Even looking at gig listings makes me feel a little weak at the moment. Gigs mean bars, and bars mean booze, and even two days after our Christmas bash at Toad Hall the prospect of ever drinking again feels just a little scary. In terms of industrial levels of weapons-grade levels of drinking I don’t think I’ve ever been to or hosted such a fearsome train-wreck of a party.
The Divine Comedy – A Drinking Song
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Basically, I crashed just after 5am, rose at 9am to go and stumble blindly around a football pitch, before coming straight home and pitching into bed again until 9pm. I am reliably informed that Ally, Dylan, Mrs. Toad, Neil and Mrs. Toad’s brother carried on for a little less than another hour before collectively collapsing in random places all over the house, and my last.fm profile shows the last song being played at about ten to six. Apparently the Tannoy monitor speakers which came with the Toad Session recording setup were so abused that they shut themselves down to prevent overheating. I can only imagine what might have been audible to the general public, but fortunately the police were not called. I can only assume that the lady next door is deaf, long since dead, or just generally terrified of even speaking to her degenerate neighbours.
Shame on all of you who missed it. But then, maybe you did yourselves a favour. Oof.
So, erm gigs. Ah, whatever, you’re on your own this week people, I am not going anywhere near beveraging establishments, at least until tomorrow’s Fresh Air Awards. Oh shit, is it that soon?
Saturday 20th December 2008: Broken Records at the Picture House.
It’s to be proud of that Edinburgh finally has a band considered big enough to be invited to headline a venue this size. I suppose Idlewild count as an Edinburgh band, and they’re pretty big, but basically the last time things were doing this well in this particular city was when Josef K, the Shop Assistants and the like were making waves in the early 80s, as far as I’m aware. Broken Records have spent this year as the flagship band from these parts – the only consistently touring message to the rest of the country that things in this part of the world are very , very healthy indeed.
Broken Records – Wolves (Toad Session)
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Saturday 20th December 2008: Cherry Poppin’ Daddies at the Voodoo Rooms.
I have no idea what they’re like these days, but I remember them emerging at the heart of the late-90s swing revival. I have one of their albums, it’s great fun, and I assume this gig will be just the same.
Cherry Poppin’ Daddies – When I Change Your Mind
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Saturday 20th December: Henry’s Cellar Bar Christmas Party, with eagleowl, Gasgiant, Rodent Emporium, Bukkake Birthday Party, Norman Silver & the Gold & The Incendiary Bats.
I don’t know half these bands, but erm, eagleowl are good and it looks like it should be a jolly splendid old bash. No criticism of any of the individual bands involved, but it makes absolutely zero sense as a lineup, just superficially listening to the MySpace pages. Mind you, it’s a party I suppose, not an episode of Jools Holland. Just stay off the booze – I promise you you’ll regret it.
eagleowl – Blanket
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Is that everything? Probably not, but fuck you, I don’t care. I am going to continue staring vacantly at my monitor for the next four hours and then scurry off home as soon as humanly possible to hit the sheets once more. Fucking gin.
