MUSIC | Goodbye to Electric Circus
FOREVER ELECTRIC In March, Edinburgh said goodbye to beloved venue Electric Circus. Arusa Qureshi gathers some favourite memories from punters and performers, and looks to the future of the city’s music scene
T he closure of small music venues around the UK has become a depressingly common state of affairs. In Edinburgh, a constant debate surrounds the city’s live music scene as a result of a seemingly continual battle to safeguard the future of its venues. Electric Circus may appear to be the latest casualty of this depressing trend of closures but the story is slightly different in this case: the operators decided not to renew their lease and the neighbouring Fruitmarket Gallery will expand into this space. As a haven for karaoke enthusiasts and the location of many noteworthy gigs and club nights, Electric Circus will be sorely missed. But the future of music in Edinburgh is not all doom and gloom if people are willing to remain both positive and proactive, a sentiment shared by many performers, spectators and promoters throughout the city. We spoke to a few of them to reminisce and hear their thoughts on the closure.
ON HEARING THE NEWS
James Graham (The Twilight Sad): I was sad that Edinburgh was losing another 200–300 capacity venue. For me, that size of venue is the backbone of most inner-city music scenes. Without venues this size giving local bands and artists a platform to learn and develop, we could miss out on the next important musical discovery. Georgia Gordon (Edinburgh-based musician): I was completely taken aback when I found out. I never thought such an established music venue in the city centre would ever dream of closing. It broke my heart a little: I can’t lie! I have so many incredible memories of EC that I won’t forget.
ON FAVOURITE MEMORIES
as a three-piece and playing the entire Sing the Greys album with all proceeds raised going to the Cystinosis Foundation. Needless to say, it put the venue on the map, was an absolutely amazing gig and raised money for charity. Yasmin Morgan-Grifi ths (TV Researcher, Red Sky Productions): I saw Mitski play Electric Circus a few weeks ago and she was sensational! She gave such a serene and powerful performance. Electric Circus is a special, intimate space which has given me amazing opportunities to get close to brilliant up-and-coming artists over the years. It was poignant knowing Mitski’s gig would be the last time I’d ever get to experience that in quite the same way.
Groundskeeper Fanny (Such a Drag): As a spectator, seeing Raleigh Ritchie with i ve other people who were only there because he was [Grey Worm] in Game of Thrones, made for one of the most intimate gigs possible. As a performer, I’ve been given a platform as an artist to truly experiment and develop; I can’t value that enough. As a member of staff, I made some of my best friends and facilitated Edinburgh’s bombest waiting team. In reality, my time working there was a haze of delegating smoke breaks and singing Anastacia in empty rooms . . . sheer bliss. Andy Danet (Rhythm Machine): I used to play (pretty silly) records a few years ago on weekends and the booking agent is a dear friend of mine who I still play with occasionally. My favourite memory would probably be one night at EC when I met some new friends through a tenuous link from other friends and we spent the night dancing, singing karaoke and drinking tequila. We had a rad time together but we were all pretty skint, so when the tequila ran out, they mugged me and bought another bottle.
John-Paul Mason (Production and Events at King Tut’s, former booker at Electric Circus): The one show that does stick out was a secret charity gig devised by myself and Scott Hutchison of Frightened Rabbit. We decided to put on a gig where they played under a pseudonym, Jonny B Grey; in actual fact, it was FR playing Olaf Furniss (Born to be Wide): There were lots of musical high points but the most memorable was during a Wide Days showcase by Norwegian punk band Honningbarna. After they blew two guitar amps, we managed to source replacements within 15 minutes and no sooner had they come back on, than I was suddenly lifted up by Vic
84 THE LIST 1 Apr–31 May 2017