Live in Edinburgh This Week – 15th February 2009
If you’re going to everything that’s on this week, you might wish to consider drinking cups of tea at gigs or you’ll have a liver like a fucking cricket ball by the end of all this. You could literally drink your way through the week, the finest of music dancing in your ears, and a great big beer-hoover emptying your wallet.
My absolute definites are Withered Hand, Sparrow & the Workshop, Trembling Bells, Findo Gask and, erm, Jesus H. Foxx. Christ. I am going to have to make sure I have a couple of orange juice gigs in that lot or I’ll be hungover for a week and possibly divorced as well by the time Sunday comes around.
Bad liver, naughty liver, must be punished.
Monday 16th February 2009: Emmy the Great at Cabaret Voltaire.
I am a little conflicted on Emmy the Great. It’s far too tempting to call her Emmy the Perfectly Reasonable, but that is about where I stand. She has some very sharp lyrics, and has written some really good tunes, but on listening to her debut album I found myself perhaps less able to enjoy her music in large chunks than I was when I was sampling it in small slices.
Emmy the Great – Where is My Mind
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Tuesday 17th February 2009: Chris Whittle & Simon Kempston at the Bowery.
This will be an evening of guitary singer-songwriters, so perhaps the right time to take it easy and just bask in the music, instead of getting pickled and dancing about the place.
Chris Whittle – Stay
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Wednesday 18th February 2009: Withered Hand, Sparrow & the Workshop & Jo Foster at the Bowery.
I haven’t seen Withered Hand’s twisted folk songs performed for a while now. Nor, actually, have I seen Sparrow & the Workshop’s clattersome Americana. There is no way on earth I’ll be missing this gig.
Withered Hand – Cornflake
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Thursday 19th February 2009: Findo Gask, Babygod & Night Noise Team play Limbo at the Voodoo Rooms.
Findo Gask’s new single One Eight Zero is one of the best things I’ve heard in ages – part electronic pop, but far too lovelorn and plaintive for that. I am really looking forward to seeing them play. I know a lot less about the other two bands, but Limbo can generally be relied upon to produce the goods, so I’ll not be late!
Findo Gask – One Eight Zero
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Friday 20th February 2009: Trembling Bells at the Bowery.
I am fascinated to see how Trembling Bells’ theatrical folk music translates live. Carbeth, their forthcoming album, is a fantastic record, albeit one with such a distinctive style I can’t imagine it will appeal to everyone. But for myself, there’s no chance I’ll be missing this one.
Trembling Bells – I Took to You (Like Christ to Wood)
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Sunday 22nd February 2009: Crystal Stilts & Jesus H. Foxx at Sneaky Pete’s.
Any band who want to get anywhere this year have Crystal in their name. I never realised when I reviewed their EP last September that they would go on to be quite so buzzy, especially given the low-fi sound, grumbling away with distant vocals and C86 guitars, but here they are. And Jesus H. Foxx have been working on all sorts of new stuff as well, which I am very excited to hear.
Crystal Stilts – Crippled Croon
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Sunday 22nd February 2009: The Spinto Band at Cabaret Voltaire.
I don’t know the Spinto Band very well, although I’ve heard the name often enough. Still, a quick listen to their MySpace page confirms that were it not for Sneaky Pete’s I would want to be at this gig as well. Ah well. In a week like this, something’s got to give.
The Spinto Band – Summer Grof
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think i might end up in some serious debt this week trying to see all these wonderful bands. damn you and your finely selected giglist toad! i see there are no decent gigs on saturday night however so everyone will be free to come along and see the stormy seas at henry’s. sorry for the shameless plug. it wasnt right.
Are you playing Henry’s? Sorry, I didn’t even look at their listings because they haven’t updated them for so long. I’ll be in Manchester, unfortunately, but that’s definitely one I would want to go along to.
you know my thoughts on Emmy The Great, particularly her live gigs & those cool kids in attendance, so I shan’t say much except don’t bother going if the place is any bigger than a small cafe or the living room of a modestly sized house. Her watery music cannot compete with the chatter of the crown & the height & length of the architecture.
Trembling Bells live sounds fecking awesome — do let us know how it fairs, fine fellow.
Crystal Stilts are playing here (tomorrow? Can’t remember) & every indie kid this side of Manchester is going nuts about it. Personally I don’t get it & won;t be spending the quids to potentially go & be disappointed. Are these a haircut band?
yeah no problem itll probably be a late one anyway.
caught jesus h foxx at cab vol supporting st judes and they really blew me away. definite improvement from the last time i heard them.
I’ve just realized what Trembling Bells reminds me of!
The theme tune to Blackadder!
Haircut band, I don’t know. I’ve never seen a picture of them, but their EP was pretty good. I’d go out of curiosity, even if I didn’t want to see Jesus H Foxx, but I doubt I’d pay any more than a fiver to do so.
“caught jesus h foxx at cab vol supporting st judes and they really blew me away. definite improvement from the last time i heard them.”
I think they feel that they’ve improved a lot as well. They definitely reckon they’ve moved well beyond their early recordings, so I’m really looking forward to it.
bad links, sire, bad links….
Just checked every single one and they’re all working. What’s not working for you, the download or the player?
(Or do you just think Cornflake’s a shit song?
)
Babygod at Limbo / Voodoo rooms on the 19th – they’re God’s amongst men – I can’t be there but they are “the Naz, with God given az”?
the withered hand link is all kinds of wrong
I am playing it right now and it’s working fine. John Harvey Thingummy doesn’t want me for a sunbeam, etc…
No?
nope, when i click on the link i’m taken to someone called ‘the human hand grenade”.
Where’s that ‘Cornflake’ song from? I’m not very ‘up’ on Withered Hand. It wasn’t on their Religious Songs EP, was it?
shit. all the links for that date are fucked!
>”Any band who want to get anywhere this year have Crystal in their name.”
Stilts / Castles / who else am I missing?
Gayle
Before country was ‘cool,’ Crystal was ‘class’.
At home in Nashville when not touring, Crystal continues to make the world a little more beautiful just by her presence.
Like fine wine…time has been nothing but kind to Crystal Gayle
Nope, picking up nothin’ but Cornflake loud and clear from here.
Crystal… Badgers? Crystal Pistols? Crystal … erm … Weasels? Crystal Weasels would be good. How about Crystal Bathtub. Crystal Cysts? Uhh… Crystal Karaoke. I could go on, but fortunately for you, I won’t.
Crystal Cornflake?
Crystal Radio.
Now, that’s actually a good band name!
just to clear up because there is clearly some confusion. i think the problem link in question is the word withered hand and not the actual cornflake track.
crystal cockring…? no?
Oh for fuck’s sake. That’s what you get for copying and pasting someone else’s links without checking the bastard things. Fixed now.
Any reason the Cornflake track lasts 13:49 ?
Did you forgot to edit the track after you ripped it from Myspace?
Speaking of which, what’s your technique there? A jack attached from the audio output to the audio input and hit ‘record’ on Garage Band?
Or is it cleverer than that? Because the quality seems very good.
No, it was given to me by Neil from Meursault who recorded the thing. He presumably just forgot to set the ‘from’ and ‘to’ markers when he exported from Logic.
Generally though I just go to file2hd.com and select ‘audio files’ and pinch ‘em from a band’s MySpace. But if you’ve got Audacity and Windows XP it will record direct from the Line Out without the need for cables.
Interesting stuff, Mr. Toad… thanks.
That’s (file2hd.com) a shrewd little website, hey?
A very naughty one, no doubt, but highly useful.
Bugger! I’m going to get no work done this week.