Radar recommends: Define Pop 2

There is much to challenge our collective happiness in the final months of the year.

As ever, the nights are drawing in, the weather is worsening, shops are taunting us with premature displays of Yuletide faux-cosiness, while the once important Christmas number one will inevitably fall to 'Jedward' or one of the other semi-human droids in that inescapable Saturday night tele-oke.

So it's just as well Define Pop returns this weekend with another mini-fest of live music to raise our dampened spirits.

Once again the Define Pop crew have assembled a range of acts that cross the boundaries of underground Scottish music. If you're into indie-pop or post-folk, you'll probably head for the Living Room stage, where you'll find UtR favourites like Yahweh, The Second Hand Marching Band and Esperi.

But if you're more of an adrenaline junkie (not in the Top Gear sense), you'll be more at home at the Kitchen stage, where the likes of Dead Boy Robotics, Pooch and The Morgue Party Candidate will aim to raise the BPM.

It all happens at The Flying Duck in Glasgow on Saturday and Sunday, with doors opening at 4pm. Tickets are priced at £7 each day, available here.

And check back tomorrow for an interview with one of the bands on the bill.

The full line-up is as follows...

Saturday

Living Room Stage:
Kid Canaveral / Vendor Defender / Kochka / The Costapeens / Mickey 9's / Louise Against The Elements / Miniature Dinosaurs

Kitchen Stage:
Young Aviators / Gdansk / The Morgue Party Candidate / Pacific Theatre / Other People / The Blessed Order Of Fallen Stars / Make Sparks / Little Yellow Ukeleles

Sunday

Living Room Stage:
Yahweh / Second Hand Marching Band / The Lava Experiments / Diamond Sea / Julia and the Doogans / Esperi / Incrediboy and The Forget Me Nots / Lovers Turn To Monsters

Kitchen Stage Sunday:
Pooch / Nevada Base / Stereo Grand / Dead Boy Robotics / Lad Lazarus / Fridge Magnets / Marshall Chipped

Ladyfest: The girls are back in town...

There’s plenty of girl-friendly action in the capital this weekend, as Edinburgh Ladyfest gears up for a four-day extravaganza. Back for a second year, the festival promises comedy, music, art, skill sharing – and punk knitting.

If you haven’t yet heard, Ladyfest is a global movement showcasing female artists and performers. There have been over 100 Ladyfests around the world since 2000 – non-profit, feminist events organised mainly by women.

Marylou Anderson was among Edinburgh Ladyfest’s founders back in 2007. “I have always been interested in music and art and feminism, and at the time I was feeling quite isolated because I’d just had my son,” she explains.

“I really wanted to connect with other women, talk about women in art and society at large and see if we could put on some women-centred events," she continues. "Through Ladyfest and the activities of the groups affiliated to the Edinburgh Feminist Network a new kind of women’s community has started to grow and it’s great to be a part of that.”

Ladyfest 2009 gets going tonight (Thursday) with comedy at Edinburgh City Club from Sian Bevan and Liz Ely. On Friday evening the emphasis is on DIY, as the zinesters and performance poets of Sister Spit: The Next Generation take over the Big Red Door, Lady Lawson Street.

The Bowery on Roxburgh Place is the place to be on Saturday: by day you’ll find workshops on life drawing, dance, comedy, blogging and even how to make your own herbal tea; while night time will see an eclectic mix of talent take to the stage – including Sellotape, sound poetry and storytelling from Zorras and folk from Jo Foster and Hailey Beavis.

Play: Jo Foster - Madelaina


After all that Sunday will demand a day of rest, so join the girls for a gallery walk and coffee. The weekend will finish with a film screening at the Brass Monkey.

Since this is a music blog, it wouldn’t be right if we didn’t ask Marylou about the line-up for Ladyfest’s Big Gig at the Bowery. “Jo Foster has been a great supporter of Ladyfest – she was also one of only a handful of women playing at the brilliant Retreat festival this year,” says Marylou. “On one hand Jo and Withered Hand are my favourite local acts, but on the other hand for sheer vibrancy, attitude and life you can’t beat the hollerback of Viki Sellotape!

“Next year we’re planning a Youth Ladyfest rock camp – so watch this space!”

Words: Lisa-Marie Ferla

Events are free or individually priced, with a £10 weekend ticket providing access across the festival. Find out more at www.ladyfestedinburgh.com.

The Shipping Forecast Garden Party

[Little Pebble]

Relying on the Scottish weather is usually an act of sheer folly. But, for Shipping Forecast Garden Party (SFGP) organiser Dav MacNaughton, it’s integral to the success of his monthly music gathering.

“This is only our second show - another one we had planned was cancelled due to poor weather,” says McNaughton. “We had to cancel one show we were putting on with FOUND, Rozi Plain and We See Lights which was a bit gutting so lets pray for the sun.”

Based in the outdoor courtyard of Edinburgh’s Pear Tree bar, SFGP is a novel Sunday afternoon jamboree of music, barbecue and - luck prevailing - sunshine.

With a roster containing Woodenbox with a Fistful of Fivers, Zoey Van Goey, The Stormy Seas, Come In Tokyo, Ben TD and Ardent John, this month’s SFGP offers up a vibrant aural boost to the dissipating Fringe festivities.

“I'd love it if people did come down not only to support the band but also the event, that would make me chuffed to bits,” says McNaughton. “I think the fact it's an outdoor daytime event it should be a pretty chilled out fun day, I can't think of a better way so spend a Sunday than in a beer garden having a few beers with my pals and listening to some good music.”

And the shipping forecast for the day?

MacNaughton deadpans: “Hopefully pretty damned stormy.”

Words: Billy Hamilton

The Shipping Forecast Garden Party starts at 1pm on Sunday 30 August in the Pear Tree courtyard, Edinburgh. Admission is diddly-squat.

Ah, Bristo: Retreat! festival

[Dan Willson of Withered Hand]

Hot on the heels of Trampoline’s four show Fringe extravaganza, the boys and girls at Retreat! have announced the return of their August-time Edinburgh music festival.

A more condensed version of last year’s month-long sprawl, Retreat! 2009 will take place on Sunday 16 August, cramming 15 tunesmith into Bristo Hall’s intellectually enlightened cove. What’s more, it’s absolutely free.

Bart Owl, co-organiser of Retreat!, explains the festival’s ethos: “I always found it frustrating that at a time when there was this huge international audience in our city, there were no chances to see Edinburgh acts. So Retreat! was intended to be a celebration of Edinburgh music - a way for those people to be seen. Although it's not an exclusively Edinburgh line-up, that's been the focus.”

With a line-up boasting UtR regulars Rob St John (right), Withered Hand and Meursault, as well as Wounded Knee and Viking Moses, Retreat! offers ear-soothing refuge from the Fringe’s hustle and bustle. But rather than acting as a toff-excluding antidote, Retreat! is a welcoming sanctuary for all:

“I don't want to ever sound like we're against the Fringe, as it is a really exciting time to be in the city,” explains Bart. “But there are two aspects I don't like: there isn't enough representation of local acts, and the events are generally too expensive. Last year when Retreat! was a series of gigs, they were all priced at £3. This year, it's a single free event. So I don't think we're taking an audience away from the Festival or from any of the other great events happening in the city. There's room for both.”

An enchanting day of music delivered via the spirit of community, Retreat! 2009 rolls out something for music lovers of all predilections:

“The show runs from 11.30 in the morning till 11 at night, then DJs till 3am,” says Bart.” The venue is really central, and near a lot of other Fringe venues. I think a lot of people will show up early with and set up camp for the day and try see everything. But a lot of people will just come and go as they please - come and hang out and see some great bands before going off to another show, or kill a couple of hours between shows. And that's fine – just as long as they come back later for a dance."

And, with a swell of talent on offer, there’s ample opportunity for a special collaboration or two:

“Both Withered Hand and Jo Foster are playing and they usually collaborate or at least help each other out,” teases Bart. “Also Viking Moses and Rob St John have been working together at recent live shows, playing on each other's songs. Tisso Lake, I've been told, is planning on a 'choir' backing band for this show - basically just getting as many backing singers on board as possible. And I think there should be more than enough volunteers in the room.”

Retreat! runs from 11.30am –late on Sun 16 August at the Bristo Hall, Edinburgh and costs not even a penny to enter.

The full line-up is:

Withered Hand
Jo Foster
Wounded Knee
Hexicon
Rob St John
Viking Moses
Tisso Lake
Moustache of Insanity
Allo, Darlin'
My Tiny Robots
Come In Tokyo
Enfant Bastard
The Pineapple Chunks
Meursault
The Leg

For more information on this lovely festival click here

Words: Billy Hamilton

Play: Withered Hand - No Cigarettes


Play: Rob St John - Like Alchemy

Radar recommends: 21-27 June

[Paper Planes: gliding into Stereo on Saturday]

Like last week when we trialled our bigger, longer, uncut gig round-up for the first time, we've gone for the wide-screen approach once again. Here you'll find everything from hyperactive electro-pop to brooding singer-songwriters, with some disco-punk thrown in, so there's no excuses for staying in and watching Big Brother - not that there ever is.


Aberdeen

Unicorn Kid,Soft Toy Emergency, Get in Get Out
Wednesday@ Moshulu. Doors 7pm, £5
Digitised hyperactivity from this sickeningly gifted Auld Reekie school-kid. He’s got a pretty nifty taste in head gear too.

The Debuts, Free Korps
Friday@ Moshulu. Doors 7.30pm, £5
Wonky, synth-infused indie rock from this anthem-hankering Edinburgh outfit who recall The Jam and, more awkwardly, The View. A good or bad thing? You decide...

Edinburgh

Tenteleni Charity Fundraiser: My Kappa Roots, We See Lights, Seven Deadly Sins
Sunday @ Cabaret Voltaire. Doors 7pm, £5
A delectable soiree of local songsmiths, all in the name of charity. Can’t really grumble at that can you?

Limbo: Joe Gideon & The Shark, Sarah & The Snakes, Paper Planes, Duke Garwood Thursday @ Voodoo Rooms. Doors 8pm, £6
The final Limbo before the lads take a well-earned summer sojourn is shaping up to be a scorcher, abounding with babbling pslams (Joe Gideon...) and cranked-up sonics (Sarah & The Snakes, Paper Planes). Trust us, you don’t want to miss this curtain closing spectacular.

The Boycotts, King Hats, The Marvels
Thursday @ Sneaky Pete’s. Doors 7pm, £TBC
The Boycotts’ hook infused indie-pop is as moreish as candyfloss, while The King Hats fashion out angular throbs that recall early-days Placebo. All in all, an intriguing juxtaposition.

Jocasta Sleeps, Curators, Cielo Drive
Friday @ Sneaky Pete’s. Doors 7pm, £5
Expect a wash of rankled guitars and heart-felt crooning from decibel-fondling Glaswegians Jocasta Sleeps. Edinburgh’s Curators and Cielo Drive provide less polished but equally as frenetic support.


Glasgow

The Moth & the Mirror, Endor and Hindle Wakes
Monday @ Captain's Rest. Doors 8pm, £4
Quirky collective The Moth & the Mirror include members of Make Model and Brother Louis Collective, and vocalist Stacey once introduced Arab Strap to their feminine side. Indie-folk stylings from Endor and Hindle Wakes.

Codes in the Clouds, Soothsayer, Hen Night and Katerwaul
Tuesday @ The 13th Note Café. Doors 9pm, £4
In the mood for dynamic-heavy, air-cracking post-rock? Then Kent's Codes in the Clouds are the band for you. Of the support, Soothsayer are more melodic, Hen Night make scuzzy grunge-punk (not karaoke music as you might expect) while Aberdeen's Katerwaul indulge in off-key twinklings and shuddering guitar blasts.

De Rosa
Tuesday @ Oran Mor. Doors 7.30pm, £6
The latest Chemikal-championed band perform tracks from their two superb albums.
*Update* According to this Drowned in Sound message thread, De Rosa have split up, and fans can claim refunds for this gig. Sad news.

The Gothenburg Address, Tempercalm, The Colin Hunter Band and What the Blood Revealed
Wednesday @ The 13th Note Café. Doors 9pm, £4/£3
We like The Gothenburg Address. They make chilly, ethereal soundscapes.

**UtR's gig of the week**
Ross Clark & The Scarfs Go Missing, Sparrow & the Workshop, There Will be Fireworks
Wednesday @ Oran Mor. Doors 7.30pm, £5
We praised Ross Clark's "eclectic brand of Americana" a while back, and here he heads up a stonking bill. Sparrow & the Workshop are winning plaudits from all and sundry for their modern country & western, and TWBF are a band not to miss, with a sound that roams from plaintive paeans to stratospheric guitars.

Union of Knives, Ming Ming & the Ching Chings, Indian Red Lopez
Thursday @ King Tut's. Doors 8.30pm, £7
Dirty electro rock is the order of the day from Union of Knives; the Ming Mings are one of our own UtR bands (we claim them all y'see) and Indian Red Lopez are an Aberdeen band who make lean indie-dance with processed beats.

Wake the President, Peter Parker
Friday @ Captain's Rest. Doors 8pm, £4
Calling all fans of chiming guitars, post-punk intellect and wry lyricism: go see Wake the President. Peter Parker, meanwhile, are a primitive, raucous all-girl punk-pop trio.

Pinup Nights Festival: Nevada Base, Lost Knives, RBRBR, MJ Hibbett
Friday @ The Flying Duck. Doors 9pm, £5
Guitars and synths collide in the clinical stylings of Nevada Base, Lost Knives are a thumping Mancunian quartet, and Edinburghers RBRBR make synth-pop with a sense of humour.

Lord Cut-Glass
Saturday @ King Tut's. Doors 8.30pm, £8
Former Delgados man Alun Woodward's latest musical project. Read The Scotsman's interview here.

Paper Planes, Pooch, French Wives
Saturday @ Stereo. Doors 8pm, £5
Not one, not two, but three UtR bands on one bill. Wowza. Read more here, here and here.


Stirling

Tango in the Attic
Sunday @ Cape. Doors 8pm, £tbc
Before they get their big 'T Break' at a certain music festival, Glenrothes' finest band since, er, Sergeant, preview their boptastic, Vampire Weekend-esque wares.

Malcolm Middleton
Friday @ Tolbooth. Doors 8pm, £12/10
We can never resist plugging one of Malcy's shows, especially since the one-time Arab Strap man has vowed to put a hold on his solo career after this album and this could be your last chance to see him for a while. Unless you live in Aberdeen, where he plays The Tunnels the following night.

Words: Nick Mitchell, Billy Hamilton

What have we missed? Tell us below, or add it to our gig guide by emailing utr.scotsman@gmail.com

Radar recommends: 12 - 18 April

[Young Fathers: playing King Tut's on Friday]

After the copious delights of the past couple of weeks, things slow down on the gig front this week. But we've still managed to select a few choice nights to keep you busy.

Oso, Enemies and Super Adventure Club
Monday 13 Apr, Cassette, Glasgow, FREE, Doors 8pm
Respect to Oso. The polyrhythmic Californians have packed six (yes, six) Scottish dates into their UK jaunt, and this one could well be the highlight, because sharing the bill are UtR favourites Super Adventure Club. [NM]

Play: SAC - Tommy Sheridan


Withered Hand, Ray Rumours, Francois
Mon 13 April, The Bowery, Edinburgh. Doors 7.30pm, £5
We can’t tell you much about support acts Ray Rumours and Francois, but we do know Withered Hand (aka Dan Wilson) are absolutely sublime. Skewering crisp melodies with arresting experimentation, Wilson’s textured folk canters are a dichotomous sonic treat that never fail to captivate the ear-canals. Backed by myriad local luminaries, it’s also an ideal opportunity to spot a few Auld Reekie celebrities. [BH]

Wine, Women and Song featuring L-Marie, Jake Cogan, Nuala Kennedy
Wed 15 April, Voodoo Rooms, Edinburgh. Doors 7.30pm, £8
A new night on the Edinburgh circuit, Wine, Women and Song’s raison d’etre is to highlight the fairer sex's musical virtues. This inaugural eve sees a sterling line-up of nu-soul cooer Lizzie-Marie, Edinburgh songstress Jake Corgan and folk hustler Nuala Kennedy appropriate the Voodoo Rooms' ballroom. Here come the girls? You bet. [BH]

**UtR's gig of the week**
We Are Trapped in Kansas, The Darien Venture and Esperi
Thursday 16 Apr, Captain's Rest, Glasgow, £tbc, Doors 8pm
This night of semi-experimental sounds is headed by Scotland's most accomplished math rock act (and there aren't too many of those at the last count), We Are Trapped in Kansas, and bolstered by the poppier Darien Venture and recent UtR stars Esperi. [NM]

Play: Esperi - Proverb

Limbo featuring Marina and The Diamonds, My Cousin I Bid You Farewell
Thursday 16 April, Voodoo Rooms, Edinburgh. Doors 8pm, £4
In a week where Edinburgh gig pickings are slimmer than Kate Moss on Atkins, it’s left to old faithful Limbo to once again produce the goods. On the cusp of a major league breakthrough, Marina and The Diamonds’ acrobatic trinkets soar skywards with the grace of Kate Bush and the brazen intensity of Bat for Lashes. Supported by My Cousin I Bid You Farewell (soon to be ‘on the radar’), this is sure to be another corking Limbo showing. [BH]

Esser, Young Fathers and Jesus H Foxx
Friday 17 Apr, King Tut's Wah Wah Hut, Glasgow, £6, Doors 8.30pm
Young London trendy Ben Esser headlines this gig at Tut's, but it's the supporting acts we're more interested in. Young Fathers are leading the way for Scottish hip-hop in their own blistering style, while Jesus H Foxx are finally set to deliver on the hype with a new EP. [NM]

The Sexual Objects
Saturday 18 Apr, Mono, Glasgow, FREE, Noon-Midnight
To mark Record Store Day, the muso haven that is Monorail plays host to live music and DJs in an all-day event. Don't miss The Sexual Objects at 7pm, the enigmatic group fronted by ex-Fire Engines veteran Davey Henderson. More info here. [NM]

Goodbye Lenin, Sebastian Dangerfield, The Byrons
Saturday 18 April, Cabaret Voltaire, Edinburgh. Doors 7pm, £5
We’re suckers for an old-fashion slosh of indie here at UtR and, fortunately for us, that’s exactly what this trio of Edinburgh-based miscreants do best. Radiohead (well, Ed O'Brien) commended riff-mongers Goodbye Lenin are the vanguards of a night that showcases the exuberant guitar flutterings of Sebastian Dangerfield and The Byrons’ caged-beast schlock ‘n’ roll. Definitely one for Converse loving indie-aficionados. [BH]

- Billy Hamilton & Nick Mitchell

Have we missed something? Let us know below...

Radar recommends: 5 - 11 April

[Dead Boy Robotics: appearing at Limbo this week]

In the second instalment of our weekly gigs round-up we've broadened our scope beyond Auld Reekie to take in the best gigs wherever they are in the country. You'll notice that when we say 'country' we mean Edinburgh and Glasgow, but we did look for noteworthy gigs elsewhere without much success. Care to prove us wrong? Leave a comment below.

Fangs, Boycotts, Unicorn Kid and Findo Gask
Sun 5 Apr, King Tut's, Glasgow. Doors 8pm, £tbc
Since their ill-fated attempt to win the praise of Alex James and the rest of the 'expert' judges on a certain TV 'talent' show, Fangs are back doing what they do best: strutting their flamboyant electro-punk stuff. And there's plenty more on offer: the urgent energy of Boycotts, teenage electro whizz Unicorn Kid and the toybox 'tronica of Findo Gask. [NM]

Remember Remember and Matt Elliott
Mon 6 Apr, Cassette, Glasgow. Doors 9pm, £3
Whoever said sellotape couldn't be a musical instrument (and someone must have) never heard Remember Remember. Graeme Ronald crafts his delicate songs from whatever comes to hand, and does it live, in front of your eyes, with loop pedals! At this gig he's playing with cosmopolitan troubadour Matt Elliott. [NM]

Dananananaykroyd
Tues 7 Apr, Cabaret Volitaire, Edinburgh. Doors 7pm, £7
In all honesty, Dananana’s epileptic thrash-rock should only appeal to a niche fitting few. But so infectious are the Glasgow ensemble’s lives shows, not to mention last year’s brilliant Sissy Hits EP, that the buzz around their debut long-player Hey Everyone! has reverberated like a beehive in a megaphone. So, the day after the record drops UtR advises you get your derrière down to Cabaret Voltaire to find out just what all the fuss is about – you won’t be disappointed. [BH]

Limbo featuring Paul Vickers & The Leg, Electronicat, Dead Boy Robotics
Thurs 9 Apr, Voodoo Rooms, Edinburgh. Doors 8pm, £4
As ever, Limbo pulls out all the stops with this exceptionally coined line-up. Headlined by abstract proto-punk yelpers Paul Vickers (last seen by UtR dressed in full panda bear attire) & the Leg, the undercard juxtaposes renowned Berliner Electronicat’s effects-skewered swathes against the throttling two-pronged synth assault of local lads Dead Boy Robotics. In short, this is going to be one hell of an evening. [BH]

[Dead Boy Robotics - Cloud Sequence Animals]


**UtR's gig of the week**
This Is Music: Chutes, The French Quarter
Fri 10th Apr, Sneaky Pete's, Edinburgh. Doors 8pm , £3
A mainstay on the Edinburgh circuit for over two years, promoters This Is Music have put together a couple of Scotland’s finest young bands for this show. Teetering on the verge of a breakthrough for what’s seemed like aeons, Edinburgh five-piece Chutes are a maelstrom of taut melody and doom-saying lyrics that ignites the dancefloor like a guitar-slewing Molotov cocktail. More sombre but no less incessant, Tillicoultry quartet The French Quarter melt post-rock compositions with sloping, brush struck refrains to create a sound that, although innately Scottish, is utterly unique. [BH]

Glasgow PodcART presents Burning Codes, Robyn G Shiels and Yahweh
Sat 11 Apr, Stereo, Glasgow. Doors 7.30pm, £6
Like UtR, the people at Glasgow PodcART know a good thing when they hear it, and their podcast is an essential (and funny-as-hell) listen. Here they stage a showcase that spans the Irish sea, bringing you the best of Belfast (wistful one-time Snow Patrol cohort Burning Codes and the distinctive drawl of Robyn G Shiels) and Glasgow (one of the discoveries of the year in Yahweh, who we recently featured). [NM]

[Yahweh: The Wee Ending]


Aerials Presents: Great Eskimo Hoax, San Sebastian and Nacional
Sat 11 April, Cassette, Glasgow, £tbc
Combining Foals-y guitar interplay with winning harmonies, Great Eskimo Hoax are a pleasure to behold, and for this gig they are supported by two quality Scottish bands. San Sebastian make brooding, magnetic post-rock soundscapes, while Nacional bring their grandstanding indie home from SXSW. [NM]

Paper Planes, Foundling Wheel, Kung Fu, The Planes
Sat 11 Apr, Sneaky Pete's, Edinburgh. Doors 7pm, £4
Sneaky Pete’s has become the place to be seen in Edinburgh these days and this ear-bleeding evening of noise mongers is no exception. Glasgow outfit Paper Planes are the big draw; spanking out a splurge of party hard art-punk a la Yeah Yeah Yeahs. But, before that, the Foundling Wheel’s Ted Koterwas will penetrate nervous systems with an agitated clash of electronica that besieges like a category five hurricane. Supported by The Planes and Kung Fu, this is a night to be heard and not scene. [BH]

[The Foundling Wheel - Out To See]


- Billy Hamilton & Nick Mitchell

Radar recommends: Edinburgh gigs, 29 March – 4 April

Greetings music fans! Under the Radar [UTR] welcomes you to our very first foray into the world of gig listings. Now, we know you guys are busier than Madonna in an African adoption agency, so rather than reeling off a succession of shows we’ve done all the hard work for you and extracted the highlights of the next seven days and placed them into one essential feature. Without further ado then, UTR brings to you its top five Edinburgh gigs of the week [and, yes, we know Frightened Rabbit and Meursault are playing The Bowery on Friday but if you’ve not got a ticket by now don’t even bother]...

**UTR’s GIG OF THE WEEK**
Duty Free featuring Thomas Truax, Withered Hand, Greg Dodgeson
Friday 3 April, Cabaret Voltaire, doors: FREE(!)
Anyone who’s witnessed the beguiling sight of Thomas Truax (pictured above) in full flow will understand just why this is our gig of the week. A madcap human hurdy-gurdy, Truax and his smorgasbord of self-moulded instrumentation emits tunes like an off-kilter Andrew Bird teetering on the edge of both brilliance and derangement. Supported by the delectable harpsichordal strums of local troubadour Withered Hand, this is shaping up to be quite a showing. Oh, did we mention it will cost you not one penny?

Rob St John, The Wee Rogue, Ben Wetherill
Saturday 4 April, The Bowery, doors:TBC
Think of the sound of silence. Now add to it a tender, corkscrewing vocal and a few pulse-stopping melodies and you’ve done it; you’ve pinned down Rob St John. The once singer/songwriter now fully functioning band is an exquisite aural pleasure that never fails to induce the tingle of goose-flesh across UTR’s oh-so-manly self. Set in the Bowery’s haunting halls and supported by The Wee Rogue’s brittle-boned mews and Hack & A Hacksaw collaborator Ben Wetherill, you’d be a fool to miss this one.

Limbo featuring St Deluxe , Team Turnip, French Wives
Thursday 2 April, Voodoo Rooms, doors £4
A staple on the Edinburgh scene for over a year now, Limbo consistently produces the goods when it comes to gigs. This one’s no exception. St Deluxe are a thrashing romp of Ash-like hooks and swagger; Team Turnip wail out infectious melodies like The Boy Least Likely To in a Lego-less toy shop; while French Wives are the sweet sound of string-laden waves crashing against a shoreline of The Delgados and Arcade Fire. Will we ever stop singing Limbo’s praises? Doubtful.

Manky Bastard Presents: The Gothenburg Address, North Atlantic Oscillation, San Sebastian
Saturday 4 April, Sneaky Pete’s, £5 doors
When someone going by the name of Manky Bastard presents you with anything you’d normally make for the pepper spray. But this time you’re in safe hands because this lovingly-wrapped gift is the oscillating sound of The Gothenburg Address. A clan of indie luminaries, the Edinburgh-dwelling quartet’s voiceless thrust of chord embellishing Post-Rock is picking up plaudits like Arthur Herbert Fonzarelli picks up women, sans the incorrigible catchphrase and finger snapping.

Jesus H. Foxx (Single launch), Y’all Is Fantasy Island, Hindle Wakes
Thursday 2 April, Sneaky Pete’s, £4 doors
We here at UTR make no apologies for our unreserved love of Jesus H. Foxx. The Edinburgh-based quintet’s new-wave, post-punk scuffling has been tickling our sensorial cones for over a year now. This week's gig marks the launch of The Foxx’s brand new single and is supported by infectiously morose mainstays Y’all Is Fantasy Island and Glasgow’s whispered Hindle Wakes. All in all, it’s guaranteed to be a corker.

Disagree with our selection? Wanna tell the world where you 're going this week? Let us know below...