Late 80s / early 90s pop faves Deacon Blue tour the UK in Sept 2013 with Dundee’s The Hazey Janes in support. Pop perfection!
The Hazey Janes is a band from Dundee who craft indie pop into something more refined and endurable. Earlier today they announced that they have been invited to support Scottish pop icons Deacon Blue this September. Nine shows have been scheduled and the band will provide support on eight of them. The odd one out is Leeds where it’s The Hazey Janes’ own show. It culminates in London at the Royal Albert Hall no less!
Loved by practically everyone in the local Dundee scene, they are a band who have honed their craft over many years. On the back of previous support tours including Wilco, perhaps word of mouth is finally starting to get around that here is a band reaching far beyond unsigned (in the major label sense) or local status.
As I’ve said before, the decline and collapse of well-funded independent record labels means that DIY / bedroom labels putting out short runs has become the norm. Where distribution used to be the holy grail now it’s being heard via exposure over the noise from all the music both above and below radar.
After all, anyone might be able to hear a band’s music on Spotify, Bandcamp or Soundcloud but finding out that they exist is the hardest part. Exposure remains the biggest obstacle for many up-and-coming artists.
With a new album recorded and a release on the horizon, The Hazey Janes have a lot to look forward to this year.
From this grassy knoll, coffee table indie might fall into the crosshairs from time to time but with good reason. Critics love those types of acts because it’s safe to get behind them. They can praise it without fear of what other people think. Going against the grain and sticking your neck out requires a spine – which is why I’d be amazed if The likes of The Murderburgers made the next ‘Scottish Album of the Year’ shortlist.
When The Hazey Janes come along they remind us why the genre is held in such high esteem in the first place. Music crafted with real heart and integrity resonates with an audience and we’re lucky in Scotland to have so many artists capable of such a feat. See them on tour this Autumn if you can!
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