Shows and songs on the horizon

Hi folks,

With these first few days of autumn crunch upon us, we’ve got some news to report.

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November dates

We’re delighted to be playing a lopsided triangle of dates across the middle of Scotland in late November.

Fri 23 Nov – Summerhall, Edinburgh
Mon 26 Nov – Perth Theatre, Perth
Fri 30 Nov – The Glad Cafe, Glasgow

Broken Chanter – the new solo project of David MacGregor from Kid Canaveral – will be joining us in Edinburgh and Glasgow.

Tickets for all three dates here.

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Past times and future plans

We had a grand time zigzagging up and down the UK on tour at the start of the summer. Fun to play the Welcome Strangers songs as a four-piece, after the big SOUNDING shows in Edinburgh and Glasgow. And a real treat to finish off with two packed out shows in Glasgow, at the Glad Cafe and the Mackintosh Church.

Thanks to everyone who put us on, put us up, and put up with us: the Fire Records gang, The Pastels, Song, by Toad, Friendly Records, Cafe Kino, The Glad Cafe, Strange Behaviours, Interesting Music Promotions.

And also to some amazing supports: Rick Redbeard, Lomond Campbell, The Nervy Betters, Stephen Milne, Yolo Manolo. Check them out!

In July, Emily and Joe curated SPECTRAL VERSES, a week of experimental collaborations, improvisations and performances at The Glad Cafe. You can read all about what went down here.

We’re currently getting a new set of songs together, to hopefully start work on over the winter. Hunkering down in rural Perthshire is how we work best.

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Sayonara Song, by Toad

We had some sad news recently – our first record label Song, by Toad is no more. After ten years of putting out records, hosting gigs, running a DIY recording studio, making podcasts, riling people up, and getting folk unreasonably pissed and well-fed at his parties, Matthew Young has decided to hang up his headphones to concentrate on full-time dadding.

We’re hugely grateful to Matthew for everything he’s done for us: as a band, as individual musicians, and as people. The amount of time, effort and support he gave us around Swell to Great was massively important in shaping how the record found its way in the world. He’s too modest to acknowledge it, but in a notoriously shit business, he’s absolutely one of the good guys.

You can read a cracking history of the label in this piece by Dylan Matthews on The Fountain.

Emily is playing a solo set (will there be new songs, I wonder?) at the Song, by Toad closing party at Leith Depot in Leith on Friday 28th September. Also featuring a party set from (sadly Rob-less) avian bedfellows eagleowl!

Go and see Matthew off with a smile – tickets here.

And then on 15th November, Pete’s other band The Leg (also on SbT) have a show at Henry’s Cellar Bar in Edinburgh (Matthew will probably be there; you can buy him more beer, and say more nice things). Details and tickets here.

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Ok, that’s about it!

Hopefully see you at a show, MS x