Giant Tank

20/01/2025

Last week was a sad week. Today is a bad day. Make yr Sunday AWESOME…
https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/tfeh/tfeh-presents-the-bohman-brothers-wild-rani-off-brand/e-lqpgxz

Tickets are now available for TFEH presents: THE BOHMAN BROTHERS / WILD RANI / OFF BRAND . at Fruitmarket, Edinburgh on Sunday 26th January 2025. Click the link for further information and to secure your tickets now!

18/01/2025

Edinburgh folks.....
More than half of tix gone and youse’ll regret it if ye dinnae!

Tickets are now available for TFEH presents: THE BOHMAN BROTHERS / WILD RANI / OFF BRAND . at Fruitmarket, Edinburgh on Sunday 26th January 2025. Click the link for further information and to secure your tickets now!

18/01/2025

The recent and essential Bren’t Lewiis Ensemble box-set ‘Inspired By Actual Events’ is rammed wi audio & visual delights PLUS the first ever post-divorce transmission by Usurper (Ali Robertson & Malcy Duff) in collaboration wi the Bren’tleys themselves. Our contributions are largely culled fae the same sessions as our swan song album ‘The Big Two’ though Gnarlos & Lucian Tielens have done their damndest to make ‘em unrecognisable.
(Only time will tell whether Malcy & I actually did bow out gracefully in 2023 or if this is the beginning of a lucrative 2pac-esque endeavour that ends with AI representations of ourselves performing as back up dancers for various luminaries of the No Audience Underground.)
Get yr latest consistently excellent dose fae the BLE via the consistently excellent & affordable Chocolate Monk boutique at: https://chocolatemonk.co.uk/available.html

14/01/2025

Another TFEH built monument to all that is excellent in experimental music.....

RED BRUT.
Marijn Verbiesen's art is built from the everyday: Kitchen sink manipulations. Slice-of-life sound art. Problem plays for magnetic tape. Musique concrete mundanities. The largely ignored incidental noises of Netherlands life are collected, scrutinised, dolled up and combined into evenly segmented neat audio arrangements that sit tidily next to each other as if they were new build homes on a new town street. Like new build homes though, there is something uncanny about their neatness so it's probably worth ringing the doorbell and peering inside.

STONES.
Casey Miller's everyday is building art: a technician atop scaffolding juggles a drill, a hammer and a spirit level between his hands as he dances a trapeze performance just to attach some lunk's magnum opus to the upper reaches of a gallery, but his mind is elsewhere as he imagines substituting said utensils for the tools of his side hustle in homebrewed electronics and percussive clatter. Tonight the technician IS the art in the gallery.

OFF BRAND.
Firas Khnaisser & Ali Robertson art in the building.

SUN 9TH FEB 2025.
Doors= 8pm. Cost= £10.
Fruitmarket, 45 Market St., Edinburgh, EH1 1DF.

Fruitmarket is fully accessible, with an elevator for those who require it.

We would much prefer if you bought tickets in advance for COVID safety reasons by following this link:
https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/whats-on/edinburgh/fruitmarket/tfeh-presents-red-brut-stones-off-brand/e-meozqk

The only payments accepted at the door will be in CASH, as we are Steam Age galoots who are unable to process card transactions.

If you’re short on funds but still want to come, let us know, and we’ll make it happen.

Be responsible: If you have access to lateral flow tests, then please test yrselves before attending the gig, stay home if you get a positive result or feel unwell, and be considerate of folks in the venue by masking up when it seems appropriate, sanitising yr paws regularly, and generally not being a radge.
The

Tickets are now available for TFEH presents: RED BRUT / STONES / OFF BRAND . at Fruitmarket, on Sunday 9th February 2025. Click the link for further information and to secure your tickets now!

14/01/2025

I find it utterly tedious being obliged to set up YET ANOTHER social media profile, but I am seeing pals leaving this space in droves and I wanna stay in touch with everyone.
I will continue to post about upcoming gigs, releases, etc on this site & occasionally troll Zuckerberg, but most of my socialising (plus the usual shameless self-promotion) will now happen on Bluesky as I dinnae want friends to feel obliged to visit a site which is potentially dangerous to them.
So... see yiz on t'other side?
https://bsky.app/profile/gianttank.bsky.social

Giant Tank custodian since 1997, Usurper (R.I.P.) fumbler 2003-2023, Sonic Bothy explorer since 2018, TFEH gigs co-honcho since 2021. I have been called "a photocopy of a man" & worse.

08/01/2025

2025's first TFEH family get together for & by weirdo sound enthusiasts at Fruitmarket, Edinburgh.....

THE BOHMAN BROTHERS.
At the head of the family dinner table sit two patriarchs of preposterousness. Serving experimental buffets of sound since 1984. Adam sits in his brother's lap, while Jonathan reaches around Adam's midrift to manipulate the closely mic'd cutlery. Jonathan being taller than Adam, this gives the appearance that Adam's limbs are longer than expected. Jonathan's right arm, like a car park barrier springing from under Adam's armpit, brandishes a blunt knife that freely butters the table with a smear of found sound. Jonathan's left arm, craning from Adam's shoulder like an oil field pumpjack, forks their improvisation for accumulated clutter and pulls it apart into segmented portions for easier digestion. All the while, leaves of word salad protrude from Adam's mouth to be picked out by Jonathan's hungry gnashers and masticated into a hash of meaningful tidbits. We suggest TFEH's audience help yourselves to any crumbs that end up on the floor. The Three Second Rule can be extended to at least thirty minutes at Fruitmarket, and the Brothers' leftovers are as delectable as they are nutritious.

WILD RANI.
Your hosts at TFEH must apologise for having assigned dinner duties along traditional gender lines. Thankfully Sister Becky Mahay was suitably disgusted with us and refused to spend the expected hours in the kitchen. She will make her soup before your eyes. A famous and hearty Brummy broth more recently exported to warm the cockles of the Leeds underground, Becky's recipe is timeless and cannot be faulted, but it never tastes the same twice: Heat a cast iron industrial strength pan on a middling heat and sizzle a drone until brown. Add a gloopy stock sourced from the bones of yesteryear's cracked electronics and then bring to the boil. The stew should soon be distinctly it's own flavour and yet unrecognisable. Season with speckles of poetry detailing mundanities and everyday horrors then serve lukewarm in a cassette case. Is it stinging your eyes a wee bit? Not to worry. Becky's projected visual garnish will bring relief to yr peepers.

OFF BRAND.
Khnaisser is a brother to all and Robertson is the only living member of his family who has never divorced, but the TFEH house band appear to have drank themselves under the dinner table.

SUN 26TH JAN 2025.
Doors= 8pm. Cost= £10.
Fruitmarket, 45 Market St., Edinburgh, EH1 1DF.
Fruitmarket is fully accessible, with an elevator for those who require it.

Tickets are now available for TFEH presents: THE BOHMAN BROTHERS / WILD RANI / OFF BRAND . at Fruitmarket, Edinburgh on Sunday 26th January 2025. Click the link for further information and to secure your tickets now!

31/12/2024

A couple of weeks ago, Sonia Allori, Evie Waddell & I completed the practical aspect of my Creative Scotland funded project 'D/deaf musicians experiment with haptic technology' at Tramway, Glasgow.

We were joined remotely by our incredible captioners Eluned Charnley & Karen Pritchard, and in the flesh by tech wizard David Jay, camera cleverclogs Jen Martin, PhD student Henry Zhang and the unstoppable Don Ross.

I reckon that the residency was a success and that it provided us with concrete answers, food for thought & much enjoyment.

In January, I'll get stuck into the mildly daunting task of writing about the various discoveries that we made, but it must be said that this feels like just the beginning of our adventures with haptic tech and the possibilities that it has for D/deaf & HoH improvisers!

Many thanks to & for their belief in this project & their music, to Eluned & Karen for their live poetry, to for making our technological imaginings a reality, to for their dilligent documenting, to for his interest & thoughts, to for his tireless assistance, to Tom Mudd & for the chats that lead me to this place, to for catering to my access needs, to for helping me to secure funding, and to & for their support.

Photos 1, 4 & 5 by myself.
Photos 2, 3 & 4 by .

/deaf !

29/12/2024

Since 2012, Sonic Bothy have been empowering folks with disabilities & additional learning support needs to make new music and, since 2018, I have had the honour of working with them to achieve their mission to "bring sustainable structural change that empowers disabled artists to contribute to Scottish Culture on an equal footing to non-disabled peers".
Funding issues mean that SB now needs your help to keep on helping others. Please watch this short video, share it & donate to SB if you can by using the link in the comments below. Thanx!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58GQCi88Wwc&t=8s

Donate at www.sonicbothy.co.uk/donateWe are Sonic Bothy and we empower Disabled people and people with Additional Support for Learning Needs to make new musi...

28/12/2024

TFEH sez thanx for celebrating experimental sounds wi us, Mariam Rezaei, Marlo De Lara, Euan Currie, Stewart Smith & Off Brand last week plus all t'other times youse showed up for us in 2024. We're flattered!
Already scheming for more weirdo outings at Fruitmarket in 2025 with The Bohman Brothers & Wild Rani on 26/1/25 then Red Brut & Stones on 9/2/25. Tix links below!

20/12/2024

Now with some Prepared Remarks Concerning Christmas Music and Bourgeois Irish Subjectivity by Colm Linnane.
Tix are all gone, but we will accept cash on the door!

Tickets are now available for TFEH presents: MARIAM REZAEI / REZAEI & ROBERTSON / CURRIE & DE LARA / OFF BRAND & SMITH. at Fruitmarket, Edinburgh on Fri 20 Dec 2024 at 8:00PM. Click the link for further information and to secure your tickets now!

16/12/2024

We sold oot! But then Firas got his magic wand oot and made a Xmas miracle happen so there’s a handful more appeared…

Tickets are now available for TFEH presents: MARIAM REZAEI / REZAEI & ROBERTSON / CURRIE & DE LARA / OFF BRAND & SMITH. at Fruitmarket, Edinburgh on Fri 20 Dec 2024 at 8:00PM. Click the link for further information and to secure your tickets now!

15/12/2024

TFEH WILL HAVE THE LAST WORD ON XMAS. THIS FRI AT , EDINBURGH: 20/12/24.
https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/tfeh/t-vvamjyx

Tickets are now available for TFEH presents: MARIAM REZAEI / REZAEI & ROBERTSON / CURRIE & DE LARA / OFF BRAND & SMITH. at Fruitmarket, Edinburgh on Fri 20 Dec 2024 at 8:00PM. Click the link for further information and to secure your tickets now!

03/12/2024

Did I tell youse that I got a project funded some months back? Probably not as I’m pretty dreadful at self promotion beyond spamming about my gigs.
Well, thanks to the support of Creative Scotland & Glasgow Tramway, I’ll be embarking on several days of research & development at Tramway, with collaborating D/deaf musicians Sonia Allori & Evie Waddell, experimenting with haptic technology for use in real time musical group improvisation by D/deaf players.
The r&d sessions will result in the creation of new musical work and new workshops for ALSN & D/deaf participants.
You can read more about this on Tramway’s website: https://www.tramway.org/ali-robertson-ddeaf-musicians-experiment-with-haptic-technology/
/deaf !

Ali Robertson, together with other D/Deaf musicians, will use this residency for research and development, experimenting with haptic technology - technology that can create an experience of touch by applying forces, vibrations, or motions to the user:

30/11/2024

At 5pm today, the Ensemble are the guests of today at their annual GIOfest in . There’s a full programme of events & performances kicking off at 1pm. See yiz there, aye?

22/11/2024

Boundaries kicks off today. Ye coming along, aye?
Join me on my first excursion to Sunderland this weekend. I’m opening the Saturday at 12pm (OOFT!!!) at The Dun Cow. Come bask in the radiance of my chest infection!

20/11/2024

THIS SUNDAY: Constance, Nyoukis, Hexakaidecagon & Off Brand share their meditations fae the periphery of music on the work of Barry Le Va at Fruitmarket . Last few tix so dinnae sleep: https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/whats-on/edinburgh/fruitmarket/tfeh-presents-in-a-state-of-flux-karen-constance-dylan-nyoukis-hexakaidecagon-off-brand/e-pqjbvy

Tickets are now available for TFEH presents... IN A STATE OF FLUX: KAREN CONSTANCE & DYLAN NYOUKIS / HEXAKAIDECAGON / OFF BRAND . at Fruitmarket, on Sunday 24th November 2024. Click the link for further information and to secure your tickets now!

12/11/2024

Excited to say that the Sonic Bothy Ensemble will perform for the first time in twenty months at The Glad Cafe this Thursday alongside my pals-of-some-years Jason Kahn, Raymond MacDonald & Jer Reid. We're on first so nae dilly-dallying!

https://www.thegladcafe.co.uk/events/2024-11-14-1-dot-5-months-sonic-bothy-plus-jason-kahn-plus-jer-reid-and-raymond-macdonald-the-glad-cafe

1.5 Months: Sonic Bothy + Jason Kahn + Jer Reid & Raymond MacDonald at The Glad Cafe, Glasgow

07/11/2024

RESIST BAD YINS.
CELEBRATE GUID YINS.

https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/whats-on/edinburgh/fruitmarket/tfeh-presents-in-a-state-of-flux-karen-constance-dylan-nyoukis-hexakaidecagon-off-brand/e-pqjbvy

Tickets are now available for TFEH presents... IN A STATE OF FLUX: KAREN CONSTANCE & DYLAN NYOUKIS / HEXAKAIDECAGON / OFF BRAND . at Fruitmarket, on Sunday 24th November 2024. Click the link for further information and to secure your tickets now!