Live in Edinburgh This Week – 12th April 2009
Evening, Toadlings. There’s really very little on in Edinburgh this week that I would personally be up for, and the one gig I want to see is taking place when I am bastarding well out of town, on Thursday evening. Marina & the Diamonds are playing Limbo at the Voodoo Rooms this week, but honestly I am not all that convinced I have to confess. The only thing I really want to go to this week is the Jesus H. Foxx EP launch at the Bowery on Thursday night, but I’m in fucking London aren’t I, so I can’t bloody well go.
Actually, the reason I’m in London is rather interesting, now that I mention it. Sony contacted a few of us UK music bloggers and invited us to meet with them to discuss the internet in general and how to interact with bloggers. I am not sure if this was motivated by the fuss made over the Glasvegas DMCA fiasco, but I am hoping that they at least found that a sufficiently negative and unnecessary situation to be worth avoiding in future.
Now, quite how productive this meeting is likely to be is something which I have my doubts about. Talking to bloggers is a little like herding cats; we are all amateurs and all have our own ideas about what we are both individually and collectively. So beyond serving as an easy focus group for Sony, I am not sure quite what can be made of this little get together. Mind you, just reading our blogs serves as a pretty enormous source of free information anyway, so I don’t know what else we can hope to add to things. I’m interested though. I don’t particularly want to be seen as some renegade, because I don’t see myself that way at all. I actually think what I am doing is pretty much completely legit and fairly mainstream in terms of intentions and ambitions and so on, so anything we can do to stop people looking at music bloggers as some sort of guerilla criminal underclass bent on bringing down the system is good. Frankly all I want is to be left in peace to do what the hell I want, with some sort of civillised system in place for resolving differences when we all inevitably tread on one another’s toes at some point.
Fat fucking chance, I know.
In any case, I will be interested to have the discussion. I genuinely want to know what they have to say about things like the DMCA, the semi-legal nature of music blogs, their approach to teh internetz in general, stuff like that. I’ll write all about it on the train back on Friday morning, so hopefully it will be an interesting enough meeting to make a good post out of. I’m really not interested in point-scoring here, or in finding ammunition for the slagging off of Sony, but I think you know me well enough by now to know that I will make my points fairly stubbornly and am unlikely to be swayed by sleight of hand. Should make for an interesting couple of hours anyway.
Oh, and did I mention Homegame?
Thursday 16th April 2009: Jesus H. Foxx & Art Fag at the Bowery.
The Jesus H. Foxx EP is something I am hugely excited about hearing in its entirety. I’ve heard bits and pieces here and there, but I am holding off until I can slap the whole thing on, lie back with a gin, and turn it up nice and loud. My instinct suggests that we may just have a band on the verge of a breakthrough year on our hands, and I hope I am right. Art Fag, for those of you interested, is an experimental electronic project by a certain pair of miscreants called Neil Pennycook and Chris Bryant. I wouldn’t miss it if I were you.
Jesus H. Foxx – Trying to Be Good
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Friday 17th April 2009: The Virgins & the Chew Lips at Cabaret Voltaire.
Despite being extremely fashionable, these slightly dancey, slightly punky, slightly sparky bands sound like they have some promise. I nearly, nearly reviewed the Chew Lips material when it was sent through to me a few months ago – maybe almost a year actually – so I would be quite interested to go along to this. Were I not at Homegame of course.
The Virgins – Fernando Pando
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Edit:
Saturday 18th April 2009: Findo Gask, Come On Gang & Dupec play Trampoline at the Wee Red Bar.
Apologies for missing this the first time, that was careless of me, but it should be a really good gig. Findo Gask are a really excellent band, who I am really keen to see again, and who I am really keen to see release more music. Their last couple of singles have been superb, and their, erm, experimental disco pop laments – could you call them that? – somehow hit absolutely home, as far as I am concerned. Hit the nail right between the ears, so to speak.
Findo Gask – Va Va Va
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Sony contacted a few of us UK music bloggers and invited us to meet with them to discuss the internet in general and how to interact with bloggers.”
Said the spider to the fly…
By the by, Trembling bells were excellent. One bum note (slipped finger on keyboard) during whole set. There’s a reason for apprehension & that’s due to Lavinia living in London & rest in Glasgow – full band practice is a rare commodity prior to any series of gigs/tour. That said, they were very tight & sound entirely different to how they do on record. Harder. Fiestier. With a hint of Nashville (the movie & the genre). Very good night. Even TWoTH was a convert by the end of it.
& sound entirely different to how they do on record. Harder. Fiestier. With a hint of Nashville
well now what the fuck do we do with that? take the mp3s we’ve downloaded and speed them up with a little of Waylon Jennings played two doors down the hall?
gee thanks for the review, babes
and fuck it all to hell, i did close that blasted italics!
anyway, Matthew, I’ve given you an earful on this meeting already. You know I’m perversely paranoid. But, it is interesting that they’ve asked for a meeting…. that, to me, smacks of some sort of plan on their end. Notice I didn’t say offer, hahaha
Artfag!!!! I adore that <3
The Virgins won’t play… (fancy that! hehehe) no seriously the file is fucked… (oh!)
and I’ve just never got a good fix on Jesus H. Foxx… must try harder next time
xoxoox
Enjoy the meeting, but don’t drink anything they offer you. If we haven’t heard from you by Saturday, I’ll pull some strings at Scotland Yard and have them drag the Thames.
well now what the fuck do we do with that? take the mp3s we’ve downloaded and speed them up with a little of Waylon Jennings played two doors down the hall?
I was complimented on my ‘ear’ by Alex (drummer, songwriter in chief), as he’d been experimenting with country structures recently & the new arrangements had been dipped in a bit of 70s twang. So fucking there.
Wasn’t there a band called Art Fag (or Art Phag) back in the 80s? I certainly seem to remember that name because that’s where I got the phrase from when I was 15 & used it relentlessly to describe certain types of sixth form college students from my area.
erm, there is a little night called Trampoline happening this Saturday at the Wee Red Bar, Edinburgh Art College featuring:
Come on Gang!
Findo Gask
Dupec
Not that that’s worth mentioning….;o)
Enjoy Homegame everyone.
my suggestion would be, wrap them in gaffer tape with a brick and throw them in the nearest deep lake
Oh tom’s cranky …. Euan, you and I will just keep to ourselves whilst the boys are away
You can all fuck off with this spider/fly/conspiracy theory shit. I am not some sort of naive child who has no idea of the ways of the fucking world, for Christ’s fucking sake.
But you’re probably right. Only you are clever enough to see what is clearly going on here, and no-one else has the penetrating insight to be able to understand it.
And the CIA blew up the Twin Towers.
And the fucking Fraggles killed Kennedy.
And my old man’s a mushroom.
Fuck. Off.
just go….see what happens and what is said….come back and report….oh Great One
and yeah i’m tired
Exactly, Chutters. Exactly.
Hahahha what has gotten into the water over there?!? Such wrath over a few words of caution and concern! Yes, Matthew I know you’ll handle it. And your father’s vegetative state is really none of my business darlin xoxo
Now be a good boy and send me a turntable, ‘kay?
Had to trail through the archives to find out what the “Glasvegas DMCA fiasco” was. This blog is a wealth of knowledge. Like Wikipedia with swear words.
‘Enjoy’ the meeting in London, glad they asked you they didn’t ask me! And i was on the receiving end of part of the Glasvegas fiasco. Fuckers!
Oh, with regards to stuff that is happening in Edinburgh this week, as it is Record Store day on Saturday, both Broken Records and Ex Lion Tamer are playing at Avalanche Records on Saturday afternoon. And it is rumoured that a bunch of John Coltrane and Jack Vettriano loving Fifers will be putting in an appearance too…
well it’s a saturday night in for me. won’t even be at trampoline myself. matty boy’s on his own this month i’m afraid! but please, if you’re not at homegame, do go along.
Yeah, Euan, sorry about missing that one off. It’s a great lineup and I’d be there for sure, apart for obvious reasons.
Dan – yeah, it was a pretty spectacular PR balls-up. I’ve linked to it now, and I rather like the Wikipedia with swearing tag. Cursipedia – actually, that probably exists, doesn’t it.
Ed – this was all arranged around a blog called Winston’s Zen, who I think had a similar problem to you. Basically, there are three London bloggers going along, and myself. I’m not sure the choice of bloggers was all that strategic or considered, just people who expressed an interest at the time.
Tart – don’t worry, I’m not getting angry, per se, just frustrated. I am confident that I am big enough, ugly enough and cynical enough to take care of myself.
that’s ok mr toad. i forgive you….again.
I think it’s because the Wee Red doesn’t do much other than Trampoline, so I don’t automatically check their listings every Monday. Sometimes I do, but just forgot yesterday.
Yes, you are very very ugly. All right then, but just keep in mind that these kinds of “meetings” have a way of going anal, much like routine traffic stops in Georgia.
I think they’re just going to line you up against the wall and have you shot.
Don’t worry Ed, your invitation went out in the next batch!
Art Fag broke my MySpace.
No Toad. The Comedian killed Kennedy. As well you know it.
& stop getting all antsy & take the ribbing, you old girl. What do you expect from this place? Love? Bloody Jessie.
Sorry, it sounded like i was bitching about not being invited, I wasn’t, honestly!
Slightly mortified, yours, Ed
On reading it again, the fuckers bit was directed at Columbia, btw!
Yuk, the menfolk have gone all prickly! Thank god we have gay sex to discuss on yonder post!
Just to clarify – my comment was not to be taken seriously.
Apart from the bit about Sony lining up bloggers and having them shot. That bit’s serious.
And the bit about Art Fag did breaking my MySpace.
Broken Records are also playing an acoustic set for Record Store day in Avalanche on Saturday afternoon. Withered Hand also appearing, as well as others I have forgotten. Should be good.
It does sound like an excellent gig. Ex Lion Tamer too, according to Ed.
Oh, and St. Jude’s Infirmary too, judging from Ed’s hint.
‘Art Fag broke my MySpace.’
T-Shirt.
you know every year the 18th of April is an normally awesome day where the nations of the world all bind together in joyous celebration of my birthday….but this year it is going to be pish…..not satisfied with me missing homegame some cunt somewhere has decided that i have to miss record store day also….wankers utter utter wankers
Matthew – interested to hear how the meeting goes. Are you aware of the government’s Digital Britain report? This includes stuff on copyright and piracy and implies a move to the proposed French solution. And it says “…we also intend to require ISPs to collect anonymised information on serious repeat infringers (drived from their notification activities), to be made available to rights-holders together with personal details on receipt of a court order.”
Yep, but I doubt the people we are talking to are going to have anything much to do with that side of things. I do take your point, but I don’t think that kind of discussion would be all that helpful. We could all agree on things happily, without moving the dialogue between music bloggers and major labels forward in the slightest.