Hello there. Rhod has kindly asked me to write the music column for this week's issue of The Guide, so I thought I'd compile an Edinburgh playlist; a bespoke soundtrack for the fringe. Or, if you're not performing up in Scotland, simply download these tracks and you too can feel a part of the world's biggest arts festival! You can heighten the experience by also burning thousands of pounds of your own money, standing in the shower all day and not eating any vegetables until September.
The Band - Stage Fright (the best version is on The Last Waltz soundtrack)
Ah, the roar of the greasepaint! The smell of the crowds! Edinburgh draws performers from all over the globe for 25 nights of singing, dancing and generally acting the fool. It's like Groundhog Day, but replace Andie MacDowell with a one-woman performance of Clytemnestra and swap Bill Murray for an overenthusiastic Spanish juggler. As The Band sang, "But when we get to the end/He wants to start all over again."
Ann Peebles - I Can't Stand The Rain
Soul songtress Ann Peebles' 1973 stone–cold classic was almost certainly inspired by a school trip to Leith. I'm pretty sure that the reason there was no rioting in Edinburgh last year was partly down to the horrendous weather – if you were outside in that first week of August, it was impossible to get a cigarette lit, never mind a JD Sports.
Nancy Sinatra - These Boots Are Made for Walkin'
If you're visiting the fringe, I'd recommend investing in a sturdy (and waterproof) pair of boots. Edinburgh is a place that is best explored on foot. You'll often discover hidden treasures down one of the many wynds, passages and alleyways. Oh, get a decent map, too. In the old town, the city planning was left to Jareth the Goblin King.
The Jam - That's Entertainment
It's worth bearing the chorus of this song in mind, to help you through any comedy, theatre, dance or music that you're not particularly enjoying. I once spent an hour and a half bored rigid watching a gritty play about rival eastern European hot dog vendors. It's very hard to build up the requisite amount of tension when all threats of violence and murder concern overzealous wiener distribution.
Sandie Shaw - Reviewing The Situation
The human jukebox Rob Deering turned me on to this. It shouldn't work but it does: English pop waif and marionette enthusiast Sandie Shaw does a funky breakbeat cover of Fagin's big number from Oliver! That should've piqued your interest. For performers up here, reviews can make or break a show. Those anguished cries of "Fuck it! Three stars!" that reverberate around the city all month are definitely not from amateur astrologists.
Lloyd Langford: One Day In The Life Of Lloyd Owen Langford is at the Assembly Rooms, to 26 Aug (not 13)
Listen on Spotify
