Luva Anna set to rock the festival

May 20 2008 by Andrew Welsh

AN ECLECTIC list of Scottish talent has been invited to bolster the already strong Perth Festival of the Arts line-up.

Luva Anna, Xvectors and Hazey Janes will all be taking part in the Fair City extravaganza, which opens on Thursday and runs until June 1.

Dundee rockers Luva Anna will support Sheffield troubadour Richard Hawley at Perth Concert Hall on the festival’s first night.

With a neat line in folk-tinged four-part harmonies, Luva Anna have enjoyed a major role in the City of Discovery’s recent musical renaissance.

In little more than two years, the band has played over 150 gigs, taking in an Academy tour of 1500-plus-capacity venues and two UK tours with Dundee rivals The View and The Law, plus festival appearances and headline Scottish tours.

Opening for Calvin Harris on Friday, May 30, will be Scottish dance act Xvectors.

Formed in mid-2003, the Edinburgh-based electro gurus spent their first few months together writing and rehearsing their short, sharp bursts of intense, claustrophobic, guitar-driven dance music.

Famed for their fearsome live performances, the band’s superstar DJ fans include Soulwax, Tim Sweeney (DFA), Rory Phillips (OurDisco), Tom Middleton, Jamie Principle and Optimo’s JD Twitch and JG Wilkes.

With the Optimo release of ‘Now is the Winter of our Discotheque’ in 2007, Xvectors stepped out of the underground shadows and have since blitzed clubs all over the world.

That rapturously received triple A-sided single was completed with a blistering cover of Jamie Principle’s Chicago classic ‘Your Love’ and their own explosive ‘Dial All The Nines’.

In recent months, the band has been hard at work in their Edinburgh recording studio preparing their latest as-yet-untitled album for release later this summer on the Blast First label.

Xvectors are Rory Connaghan (vocals, guitars), David Caldwell (guitars, programming), Paul MacEachen (bass, vocals) and Jon Murray (drums, percussion).

Meanwhile, The Hazey Janes support The Levellers at Perth Concert Hall on Saturday.

Hailing from Dundee, The Hazey Janes’ debut album ‘Hotel Radio’ garnered great support from the national music press in 2006.

After spending most of last year in the USA playing live and recording with Hold Steady and Dinosaur Jnr producer John Agnello, the band has just released ‘New York’, the first single off their second album.

Characterised by warm and melodious three-part harmonies, The Hazey Janes’ music is a rich and original fusion of folk, country rock and power-pop, recalling the likes of Big Star and Velvet Crush.

Bookings can be made at www.perthfestival.co.uk or by calling 0845 612 6330.