• Duke Special. Stuff from his new album, The Stage, A Book and the Silver Screen, with songs about the films of Hector Mann (is this a real person or just a character in a book?), a Kurt Weill musical about Huckleberry Finn (unfinished) and an anti-war Brecht play. There were a few fan favourites as well, including the terminally catchy Salvation Tambourine.

• The Penny Dreadfuls. I have no idea if this show had a name, but it was a comedy sketch show with no particular theme. In previous years they have mined the comic depths of Victoriana with sketch shows and comic plays. Last year’s show was a stand-out amongst several shining examples. This year wasn’t bad though I felt I didn’t get the same weeping pain and fear-for-my-underwear that I’ve felt in previous years.

• Miles Jupp: Fibber in the Heat (A Cricket Tale). Brilliant tale of one cricket fan’s bid to blag his way into the press box for an tour in India. I know nothing about cricket but it was still a marvellously-told and hilarious story.

• Gutted: A Revenger’s Musical. A late-night comedy musical with the Dreadfuls in supporting roles. It was fun in a slapstick farcical way. Definite Fringe material, though I don’t mean that in the worst possible way. I laughed a good deal more than at some of the stuff I’ve seen…

• Henry Rollins: Frequent Flyer Tour. I had heard a great deal said about Henry Rollins and seen one or two clips on YouTube but had no real measure of what the show would contain. It was an hour and a bit of white-knuckle anecdote and comedy. Totally recommended if you can catch his show anywhere, and from the way he talks he does about a million shows every week.

• Opera de Lyon: Porgy and Bess. A free “orchestra rehearsal” at the Festival Theatre. Sadly the singers were a bit mumbled and even the songs which I knew didn’t come across very well. The interval provided some nice insight as the conductor made some members of the cast re-do certain lines and phrases. I’m just sorry he didn’t get them to sing a bit more clearly at the same time. The dancers were amazing.

• Axis of Awesome: Songs in the Key of Awesome. Comedy musical trio with parodies and hilarious ditties, including the ever-flexible four chords…

• Caledonia. Another free preview, at the King’s Theatre this time, of the latest NTS production. This is a dark and satirical comedy about the Darien venture, Scotland’s ill-fated attempt at empire-building which led to its bankruptcy and eventual merging of parliaments with England. And what better time than now to look at the past of financial speculation and ruin, and claims that “trade begets trade, money begets money”? While enjoyable it was, I think, under-rehearsed: some slightly stumbled lines and one or two on-stage collisions between actors betrayed some lack of familiarity. Mostly this didn’t detract from the show though. Not as completely riveting as Black Watch, but then what is?

• Nofit State Circus: Tabu. Gritty, energetic circus fun with moody live band providing klezmer jollity, rock and cinematic soundscapes. I nearly laughed at the very beginning because the speaker said “it’s been raining for four years, eleven months and two days…” and behind me I could hear the popcorn machine making rain-like pop-pop-pop noises. Funny, alarming, wildly athletic and terrifyingly immediate. Catch them wherever you can. Now when are Archaos going to come back to Edinburgh…?

I’ve probably forgotten something in this list, and we’re going to an Aussie opera on Saturday, so there’ll be more to come.

Efrim was quite talkative — and Glasgow was naturally talkative back — and he even told us exactly what they were going to play before each piece. Nice! Of course that doesn’t mean I can remember everything they did. I guess:

• I Built Myself a Metal Bird, I Fed My Metal Bird the Wings of Other Metal Birds
• God Bless Our Dead Marines
• 1,000,000 Died to Make This Sound
• ‘Piphany Rambler
• There is a Light
• 13 Blues for Thirteen Moons

The ordering is probably not right but that’s how it felt at the time. I enjoyed it all, though I wish I’d been more conscientious about listening to the new album before we went.

There were a lot of big cameras in the audience, including one guy about two rows in front of me who basically spent the whole gig shooting. From the position he was standing, I think it’s this fellow here.

• Looking for Eric

  This doesn’t really count as a Festival event because it’s just a film which was on at the Filmhouse. But it was really good so I’m putting it here.

  It’s got Eric Cantona guest starring as Eric Cantona, as the fairy godmother/spirit guide for a struggling postman. It’s directed by Ken Loach, and is that typical triumph-over-adversity plot which makes for funny and warming cinema.

• Polly Paulusma et al.

  An acoustic night at Medina, and all the acts were completely unknown to me. Polly headlining and support from various others including local newbies Mayhew. I’m sure I recognised two of the band members.

• Nick Harper

  The second unknown. I really enjoyed his show, though I’m easily drawn to an artist who’ll sing the intro to a song unaccompanied while restringing their guitar. He played with just an acoustic guitar, and a mixture of floaty, shoegazing songs and angry, energetic songs.

  He was a bit pissed and very garrulous, but wasn’t nearly as drunk and annoying as some of the audience. I can kind of forgive Helen and Ken not enjoying themselves so much because of the twerps sitting behind, stomping out of time on the ricketty seats. I had a lot of fun though.

Have you seen any interesting new musicians lately?

I knew nothing of the music before arriving. Helen had played me some a few days before but I was busy doing other things and not concentrating fully. I wasn’t too worried about this. Helen had seen him once before, also without any foreknowledge or preparation (presumably as a support act?) and had really enjoyed it.

And so it was. He turned out to be immensely enjoyable: catchy, intelligent and slightly ramshackle. Just the way I like ‘em. He has a slight air of vaudeville and junkyard band to him, a little bit of Tom Waits’ dark twisted stories and obscure vignettes. Also, gotta love that Northern Irish accent. This is Sweet Sweet Kisses from his new album:

The show was quite early finishing — we were out of there by 10.30 — but the final encore was such a great ending that I really didn’t care. The whole band came off stage, carrying electric guitar (unplugged), double bass and tambourine, and stood in the centre of the hall, with the audience crowded around. Then they taught us Creaky Boat Blues, a sea shanty of sorts, which the whole audience was urged to sing.

Here’s another video from a gig a few days before the Glasgow one, where they did the same thing and someone caught it on video. Enjoy!

The performers were Steve Lawson and Lobelia (his and hers websites). She does singer-songwriter stuff and he does looping, layered bass guitar songs. They did some songs solo each, and some songs together, including some reworked “cheesy 80s covers”. You know, like a (US) countrified version of You Spin Me Round (Like A Record).

The show was live-streamed to about 190-odd people on the internet, and there were about 18 of us in Paddy’s living room. Here’s one song, recorded from Lobelia’s phone I think. The laughter is hers…

We paid a few quid direct to the artists and even bought a couple of their CDs. Then we went for a curry with Helen’s family and the performers. It was a pretty cool evening. I wonder who else does regular house gigs? Here’s another tune:

Edit: I’ve just been informed that Steve Lawson blogged about it here Dontcher luv tinternet?

Helen was away at the weekend and I spent the time making too much bread. But I’ve discovered that Lidl sell bread flour half the price of anywhere else, so that compensates a bit.

Yesterday we saw some old friends and flatmates. They were visiting Scotland for a bit from the uncivilised hinterlands (London). We went to Calistoga and basically had the place to ourselves. It was a Tuesday night but still a bit eerie at first. Some dishes did go through to the other room, so we weren’t the only people in.

They were on at the Corn Exchange in Edinburgh, which is a grim aircraft hangar of a venue — all concrete floors and high ceilings. Helen and I went for tea at Wannaburger before heading out there, and just as we got off the bus I got a call from Martin (who had bought our tickets) to say there had been some generator failure and the doors were remaining closed for another hour or so. I was a bit worried they might cancel altogether. They’d already had to cancel the end of their US tour recently because the drummer’s pacemaker broke skin…

We met up in the Corn Exchange Bar until a replacement generator turned up. Thank god we didn’t have to wait outside the whole time. I would have been considerably more irritable after an hour in the rain. The quick turn-around meant neither of the support acts got to do sound checks, so there were lots of adjustments mid-song.

Support groups were Errors and Fuck Buttons. Former quite good, in a Kling Klang/Battles kind of way. Fuck Buttons were a bit annoying and incredibly loud. Felt quite addled by the end of their set.

Went to the back of the crowd before Mogwai started. The volume was more than enough for me, and Mogwai are super-keen on the strobes and other energetic lighting. In the old days they’d just break out the strobes for the last song of the night, Like Herod or maybe My Father, My King. No more! Nowadays it’s a “sod the electricity bill” approach to stage lighting.

I’m having trouble remembering what they played, it was not yesterday. Batcat was really good. Powerful. Almost go as far as saying a “rock” song. On the other end of spectrum, Christmas Steps was breathtaking. I love the way the crowd went instantly still the moment the opening notes were played. Of course they spoiled this by breaking into rapturous applause a good two minutes before the song ended.

I’d heard rumour they had been playing Mogwai Fear Satan again, with Barry Burns’ flute getting a look in, but not this time. But I’ll be back and so will they.

It was a damn interesting talk. We had to rush off to catch the final performance of the Antonion Forcione Quartet, but it would have been really great to stay behind and ask more questions.

The film we saw before was as good as I remembered, though Helen slept through it. Last time I took her to see a Japanese film she said it wouldn’t happen again. So it’ll be A Fistful of Dollars and Magnificent Seven from now on!

Nick was waiting in the queue for Forcione when we arrived, so we got good seats (in the third row, left of centre). There were two annoying guys behind me that would gasp and squeal and exhale sharply every time Antonion Forcione did something impressive (which of course was all the damn time). I really didn’t appreciate this running commentary. It got to the point where I would cringe after every display of virtuosity because I knew there was going to be a ridiculous exclamation from behind my right ear.

Show was awesome though. Band were really tight and enjoying themselves too. Apparently he’s been playing the Edinburgh Fringe for about 17 years now… see you there next year!

In completely unrelated news, we received a flyer through the door on Sunday for the Islam Festival in Edinburgh, that had been running concurrently with all the other festivals in August. Including a 3-day conversational course in Arabic! That would have been seriously cool — where else can you get nine hours tuition in beginners’ Arabic for fifteen quid? If we’d received the flyer when the festival started instead of when it ended that probably would have been the impetus I required to ask for time off.

There’s a lesson — don’t hand out flyers after the event has finished.

• Pappy’s Fun Club: Funergy

  Matt was late turning up (damn you Matt!) so someone had to wait outside. That was me, in case you hadn’t guessed (damn you Matt!). The show had been going ten minutes by the time we managed to brag our way in. We only got in because our ticket stubs had already been ripped, so the capacity crowd inside technically included us too.

  But like I said, we missed the first ten minutes. (For anyone who’s seen the show, we arrived as The Internet was about to have a “knowledge-off” with a Wise Owl.) It was a loosely plotted sketch show about a kid’s entertainment troupe, like a sweary Singing Kettle. They had a fun-o-meter that was going to solve global warming.

  The jokes were more hit-and-miss than I expected, given the hype Pappy’s Fun Club have been getting for a while. The problem seemed to be, alternately, a lack of coherent ideas and a strange embarrassment at being on stage. Amusing, but I don’t think I will be rushing back.

• Miles Jupp

  This is the second year we’ve seen Miles Jupp doing his stand-up routine. Last year we also saw him with Simon Munnery in Johnson and Boswell. Both were excellent, so we’ll have to see Elizabeth and Raleigh to round everything off.

  Anyway, Jupp was excellent. He does a fine line in barely suppressed British rage — hilariously twattish and sympathetic at the same time. It’s the same kind of social status comedy that Fawlty Towers was so good at portraying.

• Antonio Forcione and Adriano Adawale

  Virtuoso Italian guitarist and Brazilian percussionist. Simply stunning. I can’t stress enough how much you have to catch this one. If you even thought to yourself who’s the successor to Michael Hedges? then you need to see this show.

  Both players were amazing. Adawale does some amazing percussive magic that you have to see. And he has bells on his toes (well, ankle).

  The two of them will be playing in a quartet until Monday, doing different material. I’m keen to see them again.

Tom Waits
© Mister Frostee

The ticket purchase procedure was pretty horrendous. Only two tickets allowed per person, both of which had to be named and one of them in the name the buyer. So there was no possibility of buying one as a gift, or giving one to a friend if you couldn’t go at the last minute. To get in you needed to show the original purchasing card, the ticket and some photo ID! Probably a prime pocket-picking performance.

The Playhouse is a theatre, not an open-plan gig venue. So we were all seated in little plush red seats. I was to the back and right of the stalls, underneath the low ceiling created by the circle seating above. There were no warm-up or support acts. Tom Waits came on stage 35 minutes after the “8PM start” (does start mean something different to show organisers?) to a pretty deafening applause.

He played a number of things I wasn’t familiar with, but I’ve since found the set list on a fan site so I know what to look for to plug the gaps in my collection. The venue wasn’t really appropriate — sitting in awkward seats with no leg room — but the music was fantastic. I was really impressed by how beautiful and clear the saxophones were.

Highlights for me:

• Innocent When You Dream. A beautiful song that I don’t own. Yet.
• The spoken-word Circus, including a mini-rendition of Table-Top Joe. I love Waits’ spoken pieces. Potter’s Field is unparalleled genius, but this was so good because you could see he wasn’t reciting the words but telling the story.
• Ending the set on Make It Rain. Another of my favourites off that album. It had been hot and muggy all weekend, and was just right for how I felt. When we got outside the streets were slick, and the city was blanketed in mist. Heh!
• …and starting the encore with Goin’ Out West was even better. You’re probably getting tired of me saying how good these songs were, but honest, they were really good! And this song rocks.

The Scotsman gave this show a good review too, with some other details. I know a couple of people who went last night or are going to the second performance tonight. Maybe they can chime in with their thoughts in the comments?