Umm.. nada, absolutely nada this week.  Not one single gig I would be likely to go to myself, which is a bit unusual.  Still, I am going to Glastonbury for the first time, so this not entirely a bad thing from my perspective.  As a good friend of mine pointed out: ‘Giving up your job and then off to Glastonbury – it’s like the end of your adulthood’.  And he’s not far wrong.

Oh yes, giving up my job, did I mention that?  Well yes, as of Wednesday I will be a full-time Toad.  Or ToadPRO as someone called it, not that it will entail being much more professional I wouldn’t have thought.  Still, I am hugely fucking excited, not to be giving up my job actually, which I have always enjoyed, but the idea of being able to tackle all this Toad bollocks head on and really do it properly is a really exciting prospect as far as I am concerned.  More on this later, though.

Last week I strayed wildly outside the list format for my Monday listings, which caused howls of upset from the cheap seats, and this week will be no different.  There are a couple of interesting things happening, notably a Great Junction Street Music Studios showcase at Henry’s Cellar Bar on Saturday 26th.  I know nothing at all about the bands involved, but I really think this kind of event is a good idea.  If you are looking to get your band off the ground and start finding an audience, club together with your mates, put on a gig, invite all your friends and give it a go.

Alternatively, there’s the Penguins Kill Polar Bears EP launch tour passing through Scotland this week.  I may not like the music myself, but these guys are doing a really good job of  getting themselves noticed on an entirely DIY basis, and the more of that that happens around here the better.  I always admire people who just get on with it, rather than whining about what other people should be doing for them, and this band certainly deserve your support.

Can you call a list comprising one single item a list at all?  And it’s not really a gig either.  Ah well, to soothe the agitation of those I upset last week, here is my list for this week:

Thursday 24th June 2010: Nick Cave speaks at Canongate Books‘ Irregular night at the Roxy Art House.

To say that Nick Cave is one of my heroes would be something of an understatement, and I am grinding my teeth down to fucking stumps with frustration at the fact that I will be in out of town on Thursday night when he comes to do a reading down at the Roxy.  Arse monkeys.

And to make up for the lack of giggage, I have a special present for you all, courtesy of Jon from Virgin of the Birds.  He played the Toad New Year’s House Gig this year, and seems to have developed a bit of a taste for Meursault, to the extent that he is one of the first people in weeks to actually bother to spell the band’s name correctly.  Anyhow, Jon sent through this rather lovely cover of Crank Resolutions last night, and it’s great, so I thought I would share it.

Virgin of the Birds – Crank Resolutions (Meursault Cover)

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Sping.  SPRING.  Hurry the FUCK UP for Christ’s sake before we all go fucking mental.  Good grief what a long drawn out wait it has been.  Some sunshine would be nice.  A cup of tea in the garden would be nice.  Actually, even the chance to go outside of a weekend and rescue the garden from the tangle of weeds and fallen leaves it has become over the winter would be nice.  Obviously there’d have to be coke and whores afterwards, just to keep up the rock ‘n’ roll pretensions, but for now a nice cuppa and a Rich Tea biscuit in the back garden, with dirty hands and earth under our fingernails, would be very welcome indeed.

For those of you craving a spot of news, apparently Bob Dylan’s new studio album is being released in mid-April, which is rather jolly, I have to say.  I have no great expectations for it to be a heartbreaking work of staggering genius, but so what.  It might be a bloody good listen anyway.

Secondly, here’s a wee video of Broken Records (who?) recording their debut album, which will be released, erm, quite soon.  June 1st, it seems.

Monday 16th March 2009: Finley Quaye at Henry’s Cellar Bar.

You know, I never knew that Finley Quaye was an Edinburgh artist.  I actually rather liked Maverick A Strike, although I must confess to having largely neglected his stuff since.  I am busy tonight but just out of curiosity this looks like a rather interesting gig, if just to find out what he’s been up to all this time.
Finley Quaye – Even After All

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Thursday 19th March 2009: Limbo & Canongate Books present Irregular, at the Voodoo Rooms.

To say that this is an ambitious project sounds a little condescending, but in a sense I suppose it is.  This is going to be a combination of music and spoken word, with readings from recent Canongate publications mixed with live music from the likes of Black Diamond Express.  I have no idea how they intend to put it together or whether or not they can pull it off, but it sounds fucking fascination, frankly, and I shall be there for sure.

Friday 20th March 2009: Sleepingdog, Esperi & The Kays Lavelle at the Wee Red Bar.

There will be no mosh pit at the Wee Red on Friday, but Sleepingdog generate a kind of hypnotic loveliness which should bring a fascination of its own.  Essentially, it seems, a vehicle for Belgian lassie Chantal Acda, they’ve just released an album called Polar Life, a rather appropriate name, given the music, which I assume will be available at the show and from the sounds of the MySpace page should be rather good.
Sleepingdog – The Prophets

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Saturday 21st March 2009: Ballboy at the Wee Red Bar.

Ballboy are the Edinburgh indie-pop stars who never quite hit the escape velocity needed to break out of the city into the wider music-listening consciousness.  This is a bit of a shame because they’ve got some really brilliant songs.  Now there’s a new album as well, called I Worked on the Ships, which I have yet to hear but if their previous stuff is anything to go by should be a really enjoyable listen.
Ballboy – I’ve Got Pictures of You in Your Underwear

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Saturday 21st March 2009: Tunng at the Picturehouse.

Me?  Publicising a gig at the Picturehouse?  I thought I was trying to be alternative.  Ah well, people have been trying to get me to properly listen to Tunng for ages, most notably Ruth from the Bowery, so I thought that a live performance would be a bloody good way to start.  I’m rather looking forward to this actually – a bit of bleepery, a bit of slightly arcane folk music – splendid!
Tunng – Tale From Black

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