Forest BB

I am from the USA and working in Edinburgh June through August. Where can I find information about local punk and crust shows? I saw that Oi Polloi came back in March; I am interested in more of that kind of stuff.

What is the scene like? I staff a Florida punk collective and would be interested in trading some of our bands' music, merch, info, etc. for UK bands' music and info if any of you are interested.

hey

i'm not sure the edinburgh punk scene is what it once was... venues generally getting more corporate/ tourist orientated doesnt help. The Forest is definitely all about diy, if not any specific kind of music/ event. we are committed to putting on all our events for free and accessible to all... funding it through our vegetarian/ vegan cafe.
there is also a space above us in the same building which is sometimes available for shows depending on noise/ licensing requirements.

the mercat gets quite a few punk bands, i think there is a bit of a scene, heres the contact - i dont think they have a website...
The Mercat 28 West Maitland Street, Edinburgh EH12 5DX, 0131 225 3861. A pretty tiny Haymarket bunker of a venue, this isn’t exactly the Corn Exchange, but regular local band nights are building a great reputation for quality value entertainment. At the moment, So Purple put on regular Sat night bills of local talent and at 200 capacity it’s ideal for bands just getting started.

bongo club is another great diy type venue/ arts collective, fairly varied programming.

i'm sure theres more i've forgotten. if you're in edinburgh for a while then of course you should check out whats happening in glasgow. plenty going on there. some punk bands come through stereo and the 13th note, theres a load of other venues too. its only an hour away on a cheapo bus.

anyway, be sure to stop by when you are here in the summer. and if you want to put any bands in touch with us who are looking for somewhere to play, that would be cool.

cheers, matthew.

the edinburgh punk scene is so-so at best. every so often some good shows will arise, but for scotland your best bet is glasgow. starting from King-tuts wa wa hut you ought to be able to find some more scenesters and gigs in the area.

drop into the forest when you get here - we'll show you around.

_________________
God is great.
Grass is gentler.

hey
something i forgot to mention - the annual punk fest on cramond island, just outside of edinburgh... its an island which you can walk onto at low tide, and then you are stuck. i don't know if this is still going, or when it is (sometime in the summer?) anybody know?

i gotta disagree on king tuts. ok you might be forced to go to see some band you like, but despite being allegedly the 'best venue in the uk as voted by radio 1 listeners' it is widely considered the lamest corporate sponsored hole in glasgow.

13th note, stereo etc. are better bets if you ask me. also edinburgh autonomous centre and glasgow autonomous project sometimes put on events...you should find them on the web somewhere.

fuck on

matthew

_________________
theres no success like failure and failures no success at all

for the most part i agree, but king tut's is a good place to start...

_________________
God is great.
Grass is gentler.

Thanks for the info guys! I am excited to find a place like The Forest in Edinburgh. I will certainly be visiting when I am in the city in June. What hours is the place open?

whenever we have enough volunteers - 10ish til whenever we feel like kicking people out...

come by and do a shift while you're in town!

when do you arrive?

I fly into London on the 19th and will make my way to Edinburgh sometime before the 28th.