Edrock focus on Edinburgh + festival preview

A big thank you from Myke from Edrock.net for taking time out to do a feature for www.glasgowmusic.co.uk

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As Edinburgh spirals uncontrollably into another Festival season, like a plane with a broken engine into the side of a mountain, it’s a good opportunity to take stock of the capitol’s current music scene, with the same life-perspective as the passenger that takes stock of his life in the last few moments before the inevitable crash. Except that the mountain in this metaphor is 5AM drinking, flyer-ambushes, and our city filled with strangers.

In indie music, a vibrant scene has developed around a handful of bands, who take cues from Mod, Madchester, Britpop, and indie-punk in various different measures. The scene is headlined by http://edrocknet.blogspot.com/2009/12/ok-social-club-interview.html>The OK Social Club, who have recently self-released their third EP to a great reception. http://edrocknet.blogspot.com/2009/02/1004s-and-ok-social-club-mill-caves.html>The 10:04s, http://www.myspace.com/thenatureboysontour>The Nature Boys and http://edrocknet.blogspot.com/2010/03/red-stripe-music-awards-cabaret.html>Pose Victorious are also big players. Bands sticking together has given Edinburgh a reputation for being cliquey, but it has its advantages, and the indie kids in Edinburgh can be proud of the bands they associate themselves with.

The dominance of these bands hasn’t gone unnoticed by http://edrocknet.blogspot.com/2010/06/bainbridge-music-interview.html>Bainbridge Music, the team behind http://www.greatjunctionstreet.com/>Great Junction Street Music Studios and ‘Bainbridge Presents’, who have drafted The OK Social Club to play one of their monthly live music nights, ‘The Mine’ at Wee Red Bar on 6 Sept 2010 with a couple of non-scene indie stars: blues-rock monarchs http://edrocknet.blogspot.com/2009/08/remnant-kings-whistle-binkies-edinburgh.html>The Remnant Kings and city-spanning, film-soundtracking http://www.myspace.com/thestaggerratsofficial>The Stagger Rats. Between their live music nights, which also include student-friendly ‘This Is Not A Toga Party’ and more recently ‘CD Quality’, their rehearsal space, and numerous other activities, Bainbridge are architects of a new Edinburgh scene, with a bit of a rockier flavour, and with them in the centre. They brought together all their favourite acts they’ve been working with over the last year, including http://www.myspace.com/underclassmusic>Underclass, http://www.myspace.com/haganaband>Hagana, http://www.myspace.com/tamsrailways>Tams Railways and http://www.myspace.com/afightyoucantwin>A Fight You Can’t Win, to play at ‘The Best of The Mine’ last Sunday at the grand re-opening of The Liquid Room, headlined by the aforementioned 10:04s.

And on that subject, isn’t exciting that we’ve got http://www.liquidroom.com/>The Liquid Room back? After more than a year and a half, the city centre venue, destroyed by the water used to douse the fire in the restaurant above them, has returned in time to play host to part of http://www.theedgefestival.com/>The Edge Festival. The Edge, formerly known as ‘T on the Fringe’, is mainstream music’s biggest contribution to Edinburgh’s month-long party. But the gigs that are really worth checking out are not at the newly reopened Liquid Room, they’re at Electric Circus.

Little over a year old (meaning it opened post-Liquid Room fire), Electric Circus has already become one of Edinburgh’s favourite live music venues. The 8th of August sees the arrival of rootsy Kitty, Daisy and Lewis, supported by Edinburgh’s finest blazer wearing 50s throwbacks http://www.myspace.com/thehurricanesuk>The Hurricanes (OK, they are our only blazer wearing 50s throwbacks, but still...).

On the 12th of August http://edrocknet.blogspot.com/2009/08/carrie-macdonald-and-chutes-acoustic.html>Carrie Mac will be headlining a show at Electric Circus. With her first single ‘Hello’ out at the end of July, Carrie Mac is clearly a pop star about to happen, with her funky R&B songs and hearty acoustic guitar. On the 17th it’s the turn of high voiced acoustic singer/songwriter http://edrocknet.blogspot.com/2009/10/feature-frightened-rabbit-chutes.html>Withered Hand.

Withered Hand is part of another Edinburgh scene, which is often described as Anti-folk – a misleading term considering the large amount of influence folk has on their music, but the genre title has been passed to us by ‘Fence Collective’ music up in the Kingdom of Fife. Other bands appearing in this scene include http://edrocknet.blogspot.com/2009/09/frightened-rabbit-with-meursalt-edge.html>Meursault, http://www.myspace.com/robstjohn>Rob St. John and http://edrocknet.blogspot.com/2010/03/copy-haho-cabaret-voltaire-edinburgh-5.html>eagleowl, and this movement is championed by live music gurus http://black-spring.com/limbo/>Limbo, http://tracertrails.co.uk/>Tracer Trails and the ever-opinionated http://songbytoad.com/>Song, By Toad and a slew of other music blogs.

Outside of The Edge, another set of gigs worth checking out at the festival are the http://music-news.com/>Music-News.com acoustic sessions taking place Wednesdays at The Three Sisters. The music reviews website is curating four free entry unplugged sessions featuring local talent from Edinburgh and all over Scotland, including http://edrocknet.blogspot.com/2009/04/little-kicks-are-four-piece-portraying.html>The Little Kicks, http://www.myspace.com/scrapbrainmusic>Scrap Brain, http://www.myspace.com/lightguides>LightGuides, http://www.myspace.com/thefourthwall>The Fourth Wall, http://www.myspace.com/deadseasoulsmusic> Dead Sea Souls, http://edrocknet.blogspot.com/2009/04/touch-me-any-color-black.html>Any Color Black, http://www.myspace.com/makesparksband>Make Sparks, http://www.myspace.com/salutemary>Salute Mary, and http://www.myspace.com/kerrielynchmusic>Kerrie Lynch. If you get bored of offensive stand-up and over-animated improv-ers, go and check some of these bands out.
Myke Hall
edRock.net and OpenTilMidnight.co.uk

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