Aaaaaaaand we are back!  Over the past month both David of Kowalskiy and I have been skiving off on holiday*, meaning it's round 5 of our Battle Of The Bands has been brewing nicely in the background.  Round 4 saw David take a one point lead over us, having recruited We Are The Physics who wipe the floor with my choice, Michael Cassidy.  Fear not Mr Cassidy, I shall avenge thee!

* Huge congratulations to David and his finance who got engaged on their holiday!

I was back in the driving seat with first pick in Round 5, and I plan to use that advantage to even up the scores overall.  As always, should you need a quick reminder of the rules look no further.


Joining the Scottish Fiction camp this week are The State Broadcasters fresh from their live session on the show, and with a brand new album about to drop on Monday.  The six piece band have been plying their musical trade for 8 years now, and with a mighty Scrabble score of 28 and an impressive 13 tracks nestled on their SoundCloud page I've got every reason to be confident.  My chosen categories then as you may have guessed are; SoundCloud Tracks, Years Since Formation and Band Name Scrabble Score.  The real test is though how they measure up against Kowalskiy's choice.


Cor blimey!  Another band with a new album out on Monday, it's Cancel The Astronauts!  And it's now time to tot up the scores and to the victor giveth the spoils!

SoundCloud Tracks - David get's off to a good start as Cancel The Astronauts have a career spanning 28 tracks on their SoundCloud page, which pretty much wipes the floor with The State Broadcasters 13.  So much for that one...  1-0 to Kowalskiy.

Years Since Formation - Huzzah!  They may have 28 tracks on their SoundCloud page, but they've been accumulated over 5 years, compared with the 8 years my choice The State Broadcasters have been plugging away for.  1-1 with all to play for.

Band Name Scrabble Score - And it's down to the wire!  It's a close one, but the cunning use of the definitive article means The State Broadcasters pip Cancel The Astronauts on the Scrabble board with 28 points to 26.  2-1 to Scottish Fiction, and victory!

Which as I intended, bring the Battle Of The Bands series back to 3-3.  There'll be the chance for one of us to retake the lead in a fortnights time with Round 6.  Until then, here's why David and I chose our respective artists.

The State Broadcasters were recently live in the Pulse studio on our Scottish Fiction radio show, and coupled with sneak preview listens of their forthcoming album 'Ghosts We Must Carry', I've grown rather fond of them.  Their gentle indie-folk has the means to warm the cockles of hearts and minds, and I highly recommend you buy their album when it's released via Olive Grove Records on Monday.  Head on over to their Bandcamp page where you can do so, and also pick up some free stuff, including 'Kittiwake' which is streaming below.


Also with a new album out on Monday is Cancel The Astronauts.  'Animal Love Match' is a fabulous record, so much so that I've said so right here.  Sadly their launch night for the album, due to be held at Sneaky Pete's has had to be cancelled, however we may have some exciting news relating to live shows and the band coming very soon (I've said too much!).  Check out 'Making Dynamite' from the album below.