A downloadable, eclectic mix of audio plays, guides to Edinburgh and soundscapes, (g)Host City is a little bit of the festival you can take home with you, or rediscover in the streets long after the arty types have gone home.It’s hard to properly describe a collection so varied. It spreads across the days of the festival (believe me, it’s too much walking and map-reading for one day) as well as the streets of the city. Each piece has an optimal listening place, but can also be listened to again wherever you are. That way, you can pick up on the things missed while navigating the noisy crowds of Princes Street. Indeed, loudness is one technical thing that (g)Host City could really do with improving - even with headphones up to max it can be incredibly hard to hear the voices in your ears.Highlights include The Dancing, a sensual little story through memories and along Fountainbridge; the wonderful poem ‘Edinburgh’; and ‘In the Labyrinth’, an erotic tale that begins at the home of Thomas De Quincy. I challenge you not to blush through the latter, especially if you listen to it in broad daylight when it feels rather outrageous. I confess I did ignore many of the ‘best listened to at night’ notices for the sake of personal safety, and the cold.Some of the best pieces are also innovative in their ways of using the combined media of audio and the city streets. ‘In the Labyrinth’ has a whispered voice that tells you which way to walk, what to touch, and even to follow someone. The ‘Unreliable Bus Tours’ are similarly adventureful.Others are less successful. The soundscape ‘Bail Out’ was drowned out and also overshadowed by the lively noise of Edinburgh in August. And ‘Gravity Guy’, a tale of a man who has to go a day without his smartphone, is either double bluffing or a tad self-righteous: there’s great irony in the fact that the voice who encourages us to feel an amused pity for this gadget-loving man, is coming out of our own smartphones.This collection is not perfect, and some of the pieces are better suited to this type of ‘performance’ than others. But it’s worth a download, and it’s definitely worth a second listen.
