Live in Edinburgh This Week – 17th May 2009
Well, after a bit of a lull last week there’s all sorts of crap going on in and around Edinburgh this week, so choose wisely because trying to attend everything could just be the end of you. As well as the usual recommendations there are a couple of half-recommendations this week; gigs I feel I should want to go to, but am actually not that fussed about. Crystal Antlers (I mean, come on, they have Crystal in their name, they have to be good, almost as guaranteed as having Fuck in your name last year, or Bear the year before that, or Wolf… well, never mind) are playing at Sneaky Pete’s with Times New Viking and Dupec. These are all bands I feel I should like more than I do, for some reason.
The same applies to all of Glenn Tilbrook, Kristin Hersh and Alastair Roberts who are playing Cabaret Voltaire on Tuesday 19th, Wednesday 20th and Friday 22nd respectively. I should be excited about them (well, maybe not Mr. Tilbrook in particular, no offence) but for all it is good that these guys are playing Edinburgh I find myself no more than vaguely interested in their gigs. The splendid Rob St. John is supporting Alastair Roberts though, so that one is definitely the most appealing of the lot.
In terms of gigs I am likely to be attending, well let’s go, shall we. And, er, just check Saturday out. The Edinburgh gig going public might well be spread very thinly indeed this Saturday:
Thursday 21st May 2009: White Heath, Yusuf Azak & Colourmusic play Limbo at the Voodoo Rooms.
Well all know I think Yusuf Azak is bloody brilliant, but White Heath were also excellent at Trampoline last Saturday. Their sound is very crowded, and their lead singer sounds a little like a muezzin who has rather badly lost his way, but they sound really, really promising to me. Trombone and mental fiddle solos? Count me in! And they even play the bongos without sounding shite, which is an achievement in itself. They’re going to be working on some new recordings with Alex from Fentek Audio in the near future, and Alex appears to be carving out a reputation as one of Edinburgh’s most trusted sound guys, so this is very good news. I’ll definitely be at this one.
Colourmusic – Spring Song
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Thursday 21st May:Benni Hemm Hemm and Withered Hand at the Bowery.
Glacial Icelandicism is no surprise these days, but this is more of a style we might associate with the rest of Scandinavia, with an almost januty instrumental pop style never far from the surface. Benni will be at the Bowery on Thursday with the brilliant Withered Hand.
Friday 22nd May 2009: The Mannequins, The Pineapple Chunks and quite a few others at Henry’s Cellar Bar.
In amongst a lot of bigger names this week, I reckon this looks like the pick of the bunch when it comes to more under the radar slots. I’ve been slack at checking the Henry’s listings recently because they’ve been rather quiet since the new year, but I hear that that is about to be taken firmly in hand and they will be making a bit of a push in the coming months. The Mannequins have some pretty decent pop songs from the sound of it, and The Pineapple Chunks have done well at Limbo in the past, so I think this is gig to go to if you’re looking for something a little off the beaten track.
The Mannequins – Little Black Book
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Saturday 23rd May 2009: Cats in Paris & Mitchell Museum at Cabaret Voltaire.
I should really be at the Stag & Dagger Festival in Glasgow watching Meursault on Saturday, but they asked me to sign release forms so that Meursault’s set could be both filmed and recorded and then denied me permission to film at the festival myself, so they can go and fuck themselves with a bag full of scorpions, frankly. Instead, I will be at Cabaret Voltaire watching the very fashionable Cats in Paris and the very excellent Mitchell Museum. The last time I saw Mitchell Museum was in a rather large venue, so somewhere more intimate and a little sweatier should be great fun.
Mitchell Museum – Arthur Loves the Shadows
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Saturday 23rd May 2009: Found, Player Piano, The Pictish Trail & King Creosote at the GRV.
I just don’t go the GRV, not really on purpose, more because they so rarely have my kind of music on the bill there that I get a little lazy about checking the listings. This one is pretty bloody obvious though: a kind of Fence Collective Allstars get together, with all the charismatic alt-folk you could wish for. Player Piano is more of a lush pop band though, and Found aren’t really folky at all, so I don’t think this would be the Fence Collective of hushed and lovely balladry which you might expect if you were coming along on the basis of a hundred-word newspaper clipping.
Player Piano – Anything At All
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Saturday 23rd May 2009: Anathallo, Samamidon, The Stormy Seas & Your Boy Blair at Sneaky Pete’s.
Anathallo, although I know very little about them, sound rather lovely from a quick skim of their MySpace page. Also on the bill is the truly gorgeous Samamidon, and anyone who missed either of his Bowery gigs this Winter really should not miss this. He has the loveliest voice and the most amazing way with a banjo you are likely to hear anywhere, ever.
Anathallo – The River
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Saturday 23rd May 2009: Lach at the Bowery.
Lach pretty much started what is generally thought of as the modern anti-folk movement in New York, and he certainly coined the phrase itself. It’s hardly a new thing of course – Bob Dylan rubbed the folkies all up the wrong way when he first turned up as well, but they couldn’t really ignore him for all that long. Getting a legendary figure like Lach to the Bowery is something of a coup as far as I’m concerned so, er, what the fuck am I going to do on Saturday with all these bands to see. I can’t miss this one.
Lach – A Quiet Distance
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Sunday 24th May: Defiance Ohio, Madeline, Withered Hand, Torn Strings & Billy Liar at the Bowery.
Madeline is a big favourite of my pal Rich who writes the Georgia (no, the one in the States) blog Cable & Tweed, so I really think I should go to this. After all, without Rich we would have no Porlolo, no Builders & the Butchers, no Loch Lomond, no Sleepy Horses and no 63 Crayons.
Madeline – White Flag
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The KC night at the GRV is a late one, isn’t it?
I saw 7pm to 3am on the flyer.
With four bands on the bill they might be spreading them out a bit, so there may be a chance to squeeze both the Bowery and the GRV in. Depends if they pile the bands on early in the evening and then switch to DJs for the rest of the night.
Isn’t Enfant Bastard supporting Lach at the Bowery?
I reckon I can catch Mitchell Museum, then pop round the Bowery and then catch the late show at the GRV. It might be too much for one night, but you never know.
Pink jumpsuit and beach buggy at the ready?
really wish i didnt know about all these amazing gigs as i now cant help but be disappointed one way or another. limbo is going to be a cracker. cant wait to see samamidon.
It’s alright, Michael, Matthew’s ready to go.
There’s room for another one in the beach buggy, and – as long as your jump suit is a snug enough fit – you shouldn’t miss a thing!
i would love to. sneaky petes usually finishes for about ten doesnt it? what time do the last act usually play the bowery?
She caught him wanking once.
Who caught who wanking?!
Anneka Rice and her fluffy companion? (And I don’t mean the little dog..)
Yeah, they were sharing a tour bus or something, I remember seeing her talk about it on some crass chat show when I was a teenager, it’s probably shaped me more than I know.
maybe it was him in the point!
Sorry about my shit chat, all there are plenty of ace gigs this week. Don’t know how many I’ll make due to financial constraints, limbo does look really quite special though!
Ha ha, I’d almost forgotten about him, I think that was due to my lassies perfect body!
Woah, far too many good gigs to go to on Saturday…
Yeah, it’s a bit tricky. I don’t want to go charging about and end up annoyed and missing the best stuff, but at the same time I don’t think I can settle for just one of them, so some gig-surfing will have to happen.
I’d be inclined to agree but can see it ending in tears, I’m thinking I might plump for the GRV show.
Perhaps dipping out to Sneaky Pete’s as it’s just round the corner…
But missing Lach? No, that’s the one gig I won’t miss, and I’ll squeeze in as much other stuff as I can around it, I think. I’m hoping MM will be on early, so Cab Vol can get a club night in afterwards.
See that’s the real problem, there’s so much bang for buck at the GRV but it’s stuff I’ve seen before I suppose. Humph, nice one Edinburgh, great little mess you’ve made.
Enfant Bastard is supporting Lach, if that makes a difference for anyone.
I am thinking Mitchell Museum (if possible), then Enfant Bastard and Lach, and then scooting off to the GRV for whoever I am not too late to see.
Matthew. Massive respect for your comment about Alex Fenton. Good work sir. He is the best sound engineer I’ve worked with as a musician and absolutely incredible to work with each month at Trampoline. The success of those nights is more than a little down to him. I never have to worry about the sound being a problem. Thanks for mentioning him. And great news that White Heath are going to work with him too.
seconded.he makes it look easy.
The real winner on Saturday is Stag and Dagger in Glasgow though.
The gillyflowers are playing an acoustic set as a support slot to Phil Campbell at the Voodoo Rooms on Sunday 24…and TV21 are playing the Voodoo Rooms on the 24th…according to both their myspaces…there must be two rooms then…either that or a double booking…
Really?
There is the Speakeasy room halfway up the stairs on the way in, one act could be appearing in there.
Stag & Dagger all the wat
“way”, even
Except they asked me to sign for permission to both film and record the Meursault set and then wouldn’t accord me the same privilege in return. So they are cunts.
Alex is a lovely man. Every night I’ve been to where he’s been doing the sound has been splendid. So… Thirded.
Saturday does indeed look like a great night for music in Edinburgh. It’s a shame I have a shit job that means I have to work late-ish. Having said that, it does mean I don’t have to worry about rushing about to various venues. I never enjoy that.
It does seem a bit unreasonable that they won’t let you film Meursault, Matthew. Maybe they’re superstitious and think that cameras steal souls, and are trying to limit the soul stealing.
Maybe they’re just cunts?
Oh they’ll let me film Meursault – that would be ludicrous by anyone’s standards – but not any of the rest of the festival. Not whole songs or anything, just a diary of the festival kind of thing.
I think you’re last suggestions may cover it.
They don’t want coverage from a successful Scotland based music blog?
Are they mad? This is a festival in Scotland, yeah?
As good as the lineup for the Stag and Dagger is and as much as I like the idea of trying to change the whole idea of the ‘music festival’. This and Hinterland seem a bit poorly conceived. Compared to my consternation at being concerned about seeing a few bands I’d like to see in Edinburgh on a Saturday night, it seems pretty absurd. Running about Glasgow over the course of a day wouldn’t be my idea of fun.
Having said that, I’ve a few friends who went to Sonar in Barcelona and loved it. They didn’t see a hue amount of bands as such… but Barcelona is lovely… innit?
As tiring as ‘traditional’ festivals are, there’s something to be said for the fact that you’re in a limited area with the option of all these bands you (hopefully) want to see, within easy access.
Maybe I’m just lazy though.
I’ve just realised how far this has caused Anneka Rice to fall in my estimation.
What happened to the old maxim; What Goes On Tour, Stays On Tour?
Honestly, some people, no respect.
Anywho, I’m struggling to see the value of city centre ‘festivals’ too. It’s not like a village centre festival such as Homegame where you can spit out the window of one venue onto the doorstep of the next.
Even Sŵn – in Cardiff’s compact city centre – struggles in my view, because getting value from the cost of the ticket would mean so much running around that it would be difficult to get into the spirit of things; and where the city’s more sprawling, as with Hiterland and S&D in Glasgow, you’re just going to end up frustrated.
And if you fancied just popping out for a beer with a couple of mates and catching a band, you can’t just pay the door price at one venue.
I think they’re trading on hype at the moment, and it’s an unsustainable bubble that will burst in a year or two once the novelty’s worn off.
they should just get George square like at new year and have a stage there.
Or hold it in the Leith Theatre, and a couple of venues round the corner.
exactly! what a gorgeous building. should be utilised more for gigs if you ask me.
Both rooms llok good.
What are the capacities?
what do you mean both rooms? are they not just the same room before and after restoration?
No, this is the main theatre and this is the hall – different rooms I’m pretty certain, but both look fucking huge, in terms of potentially putting on gigs there. You’d have to be very confident.
they look great though. could do gimme shelter there!
You know what I’m thinking?
what dylan – shenandoa davis should play there??
Gimme Shelter would be phenomenal. As would something like Retreat, although it may well lack the required intimacy for an event like that.
hey, i’ve just read this actual post, were you on oxygen or something Toad….cos i don’t really understand the point you are making…..
Leith Theatre looks awesome…….
this made me laugh out loud
Are there any other possible performance spaces in there?
You know; bars, lounges, mezzanines, reception rooms, meeting rooms?..
I’m thinking smaller, more intimate spaces..
You know what makes me laugh out loud, Chutters?
Your face!
Chutters – the point I was making where? In the post itself or the comments?
in the post pal?
Just saying that there’s shitload of gigs on even without taking into account the ones I’m not that interested in going to, but which I think readers might be interested in, like Crystal Antlers and Alastair Roberts. I’ve I’d included them in the full listings this would be the longest post in the site’s history.
i get it now…..
I’m going to call my band the Wolf-Fucking Crystal Bears
i’m going to call my band ‘Rugby…..Who cares?’