Live in Edinburgh This Week – 27th Jan 2008
I’m trying to become just a little bit more relevant to the good people of Edinburgh this year, so I am going to have a go at making this a weekly feature where I pick up on the most appealing looking gigs looming in the capital for the forthcoming week. As it will invariably have mp3s of the bands it should hopefully be useful for the rest of you as well.
Monday 28th January: Operahouse & Endor at Cabaret Voltaire – Free Entry.
Operahouse have a new single, the hugely infectious Born a Boy, out this week so a free gig seems like an excellent chance to check out their excellent bouncy indie-pop.
Endor I don’t know all that well, but I have heard such a lot of good things about them that I am rather looking forward to this.
Operahouse – Machine Palace (Demo)
Endor – Lead Balloons
Wednesday 30th January: Laura Viers at Cabaret Voltaire
I am not a massive Laura Viers fan, but she has done some gorgeous things. I missed her last album but I’m open to persuasion if anyone reckons it’s really worth exploring. I’d be going to this if I had any money left this month. Check out the gorgeous duet on Shadow Blues though – truly exceptional.
Laura Viers – Shadow Blues
Wednesday 31st January: Broken Records & Boyfriend/Girlfriend at The Caves.
This gig is being hosted as part of a club night with DJ sets from Vic Galloway and I Fly Spitfires so it should be brilliant. Tickets aren’t available for sale, so I hope I can get in with my grey hair and qualifications, but I like the sound of Boyfriend/Girlfriend and you all already know how much I love Broken Records. Don’t you?
Broken Records – Lies
Boyfriend/Girlfriend – Fears Of
Saturday 2nd February: Morrissey at the Playhouse
Seriously, I am going to a Mozza gig. I’m not a devoted fan, but I reckon it would be daft to pass up the chance to see a legend live, so thanks to JC at The Vinyl Villain for coming up with a couple of tickets. No idea what I’m going to make of this!
Morrissey – You’re Gonna Need Someone On Your Side
Sunday 3rd February: Okkervil River at Cabaret Voltaire.
If I wasn’t busy I’d be going to this. I really liked The Stage Names, the album they released last year, although I somehow never quite got round to reviewing it. It’s lovely laid back indie Americana with a little more kick than most.
Okkervil River – Unless It’s Kicks
I spotted a bit of an oxymoron in there…….
‘good people of Edinburgh’
Spoken like a true weegie.
Fucksake.
Still, not a bad week for a place whose live scene I am continually moaning about.
Good work Matt,
Though you seem to have missed Anni Rossi tonight (Monday) at Henry’s, Blood Red Shoes and Make Model at the Hive on Wednesday (a cheaper alternative to Laura Viers), and Come In Tokyo at Henry’s on Friday.
Not a bad week at all.
Rats – well I am still learning, so hopefully I’ll get better with time! I’m not really much of a fan of Come in Tokyo in all honesty, and I have been to two Blood Red Shoes gigs now and on neither occasion been sober enough to remember much about them.
What’s Anni Rossi like? I don’t think I know anything about her at all.
Not seen Anni Rossi, but sounds intersting from her myspace – viola-led indie. And Lipsync for a Lullaby are supporting, who are very good (though again, not seen live).
Come In Tokyo are the best band in Scotland. (I urge you to reconsider – have you seen them live?)
I do enjoy Blood Red Shoes, but I admit would probably deem them rather average if it wasn’t for the hot female guitarist.
If only there was some myspace page somewhere that listed all these intersting Edinburgh gigs for handy reference.
(www.myspace.com/itsmagicmarker)
Never even knew that was there. How everso helpful.
I have only ever seen Come in Tokyo live, but I just didn’t really take to it. I didn’t think they were bad or anything, just didn’t especially float my boat that particular night.
I guess the list magazine is always there, maybe Is This Music?, which I write reviews for occasionally should have an upcoming gigs bit.
Enjoy the gigs Matthew, am currently still suffering from the Christmas attack on wallet, and only have Sons and Daughters (with support from the fantastic Black kids) lined up.
After seven years, nearly, of living here, i think there is a fair bit of good stuff going on in Edinburgh, but maybe as bart says there needs to be something letting us know what’s going on. It still needs to be sought out when it should be easier and more ‘in your face’ to let you know what’s happening.
Ed
That MySpace URL Bart left does exactly that actually. I am not trying to cover every gig actually, just mention a few of the ones that I’m interested in.
I am not entirely sure if that’s going to be useful to anyone, but it keeps it relatively personal to this site, rather than attempting to turn into some sort of directory.
Toad,
Hola from the USA (the time, sponsord by Acurist Jetlag, is 5.19am precisely).
Anni Rossi is a rare animal indeed. We put a gig on for her about a 8months ago in Cardiff (& put her up at Drunk Country House) & you can view footage of said gig here:
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=11405381
(watch that one then follow the links bottom right hand column for other songs – there you’ll also be able to see some of my Edinburgh Fringe photo montage videos from 2005 + a very badly filmed book launch intro).
We had a stage set up & everything but she preferred to perform at the other end of the room by the bar because it had a wooden floor she could stamp a rhythm out on.
I like her a LOT. She was genuinely the first of this ilk to appear post-Newsom, but had been under the radar for some time while Newsom was gathering all the plaudits. She self releases most stuff but had an album properly engineered & relesed last year (in fact, smugness alert: her engineer asked US for advice on the lst but final mix) called “Afton” (her previous was “Scandia”).
I think I’ve mentioned her before but, seriously, check her out & say howdy from me if you get in touch.
I’m off to the pool.
DC
p.s. this week’s & next week’s podcasts won’t be up until I return as for some reason the ftp transfer didn’t work when I was frantically trying to get everything done before I left. Bloody technology.