Hmm, the Edinburgh live music beast still has to entirely crawl out of hibernation it seems, with still very little action to be found in and around the city this week.

There are, however, a couple of things going on and the welcome return of Trampoline should rescue us from our post-Christmas ennui.  Their lineup is rather cheerful this month, so cheerful in fact that it might even put a smile on the promoter Euan’s grumpy old puss.

Sadly though, I made something of a half-arsed new year’s resolution to stop ignoring high profile bands and go and see some more famous people play this year.  However, looking at the schedules they are nowhere to be found at all.  The Queen’s Hall has a couple coming up (a sold out Mumford & Sons and Grizzly Bear) and Xiu Xiu are playing Electric Circus in a few weeks, but that’s about it as far as I can see.  I even had a look at the King Tut’s schedule and there doesn’t seem to be much there yet either.

Ah well, a rest never did anyone any harm I guess.  And it’s not like I don’t have enought to do at the moment, what with the house gig videos and eagleowl session still staring expectantly at me from the bowels of the computer.

Saturday 16th January 2010: How to Swim, Over the Wall & Thomas Western play Trampoline at the Wee Red Bar.

How to Swim are exuberant with lots of instruments and Over the Wall are exuberant with lots of electronics, although increasingly more instruments too.  Thomas Western isn’t particularly exuberant, but then again one more helping of exuberance and you might just exuberate yourself all to pieces.

How to Swim – Genesis P and Me

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Saturday 16th January 2010: Come On Gang! & Futuristic Retro Champions at Sneaky Pete’s.

This will be indie-pop a-go-go at Sneaky’s, which is probably when the venue is at its best I would have said – noisy, poppy tunes and plenty of beer.

Come On Gang! – Wheels

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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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I am back on Fresh Air Radio this evening, although unfortunately not accompanied by the lovely Ruth, as she’s not feeling well. However, to keep the loveliness quota nice and high, the extremely lovely Diana de Carrabus from Candythief will be playing live in session for us this evening.

She may be named like a dastardly Bond villainess, but Diana’s music is theatrical pop joy.  A somewhat stripped-down set is required in the tight confines of the Fresh Air studio, however, so it will be just herself and an acoustic guitar, accompanied by violin.

On air 7pm-8.30pm GMT – listen here.

The tracklisting will be updated live below, so feel free to add your comments in as we go along.

1. Eef Barzelay – Make Another Tree
2. Elbow – Station Approach
3. Candythief – Bargains (Live in Session)
4. Son Volt – Sultana
5. Alex Ward – Sounds Like Someone We Know
6. Timber Timbre – Magic Arrow
7. Candythief – Pass It On (Live in Session)
8. Betty Harris – Mean Man
9. Seasick Steve – The Letter
10. Wild Beasts – Two Dancers (I)
11. Candythief – Amnesty (Live in Session)
12. King Charles – Beating Heart
13. REM – Disturbance at the Heron House
14. Felix Lighter – The Rational Pedestrian
15. Candythief – Junk (Live in Session)

And here, for those who missed it, is last week’s session with Thomas Western.  The sound is rather scratchy unfortunately, but I am still getting used to the desk.  To those who care, I think it’s his guitar mic which was clipping, not the vocal one, because the two were very close together:

Thomas Western – Fresh Air Session and Interview

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Thomas Western – The Worm Forgives the Plough (Live on Fresh Air)

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Thomas Western – Your Front Door (Live on Fresh Air)

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And the accompanying videos:

Yes, we’re back on the air with a somewhat hastily arranged programme.  I somehow managed to only realise on Monday that this show would be going out today, so we haven’t been all that big on preparation this week, I’m afraid.

There’s a slightly new format to the show this year, in that I will be joined on every broadcast by Ruth from the Bowery, and that there will be a live session performance from a band of our choice every week as well, with the video of this performance going up in the post for the following week’s show.

On air 7pm-8.30pm GMT – listen here.

This week we will be joined by Edinburgh newcomer Thomas Western, who has only just moved up here and is just starting to introduce himself to the local music scene.  He’ll be playing a few songs – maybe three or so, depending on time – picking some tunes and talking pish with Ruth and myself.

The tracklisting will appear below and be updated live during the show, so feel free to add abuse and nonsense in the comments.  Like you ever need asking…

1. The Walkmen – The New Year
2. Thomas Western – Live session track so new it’s not been named yet!
3. Jesus H. Foxx – Elegy For the Good Times
4. The Builders & the Butchers – Down to the River
5. Bonnie Prince Billy – The World’s Greatest
6. Thomas Western – The Worm Forgives the Plough (Live in Session)
7. Diamond Rings – All Yr Songs
8. The National – Fake Empire
9. The Douglas Firs – Grow Old and Go Home
10. Daniel Johnston – Walking the Cow
11. Thomas Western – Don’t Talk (Put Your Hand On My Shoulder) (Live in Session)
12. The Oldham Brothers – Wouldn’t It Be Nice (Beach Boys Cover)
13. Thomas Western – Your Front Door (Live in Session)
14. Meursault – William Henry Miller Pt. 2 (Vinyl Version)

After rather unfortunately having to cancel a fully-blown Toad Night, it looks like Saturday will be replete with quality musical entertainments after all.  Ruth, Dylan from Blueback Hotrod and myself have been concocting a really nice evening of musical fun, with four (at least) acoustic sets in the bar, DJing (ie choosing some songs for the stereo, nothing fancy) from some of Edinburgh’s finest music snobs, and a generally convivial atmosphere at the Bowery all round.

Musically we have acoustic sets from two Toad Records bands, one of which is a secret and one of which will be Meursault at about 7pm, on their way through to Glasgow to play at the Arches.  We have the recently (and mercifully) renamed Team Turnip making an appearance under his new moniker of Mammoth, and Thomas Western, who has recently moved up here and will I think be making his official Edinburgh debut.  His music is gentle and folky, but sounds very promising indeed, so this should be a nice new treat for everyone.  Ruth has booked him to play a full set at the Bowery in November, in case anyone was considering a sort of try before you buy approach.

So please come along.  It’ll be free entry, and the sets will be relatively short and interspersed throughout the night, so it won’t be like going for a pint in a library where fun and conversation are frowned upon.  And the Bowery closes pretty early anyway so if you really want to get shitfaced and shag whoever the hell you’re prepared to make do with at 3am when you’re so drunk you can’t even pick your own nose without poking yourself in the eye then there’ll be plenty of time for that afterwards.

Team Turnip – Wendy House

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