A first live offering of Emma Pollock’s well-received, new album In Search Of Harperfield is not something to miss. The personal nature of the album material which deals with the loss of her mother and her father’s illness seems to make for an intimate gig with Pollock chatting away as she tunes her guitar before beginning and between songs.

It’s not surprising then that the first song is ‘Cannot Keep A Secret’. The four-piece set up on stage handle this eerie opening with an echoing piano to back Pollock’s occasionally whispered but always clear vocals. Now, they turn upbeat with a mix of songs from the new album and her previous one, The Law Of Large Numbers. One of the strengths of In Search Of Harperfield is the story it tells and the emotional atmosphere that it builds. This not entirely lost in this performance as the audience listens intently giving generous and almost theatrical applause at the end of each song. The choices of old and new songs intend to maintain that feeling with ‘Confessions’ followed by, in her own words, ‘a trip down the rabbit hole’ in ‘Alabaster’.

The show is not uniformly successful. Using a sole guitar accompaniment rather than the strings of the album works well in the loudly requested encore of ‘Dark Skies’ but does not quite come off in ‘Intermission’. The most obviously pop track, ‘Parks And Recreation’ gets a lively outing but there is little effort to try to show that there are two voices (the bully and the victim) in the song. The unfortunate absence of guitarist of R M Hubbert due to illness means there is a bit of live ‘band consultation’ about a change to the set list. However, there is so much good material on show and Pollock has such an easy, friendly stage presence that this can be easily forgiven.

The gig shows off Emma Pollock’s vocal and song-writing talents and as the early wrinkles are sorted out, the tour will no doubt delight audiences.

Girls Rock School Edinburgh is a non-profit organisation whose aim is to have free music workshops open to all regardless of age or ability. Our mission is to be as accessible and inclusive as possible so that we are able to encourage women and girls to take up instruments and play in bands. Our classes offer the opportunity to learn in a safe, supportive environment where confidence is built and relationships are formed.

In order to keep this important work going we need your help! So please, join us for a night of music, spoken word and all round Riot Grrrl happenings as we try to raise funds for our Spring term.

Confirmed acts so far are:
Tongue Trap - https://www.facebook.com/tonguetrap/?fref=ts
Lou McLean - https://www.facebook.com/loumcleanmusic/?fref=ts
Katherine McMahon - https://katherinemcmahon.bandcamp.com/
ZALÚ! (UnrepentaNts)
Clara Calavera (Sally Skull)
Thursday March 10th at 7pm
The Canons’ Gait Pub, 232 Canons’ Gait Edinburgh
Entry by Donation

Yuck are bloody cool, and there’s no denying that these Moth Club LP launch shows have been highly anticipated among fans. With the departure of Daniel Blumberg and arrival of new guitarist Ed Hayes in 2013, the past two years have seen a shift in direction for Yuck, a period of anticipation for fans, and with the release of the new album Stranger Things on Friday, an amplified excitement for the gig.

With support from Shark Dentist and Puppy, the beginning of the evening creates a buzz around new music, dismissing all ideas that nothing new is good and building up the perfect atmosphere for the main act.

To say the show was sold out would be an understatement. Rarely do you see people actually spilling out the doors at venues, others having to clamber on tables to get a view. Lots about tonight speaks volumes about Yuck as a band: the sheer amount of people there just the start of it. Very few bands – particularly not massive bands – could saunter on stage almost 45 minutes late and get away with it. Yet with Yuck there seems to be absolutely no bad blood and they get on with the show as though nothing had happened.

Playing through ‘Hold Me Closer’ and ‘Cannonball’ before launching into ‘Get Away’, Yuck proved they know how to work a crowd, and by practically ignoring two stage invaders, prove their completely cool approach to, well, everything. And as the crowd gets progressively rowdier in front of her eyes, her monitor played up and feedback blared through a couple of songs, bassist and vocalist Mariko Doi kept as composed as ever.

Yuck are an odd band to witness live – their offhand, almost too cool to care attitude is one that wouldn’t necessarily bode well for most other bands but musically they’re worlds above anything and else it’s tricky not to find them all slightly charming.

As a punk lover born 20 years too late, I was pretty ecstatic to learn that I was being given the opportunity to attend this show and hear songs that I never thought I would be able to see performed live. To begin with, the choice of venue confused me; with its black walls and sticky floors, The Citrus Club wouldn’t be my first choice for a standard night out. However, when I arrived I realised that as the backdrop for a punk gig it was actually rather perfect.

As the full line-up had not been stipulated until that night, I was not sure what to expect from the earlier bands. First up were Finger Halo, the latest project of Edinburgh’s musical legend Jo Callis, former guitarist of The Rezillos and keyboardist for The Human League. Jo describes this venture as “getting back to his roots” by returning to his original post as a songwriter and guitarist. Opening with their latest single 'Confusion', it is clear that Jo still has the ability to write an intriguing and well balanced song as well as perform like no time has passed. Sadly, as they slipped in to a two tune tribute to David Bowie it was impossible to tell what songs were being played and everything seemed to get a bit lost. By the end of their set however they managed to pull it back as they finished with a resounding cover of The Human League's 1981 song, 'Seconds'.

As the room starts to fill up, “melodic punk rockers” Shock And Awe take to the stage. Whilst they appeared to be a fit for this gig in terms of genre, I didn't think they were the right support band for this show. Although the lead singer’s enthusiasm was palatable the audience did not seem overly impressed with them, leaving a general feeling of disdain hanging in the air. This could however be attributed to the fact that nobody wanted to wait any longer than they had to for the final act to arrive. Perhaps not something you often hear of at a tribute gig, however …

The Ramonas walk out on to the stage with a tangible confidence, the audience begins to jump and scream before they have even picked up their instruments. The venue is packed from end to end with loyal fans, each more excited than next, bringing a gripping feeling of excitement and anticipation to the room. In true Ramones fashion, the band blast through 34 tracks with speed, precision and attitude, every song an energetic blast of nostalgia. They barely stop aside from when singer Cloey has a “brain fart” and forgets the words to 'Don’t Come Close'. Thankfully, she is quickly put right by a hat wielding man in the front row who obviously knows his stuff. The encore consisted of some of my own personal favourites including 'Blitzkrieg Bop' and 'The KKK Took My Baby Away'. It seemed to be over all too fast and knowing that they had such a range of classics to choose from, I found myself wondering how they ever managed to decide what to close the show with.

I really enjoyed seeing The Ramonas play, they owned everything that night; the stage, the songs and especially the audience. I felt like I had witnessed something special and I came away from the experience truly inspired.