I’d be a lot more inclined to be patriotically English if all our national traditions weren’t as fucking lame as prancing about the Maypole and nonsense like that.

Actually, that’s a lie.  I’m not English enough to be patriotically English, and patriotism gives me the fucking creeps anyway, in all its guises. Not that this has anything to do with the unavoidable fact that the Maypole is still just a little bit silly, of course.

We aren’t really getting the Spring weather up here in Scotland, although it’s been threatening it here and there.  Still, it would be nice to be able to get out into the garden again without a coat on.

Wednesday 2nd May: Cashier No.9 & Homework at the Electric Circus.

Cashier No.9 have been much discussed over the last year or so.  I declined to review their album because to be honest I thought it was no more than pretty good – the kind of thing the popular press described as being rough and ready and bristling with energy when it was nothing of the sort.  Nevertheless, as a smooth, rather more polished incarnation of that description they do have some pretty decent stuff so this should be worth popping along to if you have no other plans this week.

Friday 4th May: Ute Lemper at the Queen’s Hall.

This is a bit of a strange one for me to be listing, you might justifiably think, given that we are talking about a cabaret singer here who, while she has a great voice, is bordering on caricature.  Nevertheless, she released an album a few years back with songs by the likes of Tom Waits, Nick Cave, Neil Hannon and Elvis Costello, so she’s an interesting artist and this might make a nice change of pace from the usual stuff I recommend.

Ute Lemper – Little Water Song (written by Nick Cave)

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Saturday 5th May: The Machine Room, Thank You So Nice & Reverieme play Limbo at the Voodoo Rooms.

This is a solid lineup of three really quite new Scottish bands.  I have to confess to not knowing all that much about any of them, honestly, although if pushed I think I would say that The Machine Room probably have the most promise – to my ears anyway, for whatever that’s worth.

This podcast is sort of like the Clustercast should have been.  I haven’t actually listened to it yet, so I don’t know if it’s any good, but it sort of felt better, somehow.  It isn’t anything like that incoherent and garbled anyway, which is a relief.

We spent the day collecting for the lifeboats, along with some excellent help from our pals Dylan from Blueback Hotrod, Neil from Meursault, Ed from 17 Seconds, Dave, Michael and the Stormettes from The Stormy Seas and Morgan from, erm, Glasgow.  I have to point out how important their help was as well.  It’s easy to talk a good game and then to pussy out at the last minute, but despite the fact that both Neil and Ed had other things on today, everyone made the time to come down and help out, which is bloody good of them.  We collected a fair chunk of cash – Mrs. Toad’s pretty blonde colleague collected the most, rather predictably.  Maybe we need fewer beardy alt-folkies and more hot babes next year.

Enjoy the podcast, then; we’ve got a lot of nautically-themed songs this week and could have had even more.  There are loads of songs, and we had far more on the list before trimming.  It’s a bit out of control, this podcast, but actually I think it’s quite good.  Dylan’s roving reporter slots are just… well, they’re just.  They’re just. That’s what they are.  Experience them for yourself.  Good luck.

Toadcast #67 – The Wuzzlecast

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01. The Pogues – The Ship Comes In (05.57)
02. Sad Day For Puppets – Big Waves (09.07)
03. Neutral Milk Hotel – In the Aeroplane Over the Sea (17.44)
04. James Yorkston – Sir Patrick Spens (26.22)
05. The Second Hand Marching Band – Not Yet (38.40)
06. The Stormy Seas – The Sea Wind (42.40)
07. Ute Lemper – Little Water Song (50.31)
08. Frightened Rabbit – Floating in the Forth (57.25)
09. Robyn Hitchcock & the Egyptians – The Wreck of the Arthur Lee (64.53)
10. American Music Club – The Song of the Rats Leaving the Sinking Ship (75.43)

For reference, here are some YouTube videos which inspired this podcast: