glasgow
. The band consists of James Allan
(vocals), Rab Allan (lead guitar, backing vocals), Paul Donoghue (bass guitar, backing vocals) and Jonna Löfgren (drums). The band received critical acclaim for their debut album Glasvegas
which was released in September 2008, reaching No. 2 in the UK Album Charts
and was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize in September 2009.
The NME
declared, "If The Libertines
defined the start of the decade and Arctic Monkeys
its middle, then Glasvegas are almost certainly going to define its end and beyond." Their debut album went on to enjoy success in the UK (where it went Platinum) and in Sweden (where it went Gold). The impact of the band in the UK and success of their debut album did not go unnoticed in North America
, which saw the band tour an unprecedented six times between October 2008 and September 2009. The band have mentioned on many occasions during interviews of their commitment to making the breakthrough in the USA and Canada.
On 14 December 2010, the band announced the appointment of a new drummer, Jonna Löfgren from Boden
in Sweden
.
Glasvegas's second album Euphoric Heartbreak
was released on 4 April 2011 reaching No. 10 in the UK and No. 1 in Sweden.
and Rab Allan in the summer of 2003 with Paul Donoghue and Ryan Ross on drums completing the line-up soon after. Local gigs in and around Glasgow were frequent and in May 2004 the band released a self financed limited edition double A-side single, "I'm Gonna Get Stabbed"/"Ina Lvs Rab" on CD. The single gained an early and positive review for Glasvegas from Rick Fulton of the Daily Record
on December 24, 2004. The single (along with some early demos) gained (their first) radio airplay and favourable feedback from Jim Gellatly
on his radio show 'Beatbreakers' in January 2005, which was broadcast on the now defunct Beat106FM. Their name is a mix of Glasgow
(where they are from) and Las Vegas (the world capital of entertainment).
who saw them play third on the bill at the Glasgow
venue King Tuts Wah Wah Hut
. McGee was also accompanied that night by ex-Libertine
Carl Barât
who, on the strength of their performance, offered Glasvegas several support slots with his band Dirty Pretty Things
throughout 2006.
In October 2006, the band released a self-financed limited edition 7" vinyl single, "Go Square Go!
/Legs'n' Show" on a small independent record label called WaKS Records followed by a digital release two weeks later. This limited edition vinyl single of 500 pressings sold out within days and has since become a collectors item with the single exchanging hands for a three figure sum on eBay
. On 4 November 2006, the band sold out their launch night gig for "Go Square Go!
/Legs'n' Show" held at the Glasgow Art School
. In mid-December 2006, the band played a special gig in Polmont Young Offenders Institute
which was also a pivotal moment for the band musically; as it was during this gig that they made the decision to move away from their reliance on drum samples. The close of 2006 saw the band play their first European gig at La Flèche d'Or in Paris
on 28 December 2006. The band then rounded off 2006 with a gig at the Proud Galleries in Camden
on New Year's Eve.
and in Glasgow's East End. This early video helped pave the way for the song's popularity. In late February 2007, James Allan
made the decision to post up all the band's demos on MySpace
for free download. With MySpace at the peak of its popularity, these free downloads helped spread the word about Glasvegas and soon their gigs were selling out. On 8 March 2007, the band took time out to play a low key acoustic gig in Barlinnie Prison
in Glasgow which attracted the attention of the Glasgow Evening Times.
At the beginning of April 2007 Alan McGee invited the band down to London
to play three consecutive club nights that he was involved in; Death Disco @ Notting Hill Arts Club, Kill Surf City @ Punk and Queen is Dead @ Borderline. Over these three days the band also produced their first black and white 'press' shots which were shot by a friend (Sonia Grace) at Bloomsbury Bowling Lanes, London on 6 April. On 25 May, the band played their first festival date at the (now defunct) Isle of Skye music festival before playing their third prison gig at Saughton Prison, Edinburgh on 7 June. On 14 July, the band supported Dirty Pretty Things for the last time at the Hackney Empire
in London which saw Glasvegas join the headliners for an encore and on 23 July 2007 another notable first was the band's TV appearance on Death Disco TV in London at The Cuckoo Club alongside Carl Barât and Milburn
. Constant gigging throughout the summer saw the band's fan base grow and during the summer of 2007 the band's demo's started to pick up radio airplay in the United States via a St Louis based Internet Radio Station called IChannel. On 22 August 2007, the band travelled once again down to London for some more gigs and while in London the band commissioned their first professional press shots. These photographs were taken by professional photographer Peter Mallet and are still widely used by the press today even though they show the old band line-up. They were taken at Vauxhall Cross and the train station at the Elephant and Castle. That same night the band once again played another sold out gig at Death Disco in London. In the crowd was Tim Jonze (a freelance journalist for the NME) who came along to the gig. He was so impressed by the band's performance that he offered to release their next record despite never having released one before. The band also offered to help in this venture and within a few days Sane Man Recordings was born; the aim was to release 1000 copies of "Daddy's Gone
" on 7" vinyl by November 2007.
Prior to the release of the single, Tim Jonze attended the In The City
Music Festival in October 2007 and brought several copies of the forthcoming single along with a view to previewing it. According to Tim, he played the single after a keynote speech at a very well attended convention at the festival. The impact of the song was immediate with several label heads making enquiries about the song (and the artist) there and then. One of the most immediate consequences of the buzz generated at "In The City" was Ian Brown
asking Glasvegas to support him on several dates in late October 2007. Prior to these support dates Glasvegas announced their intention to play two live shows in Glasgow on consecutive nights (Saturday and Sunday; 13 and 14 October 2007 at the Barfly, Glasgow). The aim (when the shows were announced at the beginning of October) was to sell out both nights, which was a feat that had never been achieved before by an unsigned band in Glasgow. Both nights sold out and by coincidence NME
magazine chose to review Glasvegas for the very first time in their Radar section and review the forthcoming single "Daddy's Gone
/Flowers & Football Tops" which was chosen as the single of the week.
Following the release of "Daddy's Gone
/Flowers & Football Tops" on 5 November 2007, record company interest in the band grew and during December 2007 and January 2008, the band were actively courted by all the major record labels plus several indie labels. "Daddy's Gone" sold out and was voted the number two single of the year by NME magazine, with only 1000 copies produced.
" on 14 February 2008, the band opted to sign to Columbia Records
. On 28 February 2008, Glasvegas won the Philip Hall Radar Award at the NME Awards
. On 10 March 2008, Glasvegas travelled to the United States where they recorded their eponymous debut album, Glasvegas
, at Brooklyn Recording Studios, Brooklyn
, New York
. The album was co-produced by James Allan and Rich Costey
. Glasvegas also filmed the video for their first single "Geraldine" in Brooklyn on 30 April 2008. On return to the UK at the beginning of May 2008, the band embarked on a touring schedule that would continue for over 16 months. On 23 June 2008, Glasvegas released their first Columbia single "Geraldine
" which debuted at #11 on the UK singles chart
. The summer of 2008 also saw the band make their debut at Glastonbury Festival
playing the John Peel Stage on 27 June 2008. On 12 July 2008, Glasvegas played at T in the Park
in the Futures Tent. Further debut festival appearances in the summer of 2008 took place at Oxegen in Ireland
and on consecutive days on 18 and 19 July 2008 at the Benicassim Music Festival
in Barcelona
and Madrid
in Spain
. On 20 July 2008, the band played Latitude Festival where Blondie
, who are fans of the band, watched from the side of the stage. On 13 August 2008, Glasvegas were invited as opening support to Muse
at Marlay Park on the outskirts of Dublin, and the following day saw the band play their first support with Kings of Leon
at the Brixton Academy. On 25 August, Glasvegas released their second Columbia single "Daddy's Gone
" which debuted at #20 on the UK Singles Chart. On 30 August 2008, the band played the last ever Hydro Connect Festival
near Inveraray
in Scotland.
was released on 8 September 2008 and reached #2 on the UK Album Chart
.
The NME
declared, "If The Libertines
defined the start of the decade and Arctic Monkeys
its middle, then Glasvegas are almost certainly going to define its end and beyond." Their debut album went on to enjoy success in the UK (where it went Platinum) and in Sweden (where it went Gold). The impact of the band in the UK and success of their debut album did not go unnoticed in North America
, where the band toured six times between October 2008 and September 2009. The band have mentioned on many occasions during interviews of their commitment to making the breakthrough in the USA and Canada.
At the end of September 2008, the band embarked on their first mini tour of the United States playing Philadelphia, supporting Echo & the Bunnymen
at the Radio City Music Hall
in New York, Baltimore
, Washington DC, before returning to New York City to play the Mercury Lounge
. On 6 October 2008, the band started recording a Christmas-themed second album, A Snowflake Fell (And It Felt Like a Kiss), with a view to releasing it in time for Christmas 2008. Initial recording began at the Electric Lady Studios
before the band moved to a Transylvanian Castle in Brasov
, Romania
. It was the band's intention to release a full album containing ten brand new tracks but due to their tight schedule they could only complete six tracks and the album instead became an E.P.
. It was released on 1 December 2008 as a limited edition standalone CD and was also released as a Special Edition CD Box Set alongside their debut album Glasvegas. The band ended 2008 with a UK tour through December culminating with a headline gig at the Edinburgh Hogmanay Street Party on 31 December 2008
The band opened 2009 with their second tour of the USA which this time included the West Coast of the USA and Canada
. They made their first USA TV appearance on the The Late Show with David Letterman
on 5 January and second on 14 January 2009 on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
. The band also played two gigs in Japan
. On 29 January the band headlined the 2009 NME Awards Tour which ended 21 February 2009 at the Brixton Academy in London. At the 2009 NME Awards
on 25 February, Glasvegas performed a live version of "Suspicious Minds
" before embarking on a short European Tour which included three support slots with Oasis
on 27 February 2009 in Munich
, 1 March 2009 in Zurich
and 3 March 2009 in Paris.
On 17 March 2009 the band made their first trip to the SXSW Music Festival held in Austin
, Texas
where they played four gigs over the course of the festival. The band were widely praised by USA press by actually delivering on the hype surrounding them before SXSW 2009. Immediately after SXSW 2009, during March and April, the band played their biggest tour of North America to date.
In May 2009 the band toured several European countries and in June 2009 embarked on their 4th tour of the United States. On their return to the UK, Glasvegas played five support dates with the Kings of Leon. Glasvegas also performed at the Hurricane Festival
in Germany
on 19 June 2009. On 20 June 2009 the band also (once again) supported Oasis at Slane Castle
, Ireland. On 28 June the band made a second (and acclaimed) return to Glastonbury
playing on The Other Stage
. This performance was filmed by the BBC
.
In July 2009, Glasvegas played 9 different festivals in less than 3 weeks; opening the month with a triple header at Roskilde Festival
in Denmark
on 3 July 2009, then Ruisrock
in Finland
on 4 July 2009 followed by a 5 July 2009 appearance at Eurockéennes
in France
. On the 11 July 2009 Glasvegas made their second consecutive appearance at T in the Park where they co-headlined the King Tut's Tent. This performance once again was filmed by the BBC
. The following day the band made another appearance at Oxegen near Dublin, Ireland where they co-headlined. Glasvegas then played the Benicassim Music Festival
in Valencia on 16 July 2009, Gurten Festival
in Switzerland
on the 18 July 2009 and the Melt Festival
on 19 July 2009.
Glasvegas were asked to support U2
on their 360° Tour
after Bono
was given a copy of the band's debut album Glasvegas
. In an interview with NME Bono was quoted as saying “that song; It’s My Own Cheating Heart That Makes Me Cry
, is one of the best songs I‘ve ever heard.” Glasvegas supported U2 across 4 dates in July and August 2009 which were Dublin's Croke Park
on 24 July 2009, Wembley Stadium
on August 15, 2009, Hampden Stadium
on August 18, 2009 and the Millennium Stadium
on 22 August 2009.
The band played their 5th tour of the United States beginning July 2009 including at their first US Music Festival at Lollapalooza
on 8 August 2009. After Lollapalooza the band played the Øya Festival
in Oslo
, Norway and headlined the Way Out West Music Festival
in Gothenburg
. In order to make their second support date with U2 at Wembley Stadium on 15 August 2009 the band commissioned a private jet to fly them from Sweden to London. Between the U2 support dates Glasvegas also made their first appearances at the Frequency Festival in St. Pölten
, Austria
and Pukkelpop
in Hasselt
, Belgium
. Glasvegas ended August 2009 with a second subsequent appearance at the Leeds and Reading Festival.
Glasvegas were nominated for the 2009 Mercury Music Prize, however lead singer James Allan disappeared just days before the Awards Ceremony on 8 September 2009. He went missing for a total of five days before eventually turning up safe and well in New York. On 11 September 2009, Glasvegas toured the USA and Canada for a sixth time, supporting Kings of Leon
. This support tour ended on 25 September 2009. On 10 October 2009, Glasvegas played the Vena Festival in Lodz, Poland
. This gig in Poland would turn out to be the last performance of Caroline McKay. The final gig of 2009 was on 30 October in London where Rab and James played a special acoustic set for charity.
In January 2010, Glasvegas decamped to California and set up a studio in a multi-million dollar beach house in Santa Monica
where for over five months they demoed, tracked and recorded most of the album Euphoric Heartbreak
. Santa Monica and its location on Southern California's West Coast had a massive influence on the sound and feel of the new songs.
During this period in Santa Monica, Caroline McKay chose to leave the band before demoing and any recording began, officially leaving on 25 March 2010 citing personal reasons.
The remaining band members stayed in Santa Monica until early May 2010 before returning to the Scotland with an album's worth of new material. After a break over the summer, the band headed south to the Assault & Battery 2, a tracking and mix studio in London, with producer Flood through September, October and November 2010. Further post-production took place at the Castle of Doom studios in Glasgow through December 2010 and January 2011. The album was finished a year to the day that the band arrived at the Santa Monica Beach House.
, Wick
, Forres
, Oban
, Dunoon
, Troon
, Hawick
and Dunfermline
. The band announced the tour to ensure that Scotland would be the first to hear the new music. The tour received positive critical reviews with Simon Price
of The Independent on Sunday quoting that "Glasvegas are still – and we desperately need this right now – a band to believe in".
The band also announced a showcase tour planned around smaller venues in March 2011 with several dates selling out within hours of going on sale followed by an Academy size tour planned for April/May 2011 to promote the new album.
However, by late February 2011 the relationship between Glasvegas and their record label (Sony)
started to deteriorate which at the beginning of the year would have never been predicted. On delivery of the album Sony
were extremely excited by the album, the quality of songs contained within and the fact it was a marked departure from the debut album! The marketing campaign kicked off in January 2011 with a free track giveaway and the track chosen was the second track on the album The World Is Yours. However the band wanted something more substantial than just a free giveaway and eventually the label gave the green light to the band creating an Album Trailer Movie to go alongside the free giveaway. This helped raise the profile of the free giveaway significantly but the early seeds of discord with the direction of the marketing campaign were sown.
Initial reviews of the album were generally positive with the Daily Record
declaring it "'the album of the year!'"
However by March
the band felt that the marketing campaign that Sony
put in place for Euphoric Heartbreak was not working and came a poor second to the campaign put in place for the band's debut album
. The band had noticed that visual indicators of promotion to raise awareness of the new album was almost non-existent. There was no TV, Radio
or billboard
advertising for the new album which had a severe impact on raising awareness. This non-awareness was reinforced by the many fans (who had turned up to the band's gigs in March 2011) being unaware of the imminent release of Euphoric Heartbreak. This set the alarm bells ringing within the band and the relationship between band and label started to come undone with the band losing faith in the label's choices and general direction of the campaign.
As an aside one of the most heated areas for disagreement between band and label was the singles
and the fact that Sony were enforcing the On air on sale
policy for all their singles. This policy proved to be an utter disaster for Glasvegas and essentially nullified the impact of the first single "Euphoria, Take My Hand" which was released as an immediately available download on 7 February 2011 before being released physically on 28 March 2011. As a consequence of the Sony release policy the single received very little radio airplay and coupled with the fact it was caught up in the middle of a poor marketing campaign meant it never got out of the starting blocks in trying to reach a wider audience. In a rare moment of transparency Sony finally admitted in October
2011 that the on air on sale "does not work" and that they will "now be looking at each release on a case-by-case basis" Moving forward towards the imminent release date; the only thing the band could control was their touring and they embarked on a grueling touring schedule in the early part of 2011. The live performance of "Euphoria, Take My Hand" was one of the many highlights and contributed to raising awareness of the singles and the forthcoming new album.
The album polarised opinion...some reviews criticised the band for being too bold and that the album was too big a departure from their debut whilst others praised this move forward and the high quality songwriting the album contained. NME
gave the album a 9/10 matching the score they awarded the bands debut album. They said of the album..."Turning pain into joy is the stuff that dreams are made of for an album as thrillingly ambitious as it is enigmatic".
Clash Magazine praised the band for delivering a more accomplished sound by reassuringly admitting "pioneers they remain"
The BBC
declared the album "a triumph" despite all the upheavel with the band in 2010.
Pitchfork
felt it was "too bombastic and that it simply numbs you with 50 minutes of novocaine for the soul." while PopMatters
(an International Webzine) gave the album 5/10 and said that the "album smears together into one gigantic well-produced stadium anthem, shining like the night sky while remaining just as inert".
The Guardian
awarded the album 3/5 but felt "that they were still waiting on an undeniable triumph from Glasvegas".
Finally the Daily Bruin
, a Student newspaper
based at the University of California, Los Angeles
said that the album "may surprise fans at first, with its more majestic and otherworldly music. However, it is a collection of beautiful, well-written and poignant songs worth significantly more of the listener's time than the 48 minutes it will take to listen to the album".
Although a Top 10 position was a viewed as a decent showing by Sony, the band were extremely disappointed with this. The band would see out the rest of their contract and officially left Columbia Records on 4 August 2011, 12 weeks after the release of Euphoric Heartbreak.
After the band's academy tour of Europe and the UK, the band left for their 7th tour of the United States in June 2011 playing to sold out venues in New York
, Toronto
and Los Angeles
. On return to the UK the band played at Rockness in Scotland followed by a headline appearance on the John Peel Stage. Several more festival appearances including a top slot at Where The Action
in Gothenburg
, Sweden
saw the band round of June 2011.
In July 2011, the band toured Australia
for the first time playing three sold out shows at The Rosemount Hotel in Perth
, The Metro in Sydney
and The Hi-Fi in Melbourne
before making a festival appearance at Splendour in The Grass
held at Woodford
45 miles north west of Brisbane
. The band also made their second trip to Japan
to play the Fuji Rock Festival and then rounded off the summer by headlining the first ever Famous Grouse
Music Festival and playing the V Festival
for the first time.
The band have announced a tour of the UK and Ireland in October 2011 ending starting in Cork
, then London
and then working their way north and eventually ending with a gig in the band's hometown of Glasgow
on Halloween
On the 16 September 2011 it was announced that the band's song "The World Is Yours" (the second listed track) from Euphoric Heartbreak was featured on the soundtrack to the FIFA 12
video game.
Q
announced that on the 25 October 2011 they will release a U2
cover album called AHK-toong BAY-bi Covered, with various artists covering each track from U2's 1991 seventh studio album Achtung Baby
. Glasvegas were asked by U2 to cover a track and the band chose the 11th track, "Acrobat
".
awards: Best International Act, Best International Album for Glasvegas and Best International Song for "Geraldine". In Q
magazine's list of the Top 50 Albums of 2008, Glasvegas
was voted the fifth best album of the year.
are an annual music awards show, founded by the music magazine NME
. Glasvegas have received one award from three nominations.
|-
| 2008 || Glasvegas || Philip Hall Radar Award ||
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2009 ||| Glasvegas || Best New Band ||
|-
| Glasvegas || Best Album ||
|}
is an annual music prize awarded for the best album from the United Kingdom or Ireland. Glasvegas have received one nomination.
|-
| 2009 || Glasvegas || Mercury Prize ||
|}
are an annual music awards show, founded by the music magazine Q
. Glasvegas have received one nomination.
|-
| 2008 || Glasvegas || Best New Act ||
|}
are an annual music awards show, founded by the music magazine MOJO
. Glasvegas have received one nomination.
|-
| 2009 || Glasvegas || Breakthrough Act ||
|}
. Glasvegas have received one award from one nomination.
|-
| 2009 || Glasvegas || XFM New Music Award||
. Glasvegas have received one nomination.
|-
| 2008 || Glasvegas || XFM Live Breakthrough ||
|-
| 2008 || Glasvegas || Best Live Newcomer ||
|}
|-
| 2008 || Glasvegas || VisitScotland's Best Live Act ||
|}
Awards is an annual Swedish music awards show. Glasvegas have received three nominations.
|-
| rowspan="3" | 2008 ||| Glasvegas || Best International Act ||
|-
| Glasvegas || Best International Album ||
|-
| "Geraldine" || Best International Song ||
|}
|-
| rowspan="4" | 2009 || rowspan="4" | "Flowers & Football Tops" || Best Rock Video ||
|-
| Best Art Direction in a Video ||
|-
| Best Cinematography in a Video ||
|-
| Best Visual Effects in a Video ||
|}
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
band from Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
. The band consists of James Allan
James Allan (musician)
James Allan is the lead singer and guitarist of the Scottish rock band Glasvegas, and a former footballer.-Early and personal life:...
(vocals), Rab Allan (lead guitar, backing vocals), Paul Donoghue (bass guitar, backing vocals) and Jonna Löfgren (drums). The band received critical acclaim for their debut album Glasvegas
Glasvegas (album)
Glasvegas is the debut studio album by the Scottish Indie rock band Glasvegas, first released in the UK on 8 September 2008 by Columbia Records . The album was produced by lead singer James Allan and Rich Costey . The album sold copies in its first week of release and reached number 2 on the UK...
which was released in September 2008, reaching No. 2 in the UK Album Charts
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
and was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize in September 2009.
The NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
declared, "If The Libertines
The Libertines
The Libertines were an English rock band, formed in London in 1997 by frontmen Carl Barât and Pete Doherty . The band, centred on the song-writing partnership of Barat and Doherty, also included John Hassall and Gary Powell for most of its recording career...
defined the start of the decade and Arctic Monkeys
Arctic Monkeys
Arctic Monkeys are an English indie rock band. Formed in 2002 in High Green, a suburb of Sheffield, the band currently consists of Alex Turner , Jamie Cook , Nick O'Malley and Matt Helders...
its middle, then Glasvegas are almost certainly going to define its end and beyond." Their debut album went on to enjoy success in the UK (where it went Platinum) and in Sweden (where it went Gold). The impact of the band in the UK and success of their debut album did not go unnoticed in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, which saw the band tour an unprecedented six times between October 2008 and September 2009. The band have mentioned on many occasions during interviews of their commitment to making the breakthrough in the USA and Canada.
On 14 December 2010, the band announced the appointment of a new drummer, Jonna Löfgren from Boden
Boden, Sweden
Boden is a locality and the seat of Boden Municipality in Norrbotten County, Sweden with 18,680 inhabitants in 2005.- History :The town of Boden started as a railway junction where the Northern Line met with the Ore Line from the rich iron ore fields in northern Sweden.The town experienced...
in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
.
Glasvegas's second album Euphoric Heartbreak
Euphoric Heartbreak
Euphoric Heartbreak is the second studio album by Scottish rock group Glasvegas, which was released on 4 April 2011 by Columbia Records. The album was written, demoed and tracked by James Allan in a beach house in Santa Monica, California before full production and final recording took place in...
was released on 4 April 2011 reaching No. 10 in the UK and No. 1 in Sweden.
Formation and First Single (2003 - 2005)
The band was formed by cousins James AllanJames Allan (musician)
James Allan is the lead singer and guitarist of the Scottish rock band Glasvegas, and a former footballer.-Early and personal life:...
and Rab Allan in the summer of 2003 with Paul Donoghue and Ryan Ross on drums completing the line-up soon after. Local gigs in and around Glasgow were frequent and in May 2004 the band released a self financed limited edition double A-side single, "I'm Gonna Get Stabbed"/"Ina Lvs Rab" on CD. The single gained an early and positive review for Glasvegas from Rick Fulton of the Daily Record
Daily Record (Scotland)
The Daily Record is a Scottish tabloid newspaper based in Glasgow. It had been the best-selling daily paper in Scotland for many years with a paid circulation in August 2011 of 307,794 . It is now outsold by its arch-rival the Scottish Sun which in September 2010 had a circulation of 339,586 in...
on December 24, 2004. The single (along with some early demos) gained (their first) radio airplay and favourable feedback from Jim Gellatly
Jim Gellatly
Jim Gellatly is a Scottish radio presenter and DJ. He currently presents the New Music show In:Demand Uncut across Scotland, and a weekly showcase on the UK-wide DAB digital radio station Amazing Radio.-Biography:...
on his radio show 'Beatbreakers' in January 2005, which was broadcast on the now defunct Beat106FM. Their name is a mix of Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
(where they are from) and Las Vegas (the world capital of entertainment).
The Early Gigs & WaKS Records (2005 - 2006)
When (Ryan) Ross left in late 2004, the band went on a very brief hiatus until Caroline McKay was asked to join the group in early 2005. Although having never played drums before James asked her to be the drummer because she looked "cool". The band played most of their gigs in and around Scotland through 2005 and 2006 with Caroline performing basic drumming while the more intricate drum parts were taken care of by a drum sample machine on stage operated by Rab. As they played more and more gigs Caroline's skill level increased and the band became increasingly less reliant on the sample machine. It was in 2006 that the band first came to the attention of Alan McGeeAlan McGee
Alan McGee has been a record label owner, musician, manager, and music blogger for The Guardian.McGee is best-known for co-forming and running the independent Creation Records label from 1983–1999, and then Poptones from 1999-2007...
who saw them play third on the bill at the Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
venue King Tuts Wah Wah Hut
King Tut's Wah Wah Hut
King Tut's Wah Wah Hut, also known as King Tut's, is a live music venue and bar in on St. Vincent Street, Glasgow, Scotland. It is owned and managed by Glasgow-based gig promoters DF Concerts...
. McGee was also accompanied that night by ex-Libertine
The Libertines
The Libertines were an English rock band, formed in London in 1997 by frontmen Carl Barât and Pete Doherty . The band, centred on the song-writing partnership of Barat and Doherty, also included John Hassall and Gary Powell for most of its recording career...
Carl Barât
Carl Barât
Carl Ashley Raphael Barât is an English musician, actor and author. He was the frontman and lead guitarist of Dirty Pretty Things, and recently debuted a solo album, but is best known for being the co-frontman with Peter Doherty of the garage rock band The Libertines.-Early life:Carl Barât was...
who, on the strength of their performance, offered Glasvegas several support slots with his band Dirty Pretty Things
Dirty Pretty Things (band)
Dirty Pretty Things were an English band fronted by Carl Barât, a member of The Libertines. The formation of the band was announced in September 2005, after a dispute between Barât and Pete Doherty led to the breakup of The Libertines in 2004. Barât had worked with Vertigo Records and had...
throughout 2006.
In October 2006, the band released a self-financed limited edition 7" vinyl single, "Go Square Go!
Go Square Go!
"Go Square Go!" is a song by Scottish Indie rock band Glasvegas. The song was written by the band's singer and guitarist James Allan. It was released as the band's debut 7" single through WaKS on October 30, 2006, as well as a download....
/Legs'n' Show" on a small independent record label called WaKS Records followed by a digital release two weeks later. This limited edition vinyl single of 500 pressings sold out within days and has since become a collectors item with the single exchanging hands for a three figure sum on eBay
EBay
eBay Inc. is an American internet consumer-to-consumer corporation that manages eBay.com, an online auction and shopping website in which people and businesses buy and sell a broad variety of goods and services worldwide...
. On 4 November 2006, the band sold out their launch night gig for "Go Square Go!
Go Square Go!
"Go Square Go!" is a song by Scottish Indie rock band Glasvegas. The song was written by the band's singer and guitarist James Allan. It was released as the band's debut 7" single through WaKS on October 30, 2006, as well as a download....
/Legs'n' Show" held at the Glasgow Art School
Glasgow School of Art
Glasgow School of Art is one of only two independent art schools in Scotland, situated in the Garnethill area of Glasgow.-History:It was founded in 1845 as the Glasgow Government School of Design. In 1853, it changed its name to The Glasgow School of Art. Initially it was located at 12 Ingram...
. In mid-December 2006, the band played a special gig in Polmont Young Offenders Institute
Polmont (HM Prison)
Her Majesty's Young Offenders Institution Polmont is the largest of its kind in Scotland. Despite its name, the institution is located in Reddingmuirhead in the Falkirk region, and not in Polmont....
which was also a pivotal moment for the band musically; as it was during this gig that they made the decision to move away from their reliance on drum samples. The close of 2006 saw the band play their first European gig at La Flèche d'Or in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
on 28 December 2006. The band then rounded off 2006 with a gig at the Proud Galleries in Camden
Camden Town
-Economy:In recent years, entertainment-related businesses and a Holiday Inn have moved into the area. A number of retail and food chain outlets have replaced independent shops driven out by high rents and redevelopment. Restaurants have thrived, with the variety of culinary traditions found in...
on New Year's Eve.
Indie Sensations & Sane Man Recordings (2007 - 2008)
In early February 2007 (with assistance from Alan McGee), the band made a video for one of their demos, "Daddy's Gone", which was shot in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and in Glasgow's East End. This early video helped pave the way for the song's popularity. In late February 2007, James Allan
James Allan (musician)
James Allan is the lead singer and guitarist of the Scottish rock band Glasvegas, and a former footballer.-Early and personal life:...
made the decision to post up all the band's demos on MySpace
MySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
for free download. With MySpace at the peak of its popularity, these free downloads helped spread the word about Glasvegas and soon their gigs were selling out. On 8 March 2007, the band took time out to play a low key acoustic gig in Barlinnie Prison
Barlinnie (HM Prison)
HM Prison Barlinnie is a prison operated by the Scottish Prison Service and located in the residential suburb of Riddrie, in the north east of Glasgow, Scotland.-History:Barlinnie was designed by Major General T.B...
in Glasgow which attracted the attention of the Glasgow Evening Times.
At the beginning of April 2007 Alan McGee invited the band down to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
to play three consecutive club nights that he was involved in; Death Disco @ Notting Hill Arts Club, Kill Surf City @ Punk and Queen is Dead @ Borderline. Over these three days the band also produced their first black and white 'press' shots which were shot by a friend (Sonia Grace) at Bloomsbury Bowling Lanes, London on 6 April. On 25 May, the band played their first festival date at the (now defunct) Isle of Skye music festival before playing their third prison gig at Saughton Prison, Edinburgh on 7 June. On 14 July, the band supported Dirty Pretty Things for the last time at the Hackney Empire
Hackney Empire
The Hackney Empire is a theatre on Mare Street, in the London Borough of Hackney, built in 1901 as a music hall.-History:Hackney Empire is a grade II* listed building...
in London which saw Glasvegas join the headliners for an encore and on 23 July 2007 another notable first was the band's TV appearance on Death Disco TV in London at The Cuckoo Club alongside Carl Barât and Milburn
Milburn (band)
Milburn was an indie rock band from Sheffield, England that consisted of Joe Carnall, Louis Carnall, Tom Rowley, and Joe Green. They announced they would split on 28 March 2008, with the band playing their final gig at Sheffield's Carling Academy on 24 May 2008.-Formation:Milburn's formation came...
. Constant gigging throughout the summer saw the band's fan base grow and during the summer of 2007 the band's demo's started to pick up radio airplay in the United States via a St Louis based Internet Radio Station called IChannel. On 22 August 2007, the band travelled once again down to London for some more gigs and while in London the band commissioned their first professional press shots. These photographs were taken by professional photographer Peter Mallet and are still widely used by the press today even though they show the old band line-up. They were taken at Vauxhall Cross and the train station at the Elephant and Castle. That same night the band once again played another sold out gig at Death Disco in London. In the crowd was Tim Jonze (a freelance journalist for the NME) who came along to the gig. He was so impressed by the band's performance that he offered to release their next record despite never having released one before. The band also offered to help in this venture and within a few days Sane Man Recordings was born; the aim was to release 1000 copies of "Daddy's Gone
Daddy's Gone
"Daddy's Gone" is a song by Scottish Indie rock band Glasvegas. The song was written and composed by the band's singer and guitarist James Allan....
" on 7" vinyl by November 2007.
Prior to the release of the single, Tim Jonze attended the In The City
In The City (festival)
In The City is an annual music industry conference and festival founded by the late Tony Wilson, formerly of Factory Records and Granada Television, and his partner Yvette Livesey....
Music Festival in October 2007 and brought several copies of the forthcoming single along with a view to previewing it. According to Tim, he played the single after a keynote speech at a very well attended convention at the festival. The impact of the song was immediate with several label heads making enquiries about the song (and the artist) there and then. One of the most immediate consequences of the buzz generated at "In The City" was Ian Brown
Ian Brown
Ian George Brown is an English musician, best known as the lead singer of the alternative rock band The Stone Roses, which broke up in 1996 but are confirmed to reunite in 2012. Since the break-up of the Stone Roses he has pursued a solo career...
asking Glasvegas to support him on several dates in late October 2007. Prior to these support dates Glasvegas announced their intention to play two live shows in Glasgow on consecutive nights (Saturday and Sunday; 13 and 14 October 2007 at the Barfly, Glasgow). The aim (when the shows were announced at the beginning of October) was to sell out both nights, which was a feat that had never been achieved before by an unsigned band in Glasgow. Both nights sold out and by coincidence NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
magazine chose to review Glasvegas for the very first time in their Radar section and review the forthcoming single "Daddy's Gone
Daddy's Gone
"Daddy's Gone" is a song by Scottish Indie rock band Glasvegas. The song was written and composed by the band's singer and guitarist James Allan....
/Flowers & Football Tops" which was chosen as the single of the week.
Following the release of "Daddy's Gone
Daddy's Gone
"Daddy's Gone" is a song by Scottish Indie rock band Glasvegas. The song was written and composed by the band's singer and guitarist James Allan....
/Flowers & Football Tops" on 5 November 2007, record company interest in the band grew and during December 2007 and January 2008, the band were actively courted by all the major record labels plus several indie labels. "Daddy's Gone" sold out and was voted the number two single of the year by NME magazine, with only 1000 copies produced.
Columbia Records (Sony)
After releasing their third limited edition 7" single, "It's My Own Cheating Heart That Makes Me CryIt's My Own Cheating Heart That Makes Me Cry
"It's My Own Cheating Heart That Makes Me Cry" is a song by Scottish Indie rock band Glasvegas. The song was written and composed by the band's singer and guitarist James Allan....
" on 14 February 2008, the band opted to sign to Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
. On 28 February 2008, Glasvegas won the Philip Hall Radar Award at the NME Awards
NME Awards
The NME Awards is an annual music awards show in the United Kingdom, founded by the music magazine, NME .The first awards show was held in 1953 as the NME Poll Winners Concerts, shortly after the founding of the magazine....
. On 10 March 2008, Glasvegas travelled to the United States where they recorded their eponymous debut album, Glasvegas
Glasvegas (album)
Glasvegas is the debut studio album by the Scottish Indie rock band Glasvegas, first released in the UK on 8 September 2008 by Columbia Records . The album was produced by lead singer James Allan and Rich Costey . The album sold copies in its first week of release and reached number 2 on the UK...
, at Brooklyn Recording Studios, Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. The album was co-produced by James Allan and Rich Costey
Rich Costey
Rich Costey is an American record producer, engineer, and mixer who has worked with many bands including Muse, Cave In, Thursday, Franz Ferdinand, Glasvegas, The Mars Volta, Doves, Bloc Party, Ontronik , Jimmy Eat World, My Chemical Romance, Supergrass, Audioslave, Rage Against the Machine, Nine...
. Glasvegas also filmed the video for their first single "Geraldine" in Brooklyn on 30 April 2008. On return to the UK at the beginning of May 2008, the band embarked on a touring schedule that would continue for over 16 months. On 23 June 2008, Glasvegas released their first Columbia single "Geraldine
Geraldine (song)
"Geraldine" is a 2008 single by Scottish Indie rock band Glasvegas. It was released on 23 June 2008 and reached #11 on the UK singles chart, and #1 on the NME chart two weeks later...
" which debuted at #11 on the UK singles chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
. The summer of 2008 also saw the band make their debut at Glastonbury Festival
Glastonbury Festival 2008
The 2008 Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts was held from 25 to 29 June 2008.-New features:* The John Peel stage doubled in size and had a screen outside it to watch bands.* There was a new 'Shangri-La' area that replaced Lost Vagueness...
playing the John Peel Stage on 27 June 2008. On 12 July 2008, Glasvegas played at T in the Park
T in the Park
T in the Park is a major British music festival that has been held annually since 1994. It is named after its main sponsor, the brewing company Tennents. It was originally held at Strathclyde Park, Lanarkshire but since 1997 has been held at a disused airfield in Balado, Kinross-shire...
in the Futures Tent. Further debut festival appearances in the summer of 2008 took place at Oxegen in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
and on consecutive days on 18 and 19 July 2008 at the Benicassim Music Festival
Festival Internacional de Benicàssim
The Festival Internacional de Benicàssim is an annual music festival which takes place in the village of Benicàssim, province of Castelló, Valencian Community in Spain. It focuses mainly on pop, rock and electronica artists, as well as having other elements besides music like short films,...
in Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
and Madrid
Saturday Night Fiber
Saturday Night Fiber was a small-scale music festival in Madrid, Spain that took place in 2008. It took place on the Saturday night of its similar sister festival, the Festival Internacional de Benicàssim, from which it took its name. The two festivals also had similar line-ups...
in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. On 20 July 2008, the band played Latitude Festival where Blondie
Blondie (band)
Blondie is an American rock band, founded by singer Deborah Harry and guitarist Chris Stein. The band was a pioneer in the early American New Wave and punk scenes of the mid-1970s...
, who are fans of the band, watched from the side of the stage. On 13 August 2008, Glasvegas were invited as opening support to Muse
Muse (band)
Muse are an English alternative rock band from Teignmouth, Devon, formed in 1994. The band consists of school friends Matthew Bellamy , Christopher Wolstenholme and Dominic Howard...
at Marlay Park on the outskirts of Dublin, and the following day saw the band play their first support with Kings of Leon
Kings of Leon
Kings of Leon is an American rock band that originated in Albion, Oklahoma but formed in Nashville, Tennessee in 1999. The band is composed of brothers Anthony Caleb Followill , Ivan Nathan Followill and Michael Jared Followill Kings of Leon is an American rock band that originated in Albion,...
at the Brixton Academy. On 25 August, Glasvegas released their second Columbia single "Daddy's Gone
Daddy's Gone
"Daddy's Gone" is a song by Scottish Indie rock band Glasvegas. The song was written and composed by the band's singer and guitarist James Allan....
" which debuted at #20 on the UK Singles Chart. On 30 August 2008, the band played the last ever Hydro Connect Festival
Connect Music Festival
The Connect Music Festival was a music festival that took place in the grounds of Inveraray Castle, located on the banks of Loch Fyne in Argyll, Scotland. It was aimed at more mature music fans and recent headliners included the Beastie Boys, Björk and Franz Ferdinand. The inaugural festival was...
near Inveraray
Inveraray
Inveraray is a royal burgh in Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It is on the western shore of Loch Fyne, near its head, and on the A83 road. It is the traditional county town of Argyll and ancestral home to the Duke of Argyll.-Coat of arms:...
in Scotland.
Glasvegas (Debut Album) and A Snowflake Fell (And It Felt Like a Kiss)
The band's self titled debut album GlasvegasGlasvegas (album)
Glasvegas is the debut studio album by the Scottish Indie rock band Glasvegas, first released in the UK on 8 September 2008 by Columbia Records . The album was produced by lead singer James Allan and Rich Costey . The album sold copies in its first week of release and reached number 2 on the UK...
was released on 8 September 2008 and reached #2 on the UK Album Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
.
The NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
declared, "If The Libertines
The Libertines
The Libertines were an English rock band, formed in London in 1997 by frontmen Carl Barât and Pete Doherty . The band, centred on the song-writing partnership of Barat and Doherty, also included John Hassall and Gary Powell for most of its recording career...
defined the start of the decade and Arctic Monkeys
Arctic Monkeys
Arctic Monkeys are an English indie rock band. Formed in 2002 in High Green, a suburb of Sheffield, the band currently consists of Alex Turner , Jamie Cook , Nick O'Malley and Matt Helders...
its middle, then Glasvegas are almost certainly going to define its end and beyond." Their debut album went on to enjoy success in the UK (where it went Platinum) and in Sweden (where it went Gold). The impact of the band in the UK and success of their debut album did not go unnoticed in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, where the band toured six times between October 2008 and September 2009. The band have mentioned on many occasions during interviews of their commitment to making the breakthrough in the USA and Canada.
At the end of September 2008, the band embarked on their first mini tour of the United States playing Philadelphia, supporting Echo & the Bunnymen
Echo & the Bunnymen
Echo & the Bunnymen are an English post-punk band, formed in Liverpool in 1978. The original line-up consisted of vocalist Ian McCulloch, guitarist Will Sergeant and bass player Les Pattinson, supplemented by a drum machine. By 1980, Pete de Freitas had joined as the band's drummer, and their debut...
at the Radio City Music Hall
Radio City Music Hall
Radio City Music Hall is an entertainment venue located in New York City's Rockefeller Center. Its nickname is the Showplace of the Nation, and it was for a time the leading tourist destination in the city...
in New York, Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
, Washington DC, before returning to New York City to play the Mercury Lounge
Mercury Lounge
The Mercury Lounge is a club/music venue, in the Lower East Side section, of New York City. The structure, at 217 East Houston Street, housed the servants to the Astor Mansion, connected to it by an underground labyrinth of tunnels...
. On 6 October 2008, the band started recording a Christmas-themed second album, A Snowflake Fell (And It Felt Like a Kiss), with a view to releasing it in time for Christmas 2008. Initial recording began at the Electric Lady Studios
Electric Lady Studios
Electric Lady Studios, at 52 West 8th Street, in New York City's Greenwich Village, is a recording studio originally built by Jimi Hendrix and designed by John Storyk in 1970...
before the band moved to a Transylvanian Castle in Brasov
Brasov
Brașov is a city in Romania and the capital of Brașov County.According to the last Romanian census, from 2002, there were 284,596 people living within the city of Brașov, making it the 8th most populated city in Romania....
, Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
. It was the band's intention to release a full album containing ten brand new tracks but due to their tight schedule they could only complete six tracks and the album instead became an E.P.
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
. It was released on 1 December 2008 as a limited edition standalone CD and was also released as a Special Edition CD Box Set alongside their debut album Glasvegas. The band ended 2008 with a UK tour through December culminating with a headline gig at the Edinburgh Hogmanay Street Party on 31 December 2008
The band opened 2009 with their second tour of the USA which this time included the West Coast of the USA and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. They made their first USA TV appearance on the The Late Show with David Letterman
Late Show with David Letterman
Late Show with David Letterman is a U.S. late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and is produced by Letterman's production company, Worldwide Pants Incorporated. The show's music director and band-leader of the house band, the CBS Orchestra, is...
on 5 January and second on 14 January 2009 on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson
The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson is a Peabody Award-winning American late-night talk show hosted by Scottish American comedian Craig Ferguson. Ferguson, the third regular host of the Late Late Show franchise, follows Late Show with David Letterman in the CBS late-night lineup...
. The band also played two gigs in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. On 29 January the band headlined the 2009 NME Awards Tour which ended 21 February 2009 at the Brixton Academy in London. At the 2009 NME Awards
NME Awards
The NME Awards is an annual music awards show in the United Kingdom, founded by the music magazine, NME .The first awards show was held in 1953 as the NME Poll Winners Concerts, shortly after the founding of the magazine....
on 25 February, Glasvegas performed a live version of "Suspicious Minds
Suspicious Minds
"Suspicious Minds" is a song written by American songwriter Mark James that, after the failure of his own recording, was handed to Elvis Presley by producer Chips Moman becoming one of his most notable hits and a number one in 1969, "Suspicious Minds" was widely regarded as the single that returned...
" before embarking on a short European Tour which included three support slots with Oasis
Oasis (band)
Oasis were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1991. Originally known as The Rain, the group was formed by Liam Gallagher , Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs , Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan and Tony McCarroll , who were soon joined by Liam's older brother Noel Gallagher...
on 27 February 2009 in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, 1 March 2009 in Zurich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
and 3 March 2009 in Paris.
On 17 March 2009 the band made their first trip to the SXSW Music Festival held in Austin
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
where they played four gigs over the course of the festival. The band were widely praised by USA press by actually delivering on the hype surrounding them before SXSW 2009. Immediately after SXSW 2009, during March and April, the band played their biggest tour of North America to date.
In May 2009 the band toured several European countries and in June 2009 embarked on their 4th tour of the United States. On their return to the UK, Glasvegas played five support dates with the Kings of Leon. Glasvegas also performed at the Hurricane Festival
Hurricane Festival
The Hurricane Festival, also just Hurricane, is a music festival that takes place in Scheeßel near Bremen, Germany, usually every June. It is promoted by German private music television channel VIVA, which belongs to Viacom, the MTV Network's parent company, as of 2004...
in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
on 19 June 2009. On 20 June 2009 the band also (once again) supported Oasis at Slane Castle
Slane Concert
Slane Concert is a concert held most years since 1981 in the grounds of Slane Castle near Slane, County Meath, in Ireland. The castle is owned by Henry Conyngham, 8th Marquess Conyngham, who was the Earl of Mountcharles until 2009. Slane lies between Navan and Drogheda, about 45 km northwest...
, Ireland. On 28 June the band made a second (and acclaimed) return to Glastonbury
Glastonbury Festival
The Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts, commonly abbreviated to Glastonbury or even Glasto, is a performing arts festival that takes place near Pilton, Somerset, England, best known for its contemporary music, but also for dance, comedy, theatre, circus, cabaret and other arts.The...
playing on The Other Stage
Glastonbury Festival 2009
The 2009 Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts was held from 24–29 June 2009.- Registration :In a similar way to previous festivals, tickets for the 2009 event required pre-registration through the festival website...
. This performance was filmed by the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
.
In July 2009, Glasvegas played 9 different festivals in less than 3 weeks; opening the month with a triple header at Roskilde Festival
Roskilde Festival
Roskilde Festival is a festival held south of Roskilde in Denmark and is one of the six biggest annual music festivals in Europe . It was created in 1971 by two high school students, Mogens Sandfær and Jesper Switzer Møller, and promoter Carl Fischer...
in Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
on 3 July 2009, then Ruisrock
Ruisrock
Ruisrock is a rock festival held annually on the island of Ruissalo in Turku, Finland.Ruisrock, founded in 1970, is the second oldest rock festival in Europe and the oldest in Finland. The festival has attracted world-famous artists throughout its lifetime except in the turn of the 2000s, due to...
in Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
on 4 July 2009 followed by a 5 July 2009 appearance at Eurockéennes
Eurockéennes
The Eurockéennes de Belfort is one of France's largest rock music festivals. The Eurockéennes, a play on words involving the words rock and européennes , is a festival based in a nature reserve in Malsaucy near Belfort...
in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. On the 11 July 2009 Glasvegas made their second consecutive appearance at T in the Park where they co-headlined the King Tut's Tent. This performance once again was filmed by the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
. The following day the band made another appearance at Oxegen near Dublin, Ireland where they co-headlined. Glasvegas then played the Benicassim Music Festival
Festival Internacional de Benicàssim
The Festival Internacional de Benicàssim is an annual music festival which takes place in the village of Benicàssim, province of Castelló, Valencian Community in Spain. It focuses mainly on pop, rock and electronica artists, as well as having other elements besides music like short films,...
in Valencia on 16 July 2009, Gurten Festival
Gurtenfestival
The Gurtenfestival is a music festival in Switzerland. It is held annually in middle of July on top of Bern's local mountain, the Gurten.-1991:Nazareth, Donovan, Ralph McTell, Flying Pickets, Konstantin Wecker-1992:...
in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
on the 18 July 2009 and the Melt Festival
Melt! festival
The Melt! Festival is a music festival in Germany. The music that is played is described by the organizers as Electronic meets Rock.-Location:Since 1999 the festival is held in Ferropolis, Gräfenhainichen Germany....
on 19 July 2009.
Glasvegas were asked to support U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
on their 360° Tour
U2 360° Tour
The U2 360° Tour was a worldwide concert tour by rock band U2. Launched in support of the group's 2009 album No Line on the Horizon, the tour visited stadiums from 2009 through 2011. It was named for a stage configuration that allowed the audience to almost completely surround the stage...
after Bono
Bono
Paul David Hewson , most commonly known by his stage name Bono , is an Irish singer, musician, and humanitarian best known for being the main vocalist of the Dublin-based rock band U2. Bono was born and raised in Dublin, Ireland, and attended Mount Temple Comprehensive School where he met his...
was given a copy of the band's debut album Glasvegas
Glasvegas (album)
Glasvegas is the debut studio album by the Scottish Indie rock band Glasvegas, first released in the UK on 8 September 2008 by Columbia Records . The album was produced by lead singer James Allan and Rich Costey . The album sold copies in its first week of release and reached number 2 on the UK...
. In an interview with NME Bono was quoted as saying “that song; It’s My Own Cheating Heart That Makes Me Cry
It's My Own Cheating Heart That Makes Me Cry
"It's My Own Cheating Heart That Makes Me Cry" is a song by Scottish Indie rock band Glasvegas. The song was written and composed by the band's singer and guitarist James Allan....
, is one of the best songs I‘ve ever heard.” Glasvegas supported U2 across 4 dates in July and August 2009 which were Dublin's Croke Park
Croke Park
Croke Park in Dublin is the principal stadium and headquarters of the Gaelic Athletic Association , Ireland's biggest sporting organisation...
on 24 July 2009, Wembley Stadium
Wembley Stadium
The original Wembley Stadium, officially known as the Empire Stadium, was a football stadium in Wembley, a suburb of north-west London, standing on the site now occupied by the new Wembley Stadium that opened in 2007...
on August 15, 2009, Hampden Stadium
Hampden Park
Hampden Park is a football stadium in the Mount Florida area of Glasgow, Scotland. The 52,063 capacity venue serves as the national stadium of football in Scotland...
on August 18, 2009 and the Millennium Stadium
Millennium Stadium
The Millennium Stadium is the national stadium of Wales, located in the capital, Cardiff. It is the home of the Wales national rugby union team and also frequently stages games of the Wales national football team, but is also host to many other large scale events, such as the Super Special Stage...
on 22 August 2009.
The band played their 5th tour of the United States beginning July 2009 including at their first US Music Festival at Lollapalooza
Lollapalooza
Lollapalooza is an annual music festival featuring popular alternative rock, heavy metal, punk rock and hip hop bands, dance and comedy performances, and craft booths. It has also provided a platform for non-profit and political groups. The music festival hosts more than 160,000 people over a...
on 8 August 2009. After Lollapalooza the band played the Øya Festival
Øyafestivalen
Øyafestivalen is an annual Norwegian music festival held in Middelalderparken , Oslo. It has grown quickly since its modest start in 1999 with an audience of 1000 people in one day, and has now become one of Norway's biggest festivals....
in Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
, Norway and headlined the Way Out West Music Festival
Way Out West Festival
Way Out West is a three-day music festival held in Gothenburg, Sweden, during August that plays host to a variety of popular music artists mainly from the rock, electronic and hip-hop genres...
in Gothenburg
Gothenburg
Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area...
. In order to make their second support date with U2 at Wembley Stadium on 15 August 2009 the band commissioned a private jet to fly them from Sweden to London. Between the U2 support dates Glasvegas also made their first appearances at the Frequency Festival in St. Pölten
Sankt Pölten
Sankt Pölten is the capital city of the State of Lower Austria in northeast Austria. With inhabitants , it is Lower Austria's largest city...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
and Pukkelpop
Pukkelpop
Pukkelpop is an annual music festival which takes place near the city of Hasselt, Belgium in mid-to-late August. It is held within a large enclosure of fields and woodland—between a dual carriageway called Kempische Steenweg—in the village of Kiewit, approximately 7 km north of Hasselt...
in Hasselt
Hasselt
Hasselt is a Belgian city and municipality, and capital of the Flemish province of Limburg...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
. Glasvegas ended August 2009 with a second subsequent appearance at the Leeds and Reading Festival.
Glasvegas were nominated for the 2009 Mercury Music Prize, however lead singer James Allan disappeared just days before the Awards Ceremony on 8 September 2009. He went missing for a total of five days before eventually turning up safe and well in New York. On 11 September 2009, Glasvegas toured the USA and Canada for a sixth time, supporting Kings of Leon
Kings of Leon
Kings of Leon is an American rock band that originated in Albion, Oklahoma but formed in Nashville, Tennessee in 1999. The band is composed of brothers Anthony Caleb Followill , Ivan Nathan Followill and Michael Jared Followill Kings of Leon is an American rock band that originated in Albion,...
. This support tour ended on 25 September 2009. On 10 October 2009, Glasvegas played the Vena Festival in Lodz, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
. This gig in Poland would turn out to be the last performance of Caroline McKay. The final gig of 2009 was on 30 October in London where Rab and James played a special acoustic set for charity.
Recording of Euphoric Heartbreak
Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica is a beachfront city in western Los Angeles County, California, US. Situated on Santa Monica Bay, it is surrounded on three sides by the city of Los Angeles — Pacific Palisades on the northwest, Brentwood on the north, West Los Angeles on the northeast, Mar Vista on the east, and...
where for over five months they demoed, tracked and recorded most of the album Euphoric Heartbreak
Euphoric Heartbreak
Euphoric Heartbreak is the second studio album by Scottish rock group Glasvegas, which was released on 4 April 2011 by Columbia Records. The album was written, demoed and tracked by James Allan in a beach house in Santa Monica, California before full production and final recording took place in...
. Santa Monica and its location on Southern California's West Coast had a massive influence on the sound and feel of the new songs.
During this period in Santa Monica, Caroline McKay chose to leave the band before demoing and any recording began, officially leaving on 25 March 2010 citing personal reasons.
The remaining band members stayed in Santa Monica until early May 2010 before returning to the Scotland with an album's worth of new material. After a break over the summer, the band headed south to the Assault & Battery 2, a tracking and mix studio in London, with producer Flood through September, October and November 2010. Further post-production took place at the Castle of Doom studios in Glasgow through December 2010 and January 2011. The album was finished a year to the day that the band arrived at the Santa Monica Beach House.
2011
Glasvegas opened 2011 with an 8 date tour of Scotland which took the band to places in Scotland that are normally missed out by touring bands. The tour took in KirkwallKirkwall
Kirkwall is the biggest town and capital of Orkney, off the coast of northern mainland Scotland. The town is first mentioned in Orkneyinga saga in the year 1046 when it is recorded as the residence of Rögnvald Brusason the Earl of Orkney, who was killed by his uncle Thorfinn the Mighty...
, Wick
Wick, Highland
Wick is an estuary town and a royal burgh in the north of the Highland council area of Scotland. Historically, it is one of two burghs within the county of Caithness, of which Wick was the county town. The town straddles the River Wick and extends along both sides of Wick Bay...
, Forres
Forres
Forres , is a town and former royal burgh situated in the north of Scotland on the Moray coast, approximately 30 miles east of Inverness. Forres has been a winner of the Scotland in Bloom award on several occasions...
, Oban
Oban
Oban Oban Oban ( is a resort town within the Argyll and Bute council area of Scotland. It has a total resident population of 8,120. Despite its small size, it is the largest town between Helensburgh and Fort William and during the tourist season the town can be crowded by up to 25,000 people. Oban...
, Dunoon
Dunoon
Dunoon is a resort town situated on the Cowal Peninsula in Argyll, Scotland. It sits on the Firth of Clyde to the south of Holy Loch and to the west of Gourock.-Waterfront:...
, Troon
Troon
Troon is a town in South Ayrshire. It is situated on the west coast of Scotland, about eight miles north of Ayr and three miles northwest of Glasgow Prestwick International Airport. Lying across the Firth of Clyde, the Isle of Arran can be seen. Troon is also a port with freight and ferry services...
, Hawick
Hawick
Hawick is a town in the Scottish Borders of south east Scotland. It is south-west of Jedburgh and south-southeast of Selkirk. It is one of the farthest towns from the sea in Scotland, in the heart of Teviotdale, and the biggest town in the former county of Roxburghshire. Hawick's architecture is...
and Dunfermline
Dunfermline
Dunfermline is a town and former Royal Burgh in Fife, Scotland, on high ground from the northern shore of the Firth of Forth. According to a 2008 estimate, Dunfermline has a population of 46,430, making it the second-biggest settlement in Fife. Part of the town's name comes from the Gaelic word...
. The band announced the tour to ensure that Scotland would be the first to hear the new music. The tour received positive critical reviews with Simon Price
Simon Price
Simon Price is a British music journalist and club promoter, born on 25 September 1967 in the Welsh town of Barry. He is now best known for his weekly review section in The Independent on Sunday and his book on Manic Street Preachers.-Career:...
of The Independent on Sunday quoting that "Glasvegas are still – and we desperately need this right now – a band to believe in".
The band also announced a showcase tour planned around smaller venues in March 2011 with several dates selling out within hours of going on sale followed by an Academy size tour planned for April/May 2011 to promote the new album.
However, by late February 2011 the relationship between Glasvegas and their record label (Sony)
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
started to deteriorate which at the beginning of the year would have never been predicted. On delivery of the album Sony
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
were extremely excited by the album, the quality of songs contained within and the fact it was a marked departure from the debut album! The marketing campaign kicked off in January 2011 with a free track giveaway and the track chosen was the second track on the album The World Is Yours. However the band wanted something more substantial than just a free giveaway and eventually the label gave the green light to the band creating an Album Trailer Movie to go alongside the free giveaway. This helped raise the profile of the free giveaway significantly but the early seeds of discord with the direction of the marketing campaign were sown.
Initial reviews of the album were generally positive with the Daily Record
Daily Record (Scotland)
The Daily Record is a Scottish tabloid newspaper based in Glasgow. It had been the best-selling daily paper in Scotland for many years with a paid circulation in August 2011 of 307,794 . It is now outsold by its arch-rival the Scottish Sun which in September 2010 had a circulation of 339,586 in...
declaring it "'the album of the year!'"
However by March
March
March is in present time held to be the third month of the year in both the Julian and Gregorian calendars. It is one of the seven months which are 31 days long....
the band felt that the marketing campaign that Sony
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
put in place for Euphoric Heartbreak was not working and came a poor second to the campaign put in place for the band's debut album
Glasvegas (album)
Glasvegas is the debut studio album by the Scottish Indie rock band Glasvegas, first released in the UK on 8 September 2008 by Columbia Records . The album was produced by lead singer James Allan and Rich Costey . The album sold copies in its first week of release and reached number 2 on the UK...
. The band had noticed that visual indicators of promotion to raise awareness of the new album was almost non-existent. There was no TV, Radio
Music radio
Music radio is a radio format in which music is the main broadcast content. After television replaced old time radio's dramatic content, music formats became dominant in many countries...
or billboard
Billboard
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
advertising for the new album which had a severe impact on raising awareness. This non-awareness was reinforced by the many fans (who had turned up to the band's gigs in March 2011) being unaware of the imminent release of Euphoric Heartbreak. This set the alarm bells ringing within the band and the relationship between band and label started to come undone with the band losing faith in the label's choices and general direction of the campaign.
As an aside one of the most heated areas for disagreement between band and label was the singles
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
and the fact that Sony were enforcing the On air on sale
On air on sale
On air on sale is a policy in the music industry where recorded music is made available for sale at the same time as it is made available for radio broadcast, instead of several weeks later in order to let marketing "buzz" develop, as was former practice. The aim of the policy is to prevent...
policy for all their singles. This policy proved to be an utter disaster for Glasvegas and essentially nullified the impact of the first single "Euphoria, Take My Hand" which was released as an immediately available download on 7 February 2011 before being released physically on 28 March 2011. As a consequence of the Sony release policy the single received very little radio airplay and coupled with the fact it was caught up in the middle of a poor marketing campaign meant it never got out of the starting blocks in trying to reach a wider audience. In a rare moment of transparency Sony finally admitted in October
October
October is the tenth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian Calendars and one of seven months with a length of 31 days. The eighth month in the old Roman calendar, October retained its name after January and February were inserted into the calendar that had originally been created by the...
2011 that the on air on sale "does not work" and that they will "now be looking at each release on a case-by-case basis" Moving forward towards the imminent release date; the only thing the band could control was their touring and they embarked on a grueling touring schedule in the early part of 2011. The live performance of "Euphoria, Take My Hand" was one of the many highlights and contributed to raising awareness of the singles and the forthcoming new album.
Release of Euphoric Heartbreak
On 4 April 2011 the bands sophomore album entered the charts at No. 10 despite the vast majority of the general public unaware it had been released. The album also hit the No.1 spot in SwedenThe album polarised opinion...some reviews criticised the band for being too bold and that the album was too big a departure from their debut whilst others praised this move forward and the high quality songwriting the album contained. NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
gave the album a 9/10 matching the score they awarded the bands debut album. They said of the album..."Turning pain into joy is the stuff that dreams are made of for an album as thrillingly ambitious as it is enigmatic".
Clash Magazine praised the band for delivering a more accomplished sound by reassuringly admitting "pioneers they remain"
The BBC
BBC Music
BBC Music is a team working in the department of Audio and Music Interactive at the BBC. Responsible for the BBC Music website - the portal site to music content across the BBC website....
declared the album "a triumph" despite all the upheavel with the band in 2010.
Pitchfork
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
felt it was "too bombastic and that it simply numbs you with 50 minutes of novocaine for the soul." while PopMatters
PopMatters
PopMatters is an international webzine of cultural criticism that covers many aspects of popular culture. PopMatters publishes reviews, interviews, and detailed essays on most cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, films, books, video games, comics, sports, theater,...
(an International Webzine) gave the album 5/10 and said that the "album smears together into one gigantic well-produced stadium anthem, shining like the night sky while remaining just as inert".
The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
awarded the album 3/5 but felt "that they were still waiting on an undeniable triumph from Glasvegas".
Finally the Daily Bruin
Daily Bruin
The Daily Bruin is the student newspaper at the University of California, Los Angeles.-Frequency and governance:When classes are in session, the Bruin is published Monday through Friday during the school year and once a week on Mondays in the summer quarter.It is overseen by the ASUCLA...
, a Student newspaper
Student newspaper
A student newspaper is a newspaper run by students of a university, high school, middle school, or other school. These papers traditionally cover local and, primarily, school or university news....
based at the University of California, Los Angeles
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
said that the album "may surprise fans at first, with its more majestic and otherworldly music. However, it is a collection of beautiful, well-written and poignant songs worth significantly more of the listener's time than the 48 minutes it will take to listen to the album".
Although a Top 10 position was a viewed as a decent showing by Sony, the band were extremely disappointed with this. The band would see out the rest of their contract and officially left Columbia Records on 4 August 2011, 12 weeks after the release of Euphoric Heartbreak.
After the band's academy tour of Europe and the UK, the band left for their 7th tour of the United States in June 2011 playing to sold out venues in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
and Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. On return to the UK the band played at Rockness in Scotland followed by a headline appearance on the John Peel Stage. Several more festival appearances including a top slot at Where The Action
Where the Action Is Tour
Where the Action Is was a tour featuring Swedish rock bands that toured throughout Sweden between 2004 and 2006 with several high profiled Swedish bands and artists such as The Hellacopters, The Hives, The Ark, Moneybrother and many others. In 2007 the tour took a hiatus and then came back in 2008...
in Gothenburg
Gothenburg
Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
saw the band round of June 2011.
In July 2011, the band toured Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
for the first time playing three sold out shows at The Rosemount Hotel in Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
, The Metro in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
and The Hi-Fi in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
before making a festival appearance at Splendour in The Grass
Splendour in the Grass
Splendour in the Grass is an annual Australian music festival held in July at Woodford, Queensland, and previously held at Belongil Fields, outside Byron Bay...
held at Woodford
Woodford, Queensland
Woodford is a small town in Queensland, Australia, on the D'Aguilar Highway 72 km north-west of Brisbane and 24 km west of Caboolture. Its Local Government Area is the Moreton Bay Region. The town is noted for its folk festival that takes place over the New Year holidays. The Woodford...
45 miles north west of Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
. The band also made their second trip to Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
to play the Fuji Rock Festival and then rounded off the summer by headlining the first ever Famous Grouse
The Famous Grouse
The Famous Grouse is a brand of blended Scotch whisky, first produced by Matthew Gloag & Son Ltd. in 1897, and now produced by The Edrington Group. The malt whiskies used in The Famous Grouse blend include The Glenrothes, Highland Park Single Malt and Macallan Single Malt. Its emblem is the Red...
Music Festival and playing the V Festival
V Festival
The V Festival is an annual music festival held in England during the penultimate weekend in August. The event is held at two parks simultaneously which share the same bill; artists perform at one location on Saturday and then swap on Sunday. The sites are located at Hylands Park in Chelmsford and...
for the first time.
The band have announced a tour of the UK and Ireland in October 2011 ending starting in Cork
Cork (city)
Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the island of Ireland's third most populous city. It is the principal city and administrative centre of County Cork and the largest city in the province of Munster. Cork has a population of 119,418, while the addition of the suburban...
, then London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and then working their way north and eventually ending with a gig in the band's hometown of Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
on Halloween
Halloween
Hallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...
On the 16 September 2011 it was announced that the band's song "The World Is Yours" (the second listed track) from Euphoric Heartbreak was featured on the soundtrack to the FIFA 12
FIFA 12
FIFA 12 is the nineteenth game in Electronic Arts' FIFA series of association football video games. It was developed by EA Canada, and published by Electronic Arts worldwide under the EA Sports label. David Rutter, the line producer for FIFA 12, promised "a revolutionary year for FIFA .....
video game.
Q
Q (magazine)
Q is a popular music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom.Founders Mark Ellen and David Hepworth were dismayed by the music press of the time, which they felt was ignoring a generation of older music buyers who were buying CDs — then still a new technology...
announced that on the 25 October 2011 they will release a U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
cover album called AHK-toong BAY-bi Covered, with various artists covering each track from U2's 1991 seventh studio album Achtung Baby
Achtung Baby
Achtung Baby is the seventh studio album by Irish rock band U2. It was produced by Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno, and was released on 19 November 1991 on Island Records. Stung by the criticism of their 1988 release Rattle and Hum, U2 shifted their musical direction to incorporate alternative...
. Glasvegas were asked by U2 to cover a track and the band chose the 11th track, "Acrobat
Acrobat (song)
"Acrobat" is a song by rock band U2. It is the eleventh track on their 1991 album Achtung Baby. The critical failure of Rattle and Hum led the band to seek a harder sound in their music. The song developed from a riff created by guitarist The Edge, and is played in a time signature. Thematically...
".
Discography
- GlasvegasGlasvegas (album)Glasvegas is the debut studio album by the Scottish Indie rock band Glasvegas, first released in the UK on 8 September 2008 by Columbia Records . The album was produced by lead singer James Allan and Rich Costey . The album sold copies in its first week of release and reached number 2 on the UK...
(2008) - A Snowflake Fell (And It Felt Like a Kiss) (mini album) (2008)
- Euphoric HeartbreakEuphoric HeartbreakEuphoric Heartbreak is the second studio album by Scottish rock group Glasvegas, which was released on 4 April 2011 by Columbia Records. The album was written, demoed and tracked by James Allan in a beach house in Santa Monica, California before full production and final recording took place in...
(2011)
Awards
Glasvegas received three nominations for the 2008 Swedish RockbjornenRockbjörnen
Rockbjörnen is a Swedish popular music award established by the Stockholm evening newspaper Aftonbladet in 1979. The award, which is awarded annually, is divided into several categories and is mostly concentrated around the genres Pop and Rock. The first award was however given to the Swedish...
awards: Best International Act, Best International Album for Glasvegas and Best International Song for "Geraldine". In Q
Q (magazine)
Q is a popular music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom.Founders Mark Ellen and David Hepworth were dismayed by the music press of the time, which they felt was ignoring a generation of older music buyers who were buying CDs — then still a new technology...
magazine's list of the Top 50 Albums of 2008, Glasvegas
Glasvegas (album)
Glasvegas is the debut studio album by the Scottish Indie rock band Glasvegas, first released in the UK on 8 September 2008 by Columbia Records . The album was produced by lead singer James Allan and Rich Costey . The album sold copies in its first week of release and reached number 2 on the UK...
was voted the fifth best album of the year.
NME Awards
The NME AwardsNME Awards
The NME Awards is an annual music awards show in the United Kingdom, founded by the music magazine, NME .The first awards show was held in 1953 as the NME Poll Winners Concerts, shortly after the founding of the magazine....
are an annual music awards show, founded by the music magazine NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
. Glasvegas have received one award from three nominations.
|-
| 2008 || Glasvegas || Philip Hall Radar Award ||
|-
| rowspan="2" | 2009 ||| Glasvegas || Best New Band ||
|-
| Glasvegas || Best Album ||
|}
Mercury Prizes
The Mercury PrizeMercury Prize
The Mercury Prize, formerly called the Mercury Music Prize and currently known as the Barclaycard Mercury Prize for sponsorship reasons, is an annual music prize awarded for the best album from the United Kingdom and Ireland. It was established by the British Phonographic Industry and British...
is an annual music prize awarded for the best album from the United Kingdom or Ireland. Glasvegas have received one nomination.
|-
| 2009 || Glasvegas || Mercury Prize ||
|}
Q Awards
The Q AwardsQ Awards
The Q Awards are the UK's annual music awards run by the music magazine Q. Since they began in 1990, the Q Awards have become one of Britain's biggest and best publicised music awards, helped in no small part by the often boisterous behavior of the celebrities who attend the event...
are an annual music awards show, founded by the music magazine Q
Q (magazine)
Q is a popular music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom.Founders Mark Ellen and David Hepworth were dismayed by the music press of the time, which they felt was ignoring a generation of older music buyers who were buying CDs — then still a new technology...
. Glasvegas have received one nomination.
|-
| 2008 || Glasvegas || Best New Act ||
|}
MOJO Awards
The MOJO AwardsMOJO Awards
The MOJO Awards is an awards ceremony that began in 2004 by Mojo, a popular music magazine published monthly by Bauer in the United Kingdom...
are an annual music awards show, founded by the music magazine MOJO
Mojo (magazine)
MOJO is a popular music magazine published initially by Emap, and since January 2008 by Bauer, monthly in the United Kingdom. Following the success of the magazine Q, publishers Emap were looking for a title which would cater for the burgeoning interest in classic rock music...
. Glasvegas have received one nomination.
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| 2009 || Glasvegas || Breakthrough Act ||
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XFM Awards
The XFM Awards are an annual music awards show, founded by the radio station XFMXfm
Xfm is a brand of two commercial radio stations focused on alternative music, primarily indie pop, and owned by Global Radio.-History:Xfm was created in London in 1992 by Sammy Jacob, who later co-founded NME Radio in 2008. Xfm subsequently expanded to a network of four stations; there are...
. Glasvegas have received one award from one nomination.
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| 2009 || Glasvegas || XFM New Music Award||
Vodafone Live Music Awards
The Vodafone Live Music Awards are an annual music awards show, founded by VodafoneVodafone
Vodafone Group Plc is a global telecommunications company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world's largest mobile telecommunications company measured by revenues and the world's second-largest measured by subscribers , with around 341 million proportionate subscribers as of...
. Glasvegas have received one nomination.
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| 2008 || Glasvegas || XFM Live Breakthrough ||
UK Festival Awards
The UK Festival Awards are an annual music awards show, Glasvegas have received one nomination.|-
| 2008 || Glasvegas || Best Live Newcomer ||
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Tartan Clef Awards
The Tartan Clef Awards are an annual music awards show. Glasvegas have received one nomination.|-
| 2008 || Glasvegas || VisitScotland's Best Live Act ||
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Rockbjörnen Awards
The RockbjörnenRockbjörnen
Rockbjörnen is a Swedish popular music award established by the Stockholm evening newspaper Aftonbladet in 1979. The award, which is awarded annually, is divided into several categories and is mostly concentrated around the genres Pop and Rock. The first award was however given to the Swedish...
Awards is an annual Swedish music awards show. Glasvegas have received three nominations.
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| rowspan="3" | 2008 ||| Glasvegas || Best International Act ||
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| Glasvegas || Best International Album ||
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| "Geraldine" || Best International Song ||
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UK Music Video Awards
The UK Music Video Awards is an annual music awards show, Glasvegas have received four nominations.|-
| rowspan="4" | 2009 || rowspan="4" | "Flowers & Football Tops" || Best Rock Video ||
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| Best Art Direction in a Video ||
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| Best Cinematography in a Video ||
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| Best Visual Effects in a Video ||
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External links
- Glasvegas Official Website - Glasvegas Official
- Glasvegas - Universal Publishing - Universal Publishing