Retreat Festival – Edinburgh Bristo Hall, Sunday 16th August 2009
The Retreat Festival and its organisers do not like to be called twee. They fucking well are though – you can’t have tea and toast advertised on your posters and decorate a hall with bunting and then complain about being called twee, can you?
Then again, the same festival featured mental drummers, garage rock two-pieces, ear-splitting guitar solos, and the frontman of the headline band being sick through his stage mask. So not all that twee, exactly. In fact, that’s probably what I like best about Retreat: yes it’s twee, in a sense, but it would be just plain wrong to use that to pigeonhole it in any sense.
In the words of Enfant Bastard’s Cammy Watt, it was just like Wayne’s World 2.
For example, this year’s festival was all about the guitars, for me. I did turn up late, so maybe I missed some of the early afternoon’s less raucous acts but Enfant Bastard, Meursault (with their new electric guitarist) and the splendidly mental Pineapple Chunks were my highlights. My Tiny Robots were really good as well, as was what little I could see of Rob St. John over the wall of sweaty backs which faced me when I arrived. I caught some Come in Tokyo as well, but they are slightly less my cup of tea, in all honesty.
Enfant Bastard
Particularly as a live performer Rob is just getting better and better, so losing him to Oxford is a big shame for the music scene around here. His electric version of Domino was as excellent here as it was at his recent Electric Circus set, and it will be a real shame to see him go.
After a wee comfort (ie beer) break, My Tiny Robots kicked off the evening schedule. They’re not a band I have seen before, partly because I think they lost their drummer recently, and subsequently drifted for a bit, but they were really good. Their guitar sound in particular has an old-style sound, sort of combination of lounge and rock ‘n’ roll, and it’s a sound I really like.
Enfant Bastard played next, although it was more of a Love Gestures set, something Cammy described as ‘like sleeping with an ex-girlfriend’ seeing as how the Love Gestures haven’t really existed for over a year now. It was fucking brilliant, whatever it was. Cammy is forever apologising and telling us how under-rehearsed the band are and how shit the music is, but he’s talking bollocks. This was bloody exuberant, completely ramshackle and fucking great. He’s more than happy to tease with his ‘just not bothering to sing’ vocals and ‘can barely be arsed to even play this’ guitar style but the man writes great fucking pop songs, it’s that simple.
Enfant Bastard – Michael Jackson
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
The Pineapple Chunks were also bloody good. They make a right bloody noise, their rhythms seem to be all over the place – just barely under control half the time – but there was a real dynamism to their performance on Sunday. Maybe it’s because I was drunker than the last time I saw them, but for some reason I just seemed to ‘get it’ a hell of a lot more clearly this time than when I saw them at Limbo about six months ago. It’s quite melodic indie, to listen to the mp3s, but there’s a hell of a lot more edge to them live, where they play with real aggression. Fantastic.
The Pineapple Chunks – Look Back in Horror
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Meursault were my headliners because, for domestic reasons, I had to scoot home before the increasingly infamous mask-barfing episode from The Leg frontman, which is gutting. They were brilliant apparently, chunks and all, and I have still to actually see the buggers play, which is really starting to get on my tits.
Meursault have added a guitarist to their lineup – Debutant guitarist Phil Quirie – and his first show with them was bloody seamless. I can’t say how impressed I am with how the new material is shaping up. Some of it is just fucking sensational – Crank Resolutions, Sleet, that song with the duelling omnichords – the new album is going to be really, really fuckin good.
So a massive thanks to Bart and Emily – an absolute triumph, yet again guys.
It was a great day.
Rob St John were amazing as were the Pineapple Chunks (and in particular their drummer Owen – I’ve never seen a hula hoop eaten with such gusto). I was a Meursault virgin up until Sunday as well and they blew me away. Sleet was really beautifully done. Cracking.
It was a fantastic day, mucho thanks to Bart and Emily for putting on such a splendid array of music and all for no pounds. I didn’t dig it all, I’m not a indiepop fan so a couple of the bands in the afternoon weren’t my cuppa tea but that’s a minor quibble.
Meursault won the day for me, that was a special, special set – when you saw Neil doing Sleet solo and had members of the band applauding it at the end then that should tell you how good it was. That version of Domino by RSJ doesn’t get any worse either as well. Come back soon sir.
Aye, good work all round.
Thanks so much Matthew.
I had a lot of fun.
Musically, it was a bit more sedate in the afternoon – the idea was to make the afternoon relatively more subdued and kid-friendly (and the kids seemed to love it), and then get gradually more noisy in the evening.
But absolutely everyone played a blinder. I’m still pretty stoked about it all.
Was actually the perfect day off. Roll on Retreat 2010! Wooooooo!
nice photo, btw.
Does your new camera have a self-timer?
This year’s festival was, just like last year’s, all about the music, and it didn’t fail to deliver….esp in the early afternoon session.
…this is kinda lopsided review as it misses some genuine highlights form early on in the day….acts like Hexicon, Withered Hand and Allo Darling were all highlights of the afternoon session for me, also catching up with Fraser of Small Town Boredom, who passed on the news that his latest album should be released in the next couple of month……so for me the evening was a bit of a let down in comparison (Meursault’s rip your face off and leave you bleeding set aside)
That hurt my feelings so much I have shaved and booked a haircut. Dylan is a cunt.
That’s just a joke – everyone knows I don’t really have feelings.
The bit about Dylan is still true though.
P.S. I am talking about a different Dylan.
oh i forgot…..the Rob St John band’s set…..fucking awesome….fact!!! which a little birdy told me was recorded…..i want a copy of that now please!!!!!
Well Chutters I can’t exactly review bands I didn’t see, now can I. I’ll end up writing for the NME if I start doing that.
and regarding line-up quibbles – with 14 acts on, there’s no way that everyone is going to love everything.
But the idea was to have a healthy mix of styles (without anyone appearing too out of place), and getting a balance between old favorites and new faces. And I’d like to think we did okay on that front.
easy tigers…..
….else i’ll shoot you!
I expect to always love everything you do Bart. Any less and will have let me down. Badly.
was an immense success bart. well done and thanks for giving us all a wonderful day.
i was having a go Toad….more i was just highlighting what else was on!!!
i wasn’t…..i was meant to say!!!
You’re always having a fucking go, Chutters.
You love it baby!
something else really good was the atmosphere – when i got there in the evening, the place was kind of buzzing.
plenty of friendly faces also offered a good respite from the relentless sea of strangers that is the edinburgh festival
top stuff all round.
Actually MatinMoog has kinda nailed one of my favourite things about the day.
It was good to have “community” event and see a load of familiar faces, some furrier than others.
It really reflected what Dan was getting at in his introduction piece in the programme.
Hugs all around I think.
That was nice.
But what I noticed was the number of faces that I didn’t recognise.
It was really nice that the event managed to attract people beyond ‘the usual suspects’.
Of course, no disrespect to the usual suspects – it’s just good if there’s people there who have not seen any/many of the bands before. It helps stop things getting stale.
The downside of any ‘community’ is that to anyone outside of it, it can appear to be more of a clique. And no one wants that.
really pleased to hear you saying that. i think that’s what we were aiming for above all – personally i felt a little bit in love with everyone on monday. though i was delighted also by the number of faces i didn’t recognise… i hope we managed to pull in a few festival visitors at least.
lol
…we have talked about this, you see.
yep Emily said the same Bart…..lovely….the gang is getting bigger!
That’s something of a trick actually, and one which I think succeeded particularly well on Sunday.
can you delete my previous comment and this one please!
makes me look more stupid than i actually am!!!
now i said that i know you won’t…..
Interesting point you raise there, Bart, about cliques and so on. I’m not sure I entirely agree.
In the relatively short time I’ve spent hanging out with people involved in new music in Edinburgh, I’ve found everyone to be very welcoming, friendly and supportive. Even Tom.
Perhaps days like Retreat build upon and reinforce that sense of community rather than develop exclusive cliques. I doubt there are many people who find the new music community in Edinburgh particularly alienating or intimidating because of the sense of shared enthusiasm, and also because everyone’s so damned nice!
Perhaps there’s a hint of self-congratulation or celebration about holding a day like Retreat – hosted for and by the local new music “scenesters” – but if that’s true I personally think it’s richly deserved.
Just to clarify what I’m not agreeing about, I do agree that cliqueyness is a bad thing and should be avoided.
I don’t think it’s anything we’ve got to worry about in this instance..
Dylan – there are definitely cliques in the Edinburgh music scene……i just ignore the fucking protocol that normally comes with such things!
Cliqueyness is inevitable to some extent – simple friendship groups are cliques and we all only need so many close friends – people just have to be a little aware of it an make sure they don’t go overboard or become too closed.
And as Bart and Emily said, it’s always a good thing to see new people showing interest. Hence the encouragement for people to delurk here on Fridays – it’s all too easy to seem more of a closed group than you want to become.
Maybe I’m so cool that I’m actually in all the cliques and never even noticed!
cough
One of the main aims of Retreat! – both this year and last – was to make it as open as possible.
A celebration, yes – but if it came across as an event “hosted by and for the local new music scenesters”, then I’m sorry, but this was not the intention.
I’m not trying to start an argument, but I really take issue with this. But then we may just have different interpretations and connotations for the word “scenester”.
What IS a scenester?
It’s like a lobster, but with more legs.
No, I know what you mean, Bart.
I haven’t made my point very well, I sort of realised that as I was typing it.
Having a bad day. Sorry if that comment annoyed you. Ignore it and we’ll have a chat over a beer when I’m back in town on the weekend..
Rock Lobster? Rock Scenester? That’s not a “rock”.
Oh – two foxes (not foxxes) were fighting last night outside my window. They sounded like warring chimps. Anyone heard them before? Its pretty scary.
Well picking one band will make the crowd slightly specific, but in choosing several you are almost guaranteeing that attendees are vaguely interested in a specific kind of music, so it will inevitably end up being a fairly specific group of people attending.
But apart from the aesthetic choices inevitably selecting for people of particular tastes I didn’t get the impression it was anything insular or exclusive in the slightest. But then, I am quite insensitive.
On the subject of warring chimps, Celebrity Chimp have split up sand are now, apparently, warring chimps.
Regardless of how many new or familiar faces were there, I thought Retreat was great. I only made it down while Withered Hand was on and it was queued out the door.
Rob St John and band were spellbindingly good as ever, Enfant Bastard was a hoot and Meursault were predictably superb. The tea wasn’t bad either.
Well done to all involved.
Well done to Bart and Emily indeed, and to everyone else who was involved. I had a great afternoon (I particularly enjoyed Hexicon) and I’m looking forward to the next one. I missed the sick mind. Bah.
I don’t like my pink diamond square picture. Tonight Matthew, I’d like to be Cheryl Tweedy. Can you make this happen?
On the subject of warring chimps, Celebrity Chimp have split up sand are now, apparently, warring chimps.
Aye, sad news indeed. I received an email from Tom a week or so back & I still haven’t replied. It’s odd & kinda gutting. Can’t explain it.
I’d like to be Johnny Depp’s lover tonight. Can you make this happen, Matthew, darlin’?
sorry Matt, it was too tempting! xoxo
oh, they really have split! thought Matthew was just making a joke, awww
Tart- are YOU letting me be Cheryl?
Tart and Matt you are only allowed to converse with each other via moi!!!
Got that?
ha! Matt, darling, no… you can’t have her.
xoxo
Tom, shut it, sweetie
Where’s the Friday Five?
I’ve been up so long I’m already on Saturday!