edinburgh

However, if you can ride it out, Edinburgh is great - the prettiest city in Britain, I would say. Loads of good restaurants, pubs with reasonable opening hours, great record shops etc etc. I dunno about clubs etc - there is a pretty good regular artskooldisko - but then Glasgow is only 50 minutes away for that kind of thing. Have fun!

Having said that after a number of years with Glasgow in the ascendant Edinburgh appears to be on the rise and certainly is looking more prosperous, prob a result of the Scottish Parliament. Typical city in having some dodgy areas (Niddrie, Granton, Muirhouse) but other prosperous areas (Morningside, Cramond), Leith (down towards docks) was considered rough but is becoming increasingly gentrified as Parliamentarians and ancillary staff moves into area.

Architecturally prob one of the finest cities in UK although it lacks the genius of a Rennie Mackintosh or Thomson which Glasgow has. Not too sure pop culture wise though plenty of great pubs/restaurants, Glasgow having edge over past 15-20 years but ‘high’ culture exceptionally well served. Anyway it is a beautiful city and as Stevie T said Glasgow’s only 50 mins away.

Plug, go to AJ’s café in the Royal Mile esp. for the cakes. It is my sister’s partners though; mention my name and you may get a discount (or prob not.)

Glasgow is also ace. But then I even like Dundee, Aberdeen being the only Scottish city I'm not keen on.

Let's see, based on past encounters: Glasgow -- quite grand, spent three days there in 1992, had a wonderful wander around the city, will be seeing it again briefly this Sunday. Dundee -- only drove through it but I really liked the geography and look of the place, and of course Billy Mackenzie of the Associates was born and raised there, so clearly it is a place of Divine and Holy Goodness. St. Andrews -- where Jane the Glorious went to uni, and a nice spot it is, golf course and everything. Inverness -- didn't really spend much time there, but it and Nairn, where Jane's parents live, do both benefit from the setting.

quite a lot of good stuff coming to edinburgh nowadays.

and glasgow is not far away...

Well?

so, who else is in edinburgh these days besides calum and leigh?

It has the smells of Scotland, apparently. What's not to love?

[Word of warning it will be incredibly cold in Feb. Bring 2 jackets.]

[and 2 hats <<:]

Um I am in Edinburgh too, I know I am a persistent lurker but I only just moved up here so if you're having a FAP can I come? I need to get out of the house more.

(I'm told they occasionally have fetish nights at the Edinburgh Dungeon. That's probably the best thing about it)

(I definitely would recognise alext on sight, because we were at university at the same time, and I think had mutual acquaintances)

None of you would recognise me, however I am sort of cheating because I've only lived here for two months and know about three people. I work at Peckhams though so if you know where it is come in and say hi and buy some expensive food.

what do you look like alext? (this is not a chat up line honest)

Kathryn, I am short -> medium height, short blondish hair.

I know Ed very well from uni, and my g/f was the bridesmaid at Merlin (co-runner of SL records)'s wedding.

And the Starlets are a great band -- they deserve to do really big things, and they have the best front man since Dan from Khaya toned stuff down with Desc. I am also gutted I missed the SL records party in Glasgow. Apparently Desc played the whole of _The Lost Feeling_, the last Khaya release.

for work, colin, touch wood. well hopefully. the sc0ttish l4w c0mmission reprazent!

xpost: No!! Hop hop videos from 1992 are kind of the pinnacle of fashion, now that you mention the other things that they're constituted of. I shouldn't have been so disparaging.

That's maybe why I hate clubs.

I see my name is being taken in vain again.

c-man, do you think that feminism is about women acting a certain way, or about having the freedom to not have to act a certain prescribed way?

When i was thinking of renting last year the rents for a one bedroom flat in a semi decent area came in at about £400pcm but they could have gone up since then, sorry i can't be more precise, i decided to buy instead.

(I really should get flatmates some time; it might be damn cheap for three bedrooms, but it's not if you're the only one living there)

5. The Antiquary on St Stephen's Street, Stockbridge. By the time you've walked all the way down Frederick Street, you need a few drinks before you can face the climb back up... used to do a champagne happy hour (quite out of character with it's surroundings) with champers for £10 a bottle, which once caused me to end up halfway over the Forth Road Bridge (search the "Phantom Pubs" thread - best thread ever on ILE in my opinion...)

4. The Penny Black in the east end. Posties pub, opens at 5am, shuts at 6pm. They are used to it, so whatever you do, it won't matter. Occasionally you do spot a genuine postman - usually though it's just very, very drunk people putting Neil Diamond on the jukebox. I once tried to phone my then girlfriend from this pub at 6am to tell her that Robbie Williams had left Take That. She was not impressed.

3. The Pelican (RIP) on the Cowgate. Open til a ridiculous time during the festival. Poncey and townie and full of idiots, but scene of so many happy evenings that it warrants a mention anyway. Hilarious mic-wielding DJ would intersperse "This one's for Sharon, who's 22 tonight!" with "Security to the dancefloor please..." on a regular basis...

2. The St James Oyster Bar (RIP) on Calton Road, now called Pivo I think. I worked here for a couple of years, so I am biased, but it was ace. Too many highlights to mention - Gregor the rude quizmaster, "Sleepless Nights" - a sad cowboy club me and Kevin used to run, watching them film Trainspotting outside, all the HMV gang, Sandy singing "Down By the River", serving Peter Perrett Dover sole...

1. The Marina Hotel between Inverleith Terrace and Montague Terrace in Goldenacre. You have to go. It's a blast. The only pub I have been in since that comes close is the Palm Tree in Mile End.

I'll never go back to Edinburgh, cos it's a soul destroying shithole, but it was great fun while it lasted. And you really should check out that Phantom Pubs thread...

Pivo is shit. Really loud tedious music and always really busy. Shit chairs too. Really annoying that it's the nearest pub to the venue.

I have never been to any of the pubs you describe although I may now do so.

I've been in Pivo a few times for old times sake and yes, it is pretty shit. It always makes me laugh though that in the bit at the start of Trainspotting where Ewan McGregor gets run down, the "road" the car is coming out of isn't actually a road. He only drank Appletise, you know...

I think, however, that girls who have decided it would be great imitate the very dregs of masculinity - drinking, footie, casual sex, acting like an arsehole - is unwise. It just makes me shake my head and it's a dumbass thing to aspire to.

But, on the other hand, are drinking and casual sex, really that bad. I think they are really rather fun

The weather today was mental - first it was really sunny and then a blizzard started out of nowhere! bloody scotland.

also I am going to THE EGG tonight apparently Edinburgh's top indie club is it good? do i need some arts student to sign me in or something? everything is so complicated here!

did it ?

I've decided I should get people to move into my spare bedrooms, to share the rent out a bit. If I find two people to move in, it will be £185 each, which I think is damn cheap for Edinburgh. So, if you know anyone who's looking, let me know.

Kathryn: email me. The address I use here is a real one.

Need local knowledge - hiring a car on Sunday in Edinburgh - most appear to be at the Airport - I know Hertz have a place in the City itself - any others? Any local companies that are good (as opposed to the global chains)?

Ta

[Am I allowed to plug the club thing that I am starting up this weekend in Edinburgh on here? I am slightly terrified that no-one is going to come.]

(nb: joke.)

What date are we going to do this, then? Any suggestions?

Thursday's fine by me right enough; think I've a Christmas do on Friday, though.

Do any buses pass by the pond? i'm not familiar with that part of leith in spite of living quite close by.

failing that, i can do the 10th. so much for my hectic social calendar. bah.

nb: this is a joke.

well, apart from that time i rang him in a panic, while revising for my finals, and asked him to explain poststructuralism. over pints in the earl of marchmont.

the only bit i fully remember was: "haven't you two sorry fuckers got hovels to go back to?"

enough, i'm off to the GYM.

I hope that's a joke.

Ally: Chas & Dave?

I'm spending, on average, one weekend out of every 2 in edinburgh at the moment. I miss some of the people there but I don't miss the place.

I'm totally flexible with regards to dates & times & locations. I realise the pond is totally inconvenient for anyone (myself included) whodoes not stay in leith.

I'll send you my real email address...

It doesn't matter to me; I'm happy with all the plans.

Happy to come along to the Swimmer One thing to see you Simon; just can't be arsed trying to talk to people over a load of noise from pish bands. Swimmer One is a Wire b-side isn't it? How obscure. If I ran a night, I'd call it "rabbit".

The one time I've been in there I liked it, quite happy, but if others want further up town so they can get there more easily then that's fine too.

Let's make a decision tomorrow!

no. that's "our swimmer".

alex: if there's no thursday-night fappery, i won't bother coming through for the gig (sorry, swimmer one) ... saturday afternoon is cool, though. hurrah. wherever we may end up.

I can't see the hordes that will attend this fitting into the Cameo cinema bar, but then I also sympathise with those who don't live in Edinburgh and don't want to go looking for the Cameo bar.

Here's a suggestion - how's about the (Car) Wash on the mound? It's easy to get to for travellers.

i'd be well up for the cameo bar. it'd be like a homecoming. of sorts.

Kays Bar? The barman has a waxed Dali type moustache.

i haven't been in the car wash since 1994, but i remember it as a vile seventies theme pub populated by second-year english-lit undergraduates in silly hats talking about how they were taking up the didgeridoo.

Neil, Kay's Bar is a great idea, and the bloke is funny; like the bar man in Withnail and I, but I'm fairly sure it's been something else for about four years now. Come to think of it, maybe I'm thinking of another place. I think it's called Indigo now. Ah! No, I'm thinking of Aubrey's, which had a similar landlord and was in a similar place.

OK. We should vote. The voting closes Monday at 8 o'clock. The (practical) suggestions are:

- The Cameo in Leith
- The Car Wash
- Kay's Bar in the new town

what sort of time are we doing this thang?

3pm was mentioned at some point, wasn't it?

i can be there for about 4ish. or so.

Me: "Do you know what this band are called?"
Bloke sitting next to me: "SHITE"
Me: "Is that actually the name of the band, or just your opinion?"
Bloke: "My opinion"
Me: "It would be good if you got to name every band you saw. I get the feeling most of them would be called 'SHITE'"
Bloke: "Yes, they would. Why, what would you call this band?"
Me: "I would called them 'I'm quite enjoying this'"
Bloke (giving me a funny look): "Oh"

but they'd cry.

i might wait until andrew stands me up for lunch again or something :)

i commuted from marchmont (15 minutes' swift walk from waverley) to duke street for three months back in 1997, and i have to say i wasn't very happy. but then i moved to glasgow and i was even less happy ... which made me realise the reasons for my unhappiness were nothing to do with the commute and more to do with me being a knob about a girl :)

once i'd got that sorted, i went out and got whammed and all was well again.

anyway: alext has been doing the big commute for at least a year. over to him.

If you're going to do it, that's probably about as easy as it gets; it's just 5 minutes from Waverley and you're quite close to Queen Street. I know people who live in Houston (near Paisley that is!) that commute every day.

Parking is not good in Edinburgh, certainly in the city centre. You can park in and around Bellvue, but it's not easy and you'd have to get in early. I would avoid driving, unless you're likely to be in work very early and don't mind a ten minute walk or so from where you park.

There's a job going at my current place of employment which I want a lot more, but I handed in my application a fortnight ago and they reckon it'll be another 1-2 weeks before they have a shortlist for interview ffs! My current contract finishes at the end of December and I don't really want to start the new year as a temp so that's why I'm looking elsewhere.

x-post: is it near Harvey Nicks, or am I looking at the map upside down?

no that is a different pub (and i think it's Howe St/Circus Lane corner yr thinking of)

Kay's is, according to hmmm's link, on Jamaica St - ie. in the area bounded by Howe St, India St, Heriot Row & Royal Circus

It's five minutes walk to Harvey Nicks. It's just down from Lewis's. Leigh's right; that area's dead nice. I'm moving to near there soon.

Snowy - OK... Confuses me a bit right enough; I walk past there every day to go to work! I'll open my eyes tomorrow.

I have commuted to Glasgow since October 2002. It is totally soul-destroying and horrible. I only have to do it for about four more days thank fuck. Part of the problem for me is that I have to walk up Leith Walk, get the train, get the world's most rubbish tube train to Hillhead and then walk up the hill to walk, which takes 1 hour 40 mins. on average, which is 3 hours 20 minutes of my day wasted.

(although this afternoon she's having lunch at, er, the tunnocks tea cake factory in uddingston, so ... hmph.)

what, RIGHT NOW?

NO NOT THE CAR WASH IT SUCKS COCKS IN HELL.

I've just found out I'm on the shortlist for the job here too, the one I *really* want. I could walk to work in 20 minutes if I got that. IF. I hate this juggly juggly business.

Hope all the job stuff works out.

and, you know, i feel kinda traumatised now.

keith?

tom, perversely, is going to be in glasgow that day.

i was planning on being there for 4pm: any earlier will be a little difficult.

Is anyone else actually coming? Oi lurkers speak up now!!!

er but er if it's just you, me and keith then, umm ... well, it's more a potterrow reunion than an ILX FAP :)

was i?

no. i was going to join but didn't.

keith was :)

I might be in here briefly tomorrow, i'm expecting a package containing this http://www.guardian.co.uk/theguide/books/story/0,14684,1464976,00.html
and this http://www.plexifilm.com/sheffield.html and don't want to leave it sitting in the office over the weekend. It all depends on whether or not the cooker intallers from C***t arrive. I waited in all last Friday only to find out that they had me pencilled in for this week rather than last.

Bis: blame Neil (hmmm).

I'd like to kid on that I was young and stupid then, but I was about 23.

Yeah, I was at Edinburgh uni 91-95. I was on the Potterrow committee too, though not at first, though I knew them all. Can't remember when I was on it, maybe 94/95 or so.

Potter Row, and later, Chamber Street.

Let's rock!

a couple of weeks later, it was closed.

COINCIDENCE? I THINK NOT. mwahahahah.

(actually, it was coincidence. but hey.)

http://www.heavymetalbrasil.com.br/fotos/promopics/stryper.gif

This is rock:

http://www.soundgenerator.com/pix/articles/2004/06/thewholive_santVisEnt.jpg

and, er, two portions of steak and chips.

each.

leigh: lovely to meet you. next time, stay longer. otherwise, it seems, we become uncivilised.

what did i miss after i left? i bumped into three lovely (and whammed) colleagues on the train home but resisted the tempation to drink more in glasgow. 'rah.

Was a great day/night, though. Lovely to meet you too, Leigh, and Tom, but I guess he doesn't read this board. Smart chap.

Sorry, didn't see this. I was in Why Not? on Friday pulling freshers and Po Na Na on Saturday night arguing with evil women and having my bum grabbed by older women. Rockin' weekend.

I have fallen out of love, w/ glasgow, a little, lately, though

Changes taking place, mainly behind the scenes, at The Scotsman Publications Ltd, since the recent takeover of the group by Johnston Press, is to see newspaper designers, Ally Palmer and Terry Watson, being let go.
Johnston have decided not to renew their retainer.
The pair have been busy these last two years on The Scotsman’s switch to compact format, plus on redesigns at both Scotland on Sunday and the Edinburgh Evening News.
They’ve also been working around the world, including on a redesign of Le Monde, in France.
But for Palmer, it might free up time to return to playing guitar for TV21, the band that famously split up, in May 24 years ago, backstage at Edinburgh Playhouse, just three nights into supporting the Rolling Stones on their European tour.
But they’re playing again - as reported recently on Spike - at Edinburgh’s Citrus Club, next Friday.

Can we make this happen please?

let's plan it and do it in spring/summer.

Definitely need to get some FAP action going on asap. To the Try Glasgow More thread!

But really most of why I would be going is that I've never been out of North America, and Edinburgh seems nice. I mean I'm sure I'd also visit London and meet people but Edinburgh sounds far more interesting.

i don't remember "get fresh" being that, umm, good.

i don't remember slade having a hip-hop influence either :)

I am DJing at the Southern ex heavy metal pub on Friday at 9pm if anyone's around...

You should still do it even if no one's around.

Jesus, you're quick on the draw!

By the way, check this amazingness that Mooro sent me:

http://www1.epinions.com/content_65017253508

I was in the Southern today! Sadly not able to be there on Friday.

Awww!

Tomorrow night!

Hello Edinburgers, I will be in your city next Friday for work. Would anyone like to join me for an alcoholic beverage when I am finished? I will be up near the Teviot/Potterow/Pleasance festival triangle of doom, but am open to suggestions if anyone's around?

(I realise that's more of a straight line of doom than a triangle, but whatever)

I'm actually off on holiday next Friday but (assuming we can actually get something arranged) I can pop through from Fife for a few drinks.

What are the moving-to-Edinburgh tips?

and how about the good places to eat tips too?

If you're not looking for a specific area in Edinburgh, I can recommend a random pile of restaurants about town. "Passorn" on Brougham place has awesome Thai, and for french food I would recommend "Chez Jules" on Hanover Street and "Pierre Victoire" on Eyre place - both owned by the same people, but Pierre Victoire is a bit better in my opinion. "Viva Mexico" on Cockburn Street does good Mexican and "Cafe Andaluz" on George Street does good Tapas. "First Coast" on Dalry Road always has a weird but great selection of bistro kinda good. "Karen's Unicorn" - there's two; one on Abercromby Place and one on St Stephen's Street (the latter might be closed - has been the last couple of times I've wandered past) is amazing Chinese. If you're with crazy vegetarians, the food in "David Bann" on St Mary's Street is pretty amazing in spite of the lack of animal protein. "The Vintage", down Henderson Street in Leith, does good pub food (and great beer). "Pho Vietnam House" on Morrison Street, is supposed to be really good too - I haven't got round to going there yet, but it's on my list after visiting Vietnam. Oh, and "Shamoli" on the Royal mile does great Indian/Thai too.

Of course, all that is 'food I like to eat in Edinburgh'. If you're a tourist and looking for Scottish food, I'm probably not much use.

Been trying a few over the week.

Best place by far is called "The Sicilian" on Union St, the penne chorizo was outstanding - great mix of olive oil and properly cooked tomotoes. Garlic bread as a side had the kind of bread that could turn me into a rockist about it. Cannolo Siciliano for desert.

The meal actually improved my mood.

Thanks Craig for recommends, might try next week.

i got very drunk at the Cafe Royal on Sunday and ate a very good macaroni cheese.

Heading up to Edinburgh for the first time in ages next month. Will eat at Café St Honore and Ondine because that's just where I always eat when I'm there, and I'll try out the Gardeners Cottage for the first time (anyone on here been?) - would be good to get recommendations for pubs/bars that have opened in the last couple of years and are worth a visit? I'll be staying near the National Library but will be schlepping about all over the place I'd imagine.

Haven't been myself, but an ex chef pal who's normally good on this stuff won't stop banging on about aizle on st leonards

Bluerapa Thai near Haymarket is a really nice family-run restaurant that I end up going to quite a bit. Very nice chicken curries.

Bookshops have been disappointing thus far: The Edinburgh bookshop on Bruntsfield Place didn't have quite the selection, whcih I hate saying as the staff are friendly.

otoh I paid a visit to the Edinburgh Iyengar yoga centre just down the road - beautiful building and yoga is always good. Going to a basic class once a week for the next little while. The intermediate classes are earlier in the evening this term, which is the only downside.

Bruntsfield has some nice coffee shops, and this italian ice cream shop - will be investigating more over the next couple of weeks.

Might try Kalpna next week: http://www.kalpnarestaurant.com/

have you moved?

He is commuting, I think.

when are you coming to glasgow xyzzzz

Yeah Ward I have been thinking about paying a visit/FAP-ing in Glasgow ever since I got here for this Mon-Fri (at the moment) work assignment.

Things just haven't been at their best at all however I think we are about to turn a corner here so I hope I can revive the glasgow thread and visit in the next week or two.

This week's discovery - the two vietnamese places I've been going to around Haymarket are owned by mother and daughter. Thought there was a link as both have the same types of paintings - all by the mother, which just fill up both restaurants.

The Italian ice cream shop is good, think I'm going back there tonight. Might have a shed load of ice cream for 'dinner' instead of actual food.

L'escargot Blanc on Queensferry street is excellent French cuisine with the best Creme Brulee I am likely to ever have outside of France.

Bar Italia on Lothian also outstanding on the pasta front (gotta say I avoided it for a while as I dismiss anything that is called Bar Italia as a tourist-trap but a colleague recommended it). Has excellent ice creams too.

Edinburgh film house is great, also on Lothian.

And that is the end of Edinburgh for me.

http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQGrT0CgihRhztJIm3OWSjv557l6K4FAFCm5NQKF70phUUbekegtQ

Where next?

*googles* ah ok then :-)

xp = Landan town

Although I haven't had final final confirmation but here is hoping.

I am loose in Edinburgh for about 90 minutes this afternoon before my corresponding flight to London, may see if I can check out that crème brulée

flying from scotland to london? madness.

oh the train is lovely but these flights aren't paid for by me. plus london city airport is like 15-20 minutes from my front door by public transport B-)

(xp) No, getting a coach from Scotland to London and vice versa is madness. I should know.

Bah, held up by rain in the national portrait gallery, not the worst way to spend an hour maybe

The seafood joint at the airport was truly awesome last time out, looking forward to that more than anything here tbh

That "Haste Ye Back" sign in Rothesay? I was there on Sunday. The other sign there made the news the day we were there (which we failed to spot, despite having a Gaelic speaker in our midst).

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2015/08/27/eilean-bhoid-penis-island-isle-bute-typo-sign_n_8049120.html

there's an 18thC portrait in the gallery that's the spit of someone i went to school with. doppelganger. it was very unnerving when i saw it. reminded me of the beginning of John Dickson Carr's The Burning Court:

Fastened to the page was an old but still very clear photograph of a woman. Under it in small neat letters had been printed: Marie D’Aubray: Guillotined for Murder, 1861. He was looking at a photograph of his own wife.

don't add a note. kindle sneakery.

kindle sneakery

Sounds like an up and coming actress who has already made a splash in a couple of indie films and is now poised to cross over into the mainstream.

ha ha. it does. along with her peer Amazon Chicanery.

That's great but I don't know why it sounds like a plausible name. Who laid the groundwork? Zooey Deschanel, Leighton Meester (not indie), Diablo Cody (not an actress)?

there were some lovely portraits but predictably enough my favourite room was the sports gallery. that golf painting is something eh

anyone know much about leith? never been and i might take a wee daytrip soon.

proclaimers + hibs + irvine welsh is all i know

the local police will have concluded their questioning

If i moved to edinburgh i'd be in leith. Good restaurants, good pubs. Nice buzz.

I saw the "Haste Ye Back" sign later at the airport gate.

On my last evening I took a South African colleague to Shebeen, a South African restaurant on Dalry Place (he has lived in Scotland for 20 years and didn't know about it, as I suspect he doesn't eat out too much).

Not mad about it, full on meat but the Durban curry with hollowed out loaf was reasonable. Certainly worth a visit.

I didn't see yr review of the bull and castle anywhere yet I cry foul

We have many lifetimes..

me and mrs. bean have two evenings and an early morning in edinburgh ca. early july. what do we do in/near the city centre? where do we eat? note: not big consumers of alcohol.

take a couple hours and walk along the top of the Salsbury crags - just a short walk up from parliament.

(or take a few hours and do Arthur's Seat)

note: not big consumers of alcohol.

:(

others probably better placed to chime in but

this place is a very nice scottish take on neo-nordic style food (but can be pricey): http://www.timberyard.co/
for a less expensive option, posh pub grub done well (and the neighbourhood it's in, stockbridge, is good to walk around): https://scranandscallie.com/
if you're lucky it may be dry, and even maybe sunny, in which case this place is essential: http://www.marysmilkbar.com/

Fwiw I'm happy to have a beer, scotch, whatever. But - due to gastro issues - I can't have much more than one.

after years of occasionally popping into the glasgow thread and threatening a move back there, i've found myself instead moving to edinburgh. confusing. what's good around here? is there a music scene of note or will i be finding myself heading to glasgow for all of that?

oh yeah, perhaps it's relevant that i live in gorgie, but tbh having lived in london for seven years getting from one side of edinburgh to the other feels like a gentle morning stroll

no one can answer because edinburgh is just populated by airbnb guests

People I know in Edinburgh are always moaning about the music scene and having to go to Glasgow to see stuff. Still a great city to live in, I think.

What kind of music?

Braw Gigs are good if you're into weird noise/metal/punk/other stuff: https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Cause/Braw-Gigs-117804704978695/ // http://brawmusic.tumblr.com

Hmm, I'd recommend reading The Skinny https://www.theskinny.co.uk/ for info on upcoming gigs, culture and events across the central belt.

These are a couple decent Edinburgh gig promoters that spring to mind:

https://www.facebook.com/songbytoadrecords/

https://www.facebook.com/nothingeverhappensheresummerhall/

Although I'm now in Manchester and haven't been along yet this will surely be a fun night which is ran by some friends that used to do the massively entertaining 'This is Music' gig/club nights
https://www.facebook.com/supperclubedinburgh

Other irregular dance all night club nights (10pm-3am usually) that are grand: Stacks (soul/Motown/Northern Soul), Unpop (jangle pop/twee/C86), The Egg (Rock 'n' Roll, Garage, New Wave, Psychedelia,Soul and Punk) and Mjolk (Scandi Pop).

Keep an eye on the Wee Red Bar https://www.weeredbar.co.uk/listings.htm at the Art School and Henry's Cellar Bar https://www.facebook.com/Henryscellarbar/ for some more alternative stuff.

You're also not far from the best pizza in Edinburgh - Pizzeria 1926 - Napoli style pizza at phenomenal value.

Oh and I have to say since you're in Gorgie check out Hearts if you like football and have no Scottish football allegiances. Great stadium and it looks like it will be a great wee season for us (we will definitely fall apart by mid-October).

I should note Stacks and Unpop have been fairly dead for a while but I think revives were round the corner?

great, thanks! will keep an eye on all of these.

yeah we're right next to tynecastle. my childhood / hereditary scottish football allegiances are to rangers, so i'll be happy to ditch that and pretend i'm a lifelong jambo.

tbh glasgow is dying on it's arse right now with the abc and art school closure, due to fire, the arches closed due to council incompetence. you're better off where you are with access to Summerhall.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoMtbK35Ahw&fbclid=IwAR3pHlcXnPE9LVoK-1w2P29arumy4c646gWFv7Akya0EuLRakuu_kCl3G2M

“It’s Edinburgh ya fuckin wank” 🤣

pic.twitter.com/NhhADIdiCS

— SCOTTISH BANTER (@scottishbants2) August 14, 2022

Filmhouse has closed

So fucking sad

i will be in Edinburgh Thursday-Sunday :-)

go to the palmerston

Go to Glasgow

Go to Summerhall on Friday night. :) Then go to Glasgow.

i haven't much choice in the matter, although i do prefer glasgow

I've been to Edinburgh once, about ten years ago, and it was one of the best holidays I ever had. It was actually in late February and as I was riding the shuttle into town from the airport, the haze and fog completely dissolved in the sun and it was gorgeous. Even on the weekdays, people took their lunch breaks outside, filling a big lawn in the middle of the city. I remember telling someone at a Boots counter how beautiful everything looked outside and she laughed and said "it's usually not like this in February!"

Deep abiding affection for Edinburgh, not least because my first visit was when I was 9 years old and the whole place seemed kind of magical to me. I've been back several times since — most recently to bring my own kids, about 7 years ago — and have always loved it. But I feel bad that I've never been to Glasgow, so I'll pencil that in for whenever my next Scottish sojourn is.

Edinburgh is one of the most beautiful cities on the planet. I spent the first 18 years of my life there and thre is so much to love and of course at this time of the year, during the festival it is absolutely electric.

it does feel like a town compared to how Glasgow truly feels like a city. Glasgow is undoubtedly culturally superior for 49 weeks of the year but the rivalry between the cities is really quite daft.

it is often said that anyone from anywhere in the world who spends 24 hours in Glasgow is fully entitled to call themselves a Glaswegian, with a caveat that if you were born in Edinburgh you will never qualify as a Glaswegian. I can testify this is true and my Glaswegian wife never lets me forget it!

Was there for a few days in April and was absolutely delighted the entire time, kid me was overjoyed by the winding streets, castle, and ice cream trucks everywhere

The Water of Leith walkway was beautiful - I was very envious of everyone that had a house with a backyard that sloped down to the waterway.

I realise I've become settled in here when my immediate response is "Oh Jesus no, don't come in August, it'll be overrun with the English - oh, sorry dog latin". Also sorry, dog latin - I'd love to come out for a pint usually but this month I'm either working or knackered.

I did raise an eyebrow at "undoubtedly culturally superior" - it's not like they deflate the Usher Hall at the end of August. Now gigs, absolutely - Jen's from Perth, which is equidistant travelwise* from Glasgow and I asked her if she'd been through to Edinburgh for bands when she was growing up, and she said no, basically never. If someone's only playing one gig in Scotland, it'll never be in Edinburgh unless they're Murrayfield-sized.

It definitely feels like a city to me, because my default city is Dublin, and it feels a lot more like Dublin than Glasgow does.

*it doesn't look like it! But the train from Edinburgh to Perth stops at every house in Fife and asks if anyone wants something got for them.

I grew up in Fife and for a while there was a really healthy gig scene in Edinburgh. Not as busy as Glasgow but you could see an interesting band somewhere on a regular basis (even if you'd frequently miss the encore because the last train home to Fife is always stupid early)
Then all the venues started being developed so the owners could make more money out of the property. If that didn't happen there would be some kind of mysterious fire (I can remember at least three places that were closed due to fires)
Anyone who tried to start up a venue that could cater to more than 100 people in town found that there was no realistic way to comply with noise regulations
The only places left in the city centre that cater to live music are pubs, the Queen's Hall, Summerhall, Usher Hall and very occasionally the Playhouse. There has been an uptick of activity at the corn exchange since it's been rebranded as an O2 venue but it's in the middle of nowhere

We almost never went to Glasgow for gigs unless someone had access to a car because of the lack of 'late' night public transport back to Fife

I've lived in both Edinburgh and Glasgow and the rivalry between the cities is intensely stupid. Especially when people from either place 'joke' about avoiding the other city. They are both great places to spend time in with loads of things to see and do. They have different strengths but that's about it

On the Perth train - it used to be an express train only stopping at Kirkcaldy and Inverkeithing before Haymarket. Then Scotrail decided to start running their service on overtime rather than recruiting staff and suddenly the Fife circle services went away or became very unreliable. Scotrail legally have to provide a service to the smaller towns so the Dundee and Perth trains suddenly started stopping everywhere but North Queensferry and Dalmeny.

There's also no equivalent to the GFT in Edinburgh or arthouse cinemas in Edinburgh I believe? But yes, it's mostly interesting gigs Edinburgh has a dearth of.

There was the Filmhouse. Which is trying to reopen. The Cameo also shows a more arthouse inclined slate of films. The GFT is wonderful

If someone's only playing one gig in Scotland, it'll never be in Edinburgh unless they're Murrayfield-sized.

I've noticed over the last few years that there's been a good number of acts who have done their Scotland stop at the Usher Hall. A few that spring to mind from my personal radar...

Beck 2021
The Smile 2022
Wilco 2023
Beth Gibbons 2024
Bob Dylan 2024

Some of these stopped in Glasgow on the previous or subsequent tour though, so seems like they were consciously alternating cities.

I did raise an eyebrow at "undoubtedly culturally superior" - it's not like they deflate the Usher Hall at the end of August.

Ha ha! i was trying to be a touch arch with that comment. both cities are culturally rich.

As far as music goes, I was blessed to grow up in Edinburgh at a time when it was awash with great gig venues and one was spoiled rotten with gig choices.