I feel I could start these listings posts with ‘Christ, 25th October, already?’ pretty much every single week at the moment.  Not that the world is getting away from me exactly – in fact it all seems to be slowly locating some semblance of normality after a couple of months trying to get my head around my new full-time responsibilities – it’s just that I have been constantly busy since I left Proper Job and in those circumstances time just buzzes past at a frightening rate.

This weekend we finally got into the territory of proper cold.  Not uncomfortably cold, or really cold, or even very cold, just that the weather is now officially cold.  You need a jacket to go outside, and it’s probably time to put the heating on and stuff like that.  It’s the end of October, Winter is most definitely around the corner, and it’s dark by the time you get home from work.

I like the cold, actually.  This Winter just gone was excellent.  I was raised in Austria where, amongst other things, you most certainly have proper seasons.  The idea of these chilly, wet, rainy British Winters has always disappointed me, and finally getting a freeze and some snow (although there was admittedly very little actual snow in Edinburgh itself) felt like we’d finally had a Winter at least vaguely worthy of the name, so come on Scotland, let’s go one better this year and actually get some snow onto the streets of the city, eh?  Alright, alright, maybe not one of my more popular rallying cries.

That song at the top of the page, incidentally, is by a gentleman who records under the name of Pregnant.  More can be found here, for those wishing to investigate.  I have a new album to listen to some time soon, but it can all be previewed by following that link, so… well, you’re not going to be doing anything better on a Monday morning, are you?

Oh, almost forgot.  Some live shows.  Monday seems to be popular this week, for some inexplicable reason:

Monday 25th October 2010: Meursault, Port Royal and Enfant Bastard at the Caves.

Meursault are, as I mentioned on Sunday, kicking off a national tour with a gig at The Caves.  I love the Caves, and I just wish I had the balls to put gigs on there more often, because it is a gorgeous venue.  There are rumours of proper drum kits and early REM infatuations in Meursault’s immediate future, but I have no real idea if that’s what we’re in for tonight, or if it will be some time before this shift in direction becomes obvious.  You’d think I’d be on top of this shit really, wouldn’t you.  But no.

Meursault – Sleet

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Monday 25th October 2010: Lichens, The Douglas Firs & Iliop at Sneaky Pete’s.

Of all the unfortunate timing… I’d really like to see the Douglas Firs again, having missed their Retreat! performance due to work commitments.  This lineup is a little more experimental, perhaps, but continues the very promising work being done by Powan Presents.  There’s a pretty worrying dearth of active promoters in Edinburgh at the moment, and it’s good to see a couple of promising new enterprises starting up.

The Douglas Firs – The Quickening

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Sunday 31st October 2010: Our Ladies of Sorrow Halloween Party at Sneaky Pete’s.

Our Ladies of Sorrow’s Halloween Party is an Edinburgh institution, merging perversions of popular local bands with perversions of Halloween-inspired cinematic collages, and presumably even bigger perversions of the Department of Health’s recommended daily alcohol intake.  This will sell out, I would think, so I’d get there early if I were you, as I can’t find a ticket link anywhere.

This week marks the start of the Fresh Air broadcast, which is splendid news.  There will be a launch party in the Teviot on Tuesday evening, to which anyone fond of drinking, acting the arse and falling over is invited.  Ruth from the Bowery and myself will be doing a show every week on Wednesday between 7pm and 8.30pm, and are hoping to have a band live in session every week, if we can.  It’ll have to be pretty stripped down – anything which will translate well to really simple acoustic should do the trick – but I think we can make it pretty interesting.  It will be a lot quicker and dirtier than the Toad Sessions, which will be good, because I’ve been wanting to find a way to do something a bit less involved for a while.

The only significant problem I can see is that Ruth has a nasty habit of badly upstaging me.  She did it on my Fresh Air show last year and on the bloody podcast this year, and if she starts doing it on a regular basis this time around I don’t know if my fragile ego will be able to take it.  There may be tantrums, there may be bawling, and there may be a considerable number of toys a very long way from the pram in which they belong.

It’ll make for bloody good radio though!

So, apart from car crash broadcasting and gallons of cheap (state sponsored – woo hoo!) beer, what else is happening this week?  Well I’ll tell you.  Firstly, there’s a couple of gigs happening which I am not personally so keen on, but which might interest you: Miike Snow is playing Sick Note at Cabaret Voltaire, late but free on Thursday 29th, and Cold Cave are on the bill at Playdate at Sneaky’s on Saturday 31st.  Both are really rather trendy, so the cooler amongst you might be interested, but personally they aren’t really to my taste so there you go.  Mandex rating: tight to constrictive, particularly at Stinky’s.

Tuesday  27th October 2009: The Young Republic play in-store at Avalanche Records.

The Young Republic are touring their excellent (and shortly to be given the Toadly Treatment) new album Balletesque and although they were sadly unable to arrange an Edinburgh date, they are playing an in-store at Avalance at 5pm on Tuesday.  Their semi-orchestral, Western tinged indie folk pop has given way to a more dramatic, aggressive sound these days, albeit one which is a little more stripped down.  I definintely recommend this if the timing doesn’t make it tricky.

The Young Republic – Bows in Your Arms

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Friday 30th October 2009: Dry the River, eagleowl & the Bowerbirds at Sneaky Pete’s.

The Bowerbirds are a band I have a slightly up and down relationship with, since Campfires and Battlefields introduced me to them a couple of years ago.  They are certainly rather brilliant, at their best, but can be patchy in their recorded output, as far as I am concerned.  I’d still be interested to see them though, and eagleowl gigs are not to be missed in general.

Bowerbirds – In Our Talons

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Saturday 31st October 2009: Art Fag, The Leg & Our Ladies of Sorrow at Sneaky Pete’s.

Our Ladies of Sorrow play a Halloween Special every year, and I have never been, and there is absolutely no damn chance I am missing it this year.  They are basically an Edinburgh alt-folk supergroup (of sorts) and will dress up specially (but of course!) and soundtrack a compilation of horror movie clips.  I can only begin to imagine how weird that is going to be, but I am really looking forward to it, even if I do have to hop in a cab down to Leith the moment it’s over.

Well there’s virtually nothing going on in the city this week, nothing at all. Almost. There is the Fence Collective Halloween bash in Fife (no, I know, Fife is not Edinburgh) this weekend and then, on Saturday…

*drum roll please*

…Broken Records launch their new single, Lies, at the Bongo Club with support from Sparrow & the Workshop and Eagleowl. Broken Records are on the verge of sorting out the release of their debut album, but it’s all Very Top Secret at the moment. I haven’t seen Broken Records for a while actually, and I’m really looking forward to it. And personally, I think it’s very good news that there’s not all that much on, because I have a busy week ahead of me.

Wednesday is an excellent little gig I am helping to arrange, on Thursday we send out all the promo material for Meursault, Eagleowl, Nightjar and a new Rob St. John EP, which will be a long, tedious evening no doubt. Well, apart from the beer that is.

Then my little brother and his missus turn up on Monday, and we all get to watch the US elections and get plastered. I don’t know if it’s a good thing or a bad thing, but I am likely to be useless at work on the day after.

Broken Records – Kathy
Broken Records – The All Fell Into the Sea (Toad Session)

Shit almost forgot – Bart’ll kill me.  On Friday at the Wee Red Bar there is the latest (and final, really honestly this time) Gentle Invasion gig.  So for those not going to Fence Halloween, here’s an alternative.  If You Lived Here… sound particularly good, if you ask me.

Our Ladies of Sorrow, If You Lived Here You’d be Home By Now & Russ Abatoir at the Wee Red Bar.

If You Lived Here You’d be Home By Now – Dead Boyfriend