It’s the start of another weekend, well, Friday night. No, I’m not stopping in, just taking time to write some more, I’m aware that I saw a great show this time last week but never got to mentioning it (at least I did a couple of IG stories). Time to rectify this, before I’m allowed out for any more fun. A warning though, there’s three Santa themed shows in the Cowgate area, I have no idea about the other two, the one I totally recommend to anyone with metal in their hearts is Bad Santa and the Angry Elves, no, I don’t mean people with heart valves, I mean those who love heavy metal, hard rock from the seventies onwards. Oh, it’s on at Just the Tonic in the Caves, at half nine, and not just an hour, this baby’s ninety minutes long, yay!
Oh, other people will have a great time too, but anyone who used to let loose at the local Rock Night back in the day, but then, somehow, life left all that behind, this show is for you! So many rock classics are in there with brilliant parody lyrics telling the story of how Bad Santa was banished from the North Pole (honestly, he’s not bad, just misunderstood) along with his posse of elves; blasts from the past like AC/DC’s Big Balls – three chords in was when my grin went full loon mode, stayed that way the rest of the night!
Bad Santa bares his soul
A wonderfully bonkers concept, yes, but Santa has one helluva band in those elves; all great musicians! You will be up dancing before the end, you won’t be able to help yourself! And there is quite a story to the narrative, the guy was done wrong, Bad Santa pours his heart out to us to make us understand what happened, this guy testifies!
A magnificent show, loved it, and yes, I fully intend to see it again! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Now I must away, Louis’s playing at Binkies in ten minutes. Toodle pip!
It’s late on a Tuesday evening, not one of those Tuesdays, last Tuesday was meant to be, but it didn’t happen as Mr Rough was unwell, the next of those Tuesdays isn’t ’til the 30th, boo; but the Scat Rats are playing Stramash at the more reasonable time of 9.30pm on Tuesday 23rd, yay. The night before, Marah and Rough will be in Glasgow with the rest of Logan’s Close at the Hug and Pint for the band’s annual Christmas bash; I’ll be there too, of course. Just one downer (apart it being in Glasgow), sadly it’s the same night as Blue Christmas 2025, a wonderful evening of blues, r’n’b and rock’n’roll festive tunes performed by Jed Potts (curator of the event) and a bunch of his friends (honestly, the amount of talent in that one room, wow, only for LC will I miss it). It’s like a warm fuzzy hug of Christmas cheer (and it’s happening at La Belle Angele off the Cowgate, Monday 22nd).
Aw sweet, the night before again (so that’s Sunday 21st), the Louis Crosland Trio are on the midnight slot at Whistlebinkies, well, that’s what the poster says. Oh, but that would be a great three night run of great music, please Binkies, don’t screw it up! At least I know they’re definitely playing Stramash on the 18th, but not as a trio, no, there’s gonna be keyboards too! I’m looking forward to it, I’m intrigued. Up until then things are a tad quieter, no bad thing, I’m recovering from a bad cold and there’s a number of films I want to see. Oh, I may wander into Binkies on Saturday afternoon for Louis Crosland solo; I wonder if there’ll be any Bob Dylan covers. Instagram says the Moanin’ Bones are playing there this Sunday midnight, go on, I’ll believe them.
There’s four films that I want to catch before they disappear from the big screen, The Running Man is a definite, being Edgar Wright’s latest, well, I’ve loved everything else he’s done.It could be good, it could be awful, but I’m willing to give Fackham Hall a shot. The cast looks fun, but will it be funny or a tad cringey? Would I go see it if I didn’t have an Unlimited card? Probably not. Another that I’ll see just because I can is Now You See Me: Now You Don’t, I enjoyed the previous films, how will this one measure up? Annoyingly, Benoit Blanc’s latest investigation, Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery is not on at Cineworld (I’m so not impressed), but it’s still a definite for me. There’s a second Five Nights at Freddy’s coming out on Friday, the first was okay, I thought about it but then I looked it up on Rotten Tomatoes, hmmm, don’t think I’ll bother. Fitting the four in will be interesting enough.
In other pre-christmas news, I’ve finally made jam from this year’s harvest of park brambles, my fridge freezer needed defrosting so it made sense. There’s also new batch of bramble wine just started fermenting! That made sense too. I’m a tad nervous about the jam but my previous attempts have always been well received, so hopefully this lot will be just as delicious. It’s the frozen plate test bit that never works for me, but afterwards the jam sets perfectly well anyway!?
I’m doing another Advent Calendar of music from the last year on Instagram, it’s fun going back over stuff, picking out what to include has been fine so far but I know it’s gonna get harder, too many to choose from, too few days! Haha, I just can’t help going in deep with my silly notions. They’re all still available to view in my highlights, including a clip of Carl Marah singing his new Christmas tune at the Auld Hundred last week! I’m looking forward to hearing it in all it’s full glory!
Anyhoo, it’s very late, I must away to my bed. I’ll leave you with a pic….
It’s just after midnight on Christmas Eve, I really should already be tucked up asleep, big day tomorrow. Well, I’m not, so just a few quick words; I meant to write something earlier but there was a good Christmas movie on telly, Die Hard, so naturally I had to watch it (oh yes it is). I did get some presents wrapped while I watched, not really last minute as they’re for relatives I won’t see until the 27th.
I’m back down in Yorkshireland, it was a long grey drive down, buoyed up by festive tunes from South Park and Michael Bublé. In fact that was the first time I’ve played my Bublé christmas cd this year, up until then I’d mainly been listening to The Piano man at Christmas by Jamie Cullum (the double cd edition). They’re both fine musical feasts, then so is Mr Hankey’s Christmas Classics, honestly Eric Cartman’s version of Oh Holy Night is something else (once heard never forgotten).
On musical feasts, Blue Christmas on Sunday night was very sumptuous. Once again, Jed Potts and friends played through many old classics (23 in all); and how great to hear Christmas Island, it was one of my mother’s favourites. I’ll put up a couple of clips on Instagram, there is one already up in my Advent Calendar highlights (day 22). That was fun looking back over the year for favourite clips, needless to say Messrs Marah and Rough turn up a lot! The final one tonight was taken at the gig in Munich in May, it was a close call between the clip I used and Scotty throwing shapes to hardcore German techno. Maybe one day, I’ll show those!
Anyhoo, it’s even later now. Goodnight and have yourself a lovely Christmas 💛
Oo, November’s almost gone – can I write a quick post before it runs out? Just a few musical notes 🎶 Two quickies for those in Australia: I happened to spot on Instagram that Lord Rochester, an awesome rock’n’roll trio I saw in September are on your shores just now, if they’re near you check them out; and Accordion Ryan is taking his Pop Bangers to Perth, WA, for Fringe World 2025, boy, does that guy travel around!
Jed Potts and Nicole Smit are back playing Whistlebinkies regularly, a real mixed bag of treats depending how the mood takes them, country, soulful, playful, bluesy, always a pleasure! A real treat back in October was seeing The Best Bad Influence playing in Stramash, I do hope they come back again soon, I love me a bit of rockabilly.
November saw the Miracle Glass Company playing the Ballroom in The Voodoo Rooms to a capacity crowd (which included yours truly). A welcome return, an awesome evening. I will get round to putting a reel or two on Instagram, at some point.
Oo, for the first time in aaages, Jed Potts and the Hillman Hunters played Stramash, honestly it has been a long while (and it’s been some time since I saw Nicole and the Back-up Crew there, ahem, just sayin’). They were bloody good, of course. And thanks to Mr Potts diligent media posts, I’m debating whether to head to the Jazz Bar for 9pm Wednesday 9th December to see Blueswater play (ticketed, but there’s usually some at the door); also, tickets are available for this year’s Blue Christmas 2024 at La Belle Angele on Sunday 22nd December. If you’re in Edinburgh it’s a sure way to get into the Christmas spirit with plenty of festive favourites performed by some of the best blues musicians around these parts!
Yes, I know there’s a lot to spend your money on in December but don’t forget to buy a ticket to see Logan’sClose in January. While you’re at it, why not buy another for your best pal’s Christmas present? Really, that gloves and scarf set is a lousy present and you know it!
Why have a little one? Make it as big and brassy as you like! It’s gone midnight so I must away to my bed before Santa gets here. Here being down in Yorkshireland again, a family affair; I’m on veg duty in the morning!
Wishing you all a Happy Christmas wherever you may be 💛
Ghosts, there’s a lot of them about at this time of year. I was just at the cinema tonight to see Spirited, it was a singalong version, not that any of the dozen or so folk there bothered to sing along (I’d never seen it before, that’s my excuse). I was barely aware of it but seeing pictures on social media of Will Ferrell and Ryan Reynolds, oh yes! Another retelling of A Christmas Carol with a modern setting and lots of liberties.
I thoroughly enjoyed it, Reynolds and Ferrell are both such fun playing to their usual types (but they do it so well). Overlong some say, but I was fine with it, the plot bounces along at full speed. The concept of the ghost organisation doing so much in the background put me in mind of The Cabin In The Woods. The humour is fast, sharp, clever, with some deep stuff in there. I’d definitely watch it again but I’m still not enticed to bother with subscription telly.
Sunday night I went along to Assembly Roxy to see Boris and Sergey’s Christmas Cabaret, another loose spin on Dickens’ classic. Oh, it was great to the pair again and fall into their disturbing surreal world. The old church hall was a perfect setting from them, with cabaret style seating around small tables.
Flabbergast Theatre are an brilliant company, their physicality is otherworldly, the long steady gazes and quick glances right at you can be disconcerting. Are they staying in character, or is this who they are? A ragtag bohemian troupe from another age; they’ll entertain, bemuse and slightly scare you. Oh, and they sing, what a rendition of We Three Kings at the start! Beautifully arranged harmonies, spellbindingly performed; but what on earth were the instruments? I’ve never seen them before, a sound to perfectly match the mood of Flabbergast.
Boris and Sergey are a great double act, Sergey is the cleverer, meaner one who tends to boss poor Boris around. It’s easy to become absorbed in their world, but then like a weird dream that doesn’t quite make sense, at times they acknowledge the puppeteers. Watching the two fight is always brilliant, they do fight a lot, and die on occasion, but they would go to hell and back for each other.
This is a cabaret show, so plenty of interaction with the audience (and a humbug if you’re lucky), a game of What’s In The Box and some breath-taking aerial rope acrobatics. A Christmas Carol weaves in and around the cabaret element. I thoroughly enjoyed the evening, I’ll give 4 stars; it deserves a bigger audience than was there when I saw it. There’s three more performances 19th to 21st, treat yourself, it’s Christmas!
Just twenty-one days to go until Logan’s Close play the Liquid Room, yay. Tonight they’re playing at Purple Weekend in León, lucky Spaniards! I’ve noticed on Instagram that former band member Alex Palmer will be on drums. Well, trying to round up five musicians all at once can be tricky! Worse than cats. The Liquid Room gig won’t have Stuart on bass but original bassist Olly is stepping in, sweet.
So will I be jigging around to any sounds tonight? Oh yes, The Blueswater are making a rare appearance at The Jazz Bar tonight at nine. If I’m not ready to head caveward after that, there’s the Moanin’ Bones at Whistlebinkies at midnight (well, so Binkies’ calendar says). Feels like ages since I was last out, three weeks is a long time without live music for me. Oh, I was out at the cinema the other night to see Eileen.
It’s an odd movie, left me feeling slightly on edge, on the disturbed side of bemused. The wonderfully ethereal Thomasin McKenzie plays the title character Eileen, a young woman stuck in small town 1960s Massachusetts; she works in a correctional facility for teenage boys and lives with her alcoholic ex-cop father. This young lady spends a lot of time fantasising, fantasies that escape on to the screen leaving the viewer unsure each time, then one day into her life comes a stunning blonde – is this ringing any alarm bells for you too? I wanted to yell, stay away from her, girly, stay away!
She doesn’t. She is utterly bewitched by Rebecca, the new psychologist at the facility. To be honest I was too, come on, Anne Hathaway with a blonde bouffant hairdo! She looked so different and clearly relished the part, enigmatic, independent 60s female, so Rebecca maybe had a screw slightly loose, quirky?! Both actresses were great as ever, there’s a real chemistry between their characters in this dark kinda noir thriller.
No other movies or musical interludes planned for this weekend. I suppose I should get on with present buying and festooning Old Hummus with tinsel. Of course, there’s Dr Who tomorrow evening, I’m so enjoying this little trio of Tennant treats; and last week’s with Mr Cribbins ❤️ oh, my heartses! My eyes may have gotten a tad moist.
Yay, next week is a Scat Rats double, midnight Tuesday in Binkies and seven on Thursday in Stramash. Dr Salad (Scott’s other band) will also in Binkies on Tuesday, hitting the crowd with some saucy, heavy romantic vibes. That’s about it for me until after my Christmas trip to Yorkshireland. Oh no, must grab a ticket for Jed Potts’ Blue Christmas2023 on the 20th, it was so good last year. Blues fans in Edinburgh, get yourselves in the Christmas spirit at this wonderful event – and the proceeds go to charity!
Anyhoo, time to spruce up for the Jazz Bar. Toodle pip!
…. And everywhere was sodden. Well, I’m back in Edinburgh and it’s very wet here, as wet as Yorkshireland was for the last week. Remember that reservoir I visited in the summer? In October the water level was barely any higher, then I went again this time, a tad higher, finally….
As I went past on my journey north I noticed that just in five days the level had risen about another couple of metres or so up the dam wall. It barely stopped raining, here in Edinburgh, at all today, luckily for tomorrow night’s revellers it looks like it should be drier for plenty of the evening. I’ll probably be in Whistlebinkies for a good part of the night, well, it is the Moanin Bones playing after the bells, sounds a fine way to start the year to me!
Unfortunately the forecast is for rain on New Year’s Day – not good for heading up Arthur’s Seat. Not just because I hate getting wet, but the ground will be very soggy and within the first hour of people walking up, the slopes will be a quagmire, a mud bath. Slippery ice is one thing, but mud can be worse – the fact that you’ve fallen over will be very visible to all! The way back down could be very precarious.
I’m hoping for a brief window of dry early on, that is, hoping I can be up early after a night at Binkies. Of course, if it were raining hard then the climb would be postponed til the next day. There is the extra remit that I don’t succumb to illness within the next thirty three hours; half the family came down with things over Christmas, I escaped, or did I? Is it just still incubating inside me – my throat has been tad sore today. Where’s the tcp? Time to gargle, then head to bed.
I’ll leave you with a couple more pics from Yorkshireland ….
That’s the reservoir on the left there. Just one little reminder that many years ago this house was a pub – the Blue Ball.
Yes, Christmas is just around the corner now, the last two weeks zipped by so quickly. I did get some festive baking done, cinnamon cookies and Christmas crinkle cookies to make up for no cake. They are rather good if I do say so myself, others have said so too! Guzzled a few while out seeing Matilda the Musical, which was rather fine, worth going to see. I did think some of the singing vocals were a tad muffly against the music, were they trying for how stage musicals often sound?!
A new Christmas movie that’s lots of fun is Violent Night, oh boy, is it violent! David Harbour makes a great Santa Claus, world-weary, droll and a dab hand with a big hammer (think Thor but less of the god thing). Violent Night has a vibe of an 80s movie for me (oh, and it was directed by the guy who did Dead Snow, a great film), and it has fun referencing Die Hard and Home Alone and probably others that I missed. Yeah, I could easily watch it again; an addition to the roster of films that must be watched at Christmas.
Usually I go to the cinema the night before I head back to the old country for Christmas, this year I went to La Belle Angele for Blue Christmas, an evening of festive blues, R’n’B and rock’n’roll organised by Jed Potts. That mild-mannered janitor does have a lot of friends he can count on for such an event (all the proceeds go to charity, this year to the Simon Community). Of course, the delectable Nicole Smit was there, in a devine sparkly blue dress (there is a clip of the lady singing Santa Baby on my Instagram along with other snippets from the evening).
I really should dig out my old Elvis’ Christmas Album, I was reminded of it when Charlie Wild did Blue Christmas, erm, not quite as sultry as Elvis’ version. Hearing Rockin’ Robin had me puzzled but I suppose robins are quite a feature at Christmas time. It was a cracking evening, another worthy addition to my things-to-do-at-christmas list. Any blues fans planning a pre-Xmas trip to Edinburgh in future years should definitely check if it coincides with Blue Christmas, just saying.
Up until I set off on the long trek southwards, my December travels soundtrack was Mr Hankey’s Christmas Classics, but by the 21st I was South Park-ed out; as mighty fine as it is I needed a change. If you’ve never come across it, I should warn that it is very South Park – not for the easily offended or delicately dispositioned. I’d never heard O Holy Night before, and now I can never hear it without thinking, that’s not a patch on Cartman’s rendition; and his Swiss Colony Beef Log song is awesome. The production values on the album are amazing, and the big musical-type numbers are all wonderfully earwormy.
So after all that offensiveness, I headed homeward to the strains of Michael Bublé and the MonaLisa Twins, gotta say the twins’ version of Santa Baby knocks the socks off Bublé’s! There is something I don’t like about the man, but wow, his Christmas album is awesome, as is the MonaLisa Twins. Those and a flask of strong hot coffee kept me going! It was dark before I got over the moors, which is great at Christmas, seeing distant twinkling lights festooning remote farmhouses (and odd when you thought that bit was sky) with Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas pouring out of the stereo.
I reckon I’ve been good this year, wonder if Santa concurs? Have a merry time wherever you are, and may your gods go with you.
I’ll leave you with a few recent pics….
Some charity shops are not like others!Edinburgh Castle from Bruntsfield Links
…. the goose is getting fat, but this moose is keeping trim. After lapsing somewhat from my daily walks, I’m getting back in the swing, after all it’s just three weeks to my annual NYD hike up to Arthur’s Seat. Well, that and the smattering of snow we had yesterday morning enticed me out, so two days on the trot I’ve been up in Arthur’s foothills. There is more snow forecast over the next week, yay. I do hope there’ll be enough for sledging. One time recently when I was down in Yorkshireland, I snaffled the old tray sled from the garden shed, well, no-one else uses it; bought years ago it was, in Aviemore when I was but a wee calf.
Christmas plans seem to be going well, cards all sent, presents mostly bought, the date is set for heading to the mothership. I’ve decided not to make a christmas cake this year – shock, horror! I know! Instead I’ll make plenty of parkin, it’ll be good sustenance when I’m freezing in the bleak midwinter! And, a cake is in the process down Yorkshire way, so I will get some of that (yeah, it won’t be a patch on mine, but I applaud the effort).
At the cinema they’ve reissued Elf, you know I’ve never actually sat down and watched it all the way through. I must have seen all of it over the years, bits here and there when it’s on telly, so I reckon this maybe I should take the opportunity to see it – I was going to add with no distractions, but, have you been to the cinema recently?! I went to see The Menu last week, a brilliant, dark film but the amount of noises from rustling various food packaging, folk unwrapping sweets, aargh, atmosphere flattened time and time again!! They obviously not really into it that their attention was on putting something it their mouth, rather than was what about to happen next. And breathe, rant over.
I’m almost tempted to see The Menu again, hope for a better crowd. I do fancy seeing Matilda at the flicks too, I wasn’t bothered about it but then I went to see Tim Minchin: Back when it was in cinemas last month – wow, he’s so good, and he wrote the songs for Matilda, I’m going! Back is bloody excellent, the man is so sickeningly talented and brilliant. I got home after seeing it, wondering what I put in my Fringe diary when I saw him, I had the feeling it wasn’t an outstanding review….
Ah, yeah. Thinking back that may well have been more about other stuff than Mr Minchin. Bud and I had just seen Aeneas Faversham Forever by our favourites the Penny Dreadfuls earlier that evening, the night before included Dead Cat Bounce … Late Night Radio. Our Fringe starter had been Sammy J‘s brilliant first Edinburgh Fringe appearance; the bar was set very high, our fourteenth and last show of the opening week, I was probably pooped out at that point (oh, it was 2008).
There’s also Violent Night in cinemas, I’ve enjoyed the preview clips and it is a christmas movie. I’m one of the few who quite enjoyed the other Hellboy film starring David Harbour and not Ron Perlman, I recognised him immediately, even under the Santa garb. Yeah, it looks like fun, switch your brain off time. I probably won’t be making it to the cinema until next midweek, mind.
There’s way too much good music around this weekend to go to the pictures! Tonight The Scat Rats are at Whistlebinkies at seven (well, the website says that, time enough to go see something if not, I suppose). The late afternoon slot at Whistlebinkies tomorrow is Jed Potts with Jon Mackenzie, followed by The Moanin Bones at seven. Annoyingly, Black Cat Bone are playing Stramash at eight, what to do?!
On Sunday Chris Buckleyis back at Stramash doing a solo set at seven, then just a minute down the road, Jed & Nicole will be at Bannermans from eight thirty. Another slight overlap with The Buccaneers in Stramash from ten. So many good sounds, a great build-up to Monday and Tuesday when Logan’s Close finally play again in Edinburgh at Sneaky Pete’s. Sooo looking forward to that!
I’ll leave you with a pic I took this morning in Holyrood Park, adieu!
Bruce on the Fringe 