The first night of Jon Hopkins’ Polarity Tour begins with a night in Edinburgh’s Usher Hall: drawing in an audience for an evening of striking contrasts. Producing starkly varied music encompassing genres from classical piano music and film scores to bass-heavy electronica, ‘polarity’ perfectly describes the unique meshing of music that Hopkins displays. The grandeur […]
Fresh off the back of winning The Skinny’s Scottish Album of the Year Award and not too far gone from touring with the behemoths that are The Cure, The Twilight Sad endeavoured upon their largest headline show yet at Edinburgh’s Usher Hall. Opening the night were Man of Moon, a diminutive 2-piece set-up that finds […]
It’s easy to assume many things about Sigrid, on first impressions alone. Her debut album Don’t Kill My Vibe is about exactly that. After experiencing difficulties in her early career working with executives who undermined her capabilities as a young woman trying to break into the music industry, this album is a testament to her […]
As their combined name suggests, Calexico and Iron & Wine are the coming together of two unlikely projects; sometimes a beautiful blend, other times an eclectic jumble (the fact that they retain their own names is telling). Nevertheless, they are a wonderfully talented group of musicians and they entertained a full Usher Hall on a […]
James’ Monday night Usher Hall performance is the powerful result of the work of a group of highly skilled musicians and a career spanning almost forty years. Supporting themselves with an acoustic set before the main show, totalling about two and a half hours of live music, the band put together a show that is […]
Before Nils Frahm takes to the Usher Hall stage, it’s obvious that this isn’t going to be a conventional piano recital. Dominating the space is a staggering assembly of synths, organs, pianos, drum machines, loopers and tape delays, all lying in wait under the modest arch of lights above. The diversity of the crowd is […]
What do you do when you first arrive in the wonderful Scottish capital? Unpack? No chance. Meet your flatmates? Maybe, if negotiating cupboard space in the kitchen emerges as a priority. First things first, sort out where the good music is. One thing you learn very quickly about Edinburgh though is that it’s not what […]
24th October As the queues sprawl out of Usher Hall onto the pavements of Lothian Road, not even the October drizzle can dampen the enthusiasm of this eager crowd. The venue is an appropriately impressive setting for the music of London Grammar; unassuming and unimposing in its grandeur but spectacularly beautiful nevertheless. Fledgling LA band, […]