[I was unfortunately too busy to attend this gig myself because I was at home compiling endless lists of bloggers to pester with promo copies of new Edinburgh releases, but Dylan was able to attend and has kindly written this review. Apart from making dubious comments about Rod Stewart's gentleman's equipment, Dylan is also the drummer in Uhersky Brod and the offical photographer of the Toad Sessions, and it's really nice of him to volunteer to write this review. Enjoy...]

Regrettably, I missed Ross Clark. I blame Lothian Buses and an hour-and-a-half bus journey home from work. As a result, I walked into Cabaret Voltaire just as Ross thrashed his triumphant final chord and swung his acoustic guitar into the air. But – wow – what a chord that one was!

So, for me, the evening’s entertainment really began with Barn Owl. I don’t know why all the young kids since the Arctic Monkeys have started strapping their guitars right up high into their armpits; I suspect it has something to do with learning to play while sitting down, but if any of them are reading: Guys, it just doesn’t look cool!

Anyway, as Barn Owl, securely harnessed by their guitar straps, launched into their opening number, it was soon apparent that we were on familiar territory. They practice an earnest variety of late 80s style baggy that will inevitably draw comparisons with early Charlatans and the first Stone Roses album, with the standard hints of New Order and Echo and the Bunnymen thrown in.

I must admit that Barn Owl didn’t really grab me at first, but after a hesitant start, they seemed to settle into something of a groove. They have an undeniable knack for a pleasing tune, and often embarked on extended instrumental passages to give those tunes room to breathe and develop. It’s an unusually unrestrained approach for practitioners of this style of music at the moment, and I found myself re-assessing the pigeon-hole I’d put them in earlier.

Barn Owl aren’t currently about pushing boundaries, but a lot of people will be happy with their unashamedly approachable style. As they grow in confidence and develop their identity, they could make a lot of friends.

Barn Owl MySpace | Barn Owl – Chasing Little Sparks

There was a switch at the top of the bill as The Kays Lavelle took to the stage ahead of Meursault. Or at least three members of The Kays Lavelle; unexpected personnel issues forcing them to perform with a stripped-down piano-guitar-drums approach.

This was my first Kays Lavelle gig, so I don’t have much of a frame of reference, but the sparsely furnished sound suited the introspective lyrics and haunted vocals. Bart seemed to be having a high old time squeezing spooky science-fiction noises out of his Fender and adding unexpected sound effects to Euan’s vocals, while the exploratory chords and refrains of the piano dovetailed nicely with Grant’s complex percussion patterns.

I think it’s fair to say The Kays Lavelle will have better shows than this, but they can walk away from this one confident that the band’s music and personnel are adaptable, and that, even on nights when everything’s not going their way, they can still play to the crowd and put on a show. To me, that sounds like a handy skill any decent band could be proud of.

The Kays Lavelle MySpace | The Kays Lavelle – The Chemistry Between

So following that, Meursault got the headline slot by default, and certainly made the most of it. On percussion, Fraser was visibly wilting under the hot stage lights for the first track or two. Until, from the back of the room someone delivered his trademark porkpie hat to the stage and, with an instant and almost magical effect, the little hat brought him back to life. This in turn allowed him to reinvigorate Meursault’s sound with the astonishing range of noise he gets from the cajón upon which he sits and the shakers he straps to every appendage.

Neil responded to the resurrection of his drummer by ratcheting-up the intensity of his own performance, his voice ranging between a plaintive croak and a maniacal howl often within a single phrase. As a frontman, Neil Pennycook cuts an arresting and imposing figure, the performance of his passionate and emotional songs forcing him to writhe around the stage as if possessed by a particularly sadist demon. It’s a gripping and mesmerising spectacle, and completely at odds with the delightfully affable gent he is offstage.

Meursault’s sound; with the acoustic guitar often taking a background role behind a heartbeat of incessant banjo arpeggios, explosive percussion noises and startling vocals, is striking and unorthodox, but it seems to possess a primal attraction that sees them picking up more and more devotees with each performance.

Meursault MySpace | Meursault – A Few Kind Words

It’s a bit crowded with interesting things this week, with everything kind of happening at once, making it a little difficult to decide what to go to. Then there’s always Mrs. Toad of course, who has the selfish habit of complaining when I spent every night of the week out doing musicky things, the unreasonable old bag.

We’re off on a big holiday shortly too, so there is a fair bit of organising to be done and so far I am not proving particularly adept. Ah well, organisation was never a strong suit, but I guess we’ll be just fine. Going away is hardly a tricky business, especially if jabs aren’t involved. So what will I probably be skipping this week, in preparation for my parents’ visit on Friday?

Wednesday 23rd July 2008: Lanterns on the Lake, Lipsync For a Lullaby & Laura Lewis & the Tea Dance Orchestra at the Voodoo Rooms.
I don’t know much about these chaps, but Lipsync were highly recommended to me quite recently, although by whom I can’t remember. It was probably Bart “There is No Such Thing as a Shit Band” Owl I should imagine, but I’m not sure. Lanterns on the Lake are a Newcastle bunch who play rather dreamy pop, Laura Lewis is a local concern, who sounds quite breathless and just a little twee, and Lipsync deal in guitar soundscapes, so it sounds like a really diverse bill and a very decent night out indeed.
Lanterns on the Lake – This Year

Thursday 24th July 2008: Meursault & The Kays Lavelle play Duty Free at Cabaret Voltaire.
I like these Duty Free gigs – they’ve put together some pretty good lineups, despite the freeness, and this week sees a couple of very good Toadpals Meursault and The Kays Lavelle on the bill, along with a couple of other bands I don’t really know: Barnowl and Ross Clark.
The Kays Lavelle – The Chemistry Between

Thursday 24th July 2008: Sara & the Snakes & Black Diamond Express play Limbo at the Voodoo Rooms.
I’ve wanted to see Black Diamond Express for a while, but they don’t play that often and when they do I have an annoying habit of being otherwise engaged, which may well happen again this time, which is really frustrating. Sara & the Snakes likewise, really. I’ve seen their guitarist Andy do a solo set and he was absolutely outstanding but I’ve never seen the full band which is a little bit frustrating.
Black Diamond Express – Jack

Plenty of things going on this week, as per usual, although I am trying not to just prattle on about the same old groups week after week – all too easily done when reporting on any local music scene.

If I was going to all of these gigs I’d have a marriage and a liver in tatters by the end of this week.  I’d also have to carve myself into four equal slices on Friday in order to go to everything I want to go to.  Funnily enough though in a week of such riches I am not going to be at all that much.  Tuesday is my last show on Fresh Air Radio, Wednesday is the Champion’s League Final and Friday I have to go to something related to Mrs. Toad’s work.  She doesn’t demand much of me, the old lass, so I can’t very well insist on this one and, frankly, it spares me having to choose between four different gigs, all of which I want to attend.  So maybe no bad thing after all.

Tuesday 20th May 2008: Feist at the Queen’s Hall.
I am not sure if I would go to this one, myself, were it not for my last Fresh Air show rendering that question somewhat academic.  I did enjoy her album, and I do like her sound in general, although it can become a little bland after a while.  Maybe if the show was priced affordably I would have gone, but in any case, very much worth considering.
Feist – 1234

Wednesday 21st May 2008: Caribou at Cabaret Voltaire.
For those not watching the Champions’ League final, Caribou have finally arrived in Edinburgh, months after their last gig was cancelled.  Math rock, it gets called occasionally, so
Caribou – Sandy

Wednesday 21st May 2008: Glissando, Meursault & The Kays Lavelle at the Wee Red Bar.
I’ve never heard of Glissando, but Euan’s Trampoline nights never fail to deliver, so pop along for a couple of local favourites and some epic miserablism from Leeds.
Glissando – Floods

Thursday 22nd May 2008: My Tiny Robots & Babybones at the Voodoo Rooms.
My Tiny Robots are a group I’ve had recommended to me on numerous occasions.  Good indie guitar stuff from the sounds of it, along with a suitably tortured vocal.  Babybones I don’t know at all, but this looks like another good lineup from Limbo.  It’s my only free night this week, so will Mrs. Toad let me go?  Hmm, touch and go, but I rather fancy this one.
My Tiny Robots – Haircut Song

Friday 23rd May 2008:
There’s so much going on this Friday that I could sprain my wanking hand just typing it all out, so here’s a list instead.  Either go and see Black Diamond Express at The Ark, or pop along to Henry’s for St. Jude’s Infirmary, who have a new album approaching, and are supported by Come On Gang, or alternatively there’s Times New Viking and Meursault at Studio 24, or finally there’s also The Declining Winter at the Stills Gallery on Cockburn Street.  I know nothing about this last lot, but they sound rather good.  Any of these gigs would be worth your time, frankly, but guess what – I’ll be at none of them.  I have to schmooze with Mrs. Toad and be a good wife at a dinner thingy of some description.  No swearing there, and no rock and fucking roll either.  Christ I’ve sold out.
Black Diamond Express – Jack
The Declining Winter – Summer Turns to Hurt
Saint Jude’s Infirmary – The Church of John Coltrane

Sunday 25th May 2008: The Young Republic at Cabaret Voltaire.
When I first started writing about their often country-tinged, genre-hopping indie pop I remember exchanging emails with Julian Saporiti that when along the line of ‘If we ever get to Edinburgh you’ll have to come along to one of our shows’ and was said with such heavy irony that we were both acknowledging just how unlikely that was to ever happen.  Well fair bloody play to ‘em, because since signing to End of the Road Records and the really positive reception given to their debut album 12 Tales From Winter City, here they are.
The Young Republic – Mary Ellen (Live)

Christ I am turning into a dickhead.  Euan and Bart, who you may all know from their frequent contributions to the comments section here at Song, by Toad, are both friends of mine and have both been treated shamefully by my good (good – ha!) self in recent weeks.  I have forgotten to mention both of their recent gigs.  First it was Bart’s Gentle Invasion show with The Second Hand Marching Band, and this week it was Euan’s turn, when I entirely neglected to mention the fact that The Kays Lavelle are playing at Henry’s tomorrow (Thursday 15th May).

Please go along and clap furiously, because I am feeling really shitty about this.  People like them, apart from being good pals, make an enormous contribution to sites like this by commenting frequently and for most part vaguely sensibly, because it makes the place look populated and enjoyable and keeps the “Yo man this rokz” or “U R teh SuXORZZ!!!1!” crowd very much at arm’s length.  So the least I can do is try and make a contribution to their stuff in return.  And recently I haven’t done this, and I do not like it.

So please go to the Kays show and, erm, help me make up for being a dick.  And buy Euan a pint while you’re at it, and you can trade the cost off against the reams and reams of brilliant music I introduce you to every single day of the fucking year. Oh, er, oops.  Contrition of course, I was meant to be showing contrition.

Sorry lads, seriously.

The Kays Lavelle – First Light
And just for fun:
iLiKETRAiNS – A Rook House For Bobby
iLiKETRAiNS – I Am Murdered

Oh the busyness just doesn’t subside, does it. And there’s nothing quite so life-affirming as being in the office on a Bank Holiday Monday. The way things work around here they just lump Bank Holidays into your overall holiday allowance, so you can take the days when you want. This makes a lot of sense for plenty of reasons, but it falls short in one crucial way: every once in a while it is nice to be forced to take some time off and just waste a day with your other half.

Mrs. Toad is at home by herself, no doubt drinking a cuppa in our south-facing, sun-drenched garden. Or proto-garden more like, as it was all planted from scratch last year and is only slowly growing into itself.
As much as I like where I work, I would dearly love to be at home with my silly missus and her preposterous cat, drinking tea in the sunshine and cursing my silliness at failing to dead-head the fennel before the bastard went to seed and caused an explosion of miniature fennel plants in the little bed in front of the shed. Or something like that. Rats.

So, coming down from Nick Cave in Glasgow last night with JC and Mrs. Villain, what can we find to try and fail to live up to that experience this week? And what the fuck is going on on Thursday for crying out loud?

Tuesday 6th May: Frightened Rabbit at The Hive.
I don’t know what the venue is like, but The Hive’s website is so monumentally shit and clunky to navigate that I sightly resent plugging their gigs. And actually, Frightened Rabbit’s new album isn’t exactly blowing my socks off either. Mind you, I’ll be busy doing radio things, so what do I care. Ross Clark is supporting, and he’s pretty handy.
Frightened Rabbit – The Modern Leper

Thursday 8th May: King Creosote & Slow Club at Fence Club, the Caves.
Another excellent Fence Club lineup, with good ol’ KC and the excellent Slow Club – another Moshi Moshi band, I have serious Label Envy! There’s also an exclusive vinyl treat (that sounds kinky) if you come along, so what more incentive could you want? These parties are brilliant fun.
Slow Club – Me & You

Thursday 8th May: Attic Lights at Cabaret Voltaire.
I keep hearing these lads mentioned as the Next Big Thing, and highly complimented by plenty of very reliable people. Honestly though, I have never heard anything that gets me all that excited. Still, I have yet to give the time necessary to qualify that kind of negativity, so I will make more effort before I shrug my shoulders once and for all.
Attic Lights – Never Get Sick of the Sea

Thursday 8th May: The Kays Lavelle & The Mannequins at Limbo, the Voodoo Rooms.
The Kays Lavelle will presumably be shit, once again*.
Anyway, once the humour subsides, expect some rather dark, generally piano-led indie-rock. The Mannequins are new to me, but a cursory listen to their MySpace sounds pretty promising. Sort of punk-croon, if you can imagine that.
The Mannequins – Little Black Book

Thursday 8th May: Dave Graney, The Low Miffs & the Bum-Clocks in the Speakeasy at the Voodoo Rooms.
This is a superb lineup. I don’t know much about the headliner, but the Low Miffs are fantastic, and as for the Bum-Clocks… well, can you imagine Robert Burns’ poetry performed against a backdrop of Malcolm Ross’ indie guitar riffs? This is really, really worth going to.
The Bum-Clocks – A Tale o’ Twa Dugs

Friday 9th May: MGMT at the Liquid Room.
I’ll admit I’m being a bit of a pop slut by going to this, but Time to Pretend is just brilliant and although the rest of it slides a little closer to the Scissor Sister than I might personally choose, I expect this to be a load of fun. Someone told me they were shit live, but I’ll withhold judgment on that until after Friday. I’m bloody well committed now anyway.
MGMT – The Youth

Friday 9th May: Rachel Unthank & the Winterset at the Voodoo Rooms.
If I’m being honest I would say that this is a little bit too folky for me, really. There’s a lot to like in the music though, and some of my readers may well love this, so it’s definitely worth considering. And her rendition of Blue Bleezin’ Blind Drunk is just brilliant.
Rachel Unthank & the Winterset – Blue Bleezin’ Blind Drunk

[Edit: an irate Bart, who couldn't even be arsed to list this gig himself, insists I mention the following gig. They're so good they don't feature on his own listings page, but hey, they're presumably good enough for me, eh? Fucksake.]

Saturday 10th May: The Second Hand Marching Band, Skeleton Bob & Woodenbox at the Wee Red Bar.
Apparently this lot are all very good. For more complete descriptions, complete with a girly ginger hissy-fit, see the comments below. Good grief.
The Second Hand Marching Band – Dance to Half Death

*Sorry, that’s an in-joke. Lead singer Euan is a regular reader of this site and so my first review of the band was a one-liner: The Kays Lavelle were shit. Side-splitting, eh? Yes, I know, sometimes I wonder how I do it.