Hailing from Glasgow, three-piece PAWS bash out infectious garage pop-rock that can run from breezy melancholia to a territorial roar in the blink of an eye. Their surefooted, exuberant noise is belied by melodies and lyrics that bare the bones of the author with sarcastic self-analysis and often painful home truths. If you missed PAWS at the Great Escape, catch them out on tour with Bleached,
18th May, Leeds, Brudenell Social Club
20th May, Glasgow, Nice & Sleazy
21st May, Newcastle, The Cluny
22nd May,London, Birthdays
The band hold a strong DIY ethic, having recorded the majority of their releases in bedrooms & living rooms, never spending too long on recording. So far they have released a couple of cassettes in small numbered runs, a split 7” single for Edinburgh based Gerry Loves Records, and the “Mermaid E.P” (mastered by Bob Weston of Shellac).
Now signed to FatCat, the ‘Misled Youth’ tape gives a blast of what is to come from this lively young Scottish band. Singer/ guitarist Phillip Taylor describes the process thus – “We recorded it by ourselves all in one day. We had a brand new bunch of songs and whenever we have new songs, we always try to record them as soon as we possibly can. With the exception of BAINZ, they were all written/ completed in a week and recorded by the weekend. I think it’s a good representation of what we are up to just now.” Expect the album in the Autumn.
PAWS have played a plethora of shows since their first gig opening for Dum Dum Girls in May 2010, their vibrant and noisy live performances building a reputation for audience interaction and participation – Phillip explains again, “We are constantly writing and adding new songs to the set – just whatever we feel like playing on the night most of the time. We kind of build up a catalogue of stuff and then pick from it depending on the mood/atmosphere of the show.”
Playing almost anywhere that they can fit their drums/guitar/bass/vocals into, notable venues have included: someone’s bathroom, a skate shop and a ridiculously wet and windy performance on the top of an open roofed double decker bus. The band also stormed through a summer run of Scottish Festivals last year, including very well attended performances at T in The Park, Belladrum, GoNorth, Wickerman and Loopallu Festival.
