First blog post

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So Hi anyone looking at this. Never done anything like this before but have been musing on doing a fringe blog for, oo, the last four years. So finally I’m taking the plunge! The first fringe show I saw was way back in 1985, The Bald Prima Donna at Buster Browns on Thursday 22nd August for £2. That Prima Donna keeps coming back every year, still bald as a coot. So if you fancy a stroll along the byways and alley ways of my Fringe experiences, feel free to drop in.

Like I said, I’m new to this so there’s gonna be plenty mistakes (though at least my typing seems ok for a moose) as I’m not really up with this modern technology stuff. So wish me luck and do check in again!

Bruce

 

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When Elsie went to FAB

bruceonthefringe 2026, Edinburgh bands, Logan's Close Tags: , , , , , , Leave a comment

The last day of May, it’s been an interesting month; first two thirds spent crossing Europe by train, gigs galore when I got back to Blighty, then bats aplenty this final week. Oh, and two great films in the cinema, but this post is about one, well, two things, the Logan’s Close gigs last week, down in the back of beyond at the bottom of Leith Links. Nah, not too far really, but when you don’t know where a place is, you know.

Thursday night I got the bus down, watching on Google maps when to jump off. From there it was just a stroll across the links, that’s when I wondered if it really knew where I wanted to go, didn’t look like there was much of anything around. Hmm, there was an old low, long wooden building, looked like a park storage place?! Nope, that was it, Leith FAB Cricket Club, or to use it’s full title Leith Franklin Academicals Beige Cricket Club (sounds like a name the Tuck would dream up), apparently it was formed in 1852!! A proper old cricket club it was, just think of all the happenings in there over the years, bet there’s a few good stories to tell, just add the nights Logan’s Close played to sell out crowds to the anthology.

We had been warned via social media that it would be cash only, no problem for us older ones; I noticed there was a card reader on the second evening, was it too confusing for the youngsters to deal with actual cash? Bless. Just hanging around before the support band came on, it was obvious the room would reach oven roasting temperatures and beyond (not helped by the still warm evening outside). When the support came on, the volume was waaay up, so between that and wanting to stay cool as long as possible, I exited a while. Note to self, remember my earplugs next time. A number of folk were chilling outside, plenty recognisable faces, soon everyone started heading in, the bar first then get a spot. Final adjustments, everybody ready and they were off.

There was a preamble to the first song kicking in, it was then I heard the extra percussion from the side of the stage behind the speaker, peering into the gloom there was a keyboard too, but the keyboard was at the other end?! Aha, why get one Raeburn brother in when you can get two? Two keyboards, extra percussion and the occasional extra guitar as the evening went by; oh, Sandy and Murray just slotted in perfectly (and they’re lovely guys from speaking to them afterwards). Curious Terrain was a bloody magnificent start, oh yes.

Songs from Heart-Shaped Jacuzzi bookended the set with some brand new songs and the previously heard Giddy Up, Baby! and Costume Changes in the middle. Hot Blondes followed by Babestation had the crowd bouncing and in full voice, time for a change of pace, a newie, Cuck Chair written by Scott, quite a spacey beginning with synths and Scott swapped on to acoustic guitar, nice. No guitar for the start of the sparse, punchy Giddy Up, Baby! but once again a cowboy hat was soon passed up to the stage (on Friday night too, is it the same person same hat, or?!)

Oh, Scotty was on magnificent form, his velvety tones so eloquently delivering his vivid narratives to the crowd, long stretches against the low ceiling (it’s easy not to realise how tall he is, obviously perfectly proportioned); really in his element, such a presence about him on stage. The new songs are a vibe moved on from the Jacuzzi tunes, but which will make it on to the second album? Fun and Games stood out for me yeah, couldn’t really say why, it just felt really good; and Groundhog Night with Carl on vocals, about the midnight slot at Whistlebinkies, I’m totally expecting to hear a pared back version in there at some point soon!

By now the fans know plenty of the words to Costume Changes, especially those who go see the Scat Rats as it often pops up in their sets; and Heart-shaped Jacuzzi, oh, what a blast!! It was brilliant on the Thursday night, but on the Friday, absolute chills, such a beautiful moment the room all singing it to the band, the love was palpable. It was the, ahem, final song, yeah right, the guys weren’t going to bother with the pretence of going offstage. Gouching provided another powerful singalong, ending with the baroque brilliance of Mock Marble Linoleum. Totally wrung out bodies and souls left the room, oh, there was more music after but like, everyone needed to catch their breath, take a moment or two, discuss what they just witnessed, and hugs. I floated off into the night to get a bus back to town.

And we did it all again the next night, just in a slightly different order and with an edge more exuberance with it being a Friday night (I say we, plenty of folk were there for both gigs). Half and Half made the set this time. I didn’t spot a setlist to snaffle at the end and I was having way too much fun to take any notes, I just have a few videos to spot the differences. Main one was that Hot Blondes In Your Area Tonight was moved from second to the final, really final, song, a fine call, the place went bonkers. Blissed out, sweaty blobs the lot of us by the end, but what epic fun 💛

Two fabulous evenings that hopefully put plenty of money in the coffers for the second album. If not, another gig or two? Another gig or two, anyway, please. I’ve still to put a few videos of these gigs on Instagram, but they will appear soon, promise. Now it’s very late, time for bed, goodnight and sweet dreams!

One Night in Finsbury

bruceonthefringe 2026, Live music, London, Music shows, Uncategorized Tags: , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

I do quite like London, only ever stayed for a few days at a time but I’ve always had good experiences, nice wee cafes, there’s some cracking pubs (living in Edinburgh, the prices don’t make me clutch at my heart in mock horror) and I generally find Londoners to be a pleasant bunch. The Camden Road Hotel was a perfectly fine place to sleep, no breakfast, but from past experience that’s where the nice wee cafes come in, they’re everywhere! It was also a reasonable walk from King’s Cross and St Pancras stations, and an easy bus ride to The Finsbury.

Ah yes, I returned from the continent by Eurostar on the Monday so I could get a decent night’s kip and enjoy a wander round Camden before seeing Carl Marah at The Finsbury (good plan, after two nights in a hostel dorm with exuberant marathon runners in Liege, it was heaven). I also took the opportunity to check out a couple of real ale pubs on the way, as you do, but in time to see both supports.

It was meant to be some guy supporting, I gather something happened fairly last minute but no worries, the ladies stepped up and some. First up was Eve Simpson, a northern lass with an awesome voice and great folk/pop songs, including one inspired by The Hive on Niddry Street in Edinburgh! Probably the first and last time that’ll happen (I know the place, I’ve seen Fringe shows in there, as a night haunt, nah). Speaking about the Fringe, Eve will be up at the Pianodrome in August for two nights, hmm, a distinct possibility. Second up, Kiki Annette over from Germany, indie with a delicious dry humour, wow! Later Carl made a light comment of feeling a tad apprehensive coming on after two such talented singer-songwriters, yeah, methinks he was only half joking!

Eve Simpson
Kiki Annette

Then it was time, Carl and his trusted compadres, Gavin Lamont and Simon Toner, opened with the latest single You’re Always Right, oh yay. Lost and Found next, one of my favourites and sooo delicious with the extra depth of flavours the band sound brings to it. I say that’s one of my favourites, they’re all wonderful but a few sneak ahead, like World Keeps Turning, why? I don’t know, is it in his delivery of his lyrics, the timbre of his voice with an occasional slight plaintive edge? The rhythm changes?

What a wonderful evening, there was almost no need for Carl to ask for us to singalong with It’s a long way to Oban, I could hear there was already a strong murmur augmenting the chorus. Carl’s first single Siren Song was in there (I was very in the moment, some of which refused to be retained later). Stags and Hens with it’s world-weary wry charm will always have a place in my heart, and it’s own little burrow in my ear.

Naturally Me, Myself and I, the title track of the new EP was there, one where for me, the solo version has sweet echoes of Gilbert O’Sullivan, not as much with the band. Oh, and from just watching a couple of videos, I must mention that the sound and lighting were excellent all evening. Cat’s Eyes was a total sublime dream, without doubt my top favourite of all Carl’s songs (so far!) The drum and bass motor along so beautifully, while Carl’s voice and guitar take the twists and turns with confident ease. Oh, my heartses!

Carl did cut one song from the set just before Cat’s Eyes as he wanted enough time to do it justice, at just over eight minutes, yeah he did that; but I do wonder what was cut? On the other hand, I might disappointed if I knew. I wouldn’t have wanted any of the songs I heard cut from the set. Final song of the evening was ol’ 5/4 timer Roll the Dice (the Paul Simon one), the guys went for it! All brilliant musicians, it’s a class way to end things.

It wasn’t quite the end of my evening, oh no. Now, at this point I’ll mention that it wasn’t particularly busy in The Finsbury, a real shame the turn out wasn’t better, mind, the folk who did turn up were obviously enjoying themselves and showed their appreciation loud and warmly; but it was the evening of Tuesday 19th May when most of North London were glued to tv sets watching a football match with bated breath. The outcome of that match would determine whether Arsenal would win the Premier League.

When I left the pub to catch the bus, a few cars were passing by blaring their horns, bit exuberant for a Tuesday night, I thought. Then, on the bus, the traffic was really slow, horns tooting rhythms, was this about football?! The bus got diverted, watching its movements on Google maps I realised I was best getting off. By now it was after eleven, the streets were thronged with people in red and white scarves and tops, car horns going off everywhere, folks jubilantly calling out. I have to say, the exhilaration in the air was infectious, so joyous; I had no idea what the reason was, but I realised it was something pretty monumental. What a night to be in North London! Overall, it was pretty damn fine ❤️

Toodle pip!

More postcards on the doormat

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From Italy to Austria, trains are definitely a fine way to admire the scenery and changing landscapes. Okay, so the weather wasn’t great, but it also wasn’t as bad as the forecast, apart from that afternoon in Graz, that was very bad, very very bad.

Yay, all three postcards from Austria arrived, hahaha.

Toodle pip!

Remember postcards?!

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Do you remember the last time someone sent you an actual postcard? The one that arrived a month after they were back home? Well, here’s two from Italy, and, ahem, they were both posted less than two weeks ago (looking, just go with it, okay?!)

If you’re having difficulty reading it, you know, everyone used to write by hand once upon a time and trust me, that’s very legible compared to plenty

Now if you’ve been following this blog for a few years, you’ll know that despite anything I might say about expanding on these titbits later, there’s a fair chance I won’t (but once again, maybe). Good intentions and all that. I am but a mere mortal fallible moose.

Goodnight, sleep well!

On a rainy night in Graz

bruceonthefringe 2026, Bands, Edinburgh bands, Music Tags: , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Hello you! I know, it’s been a while since my last post but I do have an excuse for May and hey, five posts in April up to that point, a blooming record for me outside of Fringe! The excuse? I’ll get back to that, for now a quick trawl through the last third of April…

I hinted at the end of my last post that Louis Crosland may play guitar alongside blues harmonica player Giles Robson again sometime; it’s definitely happening, folks! That’s through August (and into September, I think), so fairly extensive through the UK. Hmmm, if it ends anywhere northish I may have to go, that should, will, be pretty damned awesome. That’s if the tour does go through to September, I have priorities, you know.

He may not be around Edinburgh in August, but July sees Louis’s debut at the Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival where his Trio will be playing as one of three bands at a Blues Afternoon in the George Square Spiegeltent. Yes, a whole afternoon of blues (I think they have them each weekend of the Festival), you can catch the Louis Crosland Trio on Sunday 19th July. [Quick edit, there’s also a gig 12th June at Pilgrim in Newcastle]

That will probably (or possibly, you can never quite tell with musicians) the last time the Trio as it is, play together. Louis is planning on taking stock of things, a good time to, what with being away awhile with Robson. It will fun speculating what the new autumn season outfit will be. The final Whistlebinkies gig was great, a very lively crowd, cracking tunes and I love that of late Rob Henderson‘s bass line has been up in the mix, Max was on fine form on drums too. A decent finale for Binkies.

I said final gig, so was surprised when it was on Instagram that Louis was playing Binkies, huh?! Definitely wasn’t scheduled (mind, it was Binkies), ah, a last minute call up. Last minute, so it was a trio but for all the combinations I’ve seen, this was new. It may have been, who the hell is available now? The universal forces played ball, and how, it worked well, better than well, for a first time? it was ridiculously fine; and they weren’t done after Binkies, immediately packing up double quick to play at the Jazz Bar straight afterwards! Of course I went along! Already, just a second time round things were gelling nicely. Will this be a one night only (both musicians are usually very busy), certainly the three played together and Louis was clearly enjoying himself. It will certainly have added another dollop to the mulling mix; this cake could be sublime.

I could finish this post here, but as I’ve just poured myself another glass of a rather nice grüner veitliner, I shall continue…

Last post Carl Marah was about to take part in the semi-final of Mam Talent! this time taking a band with him. He didn’t make it through to the final, but no matter, it was a great experience and will have definitely opened up new avenues for him; and he used the opportunity to play his newly released single (just the day before, nicely done) You’re Always Right. The video is also out with Carl not only wearing his love for the Beatles on his sleeve, it’s more like an arm tattoo (done with such charm and gentle grace, tis a wonderful thing).

The Edinburgh launch of the new EP had been announced before, but now all the dates for the EP tour have been announced, which is how I came to be tapping this out on my phone in Austria. The first gig is Tuesday 19th at The Finsbury in London, aha. I’ve been meaning to get round to using an Interrail Pass that I bought end of last August when there was a discount, meaning to, but never quite succeeding; Carl’s London gig gave me an anchor point, yay. I’ll be on a Eurostar back to London on the Monday afternoon, Carl on Tuesday evening, next day a train back to Edinburgh in nice time for two Logan’s Close gigs, how excellent is that?!!

My glass is just about empty, time to sleep. Next time, probably a postcard or two.

Auf wiedersehen, meine Freunde!

A week later I did it again, yay

bruceonthefringe 2026, Blues, Live music, Pubs Tags: , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Just how good would the later shows be? I pondered in my last post. Well, dear reader, the gods smiled down, and despite my lack of attempts to get any semblance of an act together, Tuesday early evening I found myself in Inverness, having a scrummy meal before getting up close with the Blues again! Yes, I got to see Louis Crosland playing guitar for blues harmonica player Giles Robson a second time, at the Castle Tavern in Inverness, yay! It was the sixth of eight shows, the last one is tonight in Dumfries.

Aha, checking back to last year, there’s only the vaguest mention of my roadtrip last July, that’s when I first discovered the Castle Tavern, a great wee pub serving a fine selection of ales and very tasty grub. This year’s visit was even better with added blues! To be honest, I couldn’t quite fathom where the gig would happen, ha, in the restaurant space upstairs, they close it for the evening, just serving food in the pub and outside seated area. Still, not a large area, so indeed, the show title Up Close With The Blues could not have been truer.

Perspective! the bowl was bigger!

There was no room to eat inside when I wandered in after six, so I chanced a table just outwith the covered area, only a few spots of rain to perturb me but nothing really. As I hadn’t eaten much through the day, a hearty dish of macaroni cheese (with haggis for an extra £1) with salad and garlic bread seemed a sensible plan, accompanied by a pint of Happy Chappy (to match my cheeriness). I’m not usually a mac’n’cheese kinda moose, but this was seriously tasty and a perfect amount, I was nicely set for more ale, just steady halves, I was being sensible; also, I wasn’t about to miss any of the music having to nip away to the loo.

Seven o’clock, folk started heading up, the show started at eight. Most were able to sit, but a few stood at the bar, mind, they all looked like the types that would have stood, even if there’d been enough seats! So, shortly after eight, two chaps sat in the corner of a pub restaurant and gave the gathered, over two hours of sweet blues bliss (oh, there was a break for more beer). Starting off with the upbeat GR Shuffle, then moving on to the slower swagger of Your Dirty Look and Your Sneaky Grin, a marvellous title! (there’s a performance of this song at Robson’s Fringe show in 2024 on YouTube). It was all bloody brilliant, Where You Been possibly my favourite from the first set; mind, My Babe, what a wowser to finish it with!

the blues up close, no fancy frills required

Town to Town kicked off the second set, wow, like the first half was just a warm-up! Key To The Highway was an utter joy, every next tune had its own brilliance. I’d said in my last post that hearing Louis’ playing the week before blew me away, now five shows on, there was a clear connection between the two musicians; it was so good to catch a later show, to see a subtly more self-assured Louis shine, giving a relaxed, eloquent performance alongside the great Giles Robson. The first encore, an improvisation in the key of G, oh my heartses, sublime! Blow Wind Blow ended a wonderful evening, a big fuzzy hug for the soul kind of evening. Soooo happy to have been there!

Mind, if you’re thinking, that all sounds like something you’d like too. Well, tonight’s Dumfries show may not be the last time that Louis plays blues guitar for Giles Robson ….

Toodle pip!

A spot of blues in Glasgow

bruceonthefringe 2026, Blues, Live music, Live music venues Tags: , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Ever heard of a spider steak? Me neither until today. I saw one as I was glancing through the meats on Brewsters stall at the Farmers Market; not too big, reasonably priced, lots of marbling through it, worth a shot I reckoned. I’ll let you know how I get on with it. Oh, and yay, Thistle and Churn are now back at the market every week, best ice cream around! Today I got a cranachan cone (always a cone, again, best cones around if not ever).

So anyway, I may not have made it over to Glasgow to see the Close, but I did go over on Tuesday to see Louis Crosland play acoustic blues guitar alongside Giles Robson, a blues harmonica virtuoso (and a great singer too). For one, I’ve only seen Louis in pub musician settings so I was very intrigued to hear him really play (you get what I mean, yeah?), and Glasgow, because I faffed too long and the Edinburgh gig got sold out. I’d heard of McChuills where it was happening but never been, so another Glasgow music venue ticked off. It’s easy walking distance from the bus station, a tasty Joker IPA on tap, quite a nice place in all (and there’s a pool table); the venue room is just off the bar, it’s long but not particularly wide, a nice cosy space for an intimate performance.

The show started at eight, no support, just two long sets finishing around half ten, we definitely got our moneys worth! It was Louis’s first night playing with Giles Robson, first of eight gigs around Scotland (by now it’s five down, three to go next week). Well, wow, that first one was bloody excellent, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Besides playing harmonica and singing, Robson is a wonderful, engaging raconteur, so much fascinating blues detail and history (I wish I had the sort of brain that could remember it all!); great patter leading into each piece and cajoling the audience to sing.

Oh, the music? Oh, hell yes, wonderful. A few songs I knew (like My Babe and Key To The Highway) some rang vague bells, whatever, it was brilliant from beginning to end, and Louis? Wow, as I said before I’ve seen him playing in bars, solo and with bands, but this was almost like I was seeing him for the first time, just wow. I now so wish I’d got around to buying a ticket for Edinburgh too, I mean, if that was the first time they’d played together, jeez louise, how good must the later shows be?!? And when Robson would indicate to Louis to bring the guitar right down, oh, the clarity and delicacy of the notes, ooch.

The, ahem, final tune was Shake, Rattle and Roll, no cajoling needed there for a little audience participation. Call me biased, but I’d like to think the Edinburgh crowd outsang the Glasgow audience! The encore was How’d You Learn To Shake It Like That, sir, I was born shaking like that, especially when the music is that good 💛

Waving bye, bye, baby, goodbye

It’s now very, very late, I must away to sleep. In the morning I’ll add more bits on Instagram, and if you’re very lucky, maybe more from the Cinelli Brothers gig.

Thistle & Churn’s Cranachan cone

I dropped into the Voodoo Rooms

bruceonthefringe 2026, Blues, Live bands in Edinburgh, Live music Tags: , , , , , , , Leave a comment

It’s Friday late afternoon, nearly teatime, I’ve just put a nice piece of hoggat chump roast in the oven, well, I’m hoping it’ll turn out nice. I thought it was a piece of cannon, which I know how long to do, it’s not, so fingers crossed. No, I don’t know where the cannon cut is from, but I do know it is totally delicious and almost melt in the mouth when done right. I have my tomato timer ticking away in front of me so I won’t forget to check.

Just earlier I finally got round to sticking a couple of clips of the Cinelli Brothers on my Instagram stories (they played the Voodoo Rooms last Saturday). Yeah, Instagram isn’t particularly instant with me, more when the mood takes me to go through my most recent pile of pics and vids; some get binned, some shared, some umm-ed over but not dealt with, some trimmed to a best bit (and even then not yet shared, I’ll still think about it). This digital age is just a whole new nightmare to hoarders. As I occasionally throw out old photos, I’m building up a music archive, I can’t seem to help myself (an archive of music videos might sound good, but when I’m always losing the impetus to label and sort them, well, it’s kinda messy).

Anyhoo, yes, last Saturday saw local band the Louis Crosland Trio supporting the Cinelli Brothers at their Edinburgh gig. Originally it was going to be Jed Potts supporting, he suggested Louis (pictured left), it would have been him solo, then it became the trio. For once I got there just as they were starting rather than three songs in! I knew there would be some new songs in there, didn’t want to miss anything. Straight up I can say that Marigold is a delight, some interesting lyrics, I love it already, hope it stays around.

Myth of a Man is new but I had already heard it, I knew I had, because, for some bizarre reason the song title pings Man or Muppet into my brain (the close m’s flick a switch?). Oh, don’t think this is a disparagement, it’s the title that does it, not the song itself (and actually, I loved that song in the Muppet movie and it won an Oscar); I do quite like Myth of a Man too. Along with Louis’s own stuff, there were a few from the usual LC3 setlist; Knocking on Heaven’s Door was in there (sounding, erm, different to usual, not sure, a new take?!), and, of course, Hey Joe brilliant as ever.

On to the Cinelli Brothers, oh my, they’re awesome!! How awesome? I was contemplating the logistics of going down to Dumfries two nights later to see them again. No I didn’t, have you seen the price of petrol just now?! It’s not just me who thinks they’re brilliant, they’ve just won Blues Band of the Year at the 2026 UK Blues Awards. The Cinelli Brothers all ooze devilishly mischievous charisma, they know their stuff, and boy, they deliver it with style.

All four of them can sing, there’s guitars, bass, occasional keyboards, harmonica, a drummer who also plays bass, and again those vocals! Be it blues or soul, every song was just another gem of bliss, but when they played Just Dropped In, oh my heartses, purest joy! For much of the gig I was to the side of the stage having relieved myself, then deciding not to wade back into the throng, well, it was a fine spot at Carl Marah’s show. Okay, so I possibly didn’t get the full sound experience, but I could enjoy actually watching the band rather than brief glimpses.

The Cinelli Brothers changing things around

Near the end they called on Louis, and Jed Potts who was in the crowd, to join them on stage for a jam. Apparently its a Cinelli Brothers thing, to get the support back up for a jam, nice touch, the crowd loved it (me too). I fully intend to get round to putting a clip of it on Instagram, honest. I suppose I could just do it after this, before bedtime. Yes, it’s late again. I know I started this hours ago but I took a long break for tea (can you spot the join?), the chump roast was very nice, by the way. I had it, well, half of it with sweet potato mash and lots of broccoli, delicious!

I’ve rambled for so long that I never got round to Louis’s other supporting role this week. Tomorrow, promise. G’night, sweet dreams!

Cool hat, that

Here, there and even on the telly!

bruceonthefringe 2026, Bands, Gigs, Live music, Logan's Close Tags: , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

As promised last post a catch up on Messrs Marah and Rough, oh, they’ve been busy! There’s been the usual Tuesday midnights at Whistlebinkies, I say usual but I’d swear they’ve gotten even better recently, how? I know, right! Maybe it’s from recent activity with the rest of Logan’s Close and the anticipation of summer gigs.

At the end of March, LC played down in Norwich and then Glasgow supporting one Ghost Funk Orchestra; I did consider going over to Glasgow, but after a busy week, yeah, no. But Brucie, it was Logan’s Close?? Ah, but they’re playing two nights in Edinburgh next month, yay (got to get some money together to make the second album, you know). Just one night was announced but the lads already had plans for another gig the following night, and indeed, ticket sales were excellent, all snapped up in less than a month. I’m not sure if they realised the date or decided it would be a funny twist – the sell out and second gig were announced on 1st April, err, April Fools Day, guys!? Did anyone hang fire to make sure it was genuine, I wonder? Anyhoo, the second night is Friday 22nd May at Leith Cricket Club.

Oo, I see badge potential here

Scotty went even further than Norwich with his other band last month. Dr Salad were out playing a few gigs in Cambodia (as you do!?) That was quite a surprise when Scott told me late one night in Binkies, had I heard right? I was like, Cambodia? Huh? Yes really. A trifle bizarre, but then, it is Dr Salad, goes with the territory. When I caught up with him after his return, Scott was certainly buzzing from the whole experience, oh, he’d definitely go back for more.

Carl has also been playing his own music overseas on Mam Talent! Poland’s version of Britain’s Got Talent. He does visit Poland plenty with his Polish fiancée, and last year friends over there suggested he should enter, he did, et voilà …. he’s only gone and made it to the semi-finals!! The live show will be on Polish telly 25th April, like wow. Always busy, the date for the launch show of Carl’s debut Me, Myself and I EP has been announced as Wednesday 10th June, at the Voodoo Rooms, where else?! And it’ll be a four piece band this time – added keyboards. Tickets are available now on Carl’s website (there’s options with a signed cd or signed vinyl, nice).

He did tell me that there’ll be tour dates north and south, but that’s as much as I know, no more details were forthcoming. I wonder if he’s waiting to see how Mam Talent! goes before setting everything in stone? Meantime there’s plenty to watch on Carl’s Instagram, including some great studio diary videos. In a video last Thursday it was mentioned that Carl looks more like George Harrison than the actor in the new upcoming film; I almost choked on my IPA when an hour after I saw it, a chap sat next to me in Stramash exclaimed, “Bloody’ell, George Harrison!” pointing at Carl on stage. Actually, he does do a beautiful version of While My Guitar Gently Weeps at his solo pub gigs.

Time to crash, but I’ll leave you with a couple of pics from the day Carl was shooting a video à la Beatles on the rooftop of an Edinburgh tenement. Next time, when you’ve got the blues make sure you have good support. Toodle pip!

One day fans will flock to this spot
The man himself, or George Harrison?

Some blues with jam and curry

bruceonthefringe 2026, Edinburgh music scene, Live music, Live music venues Tags: , , , , , , Leave a comment

It hadn’t been particularly busy in the Jazz Bar, just nice numbers. Of course, the house band and Louis Crosland were already playing when I got there (I should allow an extra ten minutes into my plans). I find it interesting watching musicians’ playing and interactions outwith their usual; the looks and nods to each other are much more noticeable. It’s like I’m seeing the cogs and wheels connecting inside a musical box (just go with me and my whimsy).

Plenty of the set was tunes that Louis plays with his band, what with them generally being bluesy standards. I was a bit surprised when they played Miss You but it worked well enough (see, case in point, how musicians create structure together) albeit back-to-basics, it had a groove. Hey Joe was pretty fine way to round off Louis’s first stint on stage. After a long break, the house band were back on, with Louis, to kick off the jam part of the evening. I was hungry (I said in my last post that I was going to eat before heading to the Jazz Bar but there wasn’t time to have anything substantial), so after watching the next two assortment of players I ducked out and headed to the Mosque Kitchen (open until ten, yay).

Satiated from a plate of chicken curry and rice, I was ready for more beer and blues. The blues jam was still going when I got back, it was okay, there was no one who made me prick up my ears, but that’s just the luck of how these things go. Eleven o’clock and Louis was back on stage again with his own band, and a few tasty new originals in the set, nice. Naturally we got Miss You for a second, rather zupped up time, yeah, quite a lot of the set seemed overpaced, was it just from being after the slightly pedestrian jam?! There was obviously some thought given to an extra final number – they’d gotten through the planned setlist too soon. I know bands have off nights, yeah, it happens to the best, and the set wasn’t exactly bad, just not up to the standard I’ve come to expect. Hey, I care, bite me!

I was finishing off my drink in the Jazz Bar when an American tourist asked me if the live music was over for the night, he’d only caught the final two numbers, yup, sorry man, but I can direct you to more live music if you’re not fussed what it’s like. So I gave him directions to Whistlebinkies and Stramash too, but wasn’t that a much longer walk? (he’d been there much earlier and had obviously wandered around enough afterwards to make it seem a distance away!) Was I myself going to either? Nooo, I didn’t know who was playing but it wouldn’t anyone I wanted to see or I’d be there. Not to say he and his friend wouldn’t enjoy the music, if they were staying out; always the encouraging tourist guide, me. I was ready to head home anyway, so I wished them well and toddled off into the night.

It’s late, again!! Tomorrow will be another very late night, I’ll away to my bed. Next time, the other LC, Logan’s Close and news on Mr Marah’s solo shenanigans. Sweet dreams!