2023

A prelude to a wondrous thing

bruceonthefringe 2023, Live bands in Edinburgh, Logan's Close, Music, Music for travelling Tags: , , , , , , , Leave a comment

“A polished studio album will surely be a wondrous thing” and how right I was! I wrote those words back in February last year in If you don’t ask …… (clicking on the title should take you to the post, should) just after getting my mitts on the Logan’s Close Live at LimbicTV CD. Checking back on that one, led to looking back at my other posts on the LimbicTV recording and on to playing the CD; then playing Babestation and Mock Marble Linoleum back-to-back with the new album versions (well, back and forth, forth and back, a few times – I was having fun).

Nine days and a trip down to Yorkshireland later, I wrote Driving with Elsie appraising the CD. Reading it again I noticed that Mock Marble Linoleum was now “pretty special” – back when I saw it performed on LimbicTV it was “fine but nothing special” (from my blog post So Close so fine). Well, I’d had a 400 mile return car trip to get into it! Now on Heart-Shaped Jacuzzi, it’s been buffed up, not quite so heavy, but richer; a perfect progression.

Babestation grabbed me from the very first – beautiful desolation, Carl’s lead vocals, then Scott’s velvet backing, blimey Charlie! Totally blown away! Much as I love the whole LimbicTV CD, this track stands apart (still), so how happy was I when I heard it would be on the new album (as Larry, Moe and Curly). Back in April 2021 I’d written “definitely put out this track, please, please, like this, nothing added nothing taken away”, well, in some ways they have. The soul and mood are the same, but OMG, the production takes it so much further (Dennis Rux really has the magic touch).

Lucky me, The Scat Rats regularly play an acoustic version of Babestation that sends me every time I hear it. Though mainly covers, the Rats always played a few LC songs, and now there’s the album to promote, oh yay, they spoil us! There’s clips in my Instagram reels, as much for my own keepsakes as sharing their brilliance with the world.

FYI, in case you’re brand new to my blog, The Scat Rats are Carl Marah and Scott Rough, the two founder members of Logan’s Close, and right now their album Heart-Shaped Jacuzzi has been out on sale for a week; it is on Spotify too, check it out do. The Logan’s Close Live at LimbicTV CD is not on Spotify but you can still watch the original on YouTube (it’s about two hours long – there’s plenty banter as well as music!) and the CD (just over an hour of music) is available on the band’s website.

Next post will be my attempt at reviewing Heart-Shaped Jacuzzi haha, it’s chuffing brilliant! Toodle pip!

Love is … a heart-shaped jacuzzi

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Okay, so this isn’t a post, more a quick post-it note. By the time I press the Publish button the debut album by Logan’s Close will be released; that’s Heart-shaped Jacuzzi for those who haven’t been paying attention.

It truly is a thing of beauty, everything about it, I’m in love!! Oh, I’ve had the album since Tuesday late night at Binkies, I’ve had a few listens to it, well, maybe more than a few. I will wax lyrical later about it, I just wanted to say, I’ve got it and it’s extraordinarily fine, exceptionally fine, damn fine.

Yes, I have the vinyl and CD versions.

It’s a gatefold cover with all the song lyrics set out inside around a couple of smart photos of Scott Rough and Carl Marah. Oh, and the lads wrote messages to me in mine, almost brought tears to my eyes, no, I’m not sharing.

Toodle pip!

Notes from my calendar

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It’s Friday the 13th, which means it’s only seven days until the album packed with the juiciest of toons, Heart-shaped Jacuzzi is released into the world. Oh yay! Interestingly I’ve spotted that the single of the title track was released digitally on the 21st October last year, hmmm, I wonder if that’s deliberate symmetry? And there’s not just a new album from Logan’s Close (available on digital, CD and vinyl), oh no, there’s a limited run of a special lathe cut vinyl single with Heart-shaped Jacuzzi on one side and Hot Blondes In Your Area Tonight on the other!! Plenty other new merch on their website, check it out!

So far I’ve got through today without anything bad happening, in fact it’s been a rather fine day (touch wood). As soon as I’ve done this I’m popping out to Stramash to catch Duke Duncan and the Hurricanes. Indeed, this next week is a great run-up to Friday, tomorrow there’s Jed Potts & Nicole Smit in Whistlebinkies at two, then The Breeze at seven. Monday evening Jed and Nicole are at Stramash with the rest of the Back-up Crew. Tuesday The Scat Rats are at Whistlebinkies (true this time), followed by the early evening slot at Stramash on Thursday. So, that’s a Marah triple in the next week, yay.

I’m not impressed about next Sunday evening though (22th) as The Buccaneers are playing Stramash at the same time as Jed Potts & the Hillman Hunters play Binkies, bah. Mind, there’s always a chance the Binkies listing is wrong, haha. Moanin’ Bones are back on the scene now that main man Chris Buckley has returned to Edinburgh, I’m looking forward to seeing them again later this month.

And with that I shall bid you adieu, I shall away to Stramash for a pint of Stewart’s and some fine rhythm’n’blues. Toodle pip!

A walk through the Vale

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Just back from another jaunt down to deepest dampest Yorkshire, boy, was it damp! Even with temperatures into the low twenties on several days, the feeling of damp prevailed. But hey, I finally got to do the Crag Vale Coiner’s Walk, on a bright sunny day too. It was really great, even when I took an accidental detour, well, it was a tricksy bit to figure out from the description and map (somewhere around Lower Lumb, but at least I was always headed in the right direction, not lost just a tad misplaced).

Hoo Hole – ancestral home of owls??
Into Spring Wood

The walk is a circular route beginning and ending in Mytholmroyd. It’s 5¼ miles long and is quite strenuous in places, a tad muddy too – and that was after unseasonably reasonable weather, oh, and there’s farm mud to negotiate through! I employed a fleet foot approach, tread lightly, move quickly, speed yourself over the top!

The woodlands around Cragg Vale are awe-inspiring, oh, some of the trees were magnificent, I could have dawdled for hours admiring them. The moorlands above have panoramic views all around, including across to Bell House, the home “King” David Hartley; that’s it on the right hand side of the picture below.

The boardwalk pathways through the bogs on the moor attest to how dangerous the area would have been back in the Coiners time.

The Lumb Stone on Bell House Moor

It took rather longer than I expected (even without my departure from the mapped route), so I didn’t have time to stop for a drink at the Robin Hood Inn, a shame as it is a fine, old fashioned pub with well-kept ales.

I fully intend to walk it again in reverse, hopefully next summer, allowing much more time! The map (by Christopher Goddard, a local cartographer) with all it’s illustrations, instructions, information and quotes from The Gallows Pole is a delight unobtainable from reading bits off a mobile phone. Yay for paper maps I say!

After yesterday’s long journey back up to Edinburgh, I took myself up Moose Ridge this morning. Interesting goings-on up in the Park…

Those bags are impressively strong!

Good night all!

September’s close

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Not even an hour left of September! And time has finally run out for the Festival Village at the east end of Princes Street a-top Princes Mall, today was it’s swansong. A controversial place, some moaned that it’s an eyesore, a bad first impression of Edinburgh for travellers emerging from Waverley Station; many loved it, a great central meeting place for friends, a spacious open-air bar with plenty of live music, including open mic sessions. Personally I never went there (not really my kinda place), went past many, many times and never saw any problems; it will be interesting to see what takes it’s place, that is, what the council think is more fitting for the area! Let’s just say, like many others, I have my doubts that it will be anything “better”.

Last Tuesday, for the first time in ages I fell for Whistlebinkies‘ tricksyness, obviously only because I was still a tad unwell. They’d put on Instagram (just the day before) that The Scat Rats were playing at midnight, hmmm, a change to previous details but such a late change, surely it would be right? Now previously, Mr Marah has told me the printed up sheets inside are have right information – only, one said The Scat Rats and the other said Chris Tracey!? Just a half pint was long enough to know for sure, and I trotted home. The Rats should be playing there this coming Tuesday, I’m pretty sure it’s right this time, but I may double-check with Mr Marah.

Oo yeah, Mr Marah and co, just released Half & Half as a single on Friday (on all the usual music streams), there looks to be a video but I don’t think it’s oot yet (not to be confused with the live version vid released back in April). This is the last single from the soon to be released Heart-shaped Jacuzzi, indeed, only twenty days to go! Pre-order now on the Logan’s Close website, CD or vinyl. Yes, I’m shamelessly plugging my favourite band’s debut album, no, I don’t have any financial interest in it’s success, just a big deep love for their music.

Haha, just noticed the time, think I should toddle off and get some kip, more very soon. I’ll leave you with a few pics taken this morning at Duddingston Loch – I think I was sitting in his morning spot!!

‘Scuse me, but you need to move
You know I could poop on your head, mate!

a right cheeky bisum

Good night, sweet dreams!

An odd week

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This has been an odd week, well, a week of oddities, flashbacks, fun and not-so-much fun. It started on Monday when I got an email that Apocalypse Clown a film I had booked to see in Glasgow the following day was cancelled due to technical difficulties. Dammit! It was my only opportunity too, it only had a very limited release (yup, not a single cinema in Edinburgh was showing it!). You may be wondering what’s so special about Apocalypse Clown that I’d be prepared to trek over to Glasgow for it?

Three of the co-writers were one of my all-time favourite Fringe acts, Dead Cat Bounce, that’s Demian Fox, Shane O’Brien and James Walmsley. Sure its quite some time since they were at the Fringe but they were supertalented, very original and achingly funny; the trailer for Apocalypse Clown looks so good, they obviously haven’t lost the spark. It’s a film with clowns (obviously), vengeful human statues and a slow-motion walrus fight (so I’ve read) – what’s not to love?! A film of semi-epic proportions, I reckon.

So, I wasn’t happy at missing that, for consolation I went to see Barbie for a second time, yay. It made a good start to my evening before Nicole and the Back-up Crew in Stramash, finishing off at Whistlebinkies with The Scat Rats and a wonderful, unexpected delight – the first acoustic rendition of Heart-shaped Jacuzzi, oh my heartses!

Wednesday I decided to check what other old Fringe favourites of mine The Les Clöchards were up to these days – they only have a new album out and it’s on Spotify! Stop, Drop & Rock is a lot of fun, those hobos from a small island near Corsica have still got it – blimey Charlie, it’s ten years since they last played the Edinburgh Fringe when I bought their CD Never Don’t Not.

Interestingly there’s new versions of two songs from that previous album, Love Baby has definitely gone up a few notches but I prefer the raunchier, heavier earlier version of Girls Just Wanna Have Fun (but you will love the new version if you’ve never heard the first one, truly you will). I love what they’ve done with Material Girl a great Clöchards reworking, but my current favourite is Bunch of Assholes, delightfully lackadaisical and bouncy.

Thursday night, yay, a rare visit from over West for Baby Face and the Beltin’ Boys to Stramash. Who? Baby Face aka Julen Santamaria of Awkward Family Portraits, purveyor of Western Swing with a very distinctive voice. There was actually just one Beltin’ Boy with him on this occasion, but the two of them were more than enough for a fun time (I’ll stick a reel on Instagram later). See, this is why I pay so much attention to who’s playing where and when, to catch such gems!

Friday morning and a big downer, my throat was on fire, bloody painful. It had been threatening a while, I’d hoped nightly gargling with TCP would do the trick, nope! Nothing was going to soothe it now, it was only a matter of time before my sinuses joined in the revolt. They did and how, for about forty-eight hours and two boxes of tissues; just a few foot soldiers are left behind now, the rest have moved to my chest.

Okay, so twice I’ve missed The Scat Rats this weekend, hey, I do see them plenty, but The Buccaneers were playing The Jazz Bar after midnight on Friday and I was fully intending on going, damn. Not impressed.

Other bits of news, Logan’s Close have announced 20th October as the release date for their long-awaited debut album Heart-shaped Jacuzzi, get your order in! The loveliest man on the Fringe Aidan Goatley is writing a new show, “the show I’ve wanted to do for several years but only now feel ready for”, this will definitely be one to see next year, can’t wait. Austrian stand-up Elias Werner will be in the UK on Thursday 12th October at The Pen Theatre in London as part of their Fresh off the Fringe season; well, he did tell me he’d be back!

Well, that’s all my news, now I must go gargle some more TCP and get to my bed.

Oh, my precious!

I know my onions, yes I do

bruceonthefringe 2023, a rant, Comedy, Edinburgh Fringe 2023, Fringe Awards, Sooo fringe, Uncategorized Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

Have you seen the price of onions lately? Okay, so I don’t pay much attention to the price of staples usually, but when a bag of three, yes, three is £1.10 in the local Tesco’s!! In a bag too (why?), I prefer to pick my own, especially at that price (bagged vegetables have a nasty habit of having the odd dodgy one, don’t you find?) No, I didn’t buy any onions there. And breathe.

I missed the anniversary of the first Bruce On The Fringe Fringe Awards yesterday. I say I missed, hmm, missed or procrastinated the entire day?! The double Fringe there was deliberate, by the way, in case of any non-Fringe Awards I choose to bestow in the future, you never know. If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook (and why not??) you may have noticed the latest pic on my storyline featuring flyers and cut-outs, and so, without further ado,

Mesdames et monsieurs, ceux entre et ceux au-delà, welcome to the Bruce on The Fringe Fringe Awards 2023!

Best Epic Fantasy Adventure: Shadow Kingdom

Best Double Feature: Voloz Collective with The Man Who and The Life Sporadic

The Pugwash Trophy: Max Norman: A Pirate’s Life For Me

As the Actress Said: to the Bishops

Best Flounce: Yippee Ki Yay

Best Bedcaps: Finlay and Joe: Past Our Bedtime

Best Blood and Gore: How to Eat a Bear

Best Game of Jenga (ever): Laser Kiwi: Rise of the Olive

Best Docucomedy: The Last Gun

Loveliest Fringe Thing: Mark Twain’s The Stolen White Elephant

Best Fringe Follow-up: Grubby Little Mitts: Hello, Hi

Most Beguiling Poster: Ginzel’s Little Cordoba: A Double Bill

Best Aidan on the Fringe: joint winners, Aidan Goatley and Aidan Sadler

Yes, maybe a couple pictured didn’t make the final cut but they were so so close. And what? No Best Musical Moment nominees this year?! Nope, my favourite, hands down winner will be on Instagram shortly. That’s it from me, and thank you to everyone who brought shows to Edinburgh this August, I may not be real, but for a few weeks there you made me feel alive ❤️

A little procrastination

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Hey there! It’s a hot, sunny day here in Edinburgh, someone turned the temperature dial back up! I’m inside, oh, sat beside a wide open window, net curtain blowing in the breeze; there’s five or six more days of this forecast, so I’m good. Been looking through my Fringe diary; forty-one shows, three repeats, flyering and all the sordid details in between.

I stick in the occasional tiny picture found in some Fringe publication or other, to help refresh the memory in years to come. Not that I found many pics this year, the likes of Fest and The List don’t bother much with the sorts of shows I like. Aidan Goatley does a bit about The List in his show, I am fully with him there (no, we’re not fans). The odd newspaper supplements I’ve cast an eye over, rarely mention anything of interest to me. Hey, I’m the alternative! Well, one of them, a wee niche of dark whimsy.

What categories will there be at this year’s Bruce Awards? Last year there were Sweetest, Sexiest, Silliest Fringe Things, all had pretty clear front runners then, but not this year. It seems anything I come up with, there’s always more than one choice, which is bloody stupid as, i) I’m the one making up categories, ii) now I’ve started this I cannot cheat it, really I can’t! Even something like Most Fruit Inclusive, there’s three to choose from, and now I’ve thought of them I can’t unthink them.

I’m going to let them mull things over and go enjoy the sunshine. It’s the first weekend of the month which means the Handsome House Jam are playing at Stramash this evening at seven. This week’s guest host is Austen George a local singer-songwriter, one third of the rather bloody brilliant Miracle Glass Company. I’ve not seen him playing outside of MGC before, I’m looking forward to it. Some good music, a drink or two, just what I need. Maybe I’ll return to my cave inspired!

I’ll leave you with a few pics of posters from the Fringe, just random posters. Toodle pip!

Once in a blue moon

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Hands up who went out to see the blue supermoon last night? Needless to say, there were plenty moonwatchers in Holyrood Park for it, though early views were looking doubtful with the eastern horizon being swathed in cloud. Of course, the rest of the sky just had nice pretty bits of cloud around.

I headed up on to the Nether Hill while there was still plenty of light, but the evenings are no longer nicely balmy, I decided to head down on to the top road. The views over East Lothian are perfectly fine there, it was getting quite dark enough as I made my way down the hillside, I surprised a few rabbits along the way (haha, autocorrect wanted to change that to rabbis!).

It always surprises me how quickly the moon moves when one just watches it. I couldn’t figure out if the star above it to the right was pulling the moon behind it, or, was it running away and the moon was in pursuit?! I strolled slowly round the road and on to Echo Rock (possibly not a wise move in the dark but by that time I was embolden by the music I had playing in my ears), all the while playing peekaboo with the moon.

I even dared to walk along the ridge leading to St Leonard’s Bank just to prolong my moonlit jaunt; what with the moonlight and music, it was a moment! No, I wouldn’t say I was dancing in the moonlight, just grooving with the beats provided by the likes of Dr Feelgood (staccato stepping with Roxette), Manfred Mann, The Troggs (a spot of dog walking) and, of course, plenty of Logan’s Close in the mix there. Okay, so there may have been the occasional moment when my exuberant hip swaying sauntering may have been mistaken for dancing. Man, it felt good!

Ah, it’s just after midnight, goodbye August, gonna miss you. Time for good mooses to head to bed, more musings tomorrow. G’night, all!

The circus has left town

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And that’s it all completely over for another year. Only the larger venues show any signs that something was going on for the past month. I took myself up into the Park today, blow the old Fringe away. I didn’t make it up there for the Comedy Extravaganza, it was just too windy (extremely), I could have been blown over to Fife! Oh, and the Miracle Glass Company were playing at the same time on the corner of the Mound and Princes Street, those two factors combined, well!?

As usual the southern hordes descended upon the town for their Bank Holiday weekend. I braved going to Stramash for the Cumbiatones on Saturday evening, ye gods, it was packed! I didn’t dare take to the dance floor, choosing instead to sway and watch the undulating mass from above (and the upstairs bar wasn’t half as busy).

Sunday evening saw me flaked out on my sofa, lack of self-care had finally caught up with me. A tad annoying as I had half a mind to see the Blueswater at the Jazz Bar at midnight; or the ACMS Awards night at Monkey Barrel 1 at 5 to midnight, they were so good last year! And they inspired me to come up with my own awards, which I fully intend to consider and debate with the voices in my head, more to come on that. Nope, I only stirred to put myself to bed, bah.

Ah, but tonight I get to neatly bookend this year’s Fringe as the Scat Rats are back at Whistlebinkies at midnight, as they were four weeks ago. I shall leave you with pics of Messrs Marah and Rough. Expect roundups and moose awards soon, toodle pip!