#by toad

To celebrate International Women's Day I have put together a playlist celebrating the women who have been integral to making Song, by Toad what it is over the years. Many thanks everyone - I will try not to be such a boorish oaf in future. Can't promise I will succeed, but I promise to try!

1. The Summer Was Over by Faith Eliott (who is also all over the new Meursault album).

2. Dear God by Siobhan Wilson (whose debut album is out in July and who also sang loads on Imaginary Walls Collapse by Adam Stafford.

3. Rut by Lush Purr (Emma on bass and vocals is someone we've known and been pals with for ages, having initially met when she played in the (brilliant) Yawns).

4. Let's Save Christmas (The Ballad of Nakatomi Plaza) by eagleowl (Clarissa on upright double bass and vocals is the obvious one here, but the Canaveral Choir, and Tallah were also crucial to this awesome, ridiculous song).

5. Dive-bombing by Modern Studies (WIKILEAKS EDIT: super secret excellent things in the pipeline which are secret!)

6. The Fix is in by Meursault (Robyn's screeching, distorted violin is crucial to this song in particular, but also to the intensity of the current live show).

7. Unshaven Boozer by David Thomas Broughton & juice vocal ensemble (It takes quite something to be on the verge of upstaging DTB on his own album, but Sarah, Kerry and Anna are fucking phenomenal on this album).

8. The One Where the Stripper Cries by Sex Hands (Drummer Alex made the whole process so easy, which I was desperately grateful for as a rookie engineer).

9. Shock Shock by Sparrow and the Workshop (I miss these guys - has one of the best voices I have ever heard). 

10. Paleface by Magic Eye (Both Rebecca and Roma from this band could sing the shit out of a song, and Bek is a fantastic guitarist too).

11. This is All Going to End Badly by Trips and Falls (Amanda, Julie and Ash Leigh were absolutely vital components of this gloriously eccentric band - I miss this lot too!)

12. I'm Half the Man You Were by Jesus H Foxx (Tallah who sang and played cornet with these guys has been a friend and collaborator for something like ten years now and has made a massive contribution to the world of Scottish music over the years).

13. Sex Acts by Animal Magic Tricks (Frances feels a lot like one of Song, by Toad's great lost talents, and my general inability to get this across to the world at large feels like one of my greatest mistakes).

14. Basketball Land by Le Thug (Clio is another with an absolutely crystal-clear, beautiful voice - hopefully these guys will record more with us in future, because they are fantastic).

And there we go, and that's before we talk about Foon Yap, Ailie from Passion Pusher, L.T. Lief, Sophia von Dodds and Kim form WOLF all of whom we will be working with in the fairly immediate future.

Then there's also people like Leonora Winstanley, Claire Grandemange (Cat Macbat), as well as photographers like Nic Rue, Fiona Buckle, Alex Storm Hague, and the new team at the label which includes the incredible Kate Lazda and Anastasia Connor.

I can't list all the women who have supported our stuff in the press, played amazing shows for us, recorded Toad Sessions or guested on various recordings because I will never be able to remember everyone - sorry.

And then of course there is the incomparable Mrs. Toad - the great love of my life and the funder, encourager and Grand Matriarch of all we do here.

https://soundcloud.com/songbytoad/sets/international-womens-day-at-song-by-toad

Pure pop gold. Sort of. https://soundcloud.com/songbytoad/passion-pusher-my-guy

Hi folks, before the New Year's festivities here is a wee year-end playlist, with one song from every single thing we released in 2016, which was A LOT!

I wrote a wee personal summary of the year here, if you're interested.

And in an interview for The Skinny I explained how the label is going to change in the New Year. And it will change quite a lot, actually.

Oh, and if you want tickets to our New Year's House Gig then there are about ten or so left. Be quick though, because these things always sell out.