Toffs Can't Dance: The Second Coming
Toffs, our thoughts are with you
| 11 Jan 2007
As Second Comings go, it's not exactly on par with a biblical resurrection. But the return of Toffs Can't Dance should be greeted with similar awestruck adulation when it re-emerges this month. Because these are no generic indie-schmindie shenanigans - this is a craftily constructed, aurally intoxicating night of the finest young hips-shakers in town.
Bursting into life last May, Toffs was one of the revitalising alternatives on the map of Edinburgh's oft scraggily-haired subculture. Firmly focused on showcasing aspiring local acts, founders Mike McGrail and Gavin Oattes entwined live bands with comedic interludes and an exquisite music policy, plastering a grin on the faces of the emaciated indie masses. And to top off this unadulterated musical gratification was its illustrious setting; The Caves.
With its electrified atmosphere, the venue's chasmal confines proved a hit with both punters and bands. Recalling the vibrancy of the first Toffs, The Dials frontman Joe Hendry enthuses: "The Caves was amazing – we really took it up a gear that night. It was a unique spectacle. There's nowhere like it around. Where else can you see live bands, get pissed and explore a haunted tomb?"
Where else indeed? And on the 27th of January you can once again excavate Toffs' cavernous realms without fear of mummification as a stellar quartet of Edinburgh acts bandage your eardrums with blistering sound. Tam's Railway and The Dials will be reacquainted for another splurge of seething power-punk and feisty rock 'n' roll, whilst new recruits have been found in the dastardly duo of Penny Blacks and OBE.
So what can we expect from the sprightly Toffs freshmen? Well, Penny Blacks' vocalist Jon Seller is gearing up for a night of suave sophistication with the occasional foxtrot thrown in for good measure: "We're gonna be pulling out all the stops on the night - I may even have a shave," he exclaims. "We love playing live and we'll definitely get some dancing going on in honour of the title."
The final word goes to OBE's Stitch, who tackles that perennially irksome question: Why do rich-kids fail to cut some quality rug? "Pure and simply: inbreeding. It's to do with their testicles. During conception something gets all twisted up and they're in constant pain 'til the moment they die. It's horrible and all the boys in OBE would like to say: Toffs, our thoughts are with you."
Bursting into life last May, Toffs was one of the revitalising alternatives on the map of Edinburgh's oft scraggily-haired subculture. Firmly focused on showcasing aspiring local acts, founders Mike McGrail and Gavin Oattes entwined live bands with comedic interludes and an exquisite music policy, plastering a grin on the faces of the emaciated indie masses. And to top off this unadulterated musical gratification was its illustrious setting; The Caves.
With its electrified atmosphere, the venue's chasmal confines proved a hit with both punters and bands. Recalling the vibrancy of the first Toffs, The Dials frontman Joe Hendry enthuses: "The Caves was amazing – we really took it up a gear that night. It was a unique spectacle. There's nowhere like it around. Where else can you see live bands, get pissed and explore a haunted tomb?"
Where else indeed? And on the 27th of January you can once again excavate Toffs' cavernous realms without fear of mummification as a stellar quartet of Edinburgh acts bandage your eardrums with blistering sound. Tam's Railway and The Dials will be reacquainted for another splurge of seething power-punk and feisty rock 'n' roll, whilst new recruits have been found in the dastardly duo of Penny Blacks and OBE.
So what can we expect from the sprightly Toffs freshmen? Well, Penny Blacks' vocalist Jon Seller is gearing up for a night of suave sophistication with the occasional foxtrot thrown in for good measure: "We're gonna be pulling out all the stops on the night - I may even have a shave," he exclaims. "We love playing live and we'll definitely get some dancing going on in honour of the title."
The final word goes to OBE's Stitch, who tackles that perennially irksome question: Why do rich-kids fail to cut some quality rug? "Pure and simply: inbreeding. It's to do with their testicles. During conception something gets all twisted up and they're in constant pain 'til the moment they die. It's horrible and all the boys in OBE would like to say: Toffs, our thoughts are with you."
Toffs Can't Dance: The Caves, 27 Jan.
http://www.myspace.com/toffscantdanceedinburgh