Song, by Toad

Christ almighty, it’s fucking busy this week. So I guess I’ll start by listing the three famousy gigs which I will not be attending, just to get them out of the way nice and early. Firstly, I will not be going to see Martha Wainright at the Picturehouse on Wednesday because, frankly, I find her rather annoying, despite expecting to like her music. I expected to like it, I just didn’t. I also won’t be going to see Mogwai at the Corn Exchange on Tuesday because despite their legendary status, I think they’re shit. Thirdly, I won’t be going to see Noah & the Whale play The Liquid Rooms on Sunday either, because I can’t be arsed. That’s three hours of my life I’d never be able to get back.

Interestingly, Razorlight have just announced a brand new ‘intimate’ tour of the UK. Quite in whose deranged fantasy places like the Edinburgh Corn Exchange qualify as being intimate is beyond me – the place is like a run-down fucking aircraft hanger. Idiots.

So, yes, the gigs I will be attending this week. Well, not all of them, but the ones I would actually recommend, and might attend if I had infinite amounts of time and money.

Tuesday 21st October 2008: Action Group, Come On Gang & HOMEwork at the Ark.
A good value lineup at the shittest venue in the city. I haven’t seen Come On Gang for a while actually, and it’s about time I went along again, assuming my recently returned lady friend will permit it of course.
Action Group – Crime & Punishment

Thursday 23rd October 2008: Popup & Isosceles play Limbo at the Voodoo Rooms.
Pure indiepop this week at Limbo. I don’t need to tell you much more about Isosceles’ spiky, enjoyable, synthy indie, and Popup are currently promoting their debut album, so this should be a most entertaining evening.
Isosceles – This Is Where It Ends

Friday 24th October 2008: Los Campesinos & Copy Haho play a Tennent’s Mutual gig at Cabaret Voltaire.
Los Campesinos are my friend Matt’s favourite band. Personally I quite like what I hear, but I know little enough about them to still be in the curiosity stage. What I have heard of them I’ve rather enjoyed though, so this would appear to be a good chance to find out a bit more.
Los Campesinos! – Death to Los Campesinos!

Saturday 25th October 2008: The Week That Was & Eagleowl at Henry’s Cellar Bar.
Field Music’s Pete Brewis has another project, and it is The Week That Was. That’s pretty interesting to begin with, but supporting them will be local favourites Eagleowl, despite Findo Gask being on the listing. So this could be rather good value for your six quid.
The Week That Was – Scratch the Surface

Saturday 25th October 2008: Seasick Steve at the Queen’s Hall.
Quite why everyone has suddenly decided that some old blues musician is the trendiest thing since sliced bread is sort of beyond me, I have to confess. I like his brand of blues, don’t get me wrong, but quite why him rather than anyone else seems baffling. Mind you, he does look like the reason the word ‘grizzled’ was invented, so maybe that has something to do with it.
Seasick Steve – St. Louis Slim

Saturday 25th October: The Hurricanes at Cabaret Voltaire.
I don’t know much about the Hurricanes at all, because they only have one song on their MySpace player, along with a remix of said song. It’s a good song though, so I am curious to find out more.
The Hurricanes – Down Below

My good god what a paedo-gig this was!  Fucking hell.  I felt positively creepy sneaking in, with my grey hair and my burgeoning squishyness around the middle.  They very kindly gave the dinosaurs a bracelet signifying that we were really quite old and thus should be allowed into the bar area.  Christ I needed one, but quite why they thought it was a good idea to let an inveterate old pervert like myself drink in the presence of so many teenage girls, all hell bent on proving their maturity, is anyone’s guess.  It would have been far safer to let them get pissed and keep me sober, honestly.

‘Won’t someone think of the children!’
‘I was officer, that was largely the problem.’

Erm, anyhow, the gig.  Yes, not bad at all actually.  I came along  primarily to treat myself to some live music after my rotten last two weeks at work, where I’ve been completely overloaded and stuck in the office all day every day for a fortnight.  Six quid, I thought, was an excellent price for three up-and-coming buzz bands about whom I have heard great things.

Sky Larkin – These lads started us off, and although I missed their first couple of songs I really liked what I heard.  Their punchy, spiky pop songs carried a tune very well in the live setting and Katie, who does most of the chat, came across as charming and witty.  She can bloody sing too.  They were by far the most traditionally indie of the lot – by which I mean a certain style of guitar band, rather than a strict description of the label they are on – so maybe the ones I most expected to like.  And so it proved.

Sky Larkin  – Summit
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You Say Party! We Say Die! – Fucking punctuation in band names should be bloody outlawed, grumble grumble.  Not entirely my cup of tea this lot, but that’s a comment based on taste, not quality.  They gave a terrific live performance and the lovely Becky Ninkovic was an 80s indie goddess par excellence, ably foiled by the relaxed and amusing Derek Adam on guitar and the slightly mental Devon Clifford on drums.  So their music may not be my scene entirely, but the do a great show and I would definitely recommend you catch them if you get the chance.  Assuming you like their tunes of course.

You Say Party! We Say Die! – Opportunity

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Los Campesinos - The biggies, the main headline act, the highlight of the evening.  I don’t know what the term is for this sort of guitary male/female indie spunk-pop but it is a definite movement at the moment, and not one that overlaps with my own taste an awful lot.  It does in places though, and Los Campesinos!?#@** are as close to Toad territory as anyone.  As with the other bands on the evening, they gave a top show and, although I don’t love the music especially, I ended up with a real liking for the band.  Maybe I am too entrenched in my traditional verse-bridge-chorus ways to appreciate this stuff properly, but I am definitely enjoying it when I hear it live.  Either this is a product of a slowly changing mind, or perhaps the energy of the genre gets the better of my resistance to the music in a live setting.

All in all it was an excellent evening’s music, and six quid very well spent indeed.  I like getting slightly out of my comfort zone from time to time with live stuff.  Often just being part of other people’s euphoria for these new things helps you understand better what all the fuss is about.  Ultimately I will probably only end up pursuing Sky Larkin on record, but I’d heartily recommend seeing the other two if you are even slightly that way inclined.

Los Campesinos! – The International Tweexcore Underground

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