Edinburgh Under Surveillance: July

July in Edinburgh tends to be a strange kind of month, gig-wise. The depletion of the city's student population, the annual calm before August's Fringe storm, and the fact that most of the major bands are off peddling their wares on the summer festival circuit means that as the season hots up, the Capital has a habit of winding down. But, while it's fair to say that the most pressing engagements for most of Edinburgh's music lovers lie outwith the city limits at events such as Indian Summer in Glasgow and at T in the Park, there's enough gold in them there venues to keep things ticking over nicely.

Gig of the month (and most probably of the year in this time-warped hack's opinion) has to be the super heavyweight soul summit at the Playhouse on 2 July featuring the right Reverend Al Green and southern-soul heroine Candi Staton. Live events rarely come more seismic than this.

Back on a more contemporary note, there's plenty to get exited about. The other major gigging event of the month comes on the 27th when The Streets pay a visit to the Liquid Room. While Tony Blair might now be a barely lamented figure of the past, Mike Skinner - arguably the unofficial Poet Laureate of the former PM's era - still gets plenty of mileage from his half-spoken, half-sung tales of post-millennial Britain and is sure to pack the punters in for his Edinburgh appearance.

Also returning to the Capital this month are Irish classicists The Thrills. The Dubliners have been beavering away on their third album, their first since 2004's Let's Bottle Bohemia, and will be road-testing their new wares on their summer tour. Surprisingly enough for a band that were at one time tipped to go stratospheric, the venues for the tour veer towards the smaller end of the scale, but the intimate surrounds of Cabaret Voltaire could be just the right size to showcase their undoubted knack with a soaring melody to full effect. They play there on the 1st.

Don't expect much on-stage chatter at the Cab on 5th when Portsmouth lo-fi tyros the Strange Death of Liberal England hit the stage - the band's shtick involves communicating to their audience solely through the means of placards. Arty. Expect a bit more interaction at the same venue a week later when Edinburgh's own punk-rock train wreck the Vivians conjure up some fury.