Song, by Toad

Mrs. Toad and I held our annual Christmas party on Saturday and I still feel wrecked.  Fucking hell, that was some bash.  I think the last gin and tonic was poured at something like half eight in the morning; I was like a zombie yesterday.  Funnily enough, the cleaning up wasn’t really too bad, because basically most of it just went in bin-bags and the rest in the dishwasher.  Still, I still have that kind of dazed feeling you get after these things.  Mental.  I think we deserve some sort of prize for truly epic parties after this one.

So, time for a nice gentle week this week I think, so I can recover nicely.  What’s that you say?  No fucking chance?  No, thought not.  This is December after all, and this week might the craziest of the lot.

Oh, and on Saturday we’re recording a Toad Session with eagleowl which is, frankly, brilliant.  Clarissa’s double-bass rumbling through our living room might just scare the shite out of the cafe downstairs though!

Tuesday 8th December 2009: Deerhoof at the Bongo Club.

Deerhoof are a bizarre combination of the tuneful and the fucking insane.  Christ knows how that’ll translate into a live performance I have no idea, but I’m fascinated.

Deerhoof – Chandelier Searchlight

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Wednesday 9th December 2009: Broken Records, Withered Hand & Jesus H. Foxx at Cabaret Voltaire.

After another crazy year, Broken Records return to play their first Edinburgh show since the Festival.  A small venue like Cabaret Voltaire should give this an amazing atmosphere.  When Broken Records go mental they really go mental, so come prepared to go berserk with them.  And with Withered Hand and the Foxx on the bill as well, this has turned into something of a showcase of Edinburgh talent.

Broken Records – Nearly Home

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Wednesday 9th December 2009: Alastair Roberts & Benni Hemm Hemm at St Mark’s Unitarian Church.
Well I don’t know what to tell you about this, but I believe it is going to be a collaborative evening rather than a straight up two-band bill.
Stuffs

Friday 11th December 2009: eagleowl Single Launch at the Bowery, with Dan from Withered Hand & Jill from Sparrow & the Workshop.

Eagleowl* are launching both their new single Sleep the Winter and their new record label Kilter at this show.  The single itself is fucking gorgeous, frankly, and I can’t wait to see both Dan and Jill as well.  Having only seen either of them play with full bands recently it will make for a really lovely evening – the perfect pace for pre-owlage.

eagleowl – Know by Now

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Saturday 12th December 2009: Song, by Toad Christmas Party/Last Night at the Bowery with Jesus H. Foxx, Inspector Tapehead, Rory Sutherland, Thomas Western & Rob St. John.

The Bowery is closing, the bar must be emptied and the tunes are fucking amazing.  Apart Edinburgh newcomer Tom Western, a special set by Rory from Broken Records and an sadly rare (curse you, Oxford!) performance by Rob St. John we will have full sets by Toad Records heroes Inspector Tapehead and Jesus H. Foxx.  I’ll be there for mince pies and some mulled wine earlyish so feel free to come along too.

Inspector Tapehead – A Fillet of Banjo

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Saturday 12th December 2009: Trampoline All-Day Event at the Wee Red Bar.

Euan has put together an amazing lineup of unsigned talent for this all day bash at the Wee Red.  It’s amazingly cheap too, at a mere five pounds for normal people and three for either students or those intending to come on to the Toad Night at the Bowery later on.  Bands playing include Debutant, Jonnie Common, Conquering Animal Sound, Mitchell Museum and the Scottish Enlightenment so for those who don’t fancy our Christmas Party (cunts) this is the perfect alternative.  Or for those who want to start their revelling early, of course.

Mitchell Museum – Take the Tongue Out

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*It’s the start of a sentence, so it gets capitalised – deal with it.

This year’s Toad Christmas Party will be a bit sad really, despite still being a big old celebration, as it is the last night at the Bowery, my favourite underground music venue in the city.  They will be closing their doors after giving Toad Records and a great many of my friends a venue to call home for the last year, and this is a very great shame.

Nevertheless, this is not the season for sulking.  The Bowery will go on, just more as an itinerant hobo than a furtive squatter, and this is our chance to give them a hell of a send-off.  We have music in the bandstand from Toad Records band Jesus H. Foxx, hopefully soon-to-be Toad Records band Inspector Tapehead, and some chancer named Rory Sutherland, more commonly known as the scruffy one in Broken Records, who has put together a unique set of violin looping and erm, well I’m not sure what, to be honest.

On top of that there will be acoustic stuff through in the bar, where The Douglas Firs, Tisso Lake, Thomas Western and the returning prodigal son Rob St. John will be performing, as well as some celebrity DJs (more likely to be some of Ruth, Jane or my pals who we manage to blackmail into helping out).

Because it’s the last night, because it’s Christmas and because we have a lot of bands, everything will be starting earlier than usual, with mince pies and mulled wine from about five or so, and the first acoustic stuff should be starting at about six or seven, to make sure we have time to get everyone on stage.

It’s going to be fucking brilliant, and remember, as it’s the last night:

the bar must be drunk absolutely dry!

Inspector Tapehead – Humdinger

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Jesus H. Foxx – Matter

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