Song, by Toad

How many of you are there?  There’s only one of me, which looks like it might prove troublesome this week, particularly late on when the clashing gigs really start to stack up.  I am just back in Edinburgh after the Jason Lytle interview, which went very well in terms of being a most pleasant sort of chat, yet didn’t provide a particularly obvious hook on which to hang an article.  I may have to listen back and digest for a couple of days before writing it, I think.  It’s odd to suddenly find yourself in conversation with someone whose music you’ve been listening to for over ten years, though, so I guess that in itself might be an interesting angle to take.

This week’s activities on Toad will involve beginning to work on that interview, the writing up of a couple of gig reviews, and editing a big pile of Broken Records live videos.  So in other words it’s going to be fucking busy again.  I am also going to have a chat with Andy about redesigning both this website and the label site.  I find myself feeling inordinately guilty about not designing it myself, oddly.  This whole site has been entirely DIY so far, so that’s probably the reason, but at the moment I need it to be able to do things which are well beyond my own rudimentary understanding of code, and I simply don’t have the time to begin with, so there you go.  I’ll have a big input of course, and the Toad sketches will remain, but basically I’m going to try and let Andy get on with it as much as I can.  As a designer myself, at Proper Job, I know there’s nothing worse than a client who stares over your shoulder constantly while you’re trying to do your job.

So that’s it, this is being posted in the wee hours, and I am going straight to bed so that I can at least pretend to be functional in the morning.  I actually find a lack of sleep worse than a hangover in terms of its damage to my productivity these days, so these half one bedtimes really do have to stop.

Thursday 2nd April 2009: St Deluxe, French Wives & Team Turnip play Limbo at the Voodoo Rooms.

St. Deluxe are the new hot tamales around town, apparently.  I’ve had a listen to their MySpace and they do indeed sound pretty decent, although with such a brief listen I’m really in no position to say much one way or another.  They’re quite a rough and noisy band though, where French Wives and Team Turnip are a little poppier, but all three groups on this bill sound like good value to me.
St Deluxe – New Wave Stars

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Thursday 2nd April 2009: Tim & Sam’s Tim & the Sam Band With Tim & Sam at Cabaret Voltaire.

Tim and Sam and so on and so forth are big favourites of me old pal Drunk Country over at the Waiting Room, so he’ll be chuffed to know that they’re putting in an appearance in these parts.  I am rarely ever much of a fan of bands who play instrumental music, but I think that’s probably laziness on my behalf, and certainly these chaps make fine music under any circumstances.  It’s even better live, according to DC, so I’d recommend this one.  It’s a late one though, I think, so check the times before turning up.
Tim & Sam etc.. – Join the Dots

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Friday 3rd April 2009: Frightened Rabbit & Meursault at the Bowery.

I am fairly (but not entirely) sure that Frightened Rabbit are intending to play an acoustic set at the Bowery on Friday instead of their more usual melodic indie rock, and I do believe Meursault are following suit and unplugging all their electronic faffery as well, so this should be quite a special one.
Frightened Rabbit – I Feel Better (Live)

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Friday 3rd April 2009: Jesus H. Foxx, Y’All is Fantasy Island & the Hindle Wakes at Sneaky Pete’s.

Jesus H. Foxx will be mentioned some time later today when I write up their gig at the Bowery from last Friday, but believe me they are sounding very, very good at the moment.  Where previously they seemed to be fairly single-faceted (is that physically possible – never mind) there’s a lot more depth and a lot more confidence to their music these days.  They have an EP on the way too, which I am very excited to hear indeed.
Jesus H. Foxx – Trying to Be Good

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Friday 3rd April: Thomas Truax, Withered Hand & Greg Dodgeson at Cabaret Voltaire.

Is Dan from Withered Hand playing every single gig in Scotland at the moment?  Ah well, good for us if he is.  Apart from the music, Thomas Truax’s truly amazing homemade instruments make this a gig you really should attend.
Thomas Truax – The Butterfly & the Entomologist

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Saturday 4th April 2009: The Wee Rogue, Rob St. John & Ben Wetherill at the Bowery.

I don’t want to say anything that’s going to get me beaten up by an angry mob of nice, sensitive young men, but this is probably the least ‘anti’ of the many great anti-folk gigs you can find in Edinburgh in any given week.  I mean that in the sense that the ‘anti’ part is something I tend to treat as describing a certain lack of prettiness in anti-folk music, but even as specific a genre description as anti-folk is a bit too broad for that sort of thing these days.  Where was I?  Oh yes, expect fine, fragile and lovely music.
The Wee Rogue – Into the Mist

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Saturday 4th April 2009: The Gothenburg Address, North Atlantic Oscillation & San Sebastian at Sneaky Pete’s.

Should the loveliness at the Bowery prove just a little too gentle for you then Sneaky Pete’s is probably the place to be, where there will be Post Rock a-gogo.  It’ll be loud, I’d imagine, so get there early, find a spot facing the stage and just let it all wash over you.
San Sebastian – New

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Sunday 5th April 2009: Come On Gang, Vendor Defender & The Kays Lavelle at Sneaky Pete’s.

Come On Gang should be in a fine mood after their SXSW adventure, so their punk pop should have even more zip to it than usual.  It’s going to be a busy week at Sneaky Pete’s.  Is their booking getting better and better or is it just that I’m only just starting to realise that I should be paying more attention to what they’re doing?  Good stuff, anyway.

Well the Meursault Session is up and my interviews are all sorted but one, so maybe I can take the foot off the gas just slightly for the time being. This week I have two tasks: write up the Builders & the Butchers interview and record a podcast for the weekend. Oh, and maybe deal with the Broken Records movies from a little while back.

I’ve requested interviews with Micah P. Hinson, the Wave Pictures, David Thomas Broughton and the Pictish Trail for End of the Road, and so far have a yes from PT, no reply from DTB, and am having my traffic credentials examined by the MPH gatekeepers. Is my penis big enough? Do I drive a shiny enough car? Is Mrs. Toad pretty enough? Are you lot the right sort? Christ this is fun – the music industry is so fucking hierarchical it’s just ridiculous. To be fair though, the lady I’m talking to about Micah P. Hinson and the Wave Pictures seems really nice, so hopefully we might get somewhere with that.

In the meantime, there are plenty of opportunities to wreck your liver and empty your pockets in Scotland’s capital this week:

Friday 5th September: Wounded Knee, Black Diamond Express & others at the Drill Hall in Leith.
There’s a handful of really good bands playing this particular night, apparently hosted by Benbecula Records, who are one of the best little labels around these parts.
Black Diamond Express – Nemo Saltat Sobrius

Saturday 6th September: Euchrid Eucrow, Emily Scott & the Wee Rogue play the Gentle Invasion night at Henry’s Cellar Bar.
Bart’s Gentle Invasion gigs are always a treat, but he sent me some marketing blurb for this one that might have backfired: apparently Euchrid Eucrow, apart from the man himself, comprise musicians from not only the (brilliant, in my view) British Sea Power, so far so good, but also the (dismal, in my view) Bat For Lashes. Ah well, Bartski, can’t win ‘em all. Still, it sounds intriguing, Emily Scott is lovely, and I haven’t seen The Wee Rogue since his first tentative step onto the Edinburgh stage some three years ago at an Out of the Bedroom night.
Euchrid Eucrow – A Horse is Not Just For Christmas

Also, Glasvegas play the Liquid Room on Sunday, but the ungrateful bastards have sold out. Bugger.
Glasvegas – Geraldine (Demo)

That’s about all I could find to personally get excited about this week.  A bit thin, eh.  I may need help on this one.

I am away, so this is a phantom post which I VERY KINDLY wrote before leaving, just to make sure you all remain up to date during my absence.  Wouldn’t want you needlessly wasting your money on shit gigs now, would we.

I may not be there in person, but fucked if I’m having you degenerate lot misbehave in my absence.  There are good gigs out there and if I catch any of you wasting your money on aural effluvium like Newton Faulkner then there will be serious repercussions.  Or Kate fucking Nash.  Unspeakable.

Here is what you are permitted to spend your musical sheckles on.

Monday 4th August 2008: Rob St.John & Emily Scott play The Retreat Festival at the Scottish Scullery.
I swear if anyone has asthma they might just drown out the music at this particular gig, both Rob and Emily are so hushed.  It will be beautiful music though, so I really recommend this.  Rob is warming up to a new release shortly, which really is excellent news.
Rob St. John – Tipping In

Wednesday 6th August 2008: The Pictish Trail & HMS Ginafore play The Retreat Festival at the Scottish Scullery.
Jenny Ginafore is one of the intentionally undiscovered gems of the Fence Collective.  From what I know (not much, I just confess) she’s just not up for pushing her music any farther than it intends to trickle along of its own accord.  Her music is beautiful on its own, Johnny Pictish’s recent album is brilliant, and this should be a great gig.
HMS Ginafore – You Built a City Inside of Me

Thursday 7th August 2008: Shout Out Louds at Cabaret Voltaire.
As Swedish eighties indie revivalists go, this lot are easily as good as it gets.  Their Cure/Smiths infused indie pop is pure joy and I am gutted that I’ll be away for this one.  If you can go, GO!
Shout Out Louds – Tonight I Have to Leave It

Friday 8th August 2008: Randan Discotheque & The Wee Rogue play The Retreat Festival at the Scottish Scullery.
Craig, who is Randan Disotheque, writes classically Scottish songs: slightly wry, slightly morose and witty enough to be enjoyable.  The Wee Rogue, whom I have only ever seen once, on his Edinburgh debut, writes the most remarkably fragile songs you’ll hear in a while.
Randan Discotheque – The Prince Must Go to Iraq

Saturday 9th August 2008: Nouvelle Vague at the Liquid Room.
As much as arch cover versions are really starting to get on my tits, Nouvelle Vague don’t make a bad fist of this particular sub-genre.  Their loungey versions of indie classics are rather enjoyable, and why not spaff fifteen quid on an evening’s entertainment.  They’re playing the previous night too, supported by Rachel Unthank & the Winterset.
Nouvelle Vague – Human Fly

Another week, another entirely biased list of the best gigs in town.  I’m spending a few days out of the country at the end of the week, so I will leave you in the hands of Campfires & Battlefields, potentially assisted by Mrs. Toad, but that rather depends.

I won’t be going to any gigs at all this week, but rather than leave you with an empty page, here’s a quick run down of some bits and bobs.

Monday 2nd June 2008: Johnny Foreigner at Cabaret Voltaire.
The frenzied buzz surrounding this band baffles me somewhat.  I’ve never really heard anything all that special in the recordings that I’ve heard, but when they played last they were lauded to within an inch of their lives by my pal Billy, so I am a bit gutted on missing them yet again and not being able to decide for myself.  At the very least this should be attended though, because with all this smoke there must be a flame in there somewhere.
Johnny Foreigner – Our Bipolar Friends

Wednesday 4th June 2008: The Wee Rogue & Randan Discotheque & Gand-eye at the Wee Red Bar.
I remember seeing the Wee Rogue (then just Jamie if I remember) playing his first solo gig in Edinburgh.  He seemed so shy and played so slowly that there were times you wondered if it had all become too much for him and he’s just given up.  Oddly enough though, I remember being pretty impressed with his songs, so I’d like to see him again.  I won’t be in the country for this one, but you should go if you get the chance.
The Wee Rogue – Into the Mist

And amazingly, that appears to be about it for this week.  Looks like I picked a good week to go away.