Live in Edinburgh This Week – 5th July 2010
I suppose that if we are talking about Scottish gigs this week, I really do have to mention T in the Park, or Nedstock as my far-funnier-than-I friend refers to it over at the Vinyl Villain. I’ve actually only been once myself, back in 1996 I think it was, when Radiohead and Pulp headlined the Saturday and Sunday spots respectively. The thing is, I looked it up on Wikipedia and it seems that was indeed 1996, but then, it says Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds were also on the bill and although I cannot for the life of me imagine missing one of my all time musical heroes I have absolutely no recollection of seeing them that year.
The one thing I do remember, however, was watching a hunched introvert and an awkward geek effortlessly engage one of the biggest crowds I’d ever been a part of. I think it was probably the first time I ever really understood what real star power actually was, because both Jarvis Cocker and Thom Yorke had the whole gigantic main stage crowd eating out of the palms of their hands.
I’m glancing over this year’s lineup and wondering who I would go and see, and apart from maybe Big Pink and Dirty Projectors on Friday, and Frightened Rabbit and Mumfords on Saturday, I’d stick with the ‘also appearing’ bit at the bottom of that poster where you see the likes of Sparrow & the Workshop, the Boy Who Trapped the Sun, French Wives, Mitchell Museum, The Seventeenth Century and Washington Irving. Most of them are playing the T-Break Stage, where Meursault are also making a guest appearance on Friday.
Wednesday 7th July 2010: Rickie Lee Jones at the Queen’s Hall.
I really don’t know anything at all about Rickie Lee Jones from a musical perspective, but I have heard one or two songs I like here and there. And given people have repeatedly advised me never to ever put gigs on in the Summer, I suppose it should come as no surprise that this is the only one I could find this week that I liked. Any suggestions welcome in the comment thread.
Rickie Lee Jones – Little Mysteries
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Thanks for pointing out that Meursault will be making an appearance!
I’m headed there to go serve the neds their beers, and it looks like Friday is the only day I’ll be able to catch some bands for entire sets. So T-Break it looks like it is.
On another note, hoping to catch Broken Social Scene on Saturday if I get off for a bit. Kind of shocked that they’re that far down the ladder of bands.
Rickie Lee Jones was Tom Waits’ girlfriend in the 70s. If she’s good enough for Tom, she’s good enough for you lot. She’s also the stoned-sounding lady who supplied the key sample on the Orb’s tune Little Fluffy Clouds.
I saw The Orb at Glastonbury (I was ensuring no one set anything on fire, rather than out of any silly musical excursion). It was busy, but everyone looked bored, except for about the first 30 seconds of Little Fluffy Clouds, then they realised that’s boring too and dispersed.
Oh, and Simon, Broken Social Scene have been awesome the two times I’ve seen them recently – this may seem a bit like stating the obvious, but I’ve seen them be a bit patchy in the past, very very good at the moment.
Oh – I am assuming everyone knows about this…
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment_and_arts/10507286.stm
Looks like 6Music is saved. Or did we know that before now and I am slow to the party?
I don’t think Nick Cave was at T in the Park in 96. I remember seeing him there in 95, but he only came on as Kylie’s guest. I was down the front to see Tricky who came on before or after Kylie. But I was quite happy to see Kylie too.
I love T in the Park.
I fail to see the connection between being shagged by Tom Waits and musical excellence and how said shagging implies that we should all give her our support
Erm, well, it sorta holds water. Obviously Tom Waits would be far too discerned to knock boots with anyone absolutely shit at music. Erm, I think!
Oh c’mon GODIHATEMONDAYS, there’s bound to be some residual effect when Tom Waits offloads his man-cargo into you. Other than chlamydia, I mean. Purely as a medical matter, it just stands to reason that she would now bear some part of his essence.
Legend has it that they conceived twins. One became Scarlett Johansson and the other became a hatstand.
Tom also supposedly fathered a number of steamtrains.
I’m scared to comment on anything anymore for fear of death threats…..
oh apart from the big pink are pants….
Pants? Just you be watching over your shoulder young man, that’s all I can say.
Oh ok – I get it. Suddenly no-one cares about 6music. Fickle cunts.
What happens if Tom Waits or Scarlett
JohnJohansoJohhansswhatever-her-name-is or some innocent hatstand happens to stop by the site and read this?Someone could get sued!
Poor old hatstands. They never get a fair go.
Bastards.
In Edinburgh related news, local boys Broken Records are supporting The National over three gigs this week…….i find this pretty fucking exciting!
Re: Jarvis and the eating crowd – he could afford the good coke by then…
When Tom went out with Ricky he was still another LA junky songwriter rather than the weird ascetic pig farmer with mixed German and Irish ancestry that we all came to know and love (IE: before he met his missus), so I’m not sure he could even have got it up at that point, let alone blessed her insides with his crazy sperm. That said, I heard a recent track by her on Women’s Hour on R4 (over breakfast) that was quite wonderful, especially considering she was responsible for the nauseating Chucky (ee?)’s In Love and it sounds like her voice has been racked by the same Capstan Full Strength that Tom smoked so she sounds like she has the wisdom of the ages (like some older women in certain Glasgow bars).
Nick Cave, Kylie, Radiohead and Pulp, possibly on the same bill, in a field… I’m glad I missed the 90s…
sued or punched?
sued or punched?
sued or punched?
sued and punched?
sued and punched?
sued and punched?
can you repeat the question again please?
Why disagree when you can sue? Just call out the lawyers, Chutters.
Tim, would you genuinely hate that lineup? Nononononononooooo!
A friend of mine really doesn’t like early Tom Waits – as in, the Rickie Lee Jones era you’re talking about, roughly, I think – because he says that it doesn’t seem as genuine. It seems as if he is living a caricature of a life, rather than something he himself has chosen piece by piece.
I am not saying that the two things are related, but they do seem coincident, and as much as I still love early Tom Waits, I can see his point.
Isn’t music just a caricature and parody of everyday life and emotion?
You’re so fucking deep.
yeah man
Tom had a bit of a beat thing going on, I think, and suffered some early 70s singersongwriterpianobollox spasms (Martha – bleurgh) but I love Step Right Up from Small Change, on the edge of all that. He’s always been a pretentious feller, but he acts it well, as long as you don’t bump into nasty 80s film Bearskin where he looks strangely like Daryl Hall and upsets all the ‘blood on the cheese’ fans who think he’s the real life version of what Nick Cave tries to be.
Re: that line up – add Blur, Oasis, Nirvana, Stone Roses and The Auteurs and I’m in agony. So much bad done by so few…
PS Add Paul Weller, solo, for beyond pain
Blur? BLUR? Egads man that’s just a pile of gigantic indiescandal!
Go on then, nuts on the block, who’s good from then, then?
(And another ‘then’ just for good measure.)
It’s a thin list, aside from the glorious Terry Jacks singing Seasons In The Sun and the odd Isleys track, only 1975 fares worse than, well almost the whole decade…
There were some interesting obvious goodies at the start (like Massive Attack, De La Soul, just about The Cocteau Twins) but as the choices became leaner… Portishead, come to mind, Tricky’s early solo efforts, Guy Called Gerald, various D&B one offs, but also Goldie, Trans Global Underground, Public Enemy… I’m trying to think of something more suitably organic for the Toadites but all I get is a haze of Jamiroquai humping Alanis Morrissette and that’s not very nice… mainly just odd singles… ah, here’s one you might approve of, depending on your position on Irish goths with Jim Morrison fixations: Dead Can Dance somehow pleased me despite themselves.
Damon Albarn has since more than made up for his sub-Kinkisms with the popdelicious Gorrilaz, at least for me. However, I know how precious memories are of doing things for the first time to a certain tune (hence Seasons In The Sun, above, don’t ask) so I would only ask that the quivering dog turd that was Brit pop be given the context it deserves: there was not much else at the time.
The 90s gave birth to Ladies and Gentlemen We are Floating In Space, so the 90s are okay in my book.
Toadlings, Tim? Alanis Morrisette and Jamiroquai? Are you joking?
I’ll happily admit that vast swathes of Britpop were me-too shite, but Blur (Great Escape aside) and Pulp were great bands.