So, a day late with this, sorry.  I blame a combination of Virgin Media and vast amounts of drinking.  I woke up yesterday, still slightly hungover, and found that Virgin have managed to break our internet.  Here I am today a day and a half later and it is still fucking broken.  They offered us a fiver refund without me even asking for it, so I assume they must have fucked up something pretty significant, but I felt too shitey to venture out to find an internet cafe to write this, sorry.

All of this meant that I missed the chance to plug the Withered Hand gig at the Wee Red Bar last night, sorry.  He is playing tonight at the Captain’s Rest in Glasgow though, with the excellent Japanese War Effort, so I recommend getting along to that if you accidentally find yourself on the wrong side of Scotland this evening.

It’s funny, I remember a couple of years ago the mere fact that there was one music based Christmas party was enough to pique my interest.  This year it seems that every cunt in fucking Scotland is having on, ourselves included.  After the awesome Gerry Loves Records one a couple of weeks ago, this week is the week it all kicks off proper like:

Thursday 16th December 2010: Song, by Toad Records Christmas Party at the Queen Charlotte Rooms, Leith.

We’ll have six bands, and two stages, with Jesus H. Foxx, Inspector Tapehead and Meursault on the noisy stage, and Yusuf Azak, Rob St. John and The Savings and Loan on the quiet stage.  We’ll stagger the bands, but whilst we can sell 180 tickets, only eighty or so people can fit in to the upstairs acoustic room at any one time, so please be understanding if you can’t get in – and prepared if there’s something you really want to see.  Tickets are shifting rather quickly, so I’d recommend getting them in advance (or turning up rather early – but we’ll be starting promptly to get all six bands on, so that might be wise anyway) from either Brown Paper Tickets, or the new Avalanche Records shop down on the Grassmarket.

Friday 17th December 2010: Stars in Their Eyes Christmas at Pilrig St. Paul’s.

This is going to be magic.  Broken Records, eagleowl and Toad Records superstars Jesus H. Foxx and Meursault will be performing as their favourite bands.  Tickets are very, very nearly sold out for this though, so act very sharpish if you want to go along – available here and from Avalanche.  There will be a couple left on the door, but this is not something I recommend you count on.

Saturday 18th December 2010: Tentracks at the Forest Cafe.

As part of the ongoing efforts to save the Forest Cafe from closure, Tentracks are hosting a night there, featuring Not Squares, Foxgang, Logikparty and Fueldiva.  Given that Kid Canaveral has already sold out Saturday’s Christmas party this looks like the perfect place for all you lost and wandering souls in search of a gig this weekend.

Firstly, the flurry of posts yesterday, from my rather tardy podcast to radio show post, meant that my brother’s Sunday Supplement – a rant about classical music – was buried rather too fast, so please do go back and check it out if you have a little time to waste this afternoon.

Secondly, the Edge Festival goes bloody nuts this week, and if I listed all the gigs then I’d be here all day, and there really is no need for that, so you can have it in paragraph form instead: on Monday 23rd we have Field Music at Sneaky Pete’s and Bear in Heaven at Electric Circus (late).  Tuesday sees The Phantom Band at the Electric Circus, Wednesday Eels at the Picturehouse and Thursday Mark Lanegan at the Liquid Room (who have finally got a website worthy of the name).  Friday is quiet, and then on the weekend we have Harlem at Sneaky Pete’s on Saturday and Modest Mouse at the Picturehouse on Sunday.  All these things you can Google yourselves if you are interested, and there is more info on the Edge site, here.

When it comes to more homegrown things, however, there is still plenty on this week, a good deal at the reassuringly active Bristo Hall – a really nice space which doesn’t get used as often as it might.

Monday 23rd August 2010: Pet, The Leg, The Pineapple Chunks, Sara & the Snakes at the Bristo Hall.

This might well be a late one (11pm-3am) so check it out before you go or you’ll be totally fucking wasted by the time the first band comes on.  I haven’t heard much from the Chunks for a while, as I believe they’ve been recording, so it would be rather cool if there were some new material here to be enjoyed.  There’s quite some distance covered from Sara & the Snakes’ swampy, bluesy garage stuff, the Chunks’ ramshackle whateverthefuckitistheyplay, and the Leg, who are so good they makes themselves sick down themselves (or so I hear anyway, because I have yet to see them live, for shame).

The Pineapple Chunks – Art Storage

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Tuesday 24th August 2010: White Heath, French Wives, Fiction Faction (Formerly Casino Brag,) Sebastian Dangerfield, Washington Irving, and Foxgang at the Bristo Hall.

This is a big lineup selected by Foxgang for their Festival Special.  Given the reluctance of local promoters to do anything at all during the festival (and I have every sympathy – I do the same) it is good to see these guys putting on their own showcase.  Highlights for me would be the indie-pop of Sebastian Dangerfield, and Glaswegian indie pair Washington Irving and French Wives, from Instinctive Raccoon.

Sebastian Dangerfield – The Flood (Pt.1)

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Saturday 28th August 2010: Broken Records and Sparrow & the Workshop at the Liquid Room.

These are two of the original Song, by Toad bands, in a certain sense.  Both now have labels and albums and careers, dammit, and it’s weird.  With debut albums fairly well in the rearview mirror I would imagine that there will be a fair amount of new material on show here, although I know Broken Records don’t want to ruin the surprise for when their second album comes out later in the year.  Their new stuff sounds a lot more layered and guitary and a lot less folky than their earliest material, and I am deeply curious about the new record.

Broken Records – A Leaving Song

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Saturday 28th/Sunday 29th August 2010: Retreat Festival at Pilrig St. Paul’s church.

A free download sampler featuring a large number of the bands playing can be downloaded from here, if you’d like a bit of a preview.  Other than that, take it from me, this is going to be the highlight of the Edinburgh gig calendar, no exceptions – full details here, and I reckon you should probably buy tickets in advance (weekend – Saturday – Sunday) too as I doubt there will be too many left on the door.

Well the Trampoline show for this Friday, with Ziggy Campbell and Yusuf Azak has been cancelled, which is a bit of a tragedy for my music fun, but at least spares me some of the Olympic amounts of typing this post is going to require all through bloody August.  Fucking hell, it’s like a mini novel.  Fortunately I don’t think much was actually on yesterday, when the sort of hangover generated only by consuming an entire bottle of gin prevented me from doing anything productive at all.

So this post is being written now and dated two days ago so, erm, well fuck it, shoot me, there’s always the list of course.  But my listings are way better – everyone knows that.  Aren’t they.

Yes is the answer to that, in case anyone was taking too much time to think about it.

Tuesday 11th August 2009: Jesus H. Foxx & Art Fag at Electric Circus.

I was about to say that two Toad bands on the same bill means I am guaranteed to enjoy this, but strictly speaking electro-experimental loonies Art Fag are Scotland’s hottest new unsigned act and I will have to fight every label in the land with sticks for their signature.  Or, um, something like that.  And Jesus H. Foxx were superb at the Forest Cafe last week, so this should be a cracking show.
Jesus H. Foxx – Elegy For the Good Times

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Wednesday 12th August 2009: White Heath EP Launch at the Forest Cafe with Meursault, Foxgang and Debutant.

I am really looking forward to hearing this, and genuinely curious.  For all I’ve seen White Heath a few times recently I haven’t heard any of their recordings recently, and I am very much looking forward to hearing what Alex from Fentek has made of their sound, which can be chaotic to say the least when I’ve seen them live.  Quite how he mixes the trombone and fiddle in with the electric guitar and drums is something I’d like to hear.

Thursday 13th August 2009: Battle of the Bands – Cybraphon vs FOUND at the InSpace Gallery.

This is sold out, but apparently any returns will be available on Thursday.  You can’t have them though, because I need them.  Let’s be honest, I’m not going to miss a chance to watch one of my favourite Edinburgh bands face off against a moody musical wardrobe am I.

Friday 14th August 2009: This is Music at Sneaky Pete’s with The Foundling Wheel & Dead Boy Robotics.

Dead Boy Robotics had a very successful set at T in the Park this year (see video at the bottom of this post) and apparently their new stuff is something of a shift from earlier material, which makes me really rather curious to hear what they’re up to these days.
The Foundling Wheel – Out to See

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Saturday 15th August 2009: Woodenbox with a Fistful of Fivers, Lovers Turn to Monsters & Shenandoah DavisTrampoline at the Wee Red Bar.

Woodenbox are a cracking live band, I don’t really know Lovers Turn to Monsters, and Shenandoah Davis is bloody lovely.  We’re recording a Toad Session with her this weekend as well.  Splendid.
Shennandoah Davis – We, Camera

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Sunday 16th August 2009: Retreat Festival from 11.30am in the Bristo Hall, upstairs from the Forest Cafe.

The collection of bands playing here is in some senses irrelevant.  Even if you’ve never heard of a single one of the groups playing, you can be absolutely guaranteed that this is going to be an amazing day.  Those of you who like your rock music with a little bit more in the way of coke and whores may not be quite as thrilled as others by the Bristo Hall’s family and cuppa-friendly atmosphere, but I am hugely looking forward to it.  And the lineup is fucking amazing, as it happens:  Withered Hand, Jo Foster, Wounded Knee, Hexicon, Rob St John, Viking Moses, Tisso Lake, Moustache of Insanity, Allo, Darlin’, My Tiny Robots, Come In Tokyo, Enfant Bastard, The Pineapple Chunks, Meursault, The Leg.

It’s another solid week of gigs this week, with a couple of lesser-known groups popping up and the chance for me to see new discovery The Byrons play at the ARK, which promises to be good.  Mrs. Toad’s away this week, so I have free reign to go out as many nights as I please – whee!  Have fun, Toadlings.

Wed 5th March: The Byrons & Foxgang at The ARK.
So, a couple of days after I write about them , here are The Byrons, playing their Blur-y brand of, um, what, post-rock? They’re joined by Foxgang who are also pretty good – beatier and a bit more upbeat – so it should be a good night.
The Byrons – Anglais
Foxgang – Cheesewire

Thursday 6th March: The Occasional Flickers at The Bongo Club.
When I first heard their music I thought ‘gosh this twee pop sounds right up Cloudberry Records‘ street’ and lo and behold who has a Cloudberry single to their name? Yup, you guessed it. Well they’re playing with The Afterglow and Exit Music at the Bongo Club on Thursday.

The Occasional Flickers – Rucksack

Friday 7th March: Meursault at Henry’s Cellar Bar.
This is their album release actually.  I’m not sure if there’s a label involved but if not, fuck it.  Who needs labels these days.  So I am set for plenty of beers and some rather dark banjo-meets-electronica goodness.
Meursault – Salt Pt.2

Sunday 9th March: The Beat at the Liquid Room.
The Beat! The fucking Beat! I won’t be going, because reunion tours for ageing ska legends tend to be overpriced and a poor compensation for being too young to have caught it the first time round. But The Beat, people!
The Beat – Stand Down Margaret (Whine & Grine)
The Beat – Mirror in the Bathroom