Fringe Benefits

As part of  my brief visit to Scotland this week, i spend a day in Edinburgh at the fringe. Having only ever visited during fringe season, i have no indication of what the atmosphere is like during the rest of the year, however it's always been very lively and friendly on my few visits.
Like last year we didn't pack the day full of performances, we mostly wandered down the cobbled streets watching street performers, and sampling the local pubs. We also checked out a couple of exhibitions, there was a particularly good Rauschenberg one at Inverleith House in the Royal Botanic Gardens.
The main highlight was a free show held at 'The Hive' by comedien Phil Kay. I never know what to expect with free shows, i usually assume i'll leave with several pulled muscles from awkward jokes gone down like a lead balloon. Phil Kay was refreshingly funny. It was a musical set of semi-improvised songs that built up layers of laughter. I can honestly say that i left with an aching face, i really enjoyed it.

Build a Rocket Boys!

For the Man Candy's birthday i managed (with the help of a well connected friend) to procure some tickets for the Elbow gig in Manchester last Friday. The entire crowd seemed to visibly fall in love with Mr Garvey a thousand times over, his voice was fantastic.
This was the set...

The Birds

The Bones of You

Lippy Kids

Mirrorball

With Love

Neat Little Rows

The Night Will Always Win

Great Expectations

Grounds For Divorce

The Loneliness of a Tower Crane Driver

Puncture Repair

Some Riot

Weather to Fly

Open Arms

Encore

Starlings

Station Approach

One Day Like This

Belle & Sebastian

21st December @ The Barrowlands, Glasgow

Set List

I didn't see it coming

I'm a Cuckoo

Step into my office, baby

Expectations

I'm not living in the real world

Piazza, New York Catcher

I want the world to stop

Lord Anthony

Sukie in the graveyard

Fox in the snow

My Wandering Days are over

The Wrong Girl

There's Too Much Love

The Boy with the Arab Strap

If you find yourself caught in love

Judy and the dream of horses

Sleep the clock around

Encore

Lazy Line Painter Jane

Me and The Major

Encore

Last night i went to see The National play at the Academy, it was pretty wonderful. The support (Phosphorescent) played really well, and then the National came on and made everyone melt. The frontman Matt Berninger has such a deep, lovely voice. They came on for an encore and for the final song, they asked everyone to be silent as they were going to try and play a song without microphones. You could have heard a pin drop, it began so quietly, and then the crowd softly started joining in (bizarrely in tune) and got louder and louder. I don't think there was a dry eye in the room, it was beautiful. My friend happened to record it, it doesn't do it justice, but you get the idea.

Tramlines

I caught the train over to Sheffield on Friday for the annual Tramlines Festival. It's a weekend of music, with bands playing in bars, clubs and on the streets all over the city, and most importantly, it's free. Sadly i could only stay for the Friday night as i had work on Saturday, but i still got to see Simian Mobile Disco DJ at a venue called DQ. I went to Tramlines last year and got to stay the whole weekend and saw loads of acts, most memorably 80s Matchbox B-line Disaster. It's so much fun to have a whole city so focused on music, everywhere you walk there's something different on. The Manchester Jazz Festival is now on (from 23rd-31st) so i think i will be heading into town quite a lot this coming week for a spot of shopping accompanied by some good music.

Stage Presence

"A wave swept up to the shore and took me back for the ride.
And in that moment of fear I gazed below normal tide
That’s when the depths of the ocean showed what was really inside.
I saw a man sat just below the surface on a rock.
And his wisdom filled gaze withdrew all panic and shock
And unlocked an inner calm that let me float down to his depths"

1000 Words - Scroobius Pip     o

The thought of being on stage in front of a room full of people fills me with fear and dread and would even encourage me into showing violence towards a passing asthmatic for a calming puff on their inhaler. At a production of West Side Story that had a friend performing in, i pulled a muscle in my back from 3 hours of sitting tensely. When my younger brother (at the tender age of 16) didn't blink an eye at the heckles he was getting during his one man stand up routine at an established venue, i was having minor nervous breakdowns and heart palpitations. I don't think i will ever feel comfortable on stage and quite frankly, i can live with that, but that doesn't stop me from feeling green with envy at those who stage presence comes naturally to. I went with said sibling/breakthrough comedian to watch Dan le Sac vs Scroobius Pip perform last night. I was mesmerised by the ease at which 'Pip' strutted round the stage, winning over a crowd of lairy Mancunians. I couldn't stop myself from staring and following his every move, probably subconsciously trying to pick up tips for the future where i might be presented with a similar situation. I wonder if stage presence is something you are born with, or whether you can learn it.