If you took a polaroid of Edinburgh’s music scene, Folk Rock, dated Indie, and 20 bands with the word “Moon” in their name would be at the forefront, beaming a huge cheeser.
But lurking in the background of this snapshot, in the shadows of creepy steeples & gloomy bridges, would be the real heroes & innovators of the scene. Tonight, Electric Circus is showcasing this home grown talent, and have invited a few pals from further afield to join them.
Glamour Muscle is an amazing welcome to the venue, hunched over his laptop with a table full of gadgets & controls, creating arpeggios and top lines that fizz & whizz around the atmosphere like Sonic the Hedgehog in Fast Shoes. On Speed. It’s a playful set which also has drama and tension, thanks to a clever use of dynamics and interesting metallic sounds.
Wolf (the most un-Googleable band name ever eh?) may harness similar technology, but they create a completely different soundscape. The duo’s use of only violin, drums, & electronics matches the incredibly sparse musical pieces they play. Processing the violin using a variety of techniques only adds to the sense of detachment and loneliness, and Bjork-like vocals provide a beautiful human touch. It’s like ‘Tundra: The Musical’.
If Wolf are the Tundra band, Monogram are the chanting elves here to start a mad party! That unfortunately falls flat. With their electronic power drums, and relatively standard synth sounds, they come across like an 80s-rock version of Mumford & Sons. This idea might slay some stages, but the amount of “woah-oh-oh’s” on every song is tremendously grating. More chanting than a medieval monastery is not a good thing. ‘Imagination’ is their standout track however: an absolute belter of a song where they seem to perfectly channel the best bits 1980s pop-rock goodness. If only their whole set was like this.
The genuine party-starters on this night are Nimmo. Their performance is like watching a house party live on stage, with all five members flinging themselves around the place, mashing synths, whacking cowbells, and dancing to some delicious electro-funk. Another refreshing thing about them is the whole set is completely live, with no pre-recorded parts: not an Apple Mac in sight. They sound like they started out playing friend’s house parties, but they’ll be creating havoc at the summer festivals soon…
Numbers Are Futile take a different approach to NIMMO though. They strip things right back – only two people, a couple of synths, half a drum kit, and, erm, a skateboard deck with metal cords strung taught across it. Skateboarding’s loss is music’s gain however, as the duo are the largest sounding and most exciting act of the night.
Their epic music even enthralls a drunken hen party that (accidentally?) stumbled in half-way through their set. Powerful drums collide with huge synth bass sounds, like asteroids striking a planet; whilst more ambient sections provide a dreamier experience. These guys aren’t just in the Polaroid of Edinburgh’s music scene: they own the camera, are taking the picture, and gesturing their cosmic disciples onwards to the next location….
- Neil Landstrumm - 16 March 2016
- Ben Klock - 28 December 2015
- Yak / Hidden Charms/ DTHPDL - 8 December 2015