What’s On in Edinburgh This Week – 25th October 2009
This week marks the start of the Fresh Air broadcast, which is splendid news. There will be a launch party in the Teviot on Tuesday evening, to which anyone fond of drinking, acting the arse and falling over is invited. Ruth from the Bowery and myself will be doing a show every week on Wednesday between 7pm and 8.30pm, and are hoping to have a band live in session every week, if we can. It’ll have to be pretty stripped down – anything which will translate well to really simple acoustic should do the trick – but I think we can make it pretty interesting. It will be a lot quicker and dirtier than the Toad Sessions, which will be good, because I’ve been wanting to find a way to do something a bit less involved for a while.
The only significant problem I can see is that Ruth has a nasty habit of badly upstaging me. She did it on my Fresh Air show last year and on the bloody podcast this year, and if she starts doing it on a regular basis this time around I don’t know if my fragile ego will be able to take it. There may be tantrums, there may be bawling, and there may be a considerable number of toys a very long way from the pram in which they belong.
It’ll make for bloody good radio though!
So, apart from car crash broadcasting and gallons of cheap (state sponsored – woo hoo!) beer, what else is happening this week? Well I’ll tell you. Firstly, there’s a couple of gigs happening which I am not personally so keen on, but which might interest you: Miike Snow is playing Sick Note at Cabaret Voltaire, late but free on Thursday 29th, and Cold Cave are on the bill at Playdate at Sneaky’s on Saturday 31st. Both are really rather trendy, so the cooler amongst you might be interested, but personally they aren’t really to my taste so there you go. Mandex rating: tight to constrictive, particularly at Stinky’s.
Tuesday 27th October 2009: The Young Republic play in-store at Avalanche Records.
The Young Republic are touring their excellent (and shortly to be given the Toadly Treatment) new album Balletesque and although they were sadly unable to arrange an Edinburgh date, they are playing an in-store at Avalance at 5pm on Tuesday. Their semi-orchestral, Western tinged indie folk pop has given way to a more dramatic, aggressive sound these days, albeit one which is a little more stripped down. I definintely recommend this if the timing doesn’t make it tricky.
The Young Republic – Bows in Your Arms
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Friday 30th October 2009: Dry the River, eagleowl & the Bowerbirds at Sneaky Pete’s.
The Bowerbirds are a band I have a slightly up and down relationship with, since Campfires and Battlefields introduced me to them a couple of years ago. They are certainly rather brilliant, at their best, but can be patchy in their recorded output, as far as I am concerned. I’d still be interested to see them though, and eagleowl gigs are not to be missed in general.
Bowerbirds – In Our Talons
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Saturday 31st October 2009: Art Fag, The Leg & Our Ladies of Sorrow at Sneaky Pete’s.
Our Ladies of Sorrow play a Halloween Special every year, and I have never been, and there is absolutely no damn chance I am missing it this year. They are basically an Edinburgh alt-folk supergroup (of sorts) and will dress up specially (but of course!) and soundtrack a compilation of horror movie clips. I can only begin to imagine how weird that is going to be, but I am really looking forward to it, even if I do have to hop in a cab down to Leith the moment it’s over.
