Song, by Toad

It’s a quiet, but hardly barren week in Edinburgh this week, although I think I may skip a fair bit of it and concentrate on getting the Pictish Trail Session up and posted.

What a shitty fucking weekend it’s been, though.  I got some really bizarre message from an old school friend of mine asking me if I was blanking him on Friday, which I haven’t been.  We haven’t exchanged messages for years, but that’s been true in both directions.  Then on Sunday, before I’d responded, he sent another saying ‘Okay, I’ll delete you from my Facebook wotsit, have a good life buddy.’  For fuck’s fucking sake.  It’s no skin off my nose one way or another, but it was really weird coming right out of the blue like that.

Then I completely forgot a friend’s stag do and failed to attend because I had managed to pile too much other stuff into the weekend.  That, believe me, does not feel like a nice thing to do.  Especially when you get the phonecall and it dawns on you what you’ve just done.  Fucking bollocksing fuck.

I also got in trouble at Proper Job for excessive Toading on Friday, which wasn’t fun.  So there will be something of a kibosh put on work-time activity around here, and fair enough.  They’ve been more than patient with my little obsession, and quite frankly they’d be more than justified in giving me a formal warning, but it’s very nice that they haven’t.  About time I was equally nice back, I think it’s fair to say.

Then there was the Biblical amount of alcohol consumed over Friday and Saturday night, leading to a general feeling of uncleanness ever since, and of course there was the jolly banter about the Shitecast this weekend.  Fucking hell, I am looking forward to football tonight and the chance to just run it all off.

Monday 9th March 2009: Come On Gang play Trade Union at Cabaret Voltaire.

I think Trade Union may be on rather late, so don’t rush down, but if you’re up for night of giddy bouncing to Edinburgh’s finest punk-pop trio then swing by from 11pm and send them on their merry way to SXSW with a cheer.
Come On Gang – Wheels

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Thursday 12th March 2009: Futuristic Retro Champions at the Caves.

This band are one I know very little about, but they’ve been talked about very favourably since I’ve been up here.  This is one of those Mill gigs – beware, nothing but that god-awful piss-water Miller to drink – so you’ll have to click here to get a ticket.  Support band Tamika’s Treehouse are a band I know nothing about whatsoever, not even rumours or whispering, so any enlightenment would be appreciated.  After no more than a single MySpace listen they do sound catchy and enjoyable though, so this should be a good night.
Futuristic Retro Champions – Speak to Me

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Thursday 12th March 2009: Unicorn Kid, Ex Lion Tamer & Sugar Crisis play Limbo at the Voodoo Rooms.

It’s all going to be rather electro-dance-pop at Limbo this week, but there’s easily enough edge to it all to keep me interested, despite being slightly outside my comfort zone with this sort of stuff. Ex Lion Tamer’s new single is out on 17 Seconds Records this week, although only on digital for the time being.  Hang about though, the vinyl will be here any moment now.
Sugar Crisis – Taking Names & Heartbeats

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Friday 13th March 2009: RBRBR & Over the Wall play This is Music at Sneaky Pete’s.

More boisterous pop fun with plenty of synths and bounce.  Sneaky bastarding Pete’s keep on deviously selling out of tickets at the moment too, so you might want to get one in advance for this.  I’m sure they’re doing it just to thwart me.
RBRBR – 27 Russian Friends

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Saturday 14th March 2009: Little Pebble, Woodenbox With a Fistful of Fivers & Sparrow & the Workshop play the Trampoline birthday party at the Wee Red Bar.

This is Trampoline’s second (I hope) birthday party, and what a lineup.  Apart from Little Pebble it’s very Americana influenced in a slightly undefinable way.  I don’t know what exact type of Americana I would describe Sparrow or Woodenbox as being, but they definitely have some sort of influence in there.  They’re both absolutely thumping as well.  Little Pebble doesn’t have a lot in common with them, but having only seen him once, I am really keen to see more because he was absolutely excellent.  This is my definite
Little Pebble – Pirate

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So actually, it’s not a quiet week at all, really, is it.

Welcome to another week tending the fertile pastures of Edinburgh’s gig scene for shuffling indie kids. I’m working flat out to get the Sparrow session done for this week’s podcast so beyond tonight I will be hiding in the house for most of the week, I’m afraid, probably swearing at the computer and cursing analogue technology for being so fucking shit and chewing all my tape of the session. Frustrating. Really, very frustrating.

Still, I think we have time for one last session this year, but I will be renting a digital camera this time, instead of all this tape shit, so hopefully there won’t be any such problems in futre

Monday 10th November 2008: Samamidon & Meursault at the Bowery.
After the Bowery’s splendid opening party they keep the ball rolling this week with Samamidon supported by a largely solo set from Meursault’s Neil Pennycook. Samamidon’s All is Well is a gorgeously gentle acoustic album, so I’m really looking forward to this, as well as hearing what Neil sounds like with no accompaniment, except for a bit of banjo and backing vocals here and there.
Samamidon – Saro

Monday 10th November 2008: Rob St.John, Molly Wagger, Alison & the Mings & Simon Kempston at Henry’s Cellar Bar.
Rob is playing an electric guitar these days, and the hushed, breathy folk of recent years seems to be slowly yielding to a more confident, assertive attitude. His performance at the Bowery on Saturday was superb, and he has a new EP coming out shortly which is also sounding excellent, so I strongly recommend you catch him either this week or next, when he plays Cabaret Voltaire with Meursault and Sparrow & the Workshop.
Rob St. John – Wooden Rose
Alison & the Mings – Those Steep Slopes

Friday 14th November 2008: Rbrbr, Funkspiel & The Foundling Wheel at Henry’s Cellar Bar.
If you fancy something a little more experimental this weekend then Henry’s is the place to go, with some electronic pop stuff and then the thunderously deranged Foundling Wheel. Really, just go for the Foundling Wheel. I don’t know who stole Ted’s pills, but it seems to have had the desired effect.
The Foundling Wheel – Mixed Minds & Missteps

Friday 14th November 2008: Death Cab For Cutie at the Corn Exchange.
Given it’s nearly twenty quid for a band I actually have very little time for then it’s safe to say that I won’t be going. Still, a lot of people into the same sort of stuff as gets written about on this site like these chaps an awful lot, so I thought it worth mentioning. Their dreamy, hazy, downbeat, slightly electronic indie has never quite captured my imagination, despite being pretty much right up my street. Almost, just not quite.  Oh well, so it goes.
Death Cab For Cutie – The New Year