Song, by Toad

[The second part of this week's Sunday Supplement is a gig review written by (the other) Matthew, who helps us out with label work, for which we are hugely grateful, and is also working with Meursault, helping them organise and publicise their tour.  And in return for all this help we give him...  erm, we, er, give...  oh dear.]

This was superb. End of.

I thoroughly enjoyed each performance, though I don’t have much to say about Edward & The McCalls as this was my first real impression of them and I’d like to maybe take some time to get to grips with them a little more – though they did play some rather snazzy toe-tappers.

The thing I was particularly looking forward to was seeing My Kappa Roots perform. It would be really silly for me to try and describe how much I love this guy’s music. Everything about it is just perfect. There’s nothing like a good stroll with the iPod in playing The House of St Colme Burnt Down. I hadn’t seen Pablo play before so I was really fucking excited. He did not disappoint one bit. Each song was played with absolute perfection and at times I couldn’t help but let my jaw slip. I wasn’t aware if I was drooling or anything, but there’s a chance I was. Urgh. So. Fucking. Good.

The thing I noticed about Pablo was how good a guitarist he is. I’m really quite jealous actually. His songs are played so delicately and intricately with such a good balance between simple strums of emphasis and complicatedly plucked melodies. Beautiful.

Another thing is Pablo’s voice. If there is a sadder sound in the world I implore you to find it. I really, really love sad voices. I don’t know why. Perhaps my depressive tendencies make me a little more partial to them. Perhaps it’s because sadness is beautiful. Beauty is a sad thing. Was it not Oscar Wilde who said “all art is quite useless”? What a bloody distressing thought. Apologies. But it is very true. All things of beauty are useless – love, or indeed any emotion at all, music, literature. It’s all completely and utterly fucking useless. But we love it anyway.

I think I went a bit off the point there (though I hate people with “points”, I want to break their fucking point off and shove it…(yeah, there I go again)). Right, what was I saying? Oh yes. It was bloody good.

I’d actually only heard Glaciers maybe a week before this gig so it was still really fresh in my mind. I was really eager to see Nicolas play because I couldn’t – and still can’t – understand how someone can be so talented. Not only is he a damn good song writer  and amazing illustrator, he’s a bloody good performer. I’m about sick of falling in love with a band’s recorded work and then being disappointed by them live. Maybe it’s just me. Maybe I’m just so unfortunate I keep catching them on an off day or something. But anyway, Glaciers was brilliant, to say the least.

Nicolas came across as a really lovely, patient chap with a… a, well I don’t want to sound clichéd, but a nice glow. He glowed with enthusiasm and real character, and it was a pleasure to watch. He also had his friend Will with him who played the organ and belted out some really beautiful singing. They made quite a lovely pair.

They started off with some really nice and quiet ukulele songs, which happen to be Nicolas’ interpretation of some found rugby songs. Quite brilliant. Then they moved on to his own songs which, I think, were played with a wee bit more confidence and presence.

The Bowery really is my favourite venue. It’s the perfect place to see these sorts of performances. It’s quiet, small, personal, upfront, modest and just plain wonderful. I love it. It’s the sort of place these sorts of bands can come out of their shell and feel comfortable enough to really get into their show without feeling too overpowering and obnoxious. It feels like you’re just in a room with your friends having a great time, whether it’s relaxing or partying, laughing or crying. I’m so glad it’s there.

 As for the gig itself, I’m not sure I have much more to say about it. Hmm. All I can think is that I wish it went on for a bit longer.

Oh yes. Check out Nicolas’ art stuffs. He’s a genius.

Glaciers – The Horse and Cow

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Ten Tracks is a new download service which has been launched recently, by a friend of mine Ed Stack, in collaboration with local arts paper The Skinny.  Bascially, they release specially curated bundles of ten songs once a month, which you can subscribe to for a tenner for the whole year, or simply buy as a one-off for a quid.

Ed does a really good job of finding local bands and getting local musically involved people to participate, and on Valentine’s Day they hosted their first official gig night at the Bowery.  Regular readers will already be familiar with the Rob St. John and eagleowl videos from this splendid evening but, if not, here’s a summary of the night as a whole in video form.

And for those of you who like the look of this, swing by the Bowery again on Saturday, where Found, the Joe Acheson Quartet and Emily Scott will be playing another Ten Tracks gig.

It’s all going to be underground this week, with most happeny things happening at the Bowery, aided and abetted by Sneaky Pete’s on the Cowgate.

Ben Folds Five – Underground (Live at Ziggy’s)

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This weekend has been nice, actually.  Getting the Samamidon session posted took me all the way through Friday night without any sleep, and all I managed was a couple of hours’ nap before the Meursault in-store at Avalanche, and then then off to have a couple of bevvies with Broken Records to celebrate their signing to 4AD.

After all this, though, Sunday was a real treat.  I did no work whatsoever, Mrs. Toad and I tidied the house, albeit at a rather leisurely pace, and I played vinyl all afternoon.  A gin was poured at about five in the afternoon, I read through the latest National Geographic and we cooked a great big meal for some friends.  Fucking marvellous.  I have to confess that I hogged the record player all night, but then, recently that hasn’t always been the case.  I’ve been so busy that Mrs. Toad has done all the playing of records, while I beaver away at the computer, so it was nice to shelve all that for a couple of days and really just relax and indulge for a bit.

And let’s face it, there’s can’t be much better than a Sunday afternoon playing vinyl with a nice, strong G&T.

Thursday 12th February 2009: Share & The Second Hand Marching Band at the Bowery.

I know nothing at all about Share, but the Second Hand Marching Band’s recent EP is superb, so I am really looking forward to seeing them live again.  With 22 of them fitting everyone on stage will be a challenge, as will the mic setup.  Nevertheless, their ramshackle, folky gentleness promises to provide a memorable evening.
The Second Hand Marching Band – Don’t!

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Thursday 12th February 2009: The Endrick Brothers & Broken Records at the Caves.

The Endrick Brothers are a plain vanilla alt-country band who I nevertheless enjoyed enormously on the only occasion I’ve seen them live – they just had a sort of warm charm to them.  Broken Records are likely to be playing out of their skins as they celebrate the recording of their album. Tickets from here.
The Endrick Brothers – Star of the Silver Screen

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Friday 13th February 2009: Meursault & How to Swim play This is Music at Sneaky Pete’s.

I’ve shamefully never been to This is Music.  Probably because I fear the late closing and the dancing students – what a dismally pathetic excuse.  I’ve done a lot of drinking this last week with people with no jobs to go to in the morning, and believe me, it takes some doing.  Anyhow, with the carnval mayhem of How to Swim and the demented howl of Meursault, this should be fucking superb.
How to Swim – A Little Orgasm of Disappointment

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Saturday 14th February 2009: My Kappa Roots, eagleowl & Rob St. John at the Bowery.

This is a collaborative effort between the Bowery, the bands, Ten Tracks, the Collective Gallery and The Skinny.  Irrespective of all that, of course, it’s just a fucking splendid lineup of the capital’s finest alternative folksters.  And balls to Valentine’s Day – to quote Billy Bragg “Those glossy catalogues of couples are cashing in on happiness again and again.”  And never mind the unhappiness it fucking generates.  Pointless fucking whore of an occasion.
Billy Bragg – Valentine’s Day is Over

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It’s an unusually busy Monday this week, for some reason. Normally even one gig on a Monday would be midly unusual, but this week there would have been three, but for Come On Gang having to cancel their show a the Wee Red Bar relatively late last week.

Monday 13th October: Anni Rossi at Henry’s Cellar Bar.
I know about Anni Rossi from listening to The Waiting Room, presented by DC, one of the regulars here. Personally I am somewhat ambivalent about her – there’s a lot to enjoy, but some of the Bjorkish yelping means I do sometimes have my doubts. It’s all about proportions with these things though, so as long as it doesn’t overwhelm the music it might be no problem at all.
Anni Rossi – Wheelpusher

Monday 13th October: My Kappa Roots at Cabaret Voltaire.
My Kappa Roots used to be a staple of Tracer Trails lineups, back when the prettiest posters in town were yet to be retired. Pablo has moved through to Glasgow now, making an appearance in the capital all the more rare, so this gig might be the only chance I get to seem him play for a while.
My Kappa Roots – The Lord of Rosyth

Friday 17th October: Hot Club de Paris at Cabaret Voltaire.
I’ve never been entirely convinced by these guys on record, but live was how I first saw them and they were excellent – they were chirpy, witty and the music was much more arresting – so it might well be worth popping along to this.
Hot Club de Paris – This Thing Forever (Live on Welcome to Our TV Show)

Saturday 18th October: 7VWWVW play Trampoline at the Wee Red Bar.
Mammal set film-makers Super8Super8 the challenge of creating short films to run alongside three of their songs. So there will be multiple Super 8 projectors, apparently, and as Mammal perform three short live sets, the films will play. Sounds bloody intriguing if you ask me, and nice to see Trampoline mixing up the media a bit, which is something they have been keen to do for a while.
7VWWVW – SingerSongwriter

Well it’s August, it’s the much-vaunted Edinburgh Festival and there’s… well, frankly, fuck all on as far as I can tell. Honestly, if it wasn’t for the Retreat Festival I would be officially christening this the Shittest August in History in terms of Edinburgh gigs.

The tail end of last week, with Eagleowl, Broken Records, Johnny Flynn, Sparrow & the Workshop and Noah & the Whale, was pretty much the pinnacle of the Festival calendar as far as I can tell, and my stinking hangover is largely the result of enjoying it all just a little bit too much.

So what is there for you all to enjoy this week? Not much until late in the week actually, which is enormously good news for my liver, and also pretty good for the video editing and Toad Sessions I have to get done.

Wednesday 20th August 2008: Ziggy Campbell & Little Pebble play the Retreat Festival at the Scottish Scullery.
Both of these lads are probably better know as the front men for their respective band, Found and Come In Tokyo, so I actually have little idea what to expect from their solo shows. I’ve been meaning to see Ziggy in particular for some time now, so I am rather looking forward to Wednesday.
Little Pebble – Nae Luck (Jonnie Common Remix)

Thursday 21st August 2008: Popup, Kartta & Tie For Jack at the Voodoo Rooms.
Popup are pure indie pop, and their first couple of songs were really rather good. They have a new album out on Art Goes Pop (excellent label) pretty soon, and I haven’t seen them for nearly a year, so this will be a great chance to have a listen to the new stuff, before I get stuck into the album.
Popup – A Year in a Comprehensive

Friday 22nd August 2008: Club Welto at the Voodoo Rooms, featuring Meursault, Randan Discotheque and various others.
This is a really interesting looking night actually, billed as a combination of music and spoken word. I always like it when promoters try and go beyond just slapping on some bands and getting people pished, so this kind of thing looks really promising. The bands themselves are really good, so if the rest of it is at the same level, then it should be a great night.
Randan Discotheque – I’d Like to be Alone

Saturday 23rd August 2008: My Kappa Roots & Royal Edinburgh Music play the Retreat Festival at the Scottish Scullery.
I find myself thinking that My Kappa Roots have been out of the loop for a little while, but maybe that’s just my perception. He has a new album out and about though, which indicates activity. Anyhow, this is the first time I am going to see him, despite that fact that I’ve been hearing about the guy for over a year. More fool me, I think.
My Kappa Roots – A Golden Age

Sunday 24th August 2008: Meursault & John Edgell play the Retreat Festival at the Scottish Scullery.
We should all know how brilliant Meursault combination of swirling electronics and percussive uke is by now, but I can’t even find a MySpace page for that Edgell character – mmm, intriguing!
Meursault – A Few Kind Words

I bumped into Bart of Eagleowl and Kays Lavelle fame the other day. We were both hanging out in one of the achingly cool vintage vinyl record stores where you tend to find hip cats like us…

Okay, it was Tesco’s… but anyway, I promised I’d post a reminder about the fabulous Retreat festival Bart’s involved in that’s coming up this week.

The Retreat festival has everything going for it: All the shows take place over a series of nights throughout August, and in one centrally-located venue; St. John’s Church hall on the corner of Princes’ Street and Lothian Road (The one in the photo). The festival is charging a bargain flat-rate entry fee of just £3 for each show, doors are at 8pm each night, and an irresistable array of local talent will be on display. It would be plain daft to miss out.

Monday 4th August
Rob St. John, Emily Scott

Wednesday 6th August
The Pictish Trail, Button Series, HMS Ginafore

Friday 8th August
Randan Discotheque, The Wee Rogue

Monday 11th August
Wounded Knee, Jess Bryant

Friday 15th August
Withered Hand, Jo Foster

Saturday 16th August
Eagleowl EP launch featuring Allo, Darlin’

Wednesday 20th August
Ziggy Campbell, Little Pebble

Saturday 23rd August
My Kappa Roots, Royal Edinburgh Music

Sunday 24th August
Mersault, John Egdell

My liver is delighted to announce that there isn’t really that much on in Edinburgh this week, which is a bit of a relief. There are a couple of ways to spend your evening in a musical fashion however, and they are these:

Wednesday 12th March: Found at the Wee Red Bar.
This is another gig put on by the excellent Trampoline, and includes indie popsters Cancel the Astronauts as well as Billy Bates, a group about whom I know nothing at all. Found are just brilliant though, and if you haven’t seen them recently then you really have to. Their performances are getting better and better and their rather unique brand of indie pop, all beaty electronica and folky energy, was one of my favourite discoveries of last year.
Found – When You Fall

Thursday 13th March: Meursault at the Voodoo Rooms.
Meursault’s debut album is out now, and bloody marvellous it is too. Catch their soaring, lovelorn electronica at the Voodoo Rooms with a group called, erm, Shellsuit Massacre. Meursault are superb live, and you’ll almost certainly have the chance to buy their record at the gig, which is an opportunity you should take immediately.
Meursault – The Furnace

Friday 14th March: My Kappa Roots, Randan Discotheque & The Wee Rogue at the Wee Red Bar.
Remember the Edinburgh folk scene I mentioned last week? Well this gig is slap bang in the middle of that scene, and an excellent intro for anyone yet to dip their toe in the capital’s most thriving musical community.
My Kappa Roots – Summer You Dancer
Randan Discotheque – Heather the Weather

I’m not normally the type to plug specific events this obviously, but it gives me the opportunity to shed light on one of Edinburgh’s most thriving music scenes – in many ways Edinburgh’s only seriously thriving music scene. Now, this isn’t to say that there aren’t plenty of really good indie-pop groups knocking around Scotland’s capital, but the audience for anything other than a particular kind of alternative folk music is pretty sparse for the most part, and this is a bloody shame.

That said, there is a sort of delicate, introverted folk music or, alternatively, a discordant, sightly arhythmic style of alt-folk or folktronica or whatever you’d want to call it that seems to suit the locals for some reason. It’s not all that weird, just slightly skewed somehow, and I like it but I couldn’t tell you why it’s so much more popular over here than other stuff which I would consider more, umm, what, populist, perhaps?

It’s almost as if this city takes pride in the amateur nature of a lot of its native artistic enterprises, and I’m not sure where this comes from. It may be from the aristocratic nature of the place, or perhaps a reaction to the rock ‘n’ roll dominance of Glasgow or perhaps even a reaction to the considerable wealth of Edinburgh’s huge financial community. Without doing proper research – in fact, maybe even if I did proper research – I just couldn’t tell you.

Anyway, the upshoot is that there is a really solid group of people making what I guess you would describe as ‘difficult’ folk music, some of which, once you get used to it, is terrific. I’m not making claims on behalf of any of these bands beause I don’t know any of them that well, but they are all playing this Saturday at the Village Fete, which appears to be some sort of student art thingummy. It’s at Old Saint Paul’s Church Hall on Jeffrey Street and starts at about noon, so if you’re a resident of these parts get yourselves down there to see Withered Hand, Randan Discotheque and Wounded Knee.

If you’re not, then listen to this stuff and wonder, as I do, why this kind of music in particular seems to take hold around here when plenty of other, equally deserving styles seem to get the cold shoulder. They’re a strange breed, the Edinburgh music fans, and even after almost three years here I am still struggling to really understand them properly.

Withered Hand – Hard On
Randan Discotheque – Heather the Weather A serenade to an iconic local weather lass.
Wounded Knee – Canary

And here’s a couple of others, just for shits and giggles, by Eagleowl and My Kappa Roots.
My Kappa Roots – Summer You Dancer
Eagleowl – This is Not Your Lucky Day These chaps are Bart’s band, one of the regular commenters here, and are supporting The Twilight Sad at The Liquid Rooms on the 20th March, so I’ll have a proper reaction to them after that gig.  This is gorgeous though.