I may not be here to enjoy them, but it doesn’t mean there aren’t some excellent gigs in Edinburgh this week.  There’s even the slightly surreal appearance of Raekwon from the Wu Tang Clan at the Liquid Room on Tuesday 15th.

I say surreal, because I don’t know much of a hip hop community in Edinburgh, and it doesn’t really strike me as a very hip hop kind of city, so if we indie folk think it’s hard work living here, I can’t imagine how much harder it must be for the city’s hip hop community (the Wu Tang Clan are hip hop, aren’t they?).

Monday 14th March 2011: Gogol Bordello at the HMV Picturehouse.

Alright, maybe I’m not recommending this on high-brow musical grounds, but I guarantee you that if you go along to this you will have brilliant fun.  Mrs. Toad and I saw these guys at Bestival a few years ago and leapt about like loons.

Gogol Bordello – Not a Crime

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Thursday 17th March 2011: The Phantom Band at Cabaret Voltaire.

I may not be all that sold on the Phantom Band’s recorded material, but the one time I saw them live – at Homegame a couple of years ago – they were genuinely brilliant.  There’s something hypnotic about the way they use rhythm and layering, and in a live setting it’s really rather splendid.

The Phantom Band – The Howling

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Saturday 19th March 2011: Braw Gigs presents Pyramidion, CK Dexter Haven & Homunculus at Sneaky Pete’s.

I’ll be honest with you, I know more or less nothing about any of these bands, but Braw Gigs are bloody excellent promoters who put on really good things, so I think it would be entirely fair to say that pretty much anything they do is likely to be interesting.

So, initially I was going to call this post the Gigcast because I have spent the last week furiously booking gigs, arranging gigs and very much hoping people will turn up to gigs.

Then, over the course of the podcast, I consistently forgot to actually talk about the Yusuf Azak tour I have been helping to book, the Honeytrap gig I have had to organise, the Savings and Loan House Gig I have been preparing and the Toad Records Christmas Party to try and find a home for.

This is all pretty much sorted by now I think – and I’ll give you full details tomorrow in the Sunday Supplement – so what ended up dominating the podcast was me saying bone-headed things like ‘the name escapes me’ every time I had to refer to an album, a label, or pretty much anything over the course of the whole hour.  So in a last-minute change of emphasis I decided that by far the dominant feature of this podcast was not me talking about booking gigs or any of that rubbish, it was me being under-prepared and not knowing the things I was supposed to know.  Again.  Sorry.

Direct download: Toadcast #143 – The Name Escapes Me

01. Hot Panda – Mindlessnesslessness (00.03)
02. Cotton Jones – Somehow to Keep it Going (06.02)
03. Soft Cat – Dark When it Should be Violet Hour (15.37)
04. Jenny Lewis & the Watson Twins – The Big Guns (19.44)
05. Family Fodder – Oneliest Thing (25.04)
06. Fire Engines – Meat Whiplash (31.44)
07. The Son(s) – Radar (38.26)
08. The Phantom Band – The None of One (41.29)
09. Jenny & Johnny – Wild is the Wind (52.12 )
10. Adam Beattie & the Consultants – Bone Dry (59.53)

I have never really clicked with purely instrumental music, from classical to pop, it usually needs words for me to really be able to engage with it.  Oddly enough, this is true even when the words are either indecipherable or, sometimes, too abstract for me to really understand, as is fairly often the case.  I love Bob Dylan even when I have no fucking idea what he’s going on about, which is a lot.

When I see it live, however, I suppose I at least start to understand how I should listen to instrumental music, even if I am not always able to actually learn this lesson in practise.  I saw RM Hubbert for the first time at Haarfest this year (see video here), and was absolutely mesmerised by his peformance.  His chat was pure Scottish – self-deprecating, witty, sometimes a little intense, but entirely charming nevertheless – and his music was gorgeous.

His entire album is embedded for streaming at the bottom of the page and can be listened to on his Bandcamp page here, but I have still found myself not quite as enamoured by the recorded versions despite knowing I enjoy his music.

The Phantom Band may not be an instrumental band, but I find myself with a similar relationship to their stuff.  I saw them live at Homegame a couple of years ago and loved it.  Their debut album was voted album of the year by the readers of Clash Magazine – a hugely impressive a achievement for a pretty low-profile band on a small Scottish indie label – and for all I loved bits and pieces, I never really fell for the whole record.

Their new one is out on Chemikal Underground pretty soon, and after listening to my promo copy again and again, a similar relationship seems to be emerging.  I am just not that into the album, but listening to the rhythms and the chanted vocals, I can easily imagine absolutely loving the material live.

The Phantom Band – Walls

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There’s something hypnotic about the thump of the drums and the repetitive layers of guitar when they play, and for some reason I have yet to really experience that impact with the recordings.  Maybe it’s similar to the relationship I have with instrumental music: the experience of intense attention, just letting it all wash over you with no other distractions, is just how I should experience the band.

My attention at a gig is (or should be) one hundred percent, whereas at home, even when explicitly making time to listen to music, it rarely is.  I’ve clicked with music live on a few occasions, when the recorded version hasn’t quite grabbed me, and it’s often to do with that immersive feeling of giving myself over completely to experiencing the music.  I wasn’t even that taken with Sam Amidon the first few times I heard All Is Well, but his performance at the Bowery a couple of years ago changed all that in an instant.

Maybe, of course, I shouldn’t worry about it.  Some bands are rubbish live and I’d rather just hear the album, so maybe I shouldn’t be surprised that certain kinds of music don’t quite do it for me on record, whereas live I absolutely love the stuff.

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.

The FOUND Toad Session became a little overwhelming last week, especially when the upload gremlins struck some time around midnight on Friday and pig-fucking, baby-abducting bloody Vimeo simply refused to upload anything I sent.  I am not sure whether to blame them or Virgin fucking Media, who do our broadband, and whose connection simply ground to a fucking halt the second I tried to upload anything at all.  Useless fuckers.

Consequently, after six consecutive nights which lasted until around four or five in the morning, I am taking this week almost entirely off, not least to spend some time with Mrs. Toad.  She had been away for something like four weeks of the previous six, returned on Wednesday, and instead of wining and dining her to the best of my meagre ability, I ended up staring at the computer in ever-escalating states of fury for the next five days.  So erm, yes, I’m not married to you ungrateful bastards, I must remind myself, but to my Midget Companion of Infinite Joy.  And this week I better damn well remember it!

Monday 17th August 2009: My Latest Novel & Broken Records at the Queen’s Hall.

I can’t think of a better setting for a band like Broken Records.  The Queen’s Hall is old fashioned and atmospheric, as is their music, in a way I find a little tricky to define.  Support comes from My Latest Novel, who released their second album a couple of months ago.

Broken Records – A Promise (BBC Session)

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Tuesday 18th August 2009: Meursault & Frightened Rabbit at the Queen’s Hall.

From the perspective of Song, by Toad this is Meursault’s biggest gig yet – playing to a sold out Queen’s Hall – and as such is incredibly fucking exciting.  It’ll probably be the largest space I’ve seen them play and I’ll be really curious to see how their sound fills a room that large.  And there’s Frightened Rabbit too.

Meursault – Crank Resolutions (BBC Session)

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Wednesday 19th August 2009: The Phantom Band at Electric Circus.

I was not overwhelmed by the Phantom Band’s big, proggy debut album, released earlier this year, but I saw them at Homegame and they were excellent.  There’s something about that kind of multi-layered guitar sound which I think comes across really well in a live setting, and the Electric Circus has a pretty good sound system for it, so this should be a good ‘un.

The Phantom Band – The Howling

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Thursday 20th August 2009: Sparrow & the Workshop, Ivan Campo & Ross Clark and the Scarves Go Missing at Sneaky Pete’s.

I’m sort of lukewarm on Ross Clark, but Ivan Campo’s last EP was a really nice piece of relaxed folk pop.  And Sparrow & the Workshop are just fucking brilliant – pacy, fiery, low-fi Americana is what I suppose you might call it.

Friday 21st August 2009: Lovvers, Elvis Suicide & Divorce at Sneaky Pete’s.

Lovvers are very, very buzzy as far as music blogs go at the moment, so I am posting this gig here.  I know nothing about them though, so they might be shit.  They’re being talked about an awful lot though.

Saturday 22nd August 2009: Playing With the Past at the Filmhouse, with FOUND, eagleowl & Meursault.

This is actually a Film Festival crossover project, whereby all three bands were asked to write new soundtrack material for silent movies.  Frankly, it sounds like an amazing concept – British Sea Power did an amazing job with Man of Arran last year – and I am hugely looking forward to it.  You couldn’t find more innovative bands to do something like this either.

eagleowl – For the Thoughts You Never Had

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My Homegame review is pretty brief, but it is here, and there is a wee video thingy as well for you to enjoy.  This is of course the accompanying podcast, with songs either from the bands I saw there, or from EPs and bits and pieces I acquired at the merch table up in Fife.

I should really have included some interviews and shit in this podcast, shouldn’t I, but then I wasn’t actually as well prepared or as organised as I should have been, really.  Inasmuch as I kind of think I would prefer my video to have turned out a bit more like Milo’s, I would also have preferred my podcast to turn out a little more like DC’s Homegame show over at the Waiting Room.  I’m not saying that I dislike the stuff that I’ve done this year, just that to my eyes it lacks a little bit of fizz and personality, unfortunately.  Oh well, it’s all a learning process, and by the time Wickerman comes around I reckon I should be able to produce something a lot better.

Toadcast #69 – The Fifecast

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01. The Phantom Band – Island (03.00)
02. The Hand – Happa Yori (15.02)
03. King Creosote – Nothing Rings True (19.52)
04. James Yorkston & Adrian Crowley – Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Your Grieviance (25.42)
05. Jake Flowers – One For the Ditch (30.07)
06. Love.Stop.Repeat – In the Aeroplane Over the Sea (33.25)
07. Viking Moses – Clown School (39.03)
08. Inspector Tapehead – A Fillet of Banjo (46.14)
09. Animal Magic Tricks – Smallish Hooves (51.26)
10. Jonnie Common – Taken Out (57.16)

Bugger me it’s a busy week in gigs this week, starting this very evening, which is annoying in a sense as I’d rather hoped to have a relaxing week.  Fat chance, it seems.  Sorry for the lack of chat, but there’s a fuck of a lot to list here and I have to get this done before the end of my lunch break.  Consequently these previews are going to be the shortest I’ve ever written.  It might seem slightly insulting to the bands involved, but huge apologies if it is, but I am really, really rushed this morning.

Monday 23rd March 2009: The Ghost Bees at the Bowery as part of the Place Project.

Very delicate and, yes, ghostly female indie-folk from the Maritimes in Canada – Nova Scotia I think.
Ghost Bees – Vampires of the West Coast

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Monday 23rd March 2009: Joe Gideon & the Shark, Paul Vickers & the Leg & Enfant Bastard at Cabaret Voltaire.

Lots of growly guitars.
Joe Gideon & the Shark – Civilisation

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Wednesday 25th March 2009: Schwervon, Withered Hand & Come in Tokyo at the Bowery.

Schwervon are part of the New York anti-folk stuff I do believe, albeit rather more punky that you might expect from a tag like that.
Schwervon – Pretty Slow

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Thursday 26th March 2009: Leith Tape Club upstairs at the Isobar, with Rob St. John, Jennifer Concannon, Randan Discotheque & Ottersgear.

A really friendly DIY night down in Leith.  Highly recommended.

Friday 27th March 2009: Tentracks and Oxjam at the Bowery, with Punch & the Apostles, Jesus H. Foxx, The Byrons & the Black Diamond Express.

The new Jesus H. Foxx stuff sounds really good, I’ve never seen the sheer carnival mentalism that is Punch & the Apostles, the Byrons make a good fucking racket and so, in a different style, do the Black Diamond Express.
The Byrons – Good Man

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Friday 27th March 2009: Oxjam presents Vashti Bunyan & Lucky Jim at the Roxy Art House (i.e.: upstairs at the Bowery).

Lucky Jim is rather lovely, in the singer-songwriter style and Vashti Bunyan took one of the biggest hiatuses in music history between her first and second albums of folk prettiness.
Lucky Jim – You’re Lovely To Me

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Saturday 28th March 2009: Broken Records at the Bedlam Theatre.

Should be quite an interesting show, this, because it’s a small venue and apparently the usual mayhem will be tempered somewhat in favour of something more tailored to the environment – should be good.
Broken Records – Wolves (Toad Session)

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Saturday 28th March 2009: The Phantom Band at Cabaret Voltaire (more Oxjammery).

I’m not so keen on the Phantom Band but I know a lot of you are, so I thought this was worth pointing out as well.
The Phantom Band – The Howling

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