Future’s past and present as Nanobots help B52s take off in Glasgow

IMAGINE if you can a supergroup starring HAL the robot from 2001, the cheeky bomb from ‘Dark Star’ and Deep Thought the computer from ‘Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy’.
By The Newsroom
Published 20th Aug 2013, 15:09 BST

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Nanobots support the B52s - picture by Ronnie Logan.Nanobots support the B52s - picture by Ronnie Logan.
Nanobots support the B52s - picture by Ronnie Logan.

Now forget about all of that and wrap your hearing apparatus around the best band to blast out of Glasgow in donkeys – Nanobots.

They are so good they’ve had to invent a new genre of music – space pop.

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Blending insanely catchy guitar riffs with blissed-out keyboards in a shiny sci-fi soundscape, Nanobots offer something unique in this mundane world of ‘X-Factor’ and acoustic angst.

Flaming Lips, Devo, Hawkwind – take your pick – perhaps it’s best to think of them as new wave escapees setting course for a distant nebula.

Remarkably their galaxy-sized sound is generated by just two people – Jim and Shona.

The pair played their biggest gig to date last Monday when they supported the legendary B52s at the 02 ABC in Glasgow.

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Shona said: “It was fantastic, the crowd were really nice to us. It can be a challenge being a support band, but they were with us right from the start.

“We have done a few festivals and support gigs, but I’m pretty sure that was the biggest crowd we have played to.

“The crowd were great – they cheered after every song and bought our Nano CDs!”

Jim added: “We were very happy with the show. The promoter and B52s crew treated us really well and the audience response was brilliant.

“Feedback on Facebook has been astonishing.”

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Although they are a duo, Shona and Jim write all their songs for a five-piece band, augmenting their sound on stage with the help of a little hi-tech magic.

Subject matters include science, robots and the future that should have been.

Fan favourites include ‘Frenetic Genetic’, ‘Nearly Human’, ‘Why, Robot?’ and ‘(Never Tell your Robot to) Get Lost’.

Next up, Nanobots hope to produce their long-awaited album and produce new T-shirts.

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Keep your scanners peeled for details on their website – www.nanobots500.com – and on Facebook too.

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