Sunrise - New Order
Natalie`s Party - Shack
Something For The Weekend - Divine Comedy
What`s Inside A Girl - The Cramps
With A Cosmic Tune(Love Again) - Fading Face
Post Apocalypse Christmas - Gruff Rhys
Not If You Were The Last Dandy On Earth - Brian Jonestown Massacre
Tout Et Son Contraire - Automatiq
A Perfect Day Elise - PJ Harvey
Ayr - Skinny Villains
Ballad Of The Band - Felt
We`re All Going To Die - Malcolm Middleton
God Save The Queen - Sex Pistols
Spitting Blood - Wu Lyf
I Intended To Signal - Cry And The Blocks
Drugs - Black Lips
Drugs - The Music
Traffic Management - The 10.04`s
Pumped Up Kicks - Foster The People
Christmas(Baby Please Come Home) - Joey Ramone
Let it Out(Let It All Hang Out) - The Hombres
Fly The Flag - Stiff Little Fingers
Shout First/Last Words - A Fight You Can`t Win
Here Comes Sickness - Mudhoney
Fat Man - G Love & Special Sauce
Piggies - Bombskare
The Day That Margaret Thatcher Dies - Pete Wylie
New York Telephone Conversation - Lou Reed
Through The Night - The Heirs Of Dust
All I Want For Xmas Is A Dukla Prague Away Kit - Half Man Half Biscuit
The Book Of \Love - Lovers Turn To Monsters
Thou Shalt Always Kill - Dan Le Sac vs Scroobius Pip
You Won - Night Noise Team
The Struggle - Dan Le Sac vs Scroobius Pip feat. Steve Mason
Frosty The Snowman - Cocteau Twins
The Look - Metronomy
Don`t Give up On Me Now - Super8 Cynics
Running Loaded - Mudhoney
What Could Go Wrong - The Girobabies
Wild Opal Eyes - Asteroid #4
Sons Of Stone - The Peoples Temple
You Are The Cold - Now Wakes The Sea
So - White Heath
Romeo - Two Weeks Running
When Tomorrow Hits - Mudhoney
Wetsuit - The Vaccines
Does The 42 Still Go To Abbeyhill? - Frantic Chant
Artificial Energy - The Byrds
The Walk - The Cure
My Guitar Wants To Kill Your Mama - Frank Zappa
California Uber Alles - Dead Kennedys
Here Come The Rubber Cops - The Sexual Objects
Books And Prophets - Cross Wires
Twisterella - Ride
Can`t Seem To Make You Mine - The Seeds
Lay Your Burden On Me - Sad Day For Puppets
Untitled - Steven Dixon
Bike - Pink Floyd
Everthing Is Fair - A Tribe Called Quest
Terms Of Psychic Warfare - Husker Du
Discotekker - Twin Planets
Cartrouble - Adam And Thr Ants
Why Do I Cry - The Remains
A Lack Of Understanding - The Vaccines
Emily - The Falling Spikes
Unconsciously Screaming - Flaming Lips
(Farewell) Dry Land - The Merrylees
Goodnight - Baby Bird
In Excelsis Deo - There Will Be Fireworks
Under The Moon Of Love - Showaddywaddy
Two Little Boys - Splodgenessabounds
The Struggle - DAn Le Sac/Scroobius Pip/Steve Mason
All My Life - Echo And The Bunnymen
Believe Me - Madness
Not That Funny - Camper Van Beethoven
Hang The DJ - New Confessions
Rearrange - Miles Kane
Sheena Is A Punk Rocker - Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Shout First/Last Words - A Fight You Can`t Win
Superhero Songwriters - Malcolm Middleton
Wreckin Bar Ra Ra Ra - The Vaccines
It`s Cliched To Be Cynical At Christmas - Half Man Half Biscuit
Lucky Jim - Frantic Chant
Out On The Floor - Dobie Gray
Nuclear War - Electric Six
Make Me Believe - Dead Rabbits
Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want - The Smiths
Pounding - Doves
Taking Back The Life - Drew Smith
Summer Of Hate - Crocodiles
Wetsuit - The Vaccines
Last Night - The Strokes
Shimmer - The Flatmates
Baked Jam Roll In Your Eye - Timebox
Gentle Tuesday - Primal Scream
Disappointed - Morrissey
Ticket To Liberty - Calm As The Colour
Annie Laurie - The Radio Dept.
I Just Don`t Know What To Do With Myself - White Stripes
Hoover Dam - Sugar
With A Cosmic Tune(Love Again) - Fading Face
At The Edge - Stiff Little Fingers
Boy Meets Girl So What - McCarthy
For The Loss Of It - Missing Cat
Paper Planes - M.I.A.
Bear Wiv Me - King Of The Slums
Mines Not A HIgh Horse - The Shins
First Light Of Day - Matt Norris & the Moon
Working For The Yankee Dollar - The Skids
Things Go Up - Seasick Steve
Storm Drain - The Wonderstuff
Hang The DJ - New Confessions
Fools Gold - Stone Roses
Sitting Up Straight - Supergrass
The Immortal Story - The Only Ones
Lock Up Your Mountain Bikes - Half Man Half Biscuit
The Butterfly Song - Splodgenessabounds
Dark Globe - Syd Barrett
Naive - Laurence & the Slab Boys
This Is The Day - The The
Chester Burnett - That Petrol Emotion
Rhinoceros - Smashing Pumpkins
Hiding In The Shadows - Helicon
We Used To Be Friends - Dandy Warhols
Keep An Open Mind Or Else - McCarthy
In The Sun - Happy Vandals
Interstate 5 - Wedding Present
Soon - My Bloody Valentine
Raven - Dead Horse One
The Anti Midas Touch - The Wolfhounds
Playing Home Sweet Home - Apple Rabbits
Star Power - Sonic Youth
The Lion Will Lie Down With The Lamb - McCarthy
Short Term Memories - Collar Up
This Town Aint Big Enough For Both Of Us - Sparks
Here Come The Good Times - A House
Out Of Our Tree - Wailers
Injustico - The Minds Eye
About A Girl - Nirvana
When Jokers Attack - Brian Jonestown Massacre
Black Jack`s Dead - The Moonlight Flitters
Just Like Honey - Jesus And Marychain
Mountain Song - Janes Addiction
Change - Mummy Short Arms
Bad Old Man - Baby Bird
Outbreak Of Vitus Gerulitus - Half Man Half Biscuit
It`s The Same Old Song - The Four Tops
Turn For The Strange - The Merrylees
Run Wild - New Order
Feel - Teenage Mary
The Tide - Frantic Chant
Following on from the blog with the free downloads, i thought i`d post some Youtube videos of artists i`ve had the pleasure to play on the radio show.
Starting off with a newcomer to DGAB, from the album, King Of Anglia, this is Apple Rabbits and Sing To Me
I couldn`t do any feature about the show and not include The Bats by Will Hanson. The different ways he sings "I`ve changed my mind, fuck it, lets kill them all" has me so confused, i don`t know whether to put a comforting arm round his shoulder or call the police. Absoulte genius piece of songwriting.
I had the pleasure of bringing Black Market Karma to Edinburgh for a gig this year, this is their tune Pulling Shapes.
Boy Meets Sound remind me of so many records in my collection without being derivative in any way. This is Split Screen.
Francois has been a great friend of the show and has many different projects on the go. The one that suited the style of DGAB most is The Flying Lollies. This is Rock One. The video is on this link, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6t6t8nKLwg Even though it wouldn`t post, i wanted to include this.
Confusion are another band who came late to the show, but i went through a phase of playing this song every week. It is such a grower, and as i said many times, best listened to with the headphones on. This is Morphine(winter) Song.
Dead Horse One were recommended to my Kev from My Electric Love Affair and i fell for them straight away. This is Raven.
When i first played Deathcapades, i had eight Facebook chat boxes open up, all wanting to know about this band. I didn`t know too much and was acting on a tip off from fellow psyche band, Helicon. This is the song You.
Epsilon One were the first great find when i started looking for bands to play on the show. The song Full Auto Shut Off was ever present in the first few weeks of the DGAB show and made a re appearance when it was re recorded. I`ve included the demo version as it`s the one i fell in love with.
Delta Mainline have been making beautiful music for a while now and are starting to get the recognition they deserve. Hope/Grace has been a favourite of the listeners and myself, so here it is.
For Abel are one of three bands from the fantastic Fowers In The Dustbin label i play often on the show. This is the video for their song Yorkshire
The Girobabies always deliver sharp-as-a-tack lyrics and this is no different. For me, Countdown To Tinnitus is their defining moment. So far. Another band i`ve had the pleasure to play live with on a few occasions.
Helicon are a fantastic psyche band from the west coast of Scotland, this is my favourite track of theirs, Panic, Everything Is OK.
The Jackals never fail to amaze me when i see them live, if you want to see a feel good live band then look no further. I`ve played Raspberry Moon many times on the show and it always gets a great response.
Kick To Kill are another band from the Flowers In The Dustbin label. Every time I receive something from this label I just know it`s going to be quality and this was no different.
Change by Mummy Short Arms completes the trio of gems from Flowers In The Dustbin and, without devaluing the others, this has become the favourite of the listeners.
This song is genius, take the time to watch all the video. Shambles Miller is a great songwriter who injects some much needed humour into the music. This is the wonderful Questions And Chancers.
Stanley Odd are a hip hop band from Edinburgh. That may sound weird in itself but Edinburgh has an excellent and very exciting hip hop scene. I could`ve went for something a bit more up to date but this is the track that got me listening in the first place, The Oddyssey.
Steve Heron was responsible for many of my fave tunes over the last year or so. This one just edges it for me though. Looks Like I Forgot My Age Again.
This was recorded in the same wee studio Frantic Chant have called home for many years now. Fellow Leithers, Tam`s Railways released this great track earlier this year and the video is a wee belter too. Lets Go To Town.
White Heath are another band i`ve played live with a few times and i don`t think i look forward to seeing any other band so much when we play. This is their recent single, 7:38am. Although it doesn`t post here as a video, i had to include it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jooMaUjpjM
Finally, last and least haha, Frantic Chant. This is from the new album Oscillator and it became the unofficial DGAB anthem. Eight Minutes High.
Hope you enjoy the songs and videos.
If I`ve still stopped smoking later today, i may post a few tracks by the more established bands i`ve played on the show.
I`ve played lots of brilliant new bands on the Dogs Got A Bone radio show, i thought i`d point you all in the diirection of some free music from these artists. I`m too much of a space cadet for this to be a comprehensive list but i`ll do my best.
So, in no particualr order, here`s some quality free tunes.
FADING FACE - One man band from Carlisle has three pages of free downloads on his Soundcloud page. I have Steven Dixon, of fellow Carlisle band Teenage Mary, to thank for turning me on to the genius of Luke Hobson. Get numerous freebies here http://soundcloud.com/fadingface
TEENAGE MARY - The aforementioned psyche band from the North of England have four tracks of equal beauty on their Soundcloud page here http://soundcloud.com/teenagemary
MY ELECTRIC LOVE AFFAIR - There are lots of tracks to listen to on the MELA Soundcloud and a few freebies too. Consistently excellent psyche rock from Edinburgh can be found here http://soundcloud.com/my-electric-love-affair/tracks?page=3
BILLY LIAR - Acoustic punk with an added dash of The Smiths is the best i can do describe Billy. There`s a great free tune on his website here http://www.billyliarmusic.com/fr_home.cfm
G.R. HARROW- This favourite of the show has a free tune on his Soundcloud amongst many others you can listen to. If you`re a fan of The Lemonheads/Go Betweens/The Posies, i know you`ll like this. http://soundcloud.com/grharrow/tracks?page=2
LAURENCE & THE SLAB BOYS - Again, one track to download, but i can`t recommend this lot highly enough. Look out for the album, Lo Fi Disgrace, which is due out next year. http://soundcloud.com/theslabboys
TOBA CALDERA - This Barnsley 5 piece have been hugely popular on the show and there`s two demo EP`s free to download from http://tobacaldera.bandcamp.com/
WILL HANSON - I`ve said many times on the show that Will`s track The Bats is my song of the year. Unfortunately this isn`t free to download but you can listen to it and others, as well as downloading the song, The View From Ebury Bridge from here http://soundcloud.com/willhanson
FRANTIC CHANT - My own band have a few free downloads too. http://franticchant.bandcamp.com/
This may be a part one or it may just be a one off, i can`t plan what i`ll be having for tea tomorrow. Enjoy the free stuff and i`ll hopefully be back online finding you more of these gems very soon.
So the final show on Prestongrange went a little like this
Mr Pharmacist - The Other Half
Shadowplay - Joy Division
A House Is Not A Motel - Love
Black Jack`s Dead - The Moonlight Flitters
The Happy Song - The Aliens
Heartbreak Hotel - The Cramps
You And I - Graham Coxon
The Bats - Will Hanson
Cold As Ice - The Thanes
Injustico - The Mind`s Eye
My Friend Jack - The Smoke UK
Dark & Long - Underworld
St Alfonzo`s Pancake Breakfast - Frank Zappa
Out Of My Mind On Dope And Speed - Teardrop Explodes
San Quentin - Johnny Cash
I Hang Suspended - Boo Radleys
Black Kisses - Kick To Kill
Death Disco - PIL
Divide And Conquer - Husker Du
Femme Fatale - Velvet Underground
Sing To Me - Apple Rabbits
The Ballad Of Mad Jack - John Durnan
The Rock - Delakota
Hey! Luciani - The Fall
Candy Girl - The Valkary`s
I Will Survive - Cake
I`m An Upstart - Angelic Upstarts
Life At The Station - GR Harrow
Happiness Is A Warm Gun - The Breeders
Lazerus - Boo Radleys
Don`t Go Surfing - Cross Wires
Horse Outside - Rubberbandits
You - Deathcapades
Numanoid Hang Glide - Half Man Half Biscuit
The Seventh Level - Fading Face
Tout Et Son Contraire - Automatiq
Particles Of Light - Ian Halliday
Wish I Was Skinny - Boo Radleys
The Final Comedown - Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine
Swami Plus Strings - The Monkees
My, my, the clock in the sky is pounding away
And there's so much to say,
A face, a voice, an overdub has no choice,
An image cannot rejoice.
Wanting to be,
To hear and to see,
Crying to the sky.
But the porpoise is laughing, goodbye, goodbye,
Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye.
Clicks, clacks, riding the backs of giraffes for laughs
S'alright for a while,
The ego sings of castles and kings and things that go
With a life of style.
Wanting to feel,
To know what is real,
Living is a, is a lie,
The porpoise is waiting, goodbye, goodbye,
Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye,
Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye,
Goodbye, goodbye, goodbye.
CAUGHT BY THE FUZZ - SUPERGRASS
I WANT YOU - INSPIRAL CARPETS & MARK E SMITH
GODSTAR - PSYCHIC TV
BARNEY(AND ME) - BOO RADLEYS
GOING UNDER - BLACK REBEL MOTORCYCLE CLUB
BLACK JACK`S DEAD - THE MOONLIGHT FLITTERS
YOU`VE GOT MY NUMBER - THE UNDERTONES
I`M FIVE YEARS AHEAD OF MY TIME - THE THIRD BARDO
CANDYLION - GRUFF RHYS
BO DIDDLEY - BO DIDDLEY
BEAUTIFUL FREAK - EELS
FARON YOUNG - PREFAB SPROUT
LOT 49 - THE JAZZ BUTCHER
BURNING SHIPS - THE FALLING SPIKES
I DON`T WANT TO BE FRIENDS WITH YOU - SHOP ASSISTANTS
BIG - NEW FAST AUTOMATIC DAFFODILS
THIS SUMMER`S BEEN GOOD FROM THE START - GORKYS ZYGOTIC MYNCI
LETS GO TO TOWN - TAM`S RAILWAYS
THE KKK TOOK MY BABY AWAY - THE RAMONES
SWIM - CINERAMA
TOUT ET SON CONTRAIRE - AUTOMATIQ
THE DAY THAT LASSIE WENT TO THE MOON - CAMPER VAN BEETHOVEN
THE BOY WITH THE ARAB STRAP - BELLE & SEBASTIAN
BREAKING NEWS - HALF MAN HALF BISCUIT
PEOPLE ARE STRANGE - THE DOORS
OPEN YOUR WINDOW - REVEREND AND THE MAKERS
RAVEN - DEAD HORSE ONE
SUSAN`S HOUSE - EELS
SHERIFF FATMAN - CARTER THE UNSTOPPABLE SEX MACHINE
SHIRT OF BLUE - THE MEN THEY COULDN`T HANG
SPACE DREAM #1 - LAURENCE AND THE SLAB BOYS
CONEY ISLAND CYCLONE - MERCURY REV
ALL IN THE MIND - THE VERVE
SLIDE AWAY - THE VERVE
HAPPY - NEDS ATOMIC DUSTBIN
MIRO - WILDHOUSE
HOLLOW HEART - THE WEATHER PROPHETS
STAY WITH ME - THE FACES
SWEET LOVE - HURRICANE HEART ATTACKS
THE TIMES THEY ARE A CHANGING - BOB DYLAN
STARING AT THE RUDE BOYS - THE RUTS
MY BELOVED MONSTER - EELS
PRECIOUS SIGHT - RICHARD HAWLEY
SOMETIME AROUND MIDNIGHT - THE AIRBORNE TOXIC EVENT
THE WINE SONG - THE CAT EMPIRE
MELLOW - VLADIMIR
There may be a few mistakes in here as i`m trying to do this from memory.
I Love Rock & Roll - The Jesus And Marychain
Just Like Heaven - The Cure
Ever Fallen Love - The Buzzcocks
I Can See For Miles - The Who
Cannonball - The Breeders
Monkey Gone To Heaven - The Pixies
Evans Throne - The Cat That Walks Alone
My Little Red Book - Love
Aint Goin To Goa - Alabama 3
Looking For Lewis And Clark - The Long Ryders
Hope/Grace - Delta Mainline
Middle Of The Road - Denim
The Concept - Teenage Fanclub
Needle In A Haystack - Tawny Reed
Staying Away - G.R. Harrow
Tailights Fade - Buffalo Tom
Going Home - Randolphs Leap
Eight Miles High - The Byrds
I`m Losing More Than I`ll Ever Have - Primal Scream
Burning Wheel - Primal Scream
Yorkshire - For Abel
Bugles In The Afternoon - Lee Hazlewood
Change - Mummy Short Arms
Taste - Ride
Expand & Explode - Missing Cat
Rat Race - The Specials
December - Teenage Fanclub
Echoes - Gene Clark
Electricity - Spiritualized
Full Auto Shut Off - Epsilon One
Is This It? - The Strokes
Joy Division Oven Gloves - Half Man Half Biscuit
Lazerus - Boo Radleys
Let In The Sound - Frantic Chant
Mr Pharmacist - The Fall
Morphine (winter) Song - Confusion
Standing Here - Stone Roses
Star Sign - Teenage Fanclub
The Golden Path - Chemical Brothers
Raspberry Moon - The Jackals
The Animal Man - Adopted As Holograph
Dogs Got A Bone - Beta Band
It`s as close as i`m going to get. I don`t think i missed anything out but the order is almost certainly wrong.
LEAVE THEM ALL BEHIND - RIDE
MAKES NO SENSE AT ALL - HUSKER DU
ASSESSMENT - BETA BAND
DOLPHINS WERE MONKEYS - IAN BROWN
THE HURDY GURDY MAN - BUTTHOLE SURFERS
CIGAR BOX - DEATHCAPADES
THE NEW POLLUTION - BECK
911 IS A JOKE - PUBLIC ENEMY
FAKE TALES OF SAN FRANCISCO - ARCTIC MONKEYS
BIG DECISION - THAT PETROL EMOTION
IN THE MORNING - THE RHEMEDIES
W.F.L. - HAPPY MONDAYS
SMASH IT UP pt2 - THE DAMNED
KYLIES GOT A CRUSH ON US - BMX BANDITS
YOSHIMI BATTLES THE PINK ROBOTS pt1 - THE FLAMING LIPS
FOR THE LOSS OF IT - MISSING CAT
NO KILLING - VIOLENT FEMMES
ON PASSING LILAC URINE - HALF MAN HALF BISCUIT
WOMANS REALM - BELLE & SEBASTIAN
CABIN CHAOS - FRANTIC CHANT
GIDEONS BIBLE - JOHN CALE
EVERYTHING`S ALRIGHT WHEN YOU`RE DOWN - THE JESUS & MARY CHAIN
LINGER ON - THE COSMONAUTS
JUST WHO IS THE 5 O CLOCK HERO - THE JAM
YORKSHIRE - FOR ABEL
THERE AINT HALF BEEN SOME CLEVER BASTARDS - IAN DURY & THE BLOCKHEADS
MORPHINE (WINTER) SONG - CONFUSION
DRIVE THAT FAST - KITCHENS OF DISTINCTION
DEATH OR GLORY - THE CLASH
METAL MICKEY - SUEDE
PLAN 9 CHANNEL 7 - THE DAMNED
DARKEST MIND - TOBA CALDERA
SNOWSTORM - GALAXIE 500
WHAT`S WITH THE RAIN - EPSILON ONE
LEAVE ME ALONE - NEW ORDER
LOVE VIGILANTES - NEW ORDER
SLOW JAM - NEW ORDER
SLIVER - LITTLE ROY
TODAY A DOG SHALL DIE - MARIONETTES
LETS GO FUCKING MENTAL - BRIAN JONESTOWN MASSACRE
LETS GO TO TOWN - TAMS RAILWAYS
I JUST CAN`T BE HAPPY TODAY - THE DAMNED
THE MAN DON`T GIVE A FUCK - SUPER FURRY ANIMALS
THE BATS -WILL HANSON
EIGHT MINUTES HIGH - FRANTIC CHANT
I thought i`d get in my tuppence worth about T Break being a charade and how it`s all a big fix. All these big bad judges not picking your poor wee band. Grow up and stop being so naive. The judges, like all of us, have their own opinions on what makes a good band. Some may also have a vested interest in certain bands, they all work in the music industry after all. So they pick the bands they like ahead of yours and you start crying like fucking babies. T Break is a battle of the bands and nothing more. There`s only one solution to avoiding all the negativity surrounding BOTB`s, don`t enter them. Use your time and energy into promoting a gig of your own, get the place filled and put on the show of your life. The chances are you will take so much more from this than playing the T Break stage. There`s more bands making waves in Scotland without ever needing to play T Break, i don`t remember too many of the past bands to play it, do you?
I was stunned when i read online that some bands are really interested in what criteria is required to be selected to play T Break. Your music is going to end up a diluted pot of piss if you are even contemplating meeting this mystical criteria.
Playing an unsigned bands tent in the corner of T In The Park isn`t some holy fucking grail, it`s time to get a grip.
If DF Concerts decided they were going to pick 8 or 10 Scottish bands in the same way they book the bands for the other stages, that would give the whole thing a lot more credibility. Don`t bill them as unsigned bands and don`t put them on a seperate stage, put them amongst the signed artists over the weekend. Doing it this way would ensure the promoters bring in bands who can deliver rather than pandering to some committee decision.
Then again, that would be fixed too wouldn`t it?
It`s just after midnight when I decide to have an early night, but end up watching an electrical storm split the skies over Edinburgh. May 7th has arrived with a real bang. We`ve been working on the release of “No Colour Too Strong To Paint” for several months in an effort to raise as much money as possible for The Edinburgh Sick Kids Hospital and today was the day of reckoning.
The first task of the day was to deliver some bits and pieces to the venue. As it was a charity night we had permission to bring in our own rider for the bands, who were all playing the gig for no fee. Seven bands and a few volunteers amounted to 30 people, so we had a paltry three drinks each for them. I was then informed that no one had bothered to clear this with the manager in charge for the day and i wasn`t allowed on the premises. After much negotiation the manager kindly agreed to let us leave the rider there while she sorted things out.
I arrive back at the venue to find that they were willing to let us use half the rider, one and half drinks each. It was the least of my worries though. Anyone who has had a party of any kind must go through the “what if no one turns up” phase. I needn`t have worried as people start queuing early, waiting for the doors to open.
As the place begins to fill, the limited edition cd`s are selling well. Big hearted punters are buying the £6 disc and putting their change in the collection bucket. Even in times as tight as these, people are willing to delve a little deeper to help such a good cause.
David Winpenny has the unenviable task of opening proceedings and he pulls it off superbly. Just himself and his acoustic guitar, he quietens down the chattering audience who quickly warm to his well crafted songs.
The Remnant Kings are the first full band of the evening and the volume cranks up a little. The play a great set of indie rock, augmented well by their violin player, who adds an unusual texture to this style of music.
Next up are My Electric Love Affair, a band I’ve always loved. It has to be said that MELA are a genuine love them or hate them band. The audience opinion is split by the 10 minute trance inducing psychedelic songs. Those of us old enough to remember Suicide and Spacemen 3 will always warm to this lot though.
I`ve been listening to Steve Heron`s album for the last few months but have yet to see him live. Steve and his band certainly didn`t let me down. “Eleanor” was the first track I’d heard of Steve`s and the one that made me want to hear more, so i was delighted it was included in the set. His cover of “This Charming Man” was an inspired choice and had a certain Frantic Chant guitarist flailing about the dance floor.
It was during Steve`s set that it dawned on me that I was actually playing a gig and not just helping to organise it. With all the build up to tonight, I felt a little nervous for the first time in a good few years. Our set flies by in a flash and it`s time for our last song, “Reel Eyes”. Suddenly the stage fills up with members of the audience, dancing, singing and falling on their arses. Bouncers are pulling people off the floor before they get trampled on. This song is always open to some ad libbing from Stazy and relies on eye contact and wee nods to each other as we pick up the pace. The stage is so crowded by now, I can’t see any of the band, just bodies landing on top of me and my drums. We get to the end of the song, managing to get to the changes all at the same time. Afterwards we all agree that this is, by far, the best gig we have ever done.
The Steals are next on and are in fine form. They always deliver a full on, adrenaline fuelled set and tonight is no different. In Lee, they have a charismatic frontman who commands an audience`s attention. Their songs of good times and escapism certainly strike a chord with their crowd.
White Heath are a fantastic band, when I first saw them play I was raving about them to anyone who would listen. I was really looking forward to them tonight. The fact that they were on so late and the crowd had thinned out a little didn`t have any effect on their performance. Their singer has a voice that cracks with emotion and I was blown away by them all over again. I can`t wait to hear their debut album which should be out soon.
The night was tremendous success, the bands played to a great, appreciative crowd, we made a few quid for the hospital and the venue made a fortune behind the bar. I was going to go into detail about how shabbily we were treated by the venue and bouncers but their baffling behaviour wasn`t going to put a dampener on this evening. Even the rain that was now bucketing down couldn`t do that.
I`d just like to thank Ginger Music Promotions, Stephen Young, Dom Holt, all the bands and everyone who came out and supported this labour of love.
Leith label, Youngteam Records is releasing a compilation album in aid of The Edinburgh Royal Hospital for Sick Children. It features 21 of Edinburgh`s finest bands and having heard it, i can vouch for it`s quality. The album is released on May 7th 2011 and there will be a launch party on the same night at Maggie’s Chamber in Edinburgh. The album is called "No Colour Too Strong To Paint" and will be available for download from all the major online retailers and in limited edition cd form, from the launch night only.
Tickets for the launch are available from Ripping Records in Edinburgh and Elvis Shakespeare in Leith. They are also available online from Ticketweb.
All the details are here www.facebook.com/charityalbum
