T on the Fringe / Various Venues, Edinburgh
Hairs raised by Dinosaur Jr at T on the Fringe
Words Andy Kerr
For one month of every year, Scotland’s musical epicentre shifts from Glasgow to the nation’s capital. Running throughout August - when the streets of Edinburgh become clogged with dawdling American tourists and unbearably jolly drama students - T on the Fringe has now firmly established itself alongside the city’s other, more internationally-recognised festival.
With 80 plus bands playing across five venues over 24 days, picking what to see from the eclectic line-up provided a much-welcomed dilemma given Edinburgh’s usual status as a tour-stop afterthought. But, with some of the bigger names failing to live up to expectations, it ultimately fell to unexpected quarters to supply this year’s highlights.
On paper the pairing of former Belle & Sebastian cellist Isobel Campbell and one-time Screaming Tree Mark Lanegan shouldn’t work. They’re the archetypal odd couple, but with their contrasting vocals sublimely interwoven, the duo delivered a haunting set of bluegrass-tinged folk to an appreciative sold-out crowd.
Another night, another Scottish singer, as former Delgado Emma Pollock played tracks from her debut solo album Watch The Fireworks. ‘New Land’ provided the perfect start to proceedings while recent single ‘Acid Test’ and the more delicate ‘Limbs’ epitomised Pollock’s brand of intelligent and melodically irresistible pop.
Far less people may have turned up to see Pete and the Pirates in a venue, Cabaret Voltaire, that was packed a few nights earlier, but from opening salvo ‘Come On Feet’, they impressed. A call to arms - sorry, feet - it set the tone for the night with its driving, choppy guitars and infectious melody. By the end, there was no doubting the Reading quintet had won over the crowd.
Not every show hit the mark. Swedish pop-rockers The Sounds, despite singer Maja Ivarsson’s best efforts, felt all too predictable while one of T on the Fringe’s most anticipated performers, Interpol, did nothing to excite. Theirs was a lacklustre display that plodded along with little of their trademark intensity. Then there was Paul Steel - poor misguided Paul Steel - a singer-songwriter whose inoffensive set of Mika-esque pop was wholly forgettable save for a cringe-worthy finale that wouldn’t have been out of place at a Fringe comedy venue.
Thankfully, with The Shins’ appearance just round the corner, any lingering flashbacks to Mr Steel’s endeavours soon evaporated. Limiting between song chat to the occasional “thanks a lot”, the Portland quartet really did let their music do the talking, cramming 20 glorious, guitar-driven indie-pop tracks into a hugely enjoyable 90 minutes.
Possibly the most powerful, and indeed deafening, performance of this year’s festival came from Dinosaur Jr. Their onslaught was a joy to behold; from ferocious opener ‘Tarpit’ to triumphant encore ‘Freakscene’, the trio’s potent display rounded off another successful T on the Fringe in some style. Roll on next year.
