Programme for

Retreat! Festival IV

August  27-­‐28  2011   With writings from ARTHUR RAINBOW and the Rt. Hon. NEIL COOPER plus a drawing by HANNA TUULIKKI

THE SCHEDULE FOR THE FESTIVAL, RETREAT IV Saturday 27th August 2.30 Doors open! 3.00 Burger, No Burger 3.50 FOUND 4.40 Fur Hood 5.30 Rob St John DINNER – served by The Clock Deli, downstairs 8.00 ballboy 8.50 Gummy Stumps 9.40 Lady North 10.30 Broken Records Sunday 28th August 2.30 Doors open! 3.00 eagleowl 3.50 Skeleton Bob 4.40 The Scottish Enlightenment 5.30 Two Wings DINNER – served by The Clock Deli, downstairs 8.00 The Pineapple Chunks 8.50 Jesus h. Foxx 9.40 The Leg 10.30 Meursault Elucidation required? Don’t worry! On your behalf, we’ve invited friend-of-the-people ARTHUR RAINBOW to introduce the bands…

aside, you can pretty much do things on your own terms (this isn't a new idea either, mind. Back in the day, an up and coming beat combo called The Beatles toured to a church hall on Lothian Road - but I digress). Retreat!'s DIY ethic has opened the door for a million other promoters with similar ideas, some of which found natural homes at The Roxy Art House and the Forest Cafe. Both of these were destroyed by the spectacular financial ineptitude of Edinburgh University Settlement, although Tracer Trails and The Gentle Invasion's ideological fellow travellers, the Forest Fringe, continue to set up the most gloriously random events ever as a magnificent antidote to the commercial forces that are worth getting in a tizz about. Perhaps some of the ire directed at the Edinburgh festivals should be directed at the local politicians, property developers and brewers who hike up rents, turn venues into meat markets or else flatten perfectly wonderful grassroots arts hubs like the old Bongo Club. This was done with a spectacular sense of hubris that aimed to create something called a 'cultural quarter' but which is now a gap site, as is the hole in the Cowgate where ace venue La Belle Angele once stood before it (and the Gilded Saloon, and the Bridge Jazz Bar) burnt down in 2002. Punk rock? Well, thatʼs a phrase as much overused as the word 'community', but Retreat! is making a serious statement, even if people (rather infuriatingly to my mind) insist on sitting on the floor. As well as being as un-punk as anything, this shows a serious lack of discipline that needs to be tackled. I recommend cattle-prods. If you do manage to stay on your feet this weekend, you will be part of something very special. Just remember thereʼs a bigger picture that can't really be ignored. Free your mind and your ass will follow, as someone once said. Oh, and the bands at this year's Retreat! are pretty shit hot as well.

N.C., August 2011 http://www.coffeetablenotes.blogspot.com/

Retreat! exists on the edge of the Edinburgh Festivals, but it probably couldn't happen without them. When DIY micro-promoters Tracer Trails and The Gentle Invasion founded their homespun adventures in sound, they were continuing a long tradition of independent music festivals that sowed the seeds of the next generation of major artists. In the 1990s, Planet Pop did something similar, providing early platforms for the likes of Alasdair Roberts taking his first steps with his band, Appendix Out. Also third on the bill were the likes of Arab Strap, Mogwai and The Delgados, all in the now demolished and rather wonderfully tacky Cas Rock pub. The Flux festival arrived in town a couple of years later with a series of already major artists, from Nick Cave in Prince St Gardens to The Divine Comedy doing a special one-off with composer Michael Nyman. Blame City of Edinburgh Council's absurd rental fees for the gardens for nixing that one. The two promoters of Flux, Alex Poots and David Sefton, are now in charge of the Manchester International Festival and the Adelaide Festival respectively. Oh, Edinburgh, so much to answer for. Tigerfest was initially a collaboration between Edinburgh promoters Baby Tiger and the founders of the now established Fest magazine, who together moved into venues like the now sadly gig-free Backpackers Hostel just off the west end of Princes Street. John Peel favourites Bearsuit are fondly remembered for their Tigerfest shows. Tigerfest still exists in association with long-time champions of all things Scottish, Is This Music?, although it mainly operates between Edinburgh and Dunfermline, having shifted operations to June. Others have come and gone, but change can be a good thing in refreshing the cultural psycho-geography of a city, particularly in such cash-strapped times. Tracer Trails, The Gentle Invasion and others redrew the map of Edinburgh's music scene(s), with a modus operandi based on notions of community, shared resources and mutual support. This is why Retreat! takes place, not in some over-priced barn, but in a bar-free church hall that's cheap to rent, and where, janitors

> bart > > did ma best. hope it's ok! > please list it as written by arthur rainbow! > > ------------------------------------------------------ > Ah, Retreat! That's not my exclamation mark, it's theirs. And rightly > so that there is an exclamation mark, for it is a Retreat from the > hustle and bustle of a million flyers and cries of "free comedy" that > some of us take little interest in, a Retreat into a warm celebration > of the Edinburgh many of us know, a positive enforcement of musical > identity of the city that exists year long round. When the Festival > Fringe first started in 1947, it was a healthy dose of "we'll put this > on if we damn well please, so there, come watch us thanks!", and the > fourth year of Retreat! continues to provide all the many tourists > gracing Edinburgh a chance of glimpsing a snapshot of the city's > music. So if this is your first Retreat, or you've attended every > single year, whatever, let me guide you through it. There'll be plenty > of delicious food, there'll be a welcoming atmosphere to everyone, and > there'll be a hell of a lot of excellent bands from Edinburgh and > beyond. But it's not my joab to run you through the format, it's my > joab to get you informed about the performers that will be blessing > and buggering your ear drums in equal measure over the next two days. > Take it: > > SATURDAY SATURDAY SATURDAY SATURDAY SATURDAY SATURDAY > > Burger No Burger > > After researching this band on the internet, and reading various > offshoot articles on suing Burger King, I have come to the realisation > that Burger No Burger might be the best Scottish band you've never > heard of, and will probably never hear of again. If they'd released an > album 30 years ago, all the hipsters would have fetishised it to death > back in 2008 already. Miss this squall of deep throated, intense > cartoon long haired metal at your peril. > > FOUND > > Slimmed down and toned out, the tones of the three-piece FOUND unit > ("all caps when you spell the man's name", as rap freak MF DOOM once > declared) are a taut triangle of tremendousness. Frontman Ziggy has

> one of the finest Scoattish accents in Scoatland, or at least when > he sings, which is the only time I've ever heard it anyway. Their last > single came out on chocolate 7-inch, and latest album Factorycraft > contains some of the best song titles this side of the Wayne > Coyne/Mogwai collaboration that I keep dreaming of, yet they still > sound well better than that. Please prepare to dance before your > dinner. > > Fur Hood > > Fur Hood make me wish it was a chilly autumn day so I could wear a > cosy parka, skateboard in the park and imagine listening to their > million-selling sophomore album on a beach in California. So much > better than those pish Steve Malkmus solo albums you illegally > downloaded out of some misconstrued loyalty, and even comparing them > to that does them disservice. Psych jam-tight gauze pop, it could take > very patient boys to make such a variety of complex ideas into such > lovely tunes, which of course there is every possibility they're not. > > Rob St John > > Every year I rave about Rob St John's cheekbones, and every year he > still hasn't featured in any glossy magazine fashion shoots. Get it > together, Great Britain. His forthcoming album has been described by > one set of ears as "doom-folk" (not my ears yo, mine are more eloquent > than that, y'hear). Staggered vocal delivery, drones and soft finger > travails of the acoustic guitar serve up a dark world of uneasiness, > intrigue and intense beauty. And he writes academic essays as well, or > something, if you like that kind of thing. Personally, I dinnae. > > Ballboy > > One of last year’s Retreat! highlights, for me at least, was Gordon > Macintyre fae Ballboy performing "The Hangover Song", a wee gem of a > song hidden away in one of their podcasts, which I have since taken to > performing at open mic events and thus forever offended my girlfriend. > Oops/whatever. With a back catalogue of genius observation over the > same three chords - from the anthemic "I Hate Scotland" to the > gorgeous "Songs For Kylie" - their charm, glowing cellos and thumping > drums, this wonderful institution (and not like a bad institution like

Thanks ARTHUR! Now, in part 2 of ‘Programme for Retreat! Festival IV’: NEIL COOPER puts things in perspective…

RETREAT!

Going Backwards and Forwards Into History With The New Kids On The Block

Anyone who hates Edinburgh in August is probably missing the point. The last month has opened up opportunities to see ex Soft Cell vocalist Marc Almond appearing solo in discordant song cycle Ten Plagues, the Philip Glass Ensemble Ensemble playing the live accompaniment to Godfrey Reggio's Qatsi trilogy of films, and young American upstarts The TEAM (Theatre of the Emerging American Moment) present their most accomplished dissection of capitalism yet with Mission Drift, featuring songs by New York downtown singer/songwriter Heather Christian. Then there's the chance to see The TEAM's New York peers Banana Bag and Baggage deconstruct ninth century epic Beowulf by way of a skronky, wonky, jazz-punk band featuring Joanna Newsom's trombonist, or the National Theatre of Scotland do something similar with border balladeering in The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart. How about local hero Paul Vickers of The Leg's unique take on DIY junkshop absurdism in Twonkey's Castle, or a rare performance of Kurt Schwitters' extended sound poem, Ursonate? You could have seen a multi-media stage version of Haruki Marukamki's novel, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Harvey Weinstein's former right-hand man at Miramax. And you still can see Scottish Opera ripping into Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill's The Seven Deadly Sins, and Mark-Anthony Turnage's operatic version of Steven Berkoff's play, Greek. Or your mind could have been expanded by authors Iain Sinclair and Stewart Home at new venue, Summerhall, the latest reinvention of the city in the glorious cacophonous culture clash that is Edinburgh in August.

> the SFA or the SQA, like a good one, ken) should have little trouble > making you smile. > > Gummy Stumps > > Three stringed guitar genius and artist Rob Churm (whose visual work > you should aspire to spy wi your eye) brings together members of > sorely missed Park Attack and Bubble Wrap Hollocaust, with Winning > Sperm Party CEO Rob Alexander on mentalist-drum duties. These bastions > of DIY Glasgow entertainment bring a grit of rock-blitz-do-the-splitz > to the east, delivering a churning gurn of riffs, rolling loping > rhythms, and calling responsive poetry vs. shrieking. Spicy. > > Lady North > > A party band just in time for party time, this instrumental > melody-powered death-juice trio spend most of their mornings dancing > about the streets of Edinburgh in nothing but wimmen's tights, and > their nights mastering the art of the groove, with loop pedals, insane > effects and a basslines that seem to caress your hips (till you > realise it's probably just the pervert dancing behind you). Expect to > see at least one item of clothing removed while they are onstage, and > join us in encouraging them to strip off more. > > Broken Records > > Perennial Edinburgh indie folk-monsters Broken Records haven't broken > any records just yet (apparently Linford C. is a fan, though), but > they supply a headline slot designed to whip the kids - and you, dear > reader, if you're so inclined - into a stomping frenzy of passion and > melancholic melody soundtracked by more instruments than you can fit > in an average sized tour van. Perfect for an apocalyptic dance climax > to the evening - try remember some of those ceilidh moves from school, > if you know any at all. > > SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY > > eagleowl > > Put on your own festival, put your own band on the bill. I see what's > going on here. Apparently they've recently added a drummer despite

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> being so fiercely "anti-drum music" for so many years, which I'm no > sure about. I seem recall that kind of thing is called SELLING OUT. > Yet their deathly slow, harmony washed folk-friendly pop is so > beautiful and makes me so golden happy inside that I'll probably > forgive them as soon as they take the stage.. > > Skeleton Bob > > I have to apologise to Skeleton Bob. Last year, I wrote in these very > programme notes that they were nearly done recording their album, > which I was later told by my (frankly unreliable) source was simply > not true. Sorry also to anyone who has been left hanging, but I don't > blame you for getting so excited. Lush, softly crunching guitars, > clashing drum fills and a wistful dream of Americana still make me hot > under the collar of my check shirt. Their performances are too rare > not to be cherished: unmissable. > > The Scottish Enlightenment > > Spacious in their placing yet full in their sound, the Scottish > Enlightenment are love, death and godlessness in the traditional > format of a rock four piece, yet their songs are anything but > straightforward. The name envisages a deep flowing trench through > Scotland's history of thought, and with David Moyes' contemplative > lyrics buried in chiming delays, washes of tremorous guitar and ever > repeating drums, they create a thought world of their own. As far as I > can tell, the best thing to come out of Dunfermline ever. > > Two Wings > > A lovely ensemble with one ear on the folk-rock experimentalism of the > late sixties and one eye on future sonic possibilities. Bright melody, > tangles of guitar, flutes, soft brass and reed-piercing vocal make > this one a real must-see for the folk aspirationalites, and everyone > else too, likesy. > > The Pineapple Chunks > > Local pop mentalists the Pineapple Chunks don't have a name quite as

> sweet and colourful as their music would suggest, despite their > obvious efforts. Squeals and squalls of guitar run with riffs like > early-HMHB basslines, bludgeoning the lyrics that chase the next > syllable like a dog it's own tail, ever spiralling into deeper > madness. Two years ago, drummer Owen climbed into the nearest > available pulpit, and most gracefully slid a hula hoop off the tip of > his hi-hat stand into his mouth, thus providing my favourite Retreat! > moment of all time. Further genius is inevitable. > > Jesus h. Foxx > > A social scene of harmony and textured-obsessed texters with piles of > ideas that sit most perfectly atop each other. If power-pop meant what > it truly should, these guys would be the first and foremost example: > sing-along riffs, gutsy bass rolls, glitter draped upon droll David > Byrne-hell-no lyrics. And still people can't get over how good that > band name is neither! > > The Leg > > Ultimate blues-death of your head? It must be the Leg! Dancing and > flailing shall abound when this trio take the stage, an intense > amalgam of distortion and blitzed/blissed-out noise, pounding drums > courtesy of the sharpest man in Edinburgh, and a disgusting batch of > musical ideas delivered so quickly you may find yourself unsure of > what hit you (unless you are super-astute, in which case you might be > on top of it). > > Meursault > > Note the reader/listener, the name of the act listed here. It's not > Meursault "2.0", it's Meursault, reet? Certain people have taken > recently to noting this acts addition of piano, strings and drum kit > as some kind of technology-based reincarnation: not so. The stated > romanticism and soaring melody is still in place, as well as the > whoops and hollers from deep in Neil Pennycook's throat. An ever > triumphant reminder of the musical capacity and recent success of > Edinburgh's local music scene, they are the perfect end to this year’s > Retreat!