Gnod

Manchester’s mind bending psych-rock outfit will be making a quick stop off this February - and I’m mega chuffed to have them play the cavernous confines of the (newly refurbished) Banshee pit. With countless releases and appearances around Europe, Supersonic and the Supernormal fests – Gnod have been trundling their avant-kraut leanings to much critical and live acclaim, a must for fans of Ash Ra Temple, Wooden Shjips and Sunburned Hand of The Man. Gnod is creating some of the finest hallucinogenic live music in the UK, so open your inner eyes.

And if that’s not enough, Julian Cope has somewhat of a semi for these chaps and chapette’s too –

“..like an even more garagey Chrome playing Wire in La Dusseldorf’s rehearsal space, and (there) a psychotic Syd Barrett leading an Amon Düül 2 in a Parson Sound-type excursion. But, phew, this Gnod debut is really just one helluva fucking mind-X-panda of its own. And that’s a dribbling, drooling factoid.” 

http:// ingnodwetrust.tumblr.com/

Muscletusk

Edinburgh’s loudest and finest - heavy as hell noise-rock with equal parts sludge and squeal thrown into the spokes. I’ve probably harped on about these widos enough over the past few years, so you know exactly the kind of racket to expect. Topless, testosterone fuelled thuggery for all the family – please hide your camera phones.

http://www.myspace.com/muscletuskband

Lunar Landing Module

AKA. The band formally known as Homunculus, from the same creative crew of King Bear and The Zephyrs, expect Spacemen 3 and Kevin Shield’s transcendence through buried guitars and manipulated vocals. Did a total blinder opening for Glasgow’s Pyramidion last May in Sneaky Pete’s - so get there quick sharp!

http://soundcloud.com/lunarlandingmodule

Sao

A last minute addition to the bill! Solo drones from the Banshee’s sound tech/wiz - Davey Campbell! Lush tones that straddle the axis between Earth and Stars of The Lid.

http://saoart.blogspot.com/

Thursday, 23rd February
The Banshee Labyrinth, Edinburgh
7.30pm, £5 Entry

Daniel Higgs Trio
& Sarah Kenchington

*PLEASE NOTE - THIS HAS NOW BEEN CANCELLED, DANIEL’S TOUR HAS BEEN PULLED AT THE 11TH HOUR, SO THIS SHOW WON’T BE TAKING PLACE. APOLOGIES TO EVERYONE WHO WAS LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS*

What can we say about DANIEL HIGGS? The ex-Lungfish legend and his banjo return to the UK, this time in a trio with Maya Dunietz (piano/percussion) and Assaf Talmudi (accordion/electronics), after his jaw-dropping 2-disc release on Thrill Jockey last year, Say God - a record that is spare, spacious and quite possibly his most transcendental record to date.

After 11 albums (10 for the esteemed Dischord), Lungfish seemed to grind to a halt in 2005 following the release of Feral Hymns. Simultaneously, Higgs’ solo activities took off, leading to his series of hypnotising outsider excursions for Holy Mountain, Thrill Jockey and others

Thick with folkloric, religious and mythological imagery, his recent recordings are a mesh of banjo plucking, electronic drones and contemplative mantras. His live performances are transfixing, transcendental, unrepeatable experiences and will be well-served by the gothic surrounds of the lecture hall in Summerhall - located on the southside of the city.

Support comes from sculptor/instrument maker/composer/performance artist SARAH KENCHINGTON, one of the stand-out acts at this year’s Music is the Music Language festival.

Summerhall, Edinburgh
Saturday 10th December, 8pm Doors
Tickets £6 advance from http://www.wegottickets.com/event/144108

Something a little bit different from the Braw Camp. A FREE screening on the brand new KARP documentary in the Banshee cinema. We’ll have Bill the director coming along for a quick intro and Q&A. I caught a bit of his screening of this at Supersonic this year and the film is awesome.

This film is a biography of a friendship. Set in the indie rock utopia of an evergreen forested Olympia Washington of the early 90′s, this film chronicles the journey of the love of three friends from childhood to adulthood over a span of 20 years. Nestled in the mythology of bands such as Beat Happening, Bikini Kill, Unwound, and the Melvins, the story of KARP is the story of a childhood love forced to make adult changes in order to survive an adult world and how the choices we face as we follow our dreams affect those whom we love most. It is the story of how so often the thing that frees you can become your largest obstacle.

http://karplives.com/

Free Entry
Friday, 16th December. 7pm.
The Cinema room in The Banshee Labyrinth,
Niddry Street,
Edinburgh

Braw Records is back with a co-released, full length CD with At War With False Noise. We’re both chuffed to be putting out Fordell Research Unit’s The Illusion of Movement. Heavy and ethereal drone from Edinburgh’s Fraser Burnett, four tracks recorded over various sessions. I’m obviously biased, but his work has been some of the finest drone I’ve heard in years and he’s been a regular performer at many a Braw Gig too.

£5 in person, or £6 including postage within the UK. Paypal - skidblue@gmail.com

Fordell Research Unit CD and Musletusk LP package deal will also available, £13 in person or £15 postage within the UK.

Cry Parrot, Tracer Trails and Braw Gigs proudly present:

GROUP INERANE & FLOWER-CORSANO DUO

A dream pairing of two of the most ecstatic and transcendental rock units imaginable. Simmering up from the rebel heart of the Tuareg guitar scene, Group Inerane are a rough-hewn, tranced-out juggernaut from Niger with two white-hot albums on Sublime Frequencies to their name; Flower-Corsano Duo is the thrilling collaboration between kinetic free drummer Chris Corsano and Vibracathedral Orchestra’s Mick Flower (shaahi baaja or Japanese banjo). Whether channelling West African guitar practice or free noise dynamics, both bands are capable of extended jams that reach for altered zones. A one-off and profoundly psychedelic double bill.

Friday 2nd December 
Kinning Park Complex 
8pm
£8.50 adv

Advance tickets are available in person at Monorail Music or online at:
http://www.wegottickets.com/event/131615

Directions:
http://www.kinningparkcomplex.org/directions/

Alan Courtis
(aka Anla Courtis, Alna Courtis)

It’s with great pleasure to welcome back to Edinburgh one of Argentina’s most spaced out sound trippers, the Maradona of “weird” - Alan Courtis. Classically trained, he is a founding member of one of the finest (and strangest) experimental bands of the nineties, “Reynols”. Alan’s sound is as distinctively abrasive as it is exotic, renowned for mixing and matching guitar shriek with found objects, homemade electronics and traditional instrumentation.

Alan has collaborated with musicians like: Pauline Oliveros, Lee Ranaldo (Sonic Youth), Damo Suzuki (Can), Eddie Prevost (AMM), Astro, Sir Richard Bishop (Sun City Girls), Yoshimi P-Wee (Boredoms), Chris Corsano, Ashtray Navigations, Michael Snow, Aaron Moore (Volcano the Bear), Culver, Birchville Cat Motel, and members of Avarus and Kemialliset Ystävät. He has also released more than one hundred solo releases and collaborations on labels like Tonschacht (Germany), Blossoming Noise (USA), Antifrost (Greece), Celebrate Psi Phenomenon (New Zealand), 267 Lattajjaa (Finland), Jewelled Antler (USA), Riot Season (UK).

He will be performing a solo set on the night, with or without a guitar. Either way, you’ll be in for a pretty far out ride - unlike anything you’ll see this year. Espléndido!


Tube O’ Mould

A degenerative collaboration between Rhian Thompson (Hockyfrilla, CK Dexter Haven) and Stuart Arnot (Smear Campaign, label boss of Total Vermin). Tube O’ Mould is a triumphant combo of dilapidated electronics, broken percussion and static hiss. Fun fun fun!


Sloppy Lathers

A new testosterone fuelled duo comprising of Euan Currie and Daniel Rutter from Muscletusk. I’m picturing some sort of topless, bro-down of drum machismo and tape mud - similar to the “Beat up dat beat” scenes from Jersey Shore. We’re all winners!

Dougal Marwick

As a member of Edinburgh’s cuddly beard-synth ensemble 7VWWVW, Dougal makes sexy sounds come out of flash looking keyboards - like some sort of Portobello Moby. We’ll probably be the ugliest crowd he’s ever played to.

Facebook event - 

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=129043683862398

£5 Entry
6th November, 8pm.
The Banshee Labyrinth,
Edinburgh

Tickets £5 : http://www.wegottickets.com/event/131707

Braw Trails are back and it’s with great pleasure we can announce a very special night of music with one of the most enigmatic and prolific songwriters working in the UK underground, Richard Youngs.

With hundreds of solo and collaborative releases on countless labels (including his own “No Fans” label) Richard’s music has been heaped with accolades since the 1990’s. Whether through his collaborations with the likes of Simon Wickham-Smith, Jandek, Neil Campbell or Makoto Kawabata, or in his solo work encompassing the starkest minimalism, lush acapella and acoustic balladry, Richard adds a touch of humanity to any project he’s involved with - a rare thing in the sterile surroundings of the experimental scene.

Despite his longstanding reservations about live performance, Richard has been blessing audiences with more and more live gigs, mostly in his hometown of Glasgow. This will be a very rare chance to see him perform two sets in one night, one purely vocal and another accompanied with guitar.

Anyone who caught his recent scuzzed-out performance at The 78, opening the Music is The Music Language festival, will know not to miss this gig. The show will take place in the intimate confines of The Canon’s Gait Pub (at Richard’s request); there will be no support, and an intermission between the sets.

19th November. 8pm.
The Canon’s Gait, 232 Canongate. Edinburgh.

Astro

ASTRO is the solo project of legendary Japanese noise artist Hiroshi Hasegawa, also highly revered as a member of the seminal noise band C.C.C.C (along with Fumio Kosakai of Incapacitants, amongst others). Hasegawa is rightly regarded as a major player in the noise world, appearing on over 50 releases in various guises, famously touring the US with Hair Stylistics and Jazkamer, collaborating with Damion Romero, Masonna, Richard Ramirez and many others. He also appeared at 2006’s No Fun Fest in New York as half of Astromero, his duo with Romero. Expect intense, punishing psychedelic synth noise – the sound of ASTRO may cause delirium and use of machinery following dosage is not recommended. 

http://www.myspace.com/astrojp

Support from:

Okishima Island Tourist Association

Transcendental harsh noise levitation from Lea Cummings (Kylie Minoise) and Sarah Glass (Grimalkin555)!!!

Muscletusk

This Edinburgh based “avant/thug rock unit” will be making a rare appearance on the night - first gig in what seems like ages too. Wido noise-rock of the highest calibre. Feedback, squeal and rhythm. 

http://www.myspace.com/muscletuskband

This is Astro’s first ever tour of the UK and this is his only Scottish date! 

7pm, 25th October. £6 on the door.
Sneaky Pete’s, Cowgate. Edinburgh

I’ve been kindly asked to curate a stage for the The Music is The Music Language Festival next weekend by DIY titans Tracer Trails and Cry Parrot. It’s an afternoon pre-gig of sorts at The 78, in Glasgow’s west end. The rest of the Festival will be commencing in SW3 and various off site locations. It’ll be a great weekend with plenty of excellent acts through out both nights and some great after parties too. I would advise you to book tickets ASAP via - http://www.wegottickets.com/f/2653

The line up for the Braw Gigs stage will be Richard Youngs, Usurper, Scrim and Nackt Insecten in that order. Starting from 2pm till 4.30pm so get down ASAP!

Venue info - http://www.the78cafebar.com/

Facebook event page - http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=179742958749360

Facebook event page - http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=110079535750282

Bong
Newcastle’s drone heathens will be making a one off return to Scotland this July at Sneaky Pete’s. As seen opening for the likes of Sunn O))) at Stereo and performances at Supersonic, Roadburn and Kraak festivals - as well as headlining various gigs around the UK, respectively. Expect tantric low end vibrations and invocations from one of the heaviest live bands in the UK. With a “real” penchant for the sticky stuff, Bong are equal parts drone metal as they are eastern mystics, as seen with their heavy use of delayed sitar mixed with crushing doom dynamics, all wrapped in an occult cloak of sensimilla.

http://www.myspace.com/landbong
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=118238065424&v=info


Fordell Research Unit (TBC)
Dronemeister General, Fordell Research Unit will be invoking the spirit of Phillip K. Dick and the Theatre of Eternal Music via beer soaked equipment and blood shot vision. Heavy static and spiritual drone by way of Oxgangs – swamping and all encompassing.

http://www.myspace.com/fordellresarchunit


Sunsmasher 
Glasgow’s answer to the likes of Grief, Buzzoven and Eyehategod and one of the most exciting live bands in the country. Pulverising ASBO-sludge with a three way vocal assault and a taste for buckie-fueled misery. Sunsmasher, ya bas!

http://www.myspace.com/sunsmasher

Saturday July 23rd, 
7pm Doors. £6 entry.
Sneaky Pete’s, Cowgate, Edinburgh

Overdue: the latest in the ‘Braw Trails’ series, from Braw Gigs and Tracer Trails!

TWO WINGS is the ace new project from Hanna Tuulikki (Nalle, Scatter) and Ben Reynolds (Baby Dee, Trembling Bells), plus Lucy Duncombe and Kenneth Wilson (Trees), Owen Curtis Williams (Benni Hemm Hemm, Rob St John) and Emily Roff (Tracer Trails!). Two Wings were recently described by total legend Daniel Higgs as “for real”. Genre fans, I’m calling this ‘nu wyrd dad rock’… Found yourself listening to Fleetwood Mac much lately? Me too. I think we’re ready for this! Hear tracks from Two Wings’ recently completed album (produced with John Cavanagh of Phosphene / Electroscope) online at http://twowings.bandcamp.com

Two Wings are visiting Edinburgh as part of a short tour of Scotland with…

ARBOREA, a husband/wife psych-folk duo from Maine who have a new album out on Strange Attractors Audio House. Formed in the summer of 2005 Buck and Shanti Curran create “Low key intimate spellcasting affairs….. the fact that they are a couple might help to explain the seamless organic blending of their music together. Conjuring truly transportational magic out of the simplest ingredients. Their songs might be a hundreds of years old, and there’s little here to lock them into any moment other than forever”. (Dream magazine). Buck plays guitar, slide guitars, bowed strings, flutes, banjo, and vocals. Shanti provides lead vocals, banjo, ukulele, bowed strings, harmonium, and percussion. They are often joined by Helena Espvall on cello. http://arboreamusic.blogspot.com

Opening this show will be the debut performance of a brand new Edinburgh band: Long Distance Runner. Very little is known about this anonymous quartet, which reportedly comprises members of King Bear, Appendix Out, Giant Tank, The Wee Rogue and Red Death. They’ve been meeting in secret for around two years, and what little recorded evidence has leaked out of those sessions suggests such influences as Codeine, Red House Painters, Galaxie 500, Palace Brothers and Slint.

Oh hang on, news just in: they’re called .

Proceeds from this gig go towards the Save the Forest Campaign. 

ALL-AGES | BYOB | 8PM | £5 | JUNE 22

The Forest Hall, 1 Bristo Place, Edinburgh

Facebook event - http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=154595054608172

Astral Social Club

Braw is chuffed to welcome back to Auld Reekie the solo project of one of England’s finest noise luminaries, Neil Campbell. As described by Wire magazine as having - “provided the map co-ordinates for much of what passed for a post-punk UK underground during most of the 80s and 90s”.

Neil’s expansive work has led to countless collaborations and contributions to the likes of ESP Kinetic, Vibracathedral Orchestra, Mathew Bower, Smell & Quim, Prick Decay, Tirath Singh Nirmala and Richard Youngs to name but a few.

Having released countless CD-R’s under his Astral Social Club guise, Neil’s sound engages the listener with swamps of drone, buried electronica, dance rhythms, glitches, guitar shriek and everything in between. His variation and sense of controlled immediacy is all encompassing in both the live and recorded environments. Truly a must see live!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neil_Campbell_(musician)

Dario Fariello & Neil Davidson

A duo combining Italian improvised saxophone vibrations from maestro Dario Fariello with solo guitarist and Glasgow Improviser Orchestra regular, Neil Davidson. This should be chin stroking dynamite.

http://www.myspace.com/dariofariello

http://www.neildavidson.org.uk/

Charles Napier Quartet

Featuring members of Fordell Research Unit, Linwood Flats and Muscletusk. This project remains somewhat of a mystery, only appearing once before in a shapeshifting guise of “Twitch of The Death Nerve” at the Botanical Gardens earlier in the year. I’ll hazard a guess that it’ll have buried beats, drone murk and some sativa induced electronics.

http://www.myspace.com/fordellresearchunit

http://www.myspace.com/muscletuskband

Ali Robertson

The bespectacled, mutton chops of Usurper goes it alone in all his sputtering and inane glory. Seen before dicing up Black Flag lyrics and Christmas Carols in previous performances, expect sound poetry and cut up jargon of the most bizarre.

http://www.myspace.com/usurperr

Friday 17th June, 7.30pm kick off.

The Banshee Labyrinth, 29-35 Niddry Street, Edinburgh.

£5 on the door!

Monday 9th May
£5 pay on the door. 7.30pm
The Banshee Labyrinth, 29-35 Niddry Street. Edinburgh.

FB event - http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=122642067810758


Turn To Crime
Derek Stanton aka Turn To Crime is better known as lead singer and guitarist with Awesome Color whose trio of maniacal Stooges/MC5 inspired LPs were released on Sonic Youth guitarist Thurston Moore’s label Ecstatic Peace between 2006 and 2010. The band gained worldwide notoriety, touring as headliners and with the likes of Dinosaur Jr and Sonic Youth themselves. In 2010, the band broke-up, but it wasn’t long before Derek had a new sound and a bunch of new songs ready to go under his solo moniker of Turn To Crime.

“Derek learned to play guitar from [Stooges drummer] Scott Asheton because he grew up next door to him, so he’s got a really classic Stooges, Detroit feel to his playing. He could be in the Stooges; in fact they’d sound a lot better if he was in there now and not James Williamson. He plays lead and sings, and you don’t see that done well much these days.” 

J Mascis, Dinosaur Jr, The Guardian, 14th March 2011

http://www.myspace.com/turntocrime
http://turntocrime.bandcamp.com

Float Riverer
If you can imagine being bludgeoned to death with a pair of dancing shoes then you pretty much understand what it is to see Float Riverer live. The Manchester duo, formed in 2010 while hitch-hiking across the UK, delivers all the hooks, punishing the audience with a relentless, often venomous, catchiness. Drummer Kate (also one third of grrrl-punk heroines Hotpants Romance) pounds her two drums in a repetitive, motorik style, her vocal has the rasp and depth of a Holly Golightly and, when she screams, well, she SCREAMS! Guitar player Nick mangles shrill, rhythmic repeato-riffs out of his Telecaster and spits out his lyrics in with a high-pitched androgynous stutter. They’re now in the process of recording an LP for summer release.

http://floatriverer.blogspot.com/


That’s What The Old Man Said & He Never Came Back
Earth and Melvins worship from the beard of Scrim and the sticks-man of The Pineapple Chunks. Instrumental heaviness that will get your blood pumping to all the correct organs, Jane Fonda style. Gurning, repetition and sludge aplenty.

http://www.myspace.com/germanshepherdofthedeep


Red Death
Synth or possibly guitar syncopations and dronezzz from the Braw master of ceremonies. Ya herd!

Monday 18th April
£5 pay on the door. 7.30pm
The Banshee Labyrinth, 29-35 Niddry Street. Edinburgh.

Kommissar Hjuler & Mama Baer

Kommissar Hjuler and Mama Baer are modern anomalies even within the relatively unrestricted plaines of the experimental and underground art scenes. As witnessed when they divided audiences in half during their now legendary live performance in Brighton at the last Colour Out Of Space Festival. The couple disintegrated a looped vocal rendition of “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” into a crescendo of white noise whilst dressed in full Safari clobber.

Their incorporation of youtube culture, homemade sculptures, obscene paintings and the use of abject packaging for their ever growing number of recorded artefacts has given them global grounding in the past few years. This upcoming appearance in Edinburgh this April will be a rare and intimate chance to catch the couple live – it’s anyone’s guess as to what they’ll do on the night.

http://www.asylum-lunaticum.de/
http://www.myspace.com/kommissarhjulerundfrau

http://www.artware-prod.com/art_gallery.htm

Ninni Morgia & Silvia Kastel

Ninni Morgia is a Brooklyn based Italian guitar player with noise rock roots but whose recent explorations into free-jazz, psychedelia and improv deconstruction are garnering much critical praise. 

Taking part in several projects on the Brooklyn experimental scene, such as: Death.Pool, La Otracina, and the open collective QUIVERS, Morgia’s guitar playing has been compared to that of great guitarists like Keiji Haino, Sonny Sharrock and Hendrix. He will be joined on tour by Ultramarine Records boss and frequent collaborator Silvia Kastel.

http://www.ultramarinerecords.com


Dead Labour Process

Solo guise of Euan Currie from Muscletusk, Brittle Hammer and head honcho of Unverified Records. Expect some obscure tape murk and acoustics from the man with various plans.

http://unrecs.blogspot.com


Solipstink

A solo outing from the one half of Scrim, Ash Reid will be bringing her own brand of muffled loops and string hankerings to this weirdo fest. Feminista trouser jams aplenty!

http://www.myspace.com/scrimjoy