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

Guest blogger: Rob St John

With bands sprawled across every inch of its rugged landscape, Scotland's music scene is practically bursting at the seams. And making up this amply endowed trove is a microcosm of scenes fizzing with ingenuity, activity and, most importantly, great music.

So far we've introduced you to an array of tunesmiths at the fulcrum of this creative hive, but we've ventured one step further and bartered you the inside line straight from the main players themselves. Once a month (or twice if things go to plan), a prominent artist will offer you a unique insight into what makes their scene seen; musing over the minutiae and pondering the possibilities.

For our inaugural feature, UtR could think of no one it would rather have wax lyrical about Edinburgh's anthill-like DIY scene than the ever-brilliant Rob St. John. So without further ado, we'll leave you in the more than capable hands of this exquisite local songwriter...

*****

When asked to write this piece, my initial feeling was that I’m not nearly qualified enough to describe what’s happening in Edinburgh right now. But maybe that illustrates how healthy things are at the moment.

Compared to when I arrived in the city five years ago, there’s now such a wealth and diversity of music happening that what I see as the ‘Edinburgh music scene’ will undoubtedly be different to what others see it as. To me, it’s the independent, creative and DIY ethos adopted by a lot of Edinburgh musicians that's currently inspiring and uniting a raft of exciting music.

I suppose it depends where your ambitions lie, but to book and play shows and tours you’re proud of - independently of booking agents, managers and the rest - is a liberating experience. Independence seems to spark a whole seam of creativity in many bands, like My Kappa Roots’ overlap between film and music; Withered Hand’s comics and drawings; and the whole cottage industry created by FOUND.

Along with My Kappa Roots, eagleowl, Randan Discotheque, The Great Bear and The Wee Rogue we began putting records out under the Fife Kills: label in 2006. Again, I think having full independent control of your recording, packaging and distribution (with no one else taking a cut!), yet to be associated with a bunch of people successfully doing the same thing, is really healthy and creative– even it does mean a hell of a lot of stamping CDs and trips to the Post Office!

The influence of Tracer Trails promotions on what’s happening in Edinburgh can’t be underestimated. From 2006 they brought a succession of acts such as Viking Moses, Jeff Lewis, Diane Cluck, David Thomas Broughton, Tissø Lake and a lot more to play interesting venues in Edinburgh (disused churches, galleries, etc). It really demystified the process of booking and playing gigs, showing how both the band and promoter can successfully operate on a DIY basis.

It showed that it could be as simple as if your band played well and were decent enough to be around, then you’d be invited back. To see how touring bands used this to keep a friendly promoter or venue contact in most towns was inspiring. It also brought together a whole bunch of similarly minded people who were living under that hackneyed cliché of a year or two ago that ‘Edinburgh has no music scene’.

I and a lot of others would look to Fence, and at people like K and Marriage Records in the USA (people I was getting increasingly exposed to through Tracer Trails) and see that to have a cohesiveness, overlap and interchange of ideas between bands and promoters - what Dan Withered Hand calls his‘support network - could only be a healthy thing. And so it has proved - the success of Withered Hand, Meursault, FOUND and Broken Records is both well-deserved and exciting.

But, whilst overground success is excellent, I wouldn’t point to it alone as the barometer of how healthy things are just now. Instead, I think it’s telling that so many small, independent shows are being well-attended by an appreciative audience; that there’s an abundance of creative new bands regularly being started, and new venues like the wonderful Bowery opening to accommodate it all.

Crucially, there’s a real sense of openness, co-operation and goodwill between everyone involved, making Edinburgh a really exciting and creative place to be a musician.

Words: Rob St John

Play: Rob St John - Paper Ships


Play: Rob St John - Like Alchemy

Radar recommends: 3 - 9 May

[The Gothenburg Address: playing Cabaret Voltaire on Wednesday]

Pheweee...what a seven days for gigs. With Tigerfest swinging into action on the east coast and a plethora of ear-pleasing acts heading west, Scottish punters are a bit spoilt for choice this bank holiday week. But, as a waistline-bulging UtR once said, why settle for just one measly slice when you can have the whole cake, right?

Ross Clark & The Scarfs Go Missing, Rob St John, French Wives
Sun 3 May, Sneaky Pete’s, Edinburgh. Doors 8pm, £5
Once a solo-flying troubadour, Ross Clark has rounded up a herd of instrument-wielding miscreants (aka Ths Scarfs Go Missing) to beef up the bones of his precious, moribund trinkets. Highlighted by various indie-zine bibles as a star of the future, Clark’s live sets are delivered with fervent gusto, crackling with both poignancy and grace. Backed by UtR’s favourite purveyor of simmering folk ditties, Rob St John, and effervescent Glaswegians French Wives, this is going to be one hell of a kickstart to the week. [BH]

Rob St John - Like Alchemy


**UtR's gig of the week**
Tigerfest: Amusement Parks On Fire, The Gothenburg Address, Cryoverbillionaires
Wed 6 May, Cabaret Voltaire, Edinburgh. Doors 7pm, £8
Shoegazing superstars (now THAT’S an oxymoron) Amusement Parks on Fire are not just a catch for this year’s Tigerfest, they’re a stick full of dynamite waiting to ignite. To say UtR’s excited about witnessing this mammoth aural eruption would be an understatement - we’re as giddy as a spin-dried 3-year-old high on Haribo - and with Edinburgh’s mighty The Gothenburg Address and the equally beguilling Cryoverbillionaires playing wingmen - we may well need to bring along an extra catheter. Needless to say, this is going to be good. [BH]

The Gothenburg Address - The Lesser Coming Home


The Mill: Palace Ballet, St Deluxe
Thu 7 May, The Mill @ Oran Mor, Glasgow, Doors 7pm, FREE. Tickets here
This week the Glasgow leg of The Mill scores another double-header of quality Scottish music. Palace Ballet, for anyone unfamiliar, are like the hip New York band that no-one told you about, with the singer's Casablancas drawl and their readymade garage rock hits. Except they are indeed Scottish. St Deluxe, meanwhile, are steeped in the hazy alt-rock of the late 80s, and damn good at what they do. [NM]

This Is Music’s 3^rd Birthday Party: Broken Records, Mike Bones, Rob St John
Fri 8 May, The Bowery, Edinburgh. 7pm. £10
No longer a toddler, This Is Music [TIM] has played a titanic role in the rejuvenation of Edinburgh’s music scene. And to celebrate their third year, the folk at TIM have once again produced the goods; rolling out a stellar line-up that runs the gambit from soaring baroque rock (Broken Records) to introverted laments (Rob St John). With Vice Records’ latest tune-churner Mike Bones adding transatlantic bite to proceedings, TIM’s birthday bash is the only party to be at this Friday. [BH]

• Not content with one party, the TIM gang have staged two: Copy Haho, Tie For Jack, Homework and DJ Vic Galloway will appear on the same night at Sneaky Pete's, Edinburgh(Doors 8pm)

The Vivians, The Brogues, Ewan Butler
Fri 8 May, Maggie May's, Glasgow, Doors 8pm, £5
Once familiar sights on Edinburgh streets in their skinnier-than-thou jeans and vertical punk barnets, The Vivians now ply their trade on London's hipster bar circuit. But you can catch them in all their outlandish glory with this Glasgow show where good old confrontational punk is guaranteed. Support comes in the shape of Dundonian lad-rock outfit The Brogues and West Lothian singer-songwriter Ewan Butler. [NM]

Zoey Van Goey, The Second Hand Marching Band, Endor
Sat 9 May, Stereo, Glasgow, Doors 8pm, £TBC
With their crafted, intelligent indie-pop and a freshly pressed debut album, the Glasgow-based, transatlantic trio Zoey Van Goey could well be set to follow in the footsteps of similarly exquisite forebears My Latest Novel and Camera Obscura. For this their album launch party they've recruited none other than UtR faves The Second Marching Band (see 6 April blog) and Endor to share their festivities. Not to be missed. [NM]

Play: TSHMB - A Dance to Half Death


The Elvis Suicide, Four Dead in Ohio
Sat 9 May, The Captain's Rest, Glasgow, Doors 8pm, £TBC
If you're in the mood for something a bit more raucous, head to the Captain's Rest for this show by Glasgow rockers The Elvis Suicide. With scant regard for what's fashionable or cool, they emit short, full-throttle punk songs like jabs to your kidneys. Not enough heid-banging for you? Well there's also Four Dead in Ohio, a London group of Neil Young inspired, BRMC-esque rockers. [NM]

Tigerfest: The Ordinary Allstars, Supersonic Sims, B Burg (DJ Set)
Sat 9 May, Cabaret Voltaire, Edinburgh. Doors: 7pm, £7
While never a regular on these here pages, Hip-Hop can still be heard blaring through the halls of UtR’s less-than-stately abode every so often. And Edinburgh outfit the Ordinary Allstars are one of the MC-wielding ensembles who regularly tickle our tape decks. Summertime samples aplenty, the group’s ebullient instrumentation is supplemented by a waterfall of slickly executed rhyme. Supported by Supersonic Sims' grime-riddled Funktronica, this Tigerfest show promises to bring the beat back to Auld Reekie. [BH]

- Billy Hamilton / Nick Mitchell

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

On the radar: Rob St. John

Photograph: Ian Humberstone

Edinburgh’s music scene has been gathering momentum with such pace it could be pushing for a spot in the British sprinting team come the London Olympics.

Yet despite the spotlighting of bands like, the 4AD-signed, Broken Records and Song By Toad starlets Meursault, there remains a few uncovered gems in Auld Reekie’s buxom underground.

Rather perplexingly, Rob St. John [RSJ] is not one of those rough-edged diamonds - it’s six.

A fully functioning ensemble operating under the birth title of its song-writing vanguard, the sextet produces lilting folk compositions more brittle than a porcelain doll and just as expertly crafted.

Rob St. John, himself, tells UtR: “We try to play folk-based songs using interesting and unusual acoustic instruments - saw, harmonium, autoharp - highly influenced by minimalist, ambient and post-rock music. We’re interested in playing songs that have a great hook or melody, are orchestrated interestingly and are never over crowded by unnecessary instrumentation.”


Rob St. John - The Shipping Forecast from Song, by Toad.

Live, RSJ are simply pulse-stopping. Rob’s quivering intone coils around audiences like a wreath, while his cohorts [including members of local heroes eagleowl, Emily Scott , The Great Bear and Pineapple Chunks] tenderly orchestrate a graveyard of spellbinding, organic melody.

Rob St John - Like Alchemy


Refreshingly without motive, it seems RSJ make music for music’s sake. “Everyone has their own projects and we play primarily for fun, with no auspices or ego, and certainly no aspirations for fame,” explains Rob. “The fun of playing music where we are just now is that we get to travel to places to play shows with good and interesting people, hearing great music, and not losing too much money. If anyone enjoys what we’re doing, that’s a bonus.”

As an industrious part of Edinburgh’s subculture over the last five years, Rob’s buoyed by the Capital’s current musical rejuvenation: “It’s a fantastic place to be. I’d really recommend folk to look out for the burgeoning DIY scene in Edinburgh just now,” he enthuses. “I’m interested to see how the cross-over success of people like Broken Records, and the possible subsequent music press focus on Edinburgh will impact what’s going on. I think there’s such a diverse range of stuff going on just now that lazy, outside journalism and attempts to pigeonhole a ‘scene’ will fall very wide of the mark.“

Rob St John - Paper Ships


Discover Rob St. John for yourself at the following shows:

4 Apr @ The Bowery, Edinburgh
17 Apr @ Waid Academy (Fence Homegame), Anstruther
2 May @ Cabaret Voltaire, Edinburgh

By Billy Hamilton

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...