GoGoBot

GoGoBot, Apple Store, Glasgow, Today 7pm

Appropriately hi-tech surroundings as "Glasgow's cyber rock trio" (their words, not ours) play a 30-minute set to launch their insanely dancetastic (our words, not theirs) new single, out this week. With one of the punchiest choruses of 2011, Survey Says Dance is the fifth, and penultimate in the band's See Saw Series of releases spread across the year. Find out why they're one of our tips for the top in 2012. - The Herald

Who: Marko Kelly (lead vocals/guitar), Rosie McClune (bass, vocals), Gordon McNeil (drums, vocals)
Where: Glasgow
For Fans Of: Scissor Sisters, Electric 6, Nine Inch Nails
Jim Says: Specialising in epic industrial pop with a nod towards legendary 70s mavericks Sparks, I’ve been keeping an eye on this Glasgow trio for a while now. Foo Fighters Dave Grohl was also an early champion. Early live gigs saw them on the road with their mates Glasvegas, but they’ve moved on significantly and 2011 looks like the year GoGoBot will break big style. Now backed by the team behind Wet Wet Wet they’ve signed with Measured Records. GoGoBot play King Tut’s on January 7. Single Is This Love? Is out January 24.
- The Sun

The Glasgow electro rock trio rightly exude confidence on this belter of a single from one of Scotland’s most promising new bands. Frontman Marko Kelly’s falsetto vocals threaten to evoke the ghost of Jimmy Somerville for those old enough to remember Bronski Beat and The Communards. - Daily Record

Bright sparks GoGoBot reckon they could teach Duncan Bannatyne and his fellow Dragons a few tricks about breaking the music industry.

The Glasgow rockers have devised a brand new business model worthy of Dragons’ Den to turn themselves from unknowns into household names.

The year plan, called the See Saw Series, will see the band release a new single – plus a B-side – every two months, showcasing tunes that reflect the changing seasons.

Frontman Marko Kelly said: “You could think of it as smart market research. I think more bands will start doing it, so we should get a patent put on the method – you might see me on Dragons’ Den pretty soon, making sure no one steals it.”

The innovative idea aims to find out exactly what their fans want and help them stand out in an industry saturated with new bands.

Now, a third of the way through the project, they’ve just brought out second single First Class Fool, an “in-your-face rock tune”.

Marko said “Nowadays, it’s very difficult to get people into a collection of tracks – everyone is so fickle. They download one song then move on. There’s so many bands out there in Britain alone.”

He added “We intend to make enough of a mark so people want the See Saw project to be an album – if we can’t put that out at the end of the year, then we’ve done something wrong”.

The band- Marko, bass player Rosie McClune and drummer Gordon McNeil – forged their own blueprint after becoming bored of the normal tried-and-tested approach.

Marko, 31, explained: “A lot of bands become formulaic and that’s something we’re trying to avoid. Usually bands record the album, release it and then do a video for the single – it’s everything all at once. But we’re building anticipation and letting fans see who we are. This is much more accessible than an album being there straightaway”.

But to be able to carry out their plan, GoGoBot had to sacrifice 2010.

Right now they’re also shooting four videos for the upcoming singles. Marko said: “We had to be patient last year. 2010 was spent locked away in the studio. At the end of that, we had a plethora of different sounding tracks. At the very least, people can’t accuse us of following a formula and not taking a risk”.

The next part of GoGoBot’s plan is to get themselves sorted for festival season.

But the ongoing mission is to keep listening and learning – so they can really explode in 2012.

Marko added: “By the end of this year we should know exactly what the fans want and that will sculpt what we do in the future”.
- The Sun

Whatever the state of the music industry, GoGoBot are a clear example of how grassroots artists are able to take control of their own careers and build a following from the bottom up.

The Scottish outfit are signed to a small label run by No Half Measures, a Glasgow-based music management company, and have taken the unusal step of releasing a download of a new song and B-side every two months in 2011 – totally six releases over the year.

Today, more and more acts are realising they can release music directly online without the need of a major label backing them up. And trio GoGoBot’s approach has already helped them build a sizeable fanbase, which has led to bigger crowds at their gigs.

GoGoBot’s Rosie McClune said: “It was a way to get our music out. The plan is to collect the numbers together and possibly release them as a box set at the end of the year because some people have told us they like to physically own them rather than just rely on downloads”.

Support slots with JLS and Olly Murs show GoGoBot are serious about growing their following, regardless of the traditional models.

The band have also played as special guests of Scottish music legends Simple Minds recently, and were chosen as one of the acts to play the BBC Introducing stage at T in the Park.

“It was a great opportunity to get to support those acts,” Rosie said. “It is a bit weird because JLS and Olly Murs were both on X Factor and we are quite different to them musically, but we do like pop music and it was a great experience.
“They were really nice and we got to hang out with them. Unfortunately, Aston from JLS had his shirt on the whole time so I didn’t get the chance to check out his six-pack.
“We got to play to around 15,000 people and also supported Simple Minds. It’s great to get the music across to so many.”

The band’s latest release, an infection pop song, Turn The World Around, is out this week – and follows in the footsteps of the previous three singles, Is This Love? First Class Fool and Do You Remember?

Lead singer Marko Kelly said: “This song focuses on the strength of relationships – there are tough times for sure but you can always find a resolution if you try to stat positive”

The track has been mixed by LA music producer Paul Lani, who has worked alongside David Bowie, Prince, U2 and Robbie Williams. It is the fourth single of six to be taken from the band’s See Saw Series, released through Grizzly Records.

Those curious about the band’s name – which sounds like something straight out of Barbarella – need wonder no longer.

It is all down to the remaining band members being devoted computer geeks. Rosie explained: “The guys are realy into computer games and that’s why they came up with that name. It sounds like something related to the gaming industry”.

GoGoBot head back on the road for their short Highland Fling tour which sees them play a trio of free gigs with doors opening at 10pm for each venue.

They head to Aberdeen Snafu on August 11th, Inverness Mad Hatters on August 12 and Stornoway Jager Rooms on August 13.

Then they appear at the Bfest in Wick, on August 20 alongside headliners The Dykeenies and bands such as The Side, Iain Macloughlin and the Outsiders and reformed rockers GUN.
- Daily Record

Promising a more bombastic approach over on the BBC Introducing Stage, will be Glasgow trio GoGoBot.
The Scotsman – Olaf Furniss - The Scotsman

…Later on, I’ll also see the excellent Kid Canaveral here – probably my topmost tip for all breaking Scottish bands this year – and newcomers GoGoBot, a three-piece with stomping Franz Ferdinand tendencies.

Alan Morrison – The Herald
- The Herald