It's been a while since I last did a news round up, but as per usual I wait until my inbox is close to bursting until I finally get my finger out and cram everything into one 'handy' post. Seeing as every man and his dog seems to be out playing gigs at the moment, I just wanted to share with you some excititng things that are happening that you might want to check out... First off next Monday sees the releases of the second album from [...]
Would you care to introduce yourself? Gregor McMillan, vocalist and bass player from Edinburgh band Dead Boy Robotics. How would you describe the music you make? Alternative, electronic, new wave, tribal. How did you start out making music? Dead Boy Robotics started off as late night noise experiments that involved making guitars sound like Gameboys, putting vintage synths through loop pedals and sawing Casio keyboards in half. [...]
Edinburgh's Tape Studio have worked with acts like Amanda Palmer and have two Studer tape machines to make your inner audiophile's mouth water. They've also recently unveiled their new Singles Club. The concept for the Club is simply intermittent releases of split 7" vinyl singles featuring two local artists that Tape have worked with previously. The idea itself had enough potential to attract our attention, but the pairing of Dead Boy Robotics and The Machine Room is a match made in heaven for lovers of electronica-tinged indie. DEAD [...]
I know I said I was going to take a break from blogging for a few weeks, however, as my inbox almost feels like it's about to burst with emails here's some news and gubbins for you all... I must admit that I am a wee bit jealous of Gerry Loves Records, in the past 12 months or so they have released some of the most exciting new music that Scotland has to offer. Now with their fifth release they've made me doubly jealous as they're just about to release a [...]
Track Listing 1. Ever 2. As Children We Fear The Dark Part 2 3. Tale Of the Winter Kids 4. Gather On The Threshold Download
TAPE is a boutique recording studio & dedicated mixing suite bang in the centre of Edinburgh. It is home to a lovingly curated collection of modern, vintage and bespoke equipment. TAPE are extremely passionate about the artists they work with, so to coincide with the launch of their brand new 2011 studio they present: TAPE SINGLES CLUB! Read more..
Every weekday, MUF offers five (5) daily downloads of free and legal MP3s. We chose these songs for you to discover, download and explore more about the artists behind them. 'Daily Downloads' via Twitter , Facebook or RSS ! (For more information on what our Daily Download is and what they mean to you go here ) Today's Free MP3s: Dead Boy Robotics - Ever [ Artist Page ] [...]
Apparently you people like music and stuff, right - that's why you're here? Well this week I like gardening. Yes, as if to demonstrate that I am taking all these accusations of being too old and too middle-class extremely seriously, this week I am far more excited about the back garden that I am about music, sorry. We've had a lot of rain this spring, so inevitably when we get a sunny week, as we did last week, everything blooms. This, I have to confess, as someone relatively new to gardening, is incredibly exciting. Any teenagers [...]
For those of you interested at all in even more of my inane prattling, I have recently done an interview with a certain Mr. Timothy London for his blog, which can be read here . The interview itself was about a less cynical music industry, and I am not entirely sure I really made a great case in its favour, with some really very cynical remarks indeed. Still, I tried to answer the questions themselves as honestly and intelligently as I could, so hopefully that counts for something! This weekend I was down in Macclesfield for [...]
It's Tigerfest and The Kays Lavelle album launch this week, as well as being May, which says to me that our first barbecue of the season can't be much further away, surely. Ach, who knows though, this Spring's been all over the bloody shop so Christ knows. Still, we're firmly into the first stirrings of Festival Season now which is... erm, well certainly not a bad thing I guess. There are some fucking shitty festivals (blogs, bands, etc...) out there, and I am becoming distinctly picky in my taste for festivals, and really quite [...]
Meursault God Don't Like it have a free Download of Meursault's ' Crank Resolutions ' up for grabs. It's taken from their 2nd album "All Creatures will Make Merry" which is due out at the end of May. Wounded Knee I caught Drew aka 'Wounded Knee' last week at the warm up to the Dead Parrots 3rd birthday bash, alongside the ever fabulous RM Hubbert. Both of them put on top performances, so I must admit that I was well chuffed when I stumbled across his newest release, The Ayrtime.Org EP, it's [...]
Monday - Ross Drummond aka Electro-pop outfit 'Lies' were my Fresh Meat Tuesday - Vic Galloway's return from the other side pond meant that I could get back onto recording some sessions. It was North Atlantic Oscillation , again (?!), thankfully this time round the session went well. The less said about the first two songs from the Radio One session, the better. Wednesday - The Hubmeister General (RM Hubbert) became the 11th 'member' of the Scots Way-Hay club, giving one of the [...]
You could drink yourself into a coma going to every interesting gig in Edinburgh this week. I think I might need a few orange juice gigs, if just to vaguely preserve both liver and waistline. Although it may be too late for both, I have to admit. I think I am going to start driving to gigs (tonight is by necessity, but we'll see how it goes) just as a way of forcing myself to stick to fizzy water or some such beverage. Maybe Skinny Water , perhaps (thank you Cogstar), a drink so monumentally stupid that [...]
Well the Trampoline show for this Friday, with Ziggy Campbell and Yusuf Azak has been cancelled, which is a bit of a tragedy for my music fun, but at least spares me some of the Olympic amounts of typing this post is going to require all through bloody August. Fucking hell, it's like a mini novel. Fortunately I don't think much was actually on yesterday, when the sort of hangover generated only by consuming an entire bottle of gin prevented me from doing anything productive at all. So this post is being written now and dated two days [...]
Greetings my Summery flock of Toads, how are we all doing this fine morning? Or afternoon of course, depending on where you might be located. I was advised once by Johnny Pictish not to put on gigs during July or August because getting people out to them was a near-impossibility. I don't know if this is just Edinburgh or if it applies universally, but certainly the promoters of this fair city seem to have taken it heart because there is really is sweet Fanny Adams happening in the next couple of weeks on the live circuit. [...]
Dead Boy Robotics are an Edinburgh-based band and they sound "kind of like The Mae Shi and Crystal Castles mixed in to a dirty electro mess." - An Emergency (Band Blog). I'd say that's quite an accurate description of the industrial sauce that these guys churn out. They were also just announced to be playing the T-Break stage at T in the Park [...]
Dead Boy Robotics are an Edinburgh-based band and they sound "kind of like The Mae Shi and Crystal Castles mixed in to a dirty electro mess." - An Emergency (Band Blog). I'd say that's quite an accurate description of the industrial sauce that these guys churn out. They were also just announced to be playing the T-Break stage at T in the Park [...]
Create a playlist at MixPod.com The winners of this year's T BREAK heats have been announced, thereby giving 16 unsigned acts the chance to fulfil their dreams of playing at T in the Park , although they don't get the 'special' passes that allow them to mingle with the proper stars backstage. To enter into the spirit of turning music into a competition, we've made up a playlist of the chosen acts, and we're asking you [...]
Hello everyone - sorry for the lateness of this post, but unfortunately sometimes actual jobs with wages and things have to take precedence over things Toad, just for a little while. I have spent the day at a meeting in Inverness, and I am desperate for a really good sleep. There's not a lot on in Edinburgh this week as far as I can tell. The brilliant Animal Magic Tricks is playing pretty much as I write this, and I am gutted that I won't get the chance to see her. Well, not until Saturday, anyway, which is [...]
You can't fucking move in Edinburgh this week but for accidentally walking in on a quality gig. Honestly, you could end up with a liver like a cricket ball if you went to all of the bastards, so there may be a few orange juice gigs (yes, I know, boom-tish and all that) for me this week, or I'll have to spend all of December sobering up. Given what Christmas is generally like anyway, I suspect that's what January is likely to be for but, as with Christmas itself, it seems that the party season is starting earlier [...]
Peenko
The Edinburgh Rock Network
Never Enough Notes
Music Under Fire
Song, by Toad
Scottish Friction
The Pop Cop
Diplo - "Climax" (MP3 Stream)
Out This Week 2/14
[listen] Diplo ft. Usher - Climax
Skrillex Uses Satanic and Homosexual Influence to Win Grammys
Jack White – Love Interruption [Music Video]
