Scotland Rocks New York

It Happened Last Night

By Spin Staff on April 5, 2007 2:00 AM Comment

"I see we've brought the Glasgow weather with us. Sorry 'bout that," 1990s frontman Jackie McKeown said to the sold out crowd gathered at New York's Bowery Ballroom Wednesday night (April 4). Fans braved wind and freezing rain for Scotland Rocks New York, the one decidedly rocking element of the city's annual Tartan Week.

Folk-rock chanteuse (and New Jersey native) Nicole Atkins and the Sea opened the show, playing songs from her upcoming Neptune City album, before Scotland's finest expats got restless. Once 1990s took the stage with the rousing, foot tapping, "You Made Me Like It," lead singer Jackie McKeown was in full command of the giddy females up front -- one girl near the front shouted, "Show us your tits!" before generously showing him hers.

Next, the wails and screams of Sons and Daughters' Adele Bethel shook the room into a frenzy. Writhing around the stage, hair flying, Bethel belted out riotous tunes such as "Dance Me In," "Red Receiver" and "Hunt," but it was "Johnny Cash" and "Rama Lama" that drove anxious indie hipsters to truly let loose. Still, at the end of the evening, Scotland still seemed a good 3,000 miles away. When the ballroom finally cleared out into the NYC night -- the sky was clear. ROBIN MONHEIT / PHOTOS BY ADAM HARVEY

>> Listen to 1990s on Napster
>> Listen to Sons and Daughters on Napster

We asked: Tonight, the 1990s entertained us. What was entertaining you in 1990?

Name: May Sachoemay
Age: 24
Hometown: Copenhagen, DEN
Occupation: Nursing student
"Probably Take That. Robbie!"

Name: Matthew Albanese
Age: 29
Hometown: New York, NY
Occupation: Producer
"Mikhail Gorbachev. The wall. The collapse of communism. You know."

Name: Brandon Ashcraft
Age: 29
Hometown: Tupelo, MS
Occupation: Financial services
"I think the B-52's."

Name: Vincent Lasko
Age: 26
Hometown: New York, NY
Occupation: Carpenter
"Was that show Dinosaurs on in 1990?"

Name: Stefeni Jung
Age: 28
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
Occupation: Business manager
"I was into the cartoon Beverly Hills Teens."

Name: Erica Brugman
Age: 21
Hometown: London, UK
Occupation: Advertising
"Learning how to spell."

Name: Naomi Campbell (seriously)
Age: 25
Hometown: Glasgow, UK
Occupation: Artist
"Run Rig and Roller Boots. They were really big over here. They were from the highlands. I shouldn't admit to listening to them."

Name: Mathias Lauridsen
Age: 23
Hometown: Copenhagen, DEN
Occupation: Model
"I'd probably say what I remember most was when Denmark won the European finals in soccer. The Danish team was an underdog and went through to win the whole thing."