Is this the best gig ever? See for yourself at Waverley Mall

When Avalanche moved into Waverley Mall I was keen to move on from simply being a record shop and the combination of vintage and upcycled clothing along with local and international artists has been a big success.

However I didn’t want to forget the Scottish Music Exhibition Centre I had been working on for some time – and there were and still are plans for other parts of the mall.

Some of you have noticed a lot more Scottish artists being played in the centre which was after I was asked to put forward a list of songs. In turn I had asked followers on Twitter who came up with a great selection which I heavily leaned on when compiling the list.

Next to come is a display of gig posters and tickets from the fifties onwards to go on display soon and I’m hoping to get lots of suggestions again. Often what is interesting is simply the fact that a band that has become huge once played a small Scottish venue and the poster itself may not be that interesting.

I’m hoping to get a good mix of visually interesting posters along with some more plain but equally fascinating posters and tickets ranging from the Beatles playing in Elgin to the Arctic Monkeys playing at the Subway in the Cowgate.

The exhibition will be about the venues as much as the bands and don’t be surprised if a few clubs and shops feature too.

One of the most amazing gigs from the post-punk era was organised by Allan Campbell who also designed the poster and it is so good we put it on a T-shirt for the Fruitmarket Gallery exhibition we did some time ago. Allan managed Josef K, ran several successful clubs and had a record label, to name just a few of his many ventures.

Billed as a tribute to Frank Sinatra it featured Scars, Associates, Josef K and Fire Engines – a line-up it is almost impossible to beat. Other eras have great bands playing together but to get four like this is unheard of.

We had a great response last time when we were looking for memorabilia for the Fruitmarket Gallery and hopefully we will get as good again, this time with suggestions and hopefully some original posters that we can copy.

There will be a few originals on display but the main walls will feature reproductions and to help finance things extra copies will be made that will go on sale.

Early stages just now but hopefully things will move quite quickly once enough posters, tickets etc have been identified. I already have a good collection of images, though often they need improved by my very thorough graphic designer, so original posters that can be scanned are perfect.

For now if any readers have suggestions or posters that might be used do please get in touch either by popping in the shop – we are next to the post office in Waverley Mall – or by email using [email protected]

There will of course be far more images than can all be used this time but many I’m sure will be useful for the future. I hope to cover all eras right up to today – though I’ll probably give the concerts in Princes Street Gardens a miss.

Is this the best gig ever? See for yourself at Waverley Mall – Kevin Buckle