Sneaky Pete's

On Loop returns to it’s Edinburgh home Sneaky Pete’s with Moxie & Australian selector CC:DISCO! Not to be missed. See you at Sneaky’s

The Cucumber Lodge is a lovingly chaotic series of irregular social gatherings that gravitate towards the edges of our cultural zeitgeists in their current and former states. The cultural mythology of the USSR is often hidden or misplaced yet Elena Tikhonova and Dominik Spritzendorfer’s ELEKTRO MOSKVA sets out to unravel the long coils of Soviet electronic music history. Recounted by a cast of synth-wizards and salvagers they uncover the rich musical heritage that Russia has left behind to electronic music. Presented in the unique setting of Sneaky Pete’s nightclub for the wonderful Scalarama film festival!

Tickets £7 (+£1 booking fee)
Tickets for carers available
Doors 7pm
Tickets for carers available

Venue accessibility information is available from the Sneaky Pete’s website https://www.sneakypetes.co.uk/about/

DJs playing music by bands to make you dance: Grace Jones to Neu!, Parquet Courts to Brian Eno, The Clash to Janelle Monae.

Get onto the Popular Music playlist on Spotify to get an idea of the soundtrack: http://bit.ly/popularmusicatsneaks

In the modern world of streaming-dominated music consumption, there are a few standard ways that artists tend to rack up the numbers. They’re either signed to a major label, who have the leverage and cash to get them all up in people’s eye-lines; they’ve managed to nab a lucrative spot on a New Music Friday playlist, or they’ve made friends with Hugh Jackman and wound up on ‘The Greatest Showman’ soundtrack. Rare, however, is the track that climbs into seven-figure streams just by virtue of being very, very good. And even rarer still is the occasion when that happens to a virtually unknown indie band.

‘If You Know That I’m Lonely’, the jangling, sepia-tinged and ’60s-inflected bop released by Brighton quartet FUR last autumn, however, is currently sitting at over 3.6 million Youtube views.

It’s had no car commercial sync deals and no Ed Sheeran endorsement; the only boost its been given is an initial backing by Jager Curtain Call – the collaboration between Jaegermeister and UK publication DIY Magazine, who first funded the recording of the track. Amusingly, coupled with an aesthetically-pleasing, Wes Anderson-esque video that cost “about £100 to make”, this probably gives the song the most cost-effective money: stream ratio on the entire platform. “When we released it we were hoping that it’d get to 20,000 in a couple of months, but then one day it started going up,” remembers singer Murray. “Since then, it’s 100% changed everything. It’s not just people saying ‘cool video’ and sharing it; a lot of these people are buying our records and merch and have adopted us as their new favourite band. We’re in a time where it’s still a fairly recent thing for a Youtube video to build something like that, so for a band to find their fanbase this way is really cool.”

Formed just over three years ago in the seaside town that the band – completed by guitarist Harry, bassist Tav, and drummer Flynn – still call home, FUR might not have expected this sudden change of fortune, but their ambition and determination was there from the start. Meeting initially on a Freshers internet forum, Murray and Harry had formed the basis of the group and began writing before they even started their first day of uni. When finding other flatmates, meanwhile, their only requirement was that they play either drums or bass. “I was very aware that going to a place like Brighton would definitely allow you to do the band thing,” explains the singer. “So when me and Harry met each other we thought, let’s get it started as soon as possible so we’re not wasting time.”

With a full quartet on board, they began to pen tracks based equally in the ‘00s indie they’d grown up with and an increasing rekindled interest in the older music they’d always known from home. “It started off [influenced] by The Strokes and The Cribs, who are another band we all really adore. But as we kept on writing, I found myself really enjoying and being really good at tapping into that [other] place,” explains Murray. “So then it was a case of looking at what sounded like FUR and getting that balance where it doesn’t sound like a band from the ‘60s, it sounds like if a ’60s band were doing something modern.” Harry notes: “For some reason, even when we’d only written two songs, we already knew what FUR sounded like.”

Heading into the release of their debut EP, following recent single ‘What Would I Do?’ (itself already up to half a million views, FYI) what FUR sound like currently is a band capable of penning a particularly nostalgic strain of guitar music but making it sound fresh again. Taking the age-old love song trope and reinvigorating it, theirs are tracks that feel familiar and classic but with a vibrancy that’s entirely new. “The three most written-about things are love, money and sex. One I’m not that comfortable writing about, and I don’t have that much money, but everyone’s felt some feeling of love and there’s something powerful about that,” the singer states. “It’s the strongest emotional connection I can have with a song.”

So far, this outlook has earned them critical plaudits from tastemakers such as Steve Lamacq, as well as gaining them support slots with a truly diverse set of artists including Miles Kane, The Brian Jonestown Massacre and London crooner Matt Maltese – who they’ll shortly be heading out on a full tour with. FUR have also found that their music’s been resonating in more places than just their homeland, too. “I think the one thing we really appreciate is people telling us we have a fanbase in places we never expected. Indonesia has become a big thing, and when people in Peru say there are whole groups of people out there that love us, that’s amazing,” says Flynn before Murray chips in: “And there’s been so much fan art. That’s when I think, what’s going on?! When you see someone who’s spent like, six hours drawing your face…”

It’s a fair point, but with an ever-increasing group of supporters already on board and a forthcoming EP set to cement their excitement, FUR better get used to a little healthy adoration. “When we all think back to where it started with ‘If You Know That I’m Lonely’, doing it on such a shoestring and seeing where we’ve got to now from that, it’s mad,” sums up Murray.

You sense it’s probably just the beginning…

A double midweek debut, pairing Edinburgh stalwarts with a Sneaks debut from a fast rising newcomer…

NikNak need little introduction. Owners of many guises, impressors of all parties all over this universe and likely the next. The NikNak duo keep the energy high, rolling you through a myriad of loose limbed beats. Their midweek debut will land with a bang.

Marieddu (aka Marios) sets the scene for the evening. An expert in the leftfield, with an arsenal of chuggers, we’ve witnessed Marieddu leave every party he’s played on cloud 9. Along with his recent shows on EH-FM we’ve no doubt is a debut you’ll tell the grandkids about.

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Essential Listening >>

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– Midweek Mischief –

£3 O.T.D.

Petrol Girls are a feminist post-hardcore punk band, originally formed in London, with members from Austria, Lithuania and the UK. Now based all over the place and touring incessantly, the band are strong advocates of freedom of movement, anti capitalism and intersectional feminism. Rooted in a DIY music community that has always combined politics with punk rock, Petrol Girls are part of a counter culture challenging mainstream values like nationalism and the gender binary, and the oppressions that these ideals promote.

With a diverse range of influences such as Refused, The Slits, Fugazi and Björk, and having had the pleasure to support bands such as The Dead Kennedys, Propagandhi, RVIVR, Anti Flag and Refused, the band are constantly developing musically as well as politically. Their music frequently toys with unusual time signatures and harmonic movement, with screaming and harsh angular rhythms to sad and desperate melodic moments or raging anthemic choruses. The lyrics grow from direct experiences and genuine questions, pushing beyond repetitive slogans to provoke meaningful conversations about what we’re actually going to do to change something.

Petrol Girls are named after Pétroleuses, mythical women of the Paris commune who allegedly set fire to private property with Molotov cocktails made from milk bottles, and rejected traditional gender roles. The inspiration came from a talk on Women and Protest given by writer Laurie Penny, who loosely translated Pétroleuses to Petrol Girls.

The band first formed in 2013 for a house show that singer Ren was putting on to celebrate International Women’s Day. This feminist context was essential for the band’s formation within a wider music community that at the time did very little to encourage women’s participation.

Our weekly no holds barred, down and dirty bikram disco, destroying Wednesday mornings since 2009.

Take the unbridled joy of Tuesday nights with you wherever you go with the Soul Jam Playlist!

There’s no better place than the pages of your favourite music magazines to find the latest artists to rock your world. Edinburgh International Magazine Festival 2019 are teaming up with The Skinny and GoldFlakePaint to bring that sense of exploration and discovery to a live event, where together they have curated a lineup of some of the most exciting Scottish acts in 2019.

Each band will be introduced by a great music journalist. The Skinny‘s Music Editor Tallah Brash and GoldFlakePaint‘s Editor Tom Johnson will be joined by our very own EIMF director Laura Kelly Dunlop in introducing you to your new favourite band.

This event is supported by PRS Foundation

Volens Chorus – A willing dance. For our first official party, we’re bringing a full residents line up to show off what we’ve got. Expect everything from baile to jersey club and drum to juke. This is not to be missed so bring your dancing shoes as you’re not gonna be able to stand still.

£3 b4 1 £5 after

Believe presents the best in bass DJs from Edinburgh at his weekly Sunday communion. Always fresh, always free.