Well after an extremely successful Ides of Toad on Saturday (a massive thanks to the excellent bands, and to the fucking loads of people who came along) I think this week I shall be putting my feet up and letting other people do the work for a bit. And what a fuck of a lot of work they've been doing, too, because this week is a bit mental in terms of excellent gigs at which to drink yourself into an early grave. So much for the pre-Festival wind-down I discussed last week. As well as having [...]
Sometimes it just ins't the right time for the deep, the contemplative nature of many artists, who's attributes, whilst admirable, can fall a little hollow or seem melodramatic in those situations. Take birthday parties or summers down the park, for the indie inclined, there needs an altogether more lighthearted soundtrack.There is a place in anyones heart for the simple and charming. It's this that keeps the bareboned superficiality of youngster indie bands worldwide so damn popular. Think feathers in the hair, primary coloured skinny jeans, vans with sparkly laces, and even god forbid, flowers in the back pocket. That description [...]
This weeks Freebies is pretty sparse I am afraid, mainly because I haven't come across that much, that and I am having to write this up on a Wednesday night as I was/will be out the Pensioner album launch on Thursday/last night. Here's some wee treats for you to enjoy anyway... Twilight Sad Their new album might is not due out until later in the year, but Kilsyth's finest sons haven't forgotten about us. They've very kindly made an Acoustic EP available for free download to keep us all going. You can nab yourself [...]
These things never really seem to last so I guess I better say something nice about it while I can: it's really quite a pleasant morning here in Edinburgh today. Presumably by the time I hit 'Publish' all that will have changed and we'll be back to the shitty old January we're all so very familiar with around these parts. Still, at least the old live music machine is coughing and spluttering its way back to life. Just wait until the second week in February though, because judging from my calendar that's when it really does kick off [...]
Today's song is another downbeat one. Anyone would think I secretly hate Christmas and am out to make it miserable for all while torturing myself by posting something daily. I'm not, it just happens that there's a wee run of more mellow songs. There'll be more happy, bouncy and downright weird songs before advent is over. We See Lights provide today's song. They are a multi member musical collective, based in Edinburgh who have been kicking around for a while and released their debut album, Ghosts & Monsters, earlier this year. As has become [...]
Today's song is another downbeat one. Anyone would think I secretly hate Christmas and am out to make it miserable for all while torturing myself by posting something daily. I'm not, it just happens that there's a wee run of more mellow songs. There'll be more happy, bouncy and downright weird songs before advent is over. We See Lights provide today's song. They are a multi member musical collective, based in Edinburgh who have been kicking around for a while and released their debut album, Ghosts & Monsters, earlier this year. As has become [...]
This week I discovered Women's Shoes Syndrome. I wore leather shoes for the first time in something like six years on Saturday and Christ am I paying the price now. I'm sure the women reading this are most likely to be making comments along the lines of men not being able to take the suffering and not really understanding the concept of pain and childbirth is shit etc etc etc but that really isn't my question. My question is Why? Honestly, if it's always this painful, why the fuck do you bother? It's the equivalent of a child burning itself [...]
Quite a thin week by recent standards actually, but that's no bad thing. Homegame is approaching and a weekend that is easy on the liver and easy on the wallet will be a very good thing. Plus we have to spend it all making up copies of the new Meursault EP, Nothing Broke. Yes, you heard me right. Terribly exciting, wot. It will mark the first offical outing for crowd favourite William Henry Miller Pt.1, albeit an acoustic version of the song, the full version of which will be available along with The Furnace, The Dirt & the Roots and [...]
concert review : Canadian Musicfest (part of Canadian Music Week ) in Toronto - March 12, 2009 2/3's of Rural Alberta Advantage @ Gladstone Hotel: photo by Michael Ligon Not much club hopping this night as after starting my night at Rancho Relaxo I parked it for the rest of the night at Eye Weekly's 3-way Throwdown over at Gladstone Hotel. I was spared the frigid temperatures for the most part, but on the other hand staying [...]
Frank Yang So yes, I sort of wimped out on the first couple days of Canadian Musicfest , but like to think I made up for it with Saturday, hitting up something from the evening's start to the very end although I did skip out on a couple of very attractive pre- and post-showcase events. But anyways. Scottish septet We See Lights were making the most of their visit to Canada, playing three shows in the week - this one at Bread & Circus in Kensington being the last - [...]
Ian West Canadian Music Week - sorry, Canadian Music fest , as the showcase component has now been renamed - is a tricky time for me, because as much as I'd like to take in as much of the shows on offer as possible, I need to be mindful of saving energy for the big show - SxSW - the following week. To this end, I tend to be very particular about what I choose to see during CMW/F, avoiding if I can bands I've seen or can easily [...]
My name is Scotland and I'm an alcoholic. If you care about the biggest social problem that blights this country you should be troubled by the changing face of our live music industry. This weeks sees the launch of THE MILL - described by Miller Genuine Draft as "an exciting new platform for emerging music talent in Glasgow and Edinburgh". It should sound familiar. It's the same business model that has already been adopted by Jack Daniel's under their JD Set banner, not to mention the [...]
Song, by Toad
Hey Man, Check My Band.
Peenko
Aye Tunes
Aye Tunes
For the 'records'
Chromewaves
The Pop Cop
![Niki & The Dove - The Fox [OFFICIAL VIDEO]](http://cdn.elbo.ws/youtube/l2f6UbMnlq4_130.jpg)
Chromatics: “Into The Black”
Download: The Violet Lights - "Sex and Sound"
Whitney Houston uncovered
Download: Lissy Trullie - "It's Only You, Isn't It"
