Wot I Hav Dun In August - So Far
Aug. 21st, 2015 10:53 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
f4f3A combination of Festival going and gigs which I booked a while ago have just swallowed the last three weeks.
There’s still a couple of weeks to go, but thought I’d better note down what I’ve seen so far, just so I don’t forget…
At the Kelvingrove Bandstand in Glasgow, I’ve been to see King Creosote, and then Echo And The Bunnymen.
The KC gig was a little bit magic. He was performing the soundtrack to “From Scotland With Love”, a documentary made up of black and white footage of Scotland ranging from Churchill’s tanks in George Square to jiving in the 60’s. There was something about the combination of a warm summer evening, darkness falling across the park and those flickering images of the past which was truly beautiful in parts. I left with a lump in my throat.
Echo was much more traditional gig, with the band in fine form. McCullough seemed sober, which can’t always be guaranteed, and glad to be there. I’d forgotten how much I knew of their back catalogue, the sound was good, and all in all it was a great night.
Festival going started with a band called “The Black Sorrows” at the Spiegletent in St Andrew’s Square. They are an Australian Blues band, with a lot of miles on the clock, and it showed in how tight they are. They put in a rocking set to a half full tent, an unexpected highlight for me being their cover of Willy DeVille’s “Storybook Love”, which as we all know is the end credits song for “The Princess Bride”. The gig started at 11, and went straight into a club night. The tunes were pretty good, but I had to be up early the next morning, so called it a night around 1.30.
Next two gigs were non-festival, but happened in Edinburgh anyway. I got into Idlewild in a back-arsed fashion, after seeing their lead singer Roddie Woomble do his solo stuff at two gigs last year. The band are a lot louder, a lot rockier, and the gig at the Assembly Rooms was a kind of homecoming for them. I’d accidentally got seated tickets in the balcony, but enjoyed the night enough that I’m planning on seeing them at the Barrowland in November.
And most recently, but not last, I saw Kasabian play the Edinburgh Corn Exchange last night. They are a festivals band these days, and this was a warm up gig for the V Festival. When I say warm, I mean it was smoking. Red-hot. Partly because the band were on very good form indeed. And partly because the place was packed from front to back. My usual gig preference is to be centre, about a third of the way back, and that’s where I settled. Two songs in, and I’d back peddled almost to the sound desk, due to a huge surge to the stage and some early pogo-ing. The mosh pit isn’t supposed to go that far back…
It was a young crowd, and the guys seemed mostly short, thin and muscular. Lots of tops off and beery hugs. I haven’t been around so much naked, sweaty man flesh since my last Mob meet at Tony’s Turkish Baths.
Next up is the book festival tomorrow afternoon, and then Adolf, a one-man show about you-know-who. Gigs still to come in August include Franz Ferdinand and Sparks (FFS) and Paolo Nutini. I’ve got tickets for Lanark (part of the official festival) which I’m quite excited about.
I still need to get tickets for The Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppets Theatre Of Scotland, and there’s some talk of open-air cinema.
I can’t remember when I’ve enjoyed August so much, and it’s not over yet. I’m really jealous of my Edinburgh chums at this time of year. It’s almost enough to make me want to…
I’ll get back to you on that one.
There’s still a couple of weeks to go, but thought I’d better note down what I’ve seen so far, just so I don’t forget…
At the Kelvingrove Bandstand in Glasgow, I’ve been to see King Creosote, and then Echo And The Bunnymen.
The KC gig was a little bit magic. He was performing the soundtrack to “From Scotland With Love”, a documentary made up of black and white footage of Scotland ranging from Churchill’s tanks in George Square to jiving in the 60’s. There was something about the combination of a warm summer evening, darkness falling across the park and those flickering images of the past which was truly beautiful in parts. I left with a lump in my throat.
Echo was much more traditional gig, with the band in fine form. McCullough seemed sober, which can’t always be guaranteed, and glad to be there. I’d forgotten how much I knew of their back catalogue, the sound was good, and all in all it was a great night.
Festival going started with a band called “The Black Sorrows” at the Spiegletent in St Andrew’s Square. They are an Australian Blues band, with a lot of miles on the clock, and it showed in how tight they are. They put in a rocking set to a half full tent, an unexpected highlight for me being their cover of Willy DeVille’s “Storybook Love”, which as we all know is the end credits song for “The Princess Bride”. The gig started at 11, and went straight into a club night. The tunes were pretty good, but I had to be up early the next morning, so called it a night around 1.30.
Next two gigs were non-festival, but happened in Edinburgh anyway. I got into Idlewild in a back-arsed fashion, after seeing their lead singer Roddie Woomble do his solo stuff at two gigs last year. The band are a lot louder, a lot rockier, and the gig at the Assembly Rooms was a kind of homecoming for them. I’d accidentally got seated tickets in the balcony, but enjoyed the night enough that I’m planning on seeing them at the Barrowland in November.
And most recently, but not last, I saw Kasabian play the Edinburgh Corn Exchange last night. They are a festivals band these days, and this was a warm up gig for the V Festival. When I say warm, I mean it was smoking. Red-hot. Partly because the band were on very good form indeed. And partly because the place was packed from front to back. My usual gig preference is to be centre, about a third of the way back, and that’s where I settled. Two songs in, and I’d back peddled almost to the sound desk, due to a huge surge to the stage and some early pogo-ing. The mosh pit isn’t supposed to go that far back…
It was a young crowd, and the guys seemed mostly short, thin and muscular. Lots of tops off and beery hugs. I haven’t been around so much naked, sweaty man flesh since my last Mob meet at Tony’s Turkish Baths.
Next up is the book festival tomorrow afternoon, and then Adolf, a one-man show about you-know-who. Gigs still to come in August include Franz Ferdinand and Sparks (FFS) and Paolo Nutini. I’ve got tickets for Lanark (part of the official festival) which I’m quite excited about.
I still need to get tickets for The Scottish Falsetto Sock Puppets Theatre Of Scotland, and there’s some talk of open-air cinema.
I can’t remember when I’ve enjoyed August so much, and it’s not over yet. I’m really jealous of my Edinburgh chums at this time of year. It’s almost enough to make me want to…
I’ll get back to you on that one.
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