Gig review: Limbo Christmas Party

Published on Monday 6 December 2010 19:26

LIMBO CHRISTMAS PARTY VOODOO ROOMS, EDINBURGH ****

WITH six acts to cram in, the festive bash for Edinburgh's monthly indie music showcase had to kick off promptly, which meant a thin crowd for opening act Inspector Tapehead.

A shame, because their mix of gentle folk strumming, harmonies and unobtrusive electronica is lovely, the trio even throwing in a version of Silent Night.

Inspector Tapehead may appeal to fans of FOUND, especially those perplexed by this restlessly experimental band's latest change of direction – a more epic side, with unexpected shades of U2 and Led Zeppelin. Being FOUND, though, they throw so much electronic glitchery and guitar pedal effects at it all that you can barely make out the tune. It's as if Aphex Twin had decided to make stadium rock, and then changed his mind halfway through.

Lack of space means brief mentions only for Night Noise Team (a blokey guitar band, cockier than they probably should be), Yusuf Azak (old school singer-songwriting in the Nick Drake/Joni Mitchell mould, too mannered and fussily played for my liking) and Les Enfant Bastard (here delivering a by turns thrilling and hilarious set of cartoonish, computer game-style dance music), but Andy Brown's Victorian Karaoke deserves a few words.

Bearded, bear-like and deadpan, this local cult hero growls along to backing tracks of brief musical vignettes about everything from Edinburgh in the early hours ("Bacardi breezer bitch fight" being a lyrical highlight) to his newborn son ("hey little one with the sticky out tongue"). Twice as entertaining as Scotland's vast array of twentysomething guitar bands, he's a national treasure in the making.