SCRAP BRAIN SINGLE LAUNCH @ MAGGIE'S CHAMBER, 8 APR
This Ginger Music Promotions gig at Maggie's Chambers sees headliners Scrap Brain promote new single Nal.
Some of the bands spread over the stage like musical marmite: people seem to either love 'em or hate 'em. But the eclectic bill proves to be the night's strength, even if it does seem to benefit the bar takings downstairs at The Three Sisters more than it does the chance of this seeming like a cohesive gig.
Hagana are a last-minute addition to the bill, and they roll up in their souped-up Haganamobile, rev up their gleaming set of classics, then race them around the venue like grungey bumper cars at a fairground run by Dinosaur Jr and The Beach Boys.
The band mix up old favourites from their EP with shiny new tunes like 'Trousernose': Hagana are strong enough to headline most lineups and the small audience they play to is entirely due to their timeslot (and our old bugbear, Edinburgh gig-goer apathy).
Post-rock. Math rock. Rock, scissors, paper. Call it what you like, but the proggish instrumental noodlings of Lady North are an acquired taste. Showing their work in the margins like good students at Mogwai Polytechnic, the trio seem to be enjoying themselves as they bounce around the stage seemingly oblivious of the audience and perhaps taking themselves a bit too seriously for their own good.
Lady North are undeniably technically brilliant. But then so are the people who make iPhones - that doesn't necessarily mean you want to watch them do it.
Jump: Press A are fast-becoming one of the must-see acts on the local circuit, thanks to their hard-working gig ethic and a grab-bag of tunes that bounce mindfully around between genres. This gives them a strong fanbase and a broad appeal, evidenced by the large number watching them ply their angry pop onstage.
J:PA always work best when they've got room to breathe, and the stage at Maggie's is almost perfectly-sized for them (even if the new keys player seems to be wedged in diagonally in the corner). And when frontwoman Kelagh asks people to move forward, she probably isn't expecting to end up singing so close to the fans she can see what they had for dinner, but it certainly makes for an up-close-and-personal (and loud) experience.
By the time Scrap Brain take the stage, the crowd seem to have rebooted. Most of the J:PA and Hagana fans have departed; and the Scrap Brainiacs (sic) have taken their place, keen to see their favourite post-punk trio strut their stuff.
And strut they do. Especially Angie. Her prowling stage presence is what turns Scrap Brain from a diverting band into a captivating one: whether yelping and dropping to her knees like a punk gymnast; or peering out from under her fringe like a long-lost Ramone sister.
This band would probably be first to admit they're not the most technical; and they don't have tunes you'll be whistling in the shower the next morning. But in spite of that - maybe because of that - they're one of the most distinctive and dynamic bands on the scene.
So, tonight's gig proves you can't please all of the people all of the time. But, with 90% of the people sitting at home watching Come Dine With My Desperate Housewives, that doesn't really matter.
What matters - as always - is the music, and this gig is yet another example of Edinburgh's diversity and grass roots talent.
Some of the bands spread over the stage like musical marmite: people seem to either love 'em or hate 'em. But the eclectic bill proves to be the night's strength, even if it does seem to benefit the bar takings downstairs at The Three Sisters more than it does the chance of this seeming like a cohesive gig.
Hagana are a last-minute addition to the bill, and they roll up in their souped-up Haganamobile, rev up their gleaming set of classics, then race them around the venue like grungey bumper cars at a fairground run by Dinosaur Jr and The Beach Boys.
The band mix up old favourites from their EP with shiny new tunes like 'Trousernose': Hagana are strong enough to headline most lineups and the small audience they play to is entirely due to their timeslot (and our old bugbear, Edinburgh gig-goer apathy).
Post-rock. Math rock. Rock, scissors, paper. Call it what you like, but the proggish instrumental noodlings of Lady North are an acquired taste. Showing their work in the margins like good students at Mogwai Polytechnic, the trio seem to be enjoying themselves as they bounce around the stage seemingly oblivious of the audience and perhaps taking themselves a bit too seriously for their own good.
Lady North are undeniably technically brilliant. But then so are the people who make iPhones - that doesn't necessarily mean you want to watch them do it.
Jump: Press A are fast-becoming one of the must-see acts on the local circuit, thanks to their hard-working gig ethic and a grab-bag of tunes that bounce mindfully around between genres. This gives them a strong fanbase and a broad appeal, evidenced by the large number watching them ply their angry pop onstage.
J:PA always work best when they've got room to breathe, and the stage at Maggie's is almost perfectly-sized for them (even if the new keys player seems to be wedged in diagonally in the corner). And when frontwoman Kelagh asks people to move forward, she probably isn't expecting to end up singing so close to the fans she can see what they had for dinner, but it certainly makes for an up-close-and-personal (and loud) experience.
By the time Scrap Brain take the stage, the crowd seem to have rebooted. Most of the J:PA and Hagana fans have departed; and the Scrap Brainiacs (sic) have taken their place, keen to see their favourite post-punk trio strut their stuff.
And strut they do. Especially Angie. Her prowling stage presence is what turns Scrap Brain from a diverting band into a captivating one: whether yelping and dropping to her knees like a punk gymnast; or peering out from under her fringe like a long-lost Ramone sister.
This band would probably be first to admit they're not the most technical; and they don't have tunes you'll be whistling in the shower the next morning. But in spite of that - maybe because of that - they're one of the most distinctive and dynamic bands on the scene.
So, tonight's gig proves you can't please all of the people all of the time. But, with 90% of the people sitting at home watching Come Dine With My Desperate Housewives, that doesn't really matter.
What matters - as always - is the music, and this gig is yet another example of Edinburgh's diversity and grass roots talent.
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