Toploader Has Leith's Revellers Dancing in the Moonlight
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20 WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 2, 2002 EVENING NEWS www.edinburghnews.com WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 2, 2002 21 LEITH Toploader has Leith’s revellers A VERY GOOD ALTERNATIVE dancing in the moonlight MUSIC ROCK - ROCKIN’ THE DOCK, ROCKIN’ COMMERCIAL QUAY ★★★★ ROUND THE THEY may have been the headline act, CLOCK: Shed and their closing song Dancing in the Seven played Moonlight may have stirred the their set to an diminishing numbers at the car park which was the venue for Rockin’ the enthusiastic Dock to waltz and boogie as if it was crowd before the midsummer, but Toploader were out- big countdown to rocked by a blistering set from the ever- the bells colossal Shed Seven on a memorable night in Leith. Despite a reported war of words between Shed’s singer, Rick Witter, and Toploader guitarist Dan Hipgrave, the only battle which ensued was the one to warm up the rosy-cheeked 3000 who turned up to celebrate Hogmanay in Leith – and what an entertaining battle. The unenviable task of kicking off the party about four hours previously, in front of only a couple of hundred early arrivals, fell to Seventies tribute band Gods of Glam. The courage shown by their choice of skin-tight lycra tights, despite the polar conditions, was matched only by their exuberance and skill in inciting the shivering crowd to bound about to the sounds of the Seventies. An adapted version of Slade’s Merry Christmas Everybody – with Noddy Holder’s closing scream being replaced by a piercing: “It’s freeeeezing!” immediately enlivened proceedings. And the closing epic stomp-a-thon of Tiger Feet with its infectious beats and the devastating comedy of the band thawed out even the kilted members of the gradually TOP TO BOTTOM: Toploader front man Joe Washbourne at the show swelling crowd. Next, the overdriven grind of Imperial delivery of songs such as Getting Better threatened to turn the event into an all- Racing Club took over. Leith’s answer to and Disco Down, the sound levels were out love-in as strangers hugged, swayed, Feeder blasted out song after song that tuned to perfection, and an impeccable and even attempted to copulate to the all seemed to blend into one another as performance was capped off by the Christmas classic. Without a cloud in the the lead singer peppered his banter with sway-inducing Chasing Rainbows which sky, and the moon almost blazing copious amounts of swearing while calmed down the crowd before the bells. overhead, it was apt that the night looking faintly ridiculous posturing and With the helium-fuelled Gail Hipgrave closed with the single that made the flapping about like a stadium-rock god in whining the countdown, the defiant band famous. The opening piano riff of front of a half-empty gritted car park. determination of everyone at Leith’s Dancing in the Moonlight elicited roars After a half-hour interlude, with the alternative event to have a better time of approval from everyone, and chaotic likes of Westlife and DJ Otzi blasting than those squeezed into Princes Street scenes as a bizarre free-for-all slow- from the PA, and the threat of frostbite bubbled over into complete euphoria. motion barn dance ensued. forcing normally sane people to dance For many, however, the arrival of Despite the disappointing numbers, the around like 12-year-olds, Shed Seven headliners Toploader onto the stage was organisers hope to make the event an opened their set with the irresistible the cue to leave, despite the best efforts annual one – and if they can manage to funk-rock blend that is She Left Me on of the band as they churned out their line up entertainment of similar calibre Friday. The impish indie answer to epic blend of funk, gospel and rock in for Hogmanay 2002, Princes Street Prince, Rick Witter, was in boisterous songs such as Just Hold On and Achilles could well be a little less busy next year. mood, whipping the bouncing and Heel. Washbourne’s reedy vocals, like a ICE-COLD BEER: Freezing weather couldn’t deter this reveller bobbing sea of moshers at the front into cross between Jagger and Jay Kay, were Stuart Farquhar a tempest. just beginning to grate when a genuinely ▼ It may have got off to a slow start but Despite the raucous and impassioned rousing cover of Lennon’s War Is Over Reviews – Page 26 Stuart Farquhar finds Leith’s Hogmanay was full of festive cheer classics such as Timewarp and the stage, by which time the sub- OUT WITH THE OUR thousand hardy OLD: Lorraine souls braved the YMCA kept the gradually-increasing zero temperatures had been well crowd amused as they defiantly and truly forgotten as whoops, Spencer, from far North Sea breeze at resolved to have a better time of it cheers, beer and hats flew into the left, Emma Smith, F than those who had crammed Emma Kay and Leith to Rock the cold Leith sky. Dock into 2002. themselves into the centre of Joan Morgan, event manager for John Black from With Toploader headlining the Edinburgh. the alternative Hogmanay party at Dunbar concert and indie band Shed In an apparent outbreak of Leith Docks, said up to 4000 seasonal goodwill, Shed Seven IN THE DOCK: Seven also on the line-up, people attended the show and it frontman Rick Witter failed to fulfil was trouble-free. Dan Hipgrave, organisers had hoped at least his promise to headbutt Toploader’s “I think it was a successful night,” right, of headline half of the 8000 tickets for the Dan Hipgrave 12 times on the act Toploader event would be sold. stroke of midnight after the guitarist she said. “People said they had a brilliant time, that they had never However, as spoof Seventies criticised the York-based band. EXPOSURE: Gail tribute band Gods of Glam Only the guitarist’s new wife, Gail been to anything likeiton Hogmanay. i am delighted.” Hipgrave, far right, thundered out the first chords of Porter, was exempt from the festive wife of Dan, was their set, the gritted car park which cheer – being heckled, booed and Now she intends to look at staging a similar event next year. heckled to bare all was the arena for the evening was less than politely asked to brave the as she launched peppered with only 200 or so elements even more than she was. “What we have got to do is the Leith event shivering fans. A scorching set from Shed Seven establish an alternative Hogmanay In the interludes between bands, a was followed by the countdown to party,” she said. “We have to build series of increasingly camp disco the bells. Then Toploader took to it up from here.” capital citycapital city.