Fab Four February Edinburgh gigs
It can be hard to find out about good gigs sometimes and all too easy to miss out on something special. Too many places to look, too little time, too much stuff to sift through.
So this month I’ve taken the liberty of doing some digging for you. And I’ve unearthed what I reckon are four fantastic music events in Edinburgh.
If you like things a bit off the beaten track, these should put a smile on your face.
STRATA pic: Peter J Stevenson
1 Graham Costello’s STRATA, St Bride’s, Dalry, Friday 8 Feb
Experimental music? Check. Unusual venue. Check. Genre-smashing Scottish act? Check. This has a got good vibes written all over it.
Graham Costello’s STRATA will be showcasing material from their new album, Obelisk, and their improvised live sound, which veers from new wave experimental jazz into minimalism and rock.
If you’ve got anyone like Colin Stetson, The Comet is Coming, Mogwai or Joe Armon-Jones on your playlists, this should be right up your street.
Part of an event series called ‘Thrill’, presented by Jazz in Brussels and the Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival, the evening’s other performer is Belgium’s Urbex, led by drummer/composer Antoine Pierre.
Check out Graham Costello’s STRATA in action here
Find out more about the Thrill events here
2 Bill Ryder-Jones, Summerhall, Wednesday 13 Feb
If, like me, you like to escape into melancholic music every now and then (I blame Robert Smith), then this has your name it.
The former Coral guitarist and occasional touring member of Artic Monkeys produced one of my favourite albums of last year, the languorously beautiful ‘Yawn’.
It’s a delicate, sparse and intimate piece of work by one of the most talented musicians and songwriters in the land.
Go see.
Listen: ‘Don’t be Scared, I love you’
Nils Frham pic by Alexander Schneider
3 Nils Frahm, The Usher Hall, Tuesday 19 Feb
When I started Edinburgh Music Lovers, I wrote a long list of artists that I wanted/fantasised about bringing to Edinburgh – and Berlin’s Nils Frahm was in the top 5*.
That didn’t quite pan out (not for lack of trying), but it’s brilliant he’s playing Edinburgh as well as Glasgow**.
If you don’t yet know him, it’s hard to know how to describe his music – electronic classical? Ambient piano? Neo or post-classical? All I know is that it’s stunningly beautiful and if there are tickets left, you should get one.
It’s probably easier to say that if you like Olafur Arnaulds and Max Richter, you’ll like Nils Frahm.
*The rest of the top 5 included Colin Stetson and Kojey Radical, who played the first two EML events, plus a couple of others whose names will remain a secret until I manage to book them!
**Too often, artists end up doing one city when they could sell tickets in both. There are various reasons why that happens, which are way too dull to get into here, but it’d be good to see it happen more if the circumstances allow.
Watch: Nils Frahm in action for Boilerrooom in a 2,000-year-old amphitheatre
Kobi Onyame pic by Ryan Johnston
4 Kobi Onyame and Heir of The Cursed, The Fruitmarket, Saturday 23 Feb
Ghanaian-meets-Glasgow hip hop artist plays live in an art gallery – what’s not to like?
Kobi Onyame has opened for the likes of Nas, De La Soul, Wu Tang Clan and Kanye West so you know he has pedigree.
He’s been around for a while now, but his talent really shone through on his last album, ‘Gold’, which was shortlisted for last year’s SAY (Scottish Album of The Year) Awards.
Joining him will be Heir of the Cursed, who sang on ‘Gold’, and is known for her mesmerising, intricate guitar work and soulful voice.
There are loads of great gigs in February going on all over the city of course, I just think these are good examples of the diversity Edinburgh can offer.
Let me know what you think. Are you already going to any of these? Does this blog make you want to go buy some tickets? Do none of these float your boat?