Sweet blog review of night two, including a clutch of photos, at
The Scottish Patient (August 6th)...
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Aug 6th: HMS Ginafore and Pictish Trail in RETREAT! mode
I've got the CDs. Play them regular on my radio show. Heard all the hullabaloo. But until tonight I hadnt been to a real live
Fence Collective gig. Fence, for anyone living on Planet Lugless, are the East Neuk Of Fife's premier record label/collective/ambassadors. Strictly speaking this wasn't a proper Fence night but a
RETREAT! night. But it had the Fence elements in place.
RETREAT! is a bit special in its own right. It's a low key musical festival in the centre of Edinburgh created by a Bart and an Emily (whoever they are, much respect is due) which kicked off this week in The Scottish Scullery which has been set up in St John's. You know, where Lothian Road meets Princes Street. Aye, the kirk with the thought-provoking murals outside. Inside, the Scottish Scullery holds about 200 at a squeeze, sells food made from fresh Scottish ingredients, has Scottish beer in the fridge, and not a bad wee selection of fine malts behind the bar.
Despite the torrential rain the venue was standing room only when the beautiful and charismatic HMS Ginafore took to the stage. Her songs are soft, gentle, clever, and infectious. So much so I spent my last £14.80 on her double CD collection. It was worth every penny. Second up was
Button Series, a quirky London duo with some fine tunes, especially their single "I'm Going To The Shops". Then the headliner for the night came on,
Pictish Trail, who played a set which was mindblowing. The god-like genius behind Fence that is
King Creosote joined Pictish Trail on stage (see the wee blurry photo on the left). This made my night. Haven't enjoyed a folk gig like this for many a long year. Is it folk music? Neu-folk? Indie-folk? Dunno. Whatever it was I felt privileged just to have been there.
See when you've just had your spirits lifted by something really special, the rain becomes beautiful rather than wet, and even grubby ole Lothian Road has a golden sparkle to it. I'm going to take in a few more of these
RETREAT! gigs over the next couple of weeks. Starting with
Randan Discotheque on Friday night. And here's the best part. These gigs buck the overpriced festival trend and only cost THREE QUID to get in. Wow. So, shhhhh. Get yersel along. But dinnae tell the tourists.
(By Kevin Williamson)