David Keenan - Volcanic Tongue

We are very much looking forward to David Keenan's visit to the bookshop for the Edinburgh launch of his collection of music writings, Volcanic Tongue: A Time-Travelling Evangelist’s Guide to Late-Twentieth-Century Underground Music. This first collection of his legendary criticism functions as an extended love letter to the revolutionary music of the 20th century and the incredible culture that sustained it.

This is going to be an extra special event as David will be in conversation with arts writer and broadcaster Nicola Meighan and it will be recorded for a future episode of A Kick Up The Arts. 

A Kick Up The Arts is Nicola Meighan's Scottish Arts and Culture podcast, recorded in arts spaces around the country, with previous guests including Chris Brookmyre, Barbara Dickson, James Robertson, Clare Grogan, Chitra Ramaswamy, Hannah Lavery, Andrew Wasylyk, Gavin Mitchell, Malachy Tallack and King Creosote. Listen on all podcast platforms, or via akickupthearts.org

It will take place in the bookshop with an in-person audience, as well as a livestream for attendees watching from home. There will be a signing after the event.

In-person vouchers can be redeemed on the night of the event against a single copy of Volcanic Tongue – we will have a list of attendees with vouchers to be redeemed. Please note that only one voucher can be redeemed per book. Livestream vouchers are valid until the day after the event and can be redeemed on our website against a single copy of Volcanic Tongue.

About Volcanic Tongue:

Volcanic Tongue presents the first ever collection of multi-award-winning author David Keenan's music writings. Keenan has been writing about music since publishing his first fanzine, inspired by The Pastels and by Glasgow (and Airdrie's) DIY music scene, in 1988. Since then, he has written about music for Melody Maker, NME, Uncut, Mojo, The New York Times, Ugly Things, The Literary Review, The Social and, most consistently, The Wire. Volcanic Tongue was also the name of the record shop and mail order that Keenan ran with his partner, Heather Leigh, in Glasgow from 2005-2015.

Volcanic Tongue features the best of his reviews, interviews and think pieces, with exclusive in-depth conversations between Keenan and Nick Cave, members of legendary industrial bands Coil and Throbbing Gristle, krautrock legends like Faust, Shirley Collins, the first lady of English folk, Kevin Shields of My Bloody Valentine, German auto-destructives Einstürzende Neubauten, as well as discographical analysis of the back catalogues of groups like Sonic Youth and musicians like John Fahey, extensive writings on free jazz and obsessive in-depth digs into favourites like Pere Ubu, Metal Box-era Public Image Ltd, Sun Ra, guitarist and vocalist John Martyn and many more. It is an essential addition to any music fan's bookshelf.