Chocolate, comedy and a little porn

March is galloping to it’s close, April Fools Day on Saturday. They call it April Fools Day but as pranks should only be played up until noon (here in the UK, anyway) why isn’t it April Fools Morning? Do the younger generations even go in for it all these days? As some foresee the demise of comedy, won’t pranking have similar problems of insensitivity/oversensitivity (depending on your viewpoint of these things)?

Oo, yeah, almost forgot about it, My Dad Wrote A Porno , I finally got round to checking it out this week (it only started nearly eight years ago!). A friend mentioned it when we were drinking in the Jolly Judge, so on their recommendation that it is indeed very very funny, I had a listen and got through four episodes in one go! My Dad Wrote A Porno is a podcast by a chap (along with two friends) who having found out his dad had written some, ahem, adult literature decided to share it with his friends and anyone else who cared to listen.

Millions have since listened to the three’s hilarious commentary to Jamie Morton’s dad’s bad porn. There’s been two sell-out world tours, an HBO comedy special and there’s a book of the original book Belinda Blinked annotated with all the commentary from the podcast and extras. Oh, and his dad’s up to book six now, I think! Comedy is far from going under, I reckon.

Glasgow and Melbourne have been fighting the good cause with their comedy festivals currently ongoing. One of my favourite shows from Edinburgh last year, Grubby Little Mitts are on at Glasgow Comedy Festival on 1st April; and across the world at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival another of my favourites John-Luke Roberts is performing the wonderful A World Just Like Our Own, But… just four shows until 2nd April. Just thought I’d mention it, you know.

And back to Scotland, my favourite artisan chocolates stall CoCo Co. won’t be at Edinburgh Farmers Market this weekend, but they will be at West Linton Market and Portpatrick Market on Saturday and Dumfries Farmers Market on Sunday, with plenty of Easter treats besides their usual range.

They’ll be back in Edinburgh next Saturday, hopefully with a white chocolate and raspberry version of the Nest Egg. I may be at the market somewhat earlier than my usual, next week!

And so to bed, just two last pics for you. Remember that reservoir down in deepest Yorkshireland? It’s finally back up t’ top.

See the bridge at the left? that’s where I took the earlier pics
The dam runneth over

A red beret, a megaphone, Action!

Am I right? Belly nicely full, strong coffee beside me, air scented with essential oil vapours, yes I’m right, time to write something. Oh, today’s oils are grapefruit for levity and clarity, frankincense to ease my still ailing body and fennel, just because it’s been in my oils box for ages and needs using up. Since I last wrote I’ve been lurgied, losing my voice for three days, it’s come back very grudgingly accompanied by a body-shaking cough, bah.

So, I was about to head back to Yorkshireland for Mothering Sunday and Logan’s Close were about to release the video to Babestation ….. didn’t manage to hit the road until the crack of noon, did manage a first look at the video before I left. Haha, watching the video reminded me of a bit from my review of the single release “… a seedy wedding band playing unnoticed …” inspired by a song by Fringe favourites Dead Cat Bounce; I grabbed the CD for my journey.

Dead Cat Bounce were a bunch of talented Irish lads who combined their musical and comedic skills to produce witty, bitingly funny, un-PC songs (this was back 2008 to 2012). The scenario DCB painted in Christians In Love was what sprung to my mind while listening to Babestation. From being a song about a young couple on their wedding night, a sudden twist reveals it’s actually being played in the couple’s room by the wedding band who don’t plan to leave until they’ve been paid (the young newlyweds are “possibly deaf or just incredibly focused”). I’d envisaged Logan’s Close in a back corner of the room, not quite, they’re on a different tv channel.

Once down in Yorkshireland it was all go, ’til I was laid low and silent on the Monday; at least I finally had some time to check out Babestation again. That was a week ago, I’ve watched it a few times since. Wow, there’s a lot packed into those five minutes and twelve seconds!! (short, intense, bizarre, like you’ve just been Tango’d) Love it, the eye is in the right place on this duck, LC‘s go-to film guy James Gilhooly is so in tune with their vibe, so many exquisite little niblets (yes, okay, I’ve watched it plenty times).

A few of those niblets to tantalise your tastebuds – the retro television, also seen in the Heart-shaped Jacuzzi video, is sooo cool. Greenscreen guy, ha, a nice touch! Hats, wigs, fake moustaches, perve it up with a nod to 60s looks. Lots of closeup shots, very closeup, eyes, fingers, mouths, and a nipple shot!! That’s a nipple belonging to Gareth Mutch a local comic and actor who plays the Babe brilliantly, going through a whole gamut of emotions within five minutes (I told you it’s intense). The punch-ups look great but Gavin Lamont takes first prize for violence – and he seems so quiet! And the potentials waiting to do Babestation auditions, haha!

The tempo of the action beautifully mirrors the changes in mood and tempo of the music. I like the mixing up of eras, the modern with retro 60s, mirroring the Close‘s sound; even the modern isn’t that modern, apart from maybe the caller’s nails? This “midnight observer” is gorgeous, feisty, sexy – from the glimpses we get to see of her (erm, I’ve no idea of what sorts phone up these channels, yes, I’m that naive, but I’m guessing she’s not what a female equivalent to the usual caller would look like). I had wondered about this particular video, but yay, they pulled it off – how else to film Babestation but by subverting the whole scenario? A highly entertaining fast-paced, fist-flying film, Edgar Wright-like glimmers in there.

Do give it a watch, as Kenny Everett would say, it’s all done in the best possible taste! The next single is already being lined up and it is another beaut, well, all the songs are, but it’s another that The Scat Rats occasionally sing which always adds a little extra sparkle for me. They’ll hopefully do it at Whistlebinkies on Saturday afternoon, some time after four.

Toodle pip!

Lights, music, camera – action

Oops, it’s thirteen days since my last post, and this is gonna be a very short and sweet catch-up as it’s very late and I need to be up early in the morning. I say I need to be up early, I intend to be, really I do.

Well Everything Everywhere All At Once did brilliantly at the Oscars, just as I thought it deserved. Yes, the most bonkers film of the decade won big time, Best Original Screenplay, Best Film Editing, Best Director, Best Picture, along with Oscars for Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan and Jamie Lee Curtis. So so happy the ladies were recognised for being bloody awesome in it.

And in other awards news, The Jolly Judge has just been named as Branch Pub of the Year 2023 by CAMRA Edinburgh & South East Scotland. An excellent choice! One of my favourite Edinburgh pubs to be found in James Court off the Lawnmarket (near the top of the Royal Mile); a cosy wee place, friendly bar staff and always a good selection of real ciders and real ales (also dog-friendly).

Since I returned from a wee trip away I’ve caught The Scat Rats twice and The Buccaneers, yay. No keyboards again, I noticed; I also noticed the sound and lighting guy was having a lot of fun with The Buccaneers set – check out the reel I’ve put on Instagram of Simon Gibb’s drum solo on Black Magic Woman! Hmm, on Tuesday evening in Whistlebinkies the Rats got blasted with the smoke machine, engineers getting sassy!

Ah, it’s just after midnight so it’s now two weeks since the lads released their latest single Babestation from their upcoming album Heart-shaped Jacuzzi (I’ve just now noticed that it’s one word not two, I have some editing to do). It’s had nearly 2,500 streams on Spotify so far, I highly recommend you check it out! Besides being part of the Logan’s Close library of sound, Babestation has been added to Scotify a playlist of the best new alternative music from Scotland.

And sometime in the next 24 hours the video is being released, yes, a video for Babestation!! LC have put out a tiny wee bit to tantalise us. I won’t say anything about what I’ve seen so far, apart from, it’s not a video you’ll forget you’ve seen, apparently the band came up with the concept for it whilst in Hamburg (it figures).

Anyhoo, I must away to my bed. Toodle pip!

G’bye Ken, hi babe

What a day! A new single from Logan’s Close and a sad farewell to Ken Bruce on Radio 2. Old Ken is going over to Greatest Hits Radio and he’s taking Pop Master with him, so good luck Radio 2 finding something to replace that ten thirty fix! I suspect a great many will be retuning their radios. Reading about the move, Ken will be playing music from the 70s, 80s and 90s on his new show which is fine but I think I would get a tad bored. I do like hearing newer stuff in the mix; different tastes and flavours enhancing the platter of sounds.

A neat segue to the juicy spiciness that is Logan’s Close! I can think of a number of LC tunes easily playable on a classic tunes radio show that would have folk wondering how they’d missed hearing it at the time! So many throwback sounds teasing misgotten memories. That evil joker of a friend could easily get you to remember that night, you know, that night, the brunette wearing The Who t-shirt, this was playing – god, yes, yes it was!

Just after midnight another succulent dish was added to the Spotify menu from those master chefs of musical morsels. I feel weird calling it new – I first heard it almost two years ago on the LimbicTV performance and for the last year it’s been a staple of The Scat Rats sets. The song? Babestation, a word that makes certain ears prick up, there’s always a few looks of acknowledgement every time and yes, the song is about what has sprung to those minds. Call me naive, I’d never heard of it, but Mr Marah’s words paint a very vivid picture for the uninitiated.

Babestation is inspired by a late night live adult tv channel, yup, porn. The song oozes with heavy sensuality and sleaze. Carl Marah always sounds beautifully plaintive singing this, but with added the studio production, oh my heartses, the hollow bleakness shattered me to pieces! I loved this song from the off, so was a teensy bit anxious how the studio version would sound, ha, no worries, the Close picked the right midwife to help deliver their baby – Dennis Rux at Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! Studios (midwife or obstetrician? Hmmm).

Frisky rhythms from the bass and drums drive the song along, like keeping the babe upbeat to get through it all. Plenty sparseness of guitars and keyboards, a musical nonchalance to the scene (Oo, just saw the lads as a seedy wedding band playing unnoticed in the corner of her room). The verses each build from an almost introspective view from the babe, to looking out at her audience, to the hard coldness of it all, then Showtime, folks! I like the drop downs to quieter moments and the usual slight creepiness to the keyboards at times. The Scat Rats swirl Babestation down so well, but with the rest of LC added in, the result is intoxicating, love the hollow echoiness of Scott’s cries and the drum beat still jauntily going on.

Do check it out on Spotify and I’ve put a reel of The Scat Rats in Whistlebinkies on Instagram, enjoy. Now I must go eat, the Rats are due on at Stramash shortly. Toodle pip!

Messrs Marah and Rough blending

Lots of grey figures

I found out yesterday that whilst I was in my moose cave tap tapping out my latest blog post on Sunday night, outside the aurora borealis was flagrantly cavorting across the sky for most of the British Isles to see! And I bloody missed it! Aargh.

Something I didn’t miss recently, but kinda wish I had, was an article in The Scotsman about the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Apparently there were “…. two years without a Fringe ….” I had to go back and read it again, err, no, just one, sweetie. Yes, I know it’s not a big deal, but it is sloppy, okay, so Fringe 2021 was rather different but it was a Fringe – I didn’t just dream those twenty six shows I saw. All those performers that came up and put on shows, and had a great time with very appreciative audiences, I think they’d agree there was a Fringe in 2021.

I know there’s plenty times that we all tend to plonk the whole Covid thing into one hazy block of time, confusing those things we did in 2019 as just being a couple of years ago; but a written article in a national newspaper should get little things right, like how many Fringes didn’t happen. If you want to be really picky, there were shows online in 2020. Yes, against all adversities some shows did go on, surely the true spirit of Fringeyness?

The same article seemed (to me reading it) to place accommodation costs as a high factor to why tickets sales were down by 25% in 2022. Hmmm, they’ll be a big factor this year without doubt, for the number of tickets on sale and sold. Unless Edinburgh Council do something soon I reckon plenty of performers and companies will decide it’s too costly to stay in Edinburgh in August, or the hoops they’d have to jump through daily to make things barely manageable really wouldn’t be worth the hassle. That all means there could be fewer shows, ergo, fewer tickets on sale, which may lead to the percentage of tickets on sale being sold being higher. A good headline for a positive spin, the actual number of tickets sold would be more honest; the most telling statistic will be how many fewer seats there are compared to previous years.

Yes, it’s those Damned Statistics again, always being misused to fit storylines. Accommodation costs were just one of many reasons why ticket sales fell last year. Ticket prices had taken a leap up, especially in the larger venues, after all running costs would have gone up (especially after the big bruha pre-covid about venue staff conditions and pay), so maybe Fringe-goers were being pickier about the number of big shows they went to and tried more on the free side of the Fringe – same number of bums on seats just some of those bums don’t get counted!

There’s the big rise of the hybrid Pay What You Want as well. Only the tickets bought in advance to guarantee a seat would be counted, but what about all the other seats that are filled by the other queue of folk just taking a chance of getting in? Numbers and percentages of tickets sold are only part of the story. Let’s not forget that Friends of the Fringe two for one tickets, the Two for One days and Half Price Hut tickets, may be great for the punters and for getting shows seen (and pushing up the numbers of tickets sold), but they won’t make the shows the money they need.

Last year must have seen a decline in Half Price Hut tickets being sold, seeing how their availability was somewhat curtailed by having them sold at the Fringe office which shut at six, so missing out on plenty of potential evening Fringers. That was a particular bugbear of mine – really, nothing else could have been sorted? No business could be found to sponsor a new Hut? Did they think to look?

Enough, I need to climb out of this rabbit hole I’ve fallen into and go to my bed. I’ll leave you with something to brighten up all the gloomy greyness – it’s three years today since Logan’s Close released the sublime Lost In You. Three years since it first blew me away in The Caves, oh, if I had a time machine….

Rhythms, blues ‘n’ balls

The end of another Six Nations Rugby weekend, the end of Scotland’s winning streak. If only they’d bucked up sooner in the second half, for a short time there it looked like they could possibly catch up, but no. Ah well, at least England beat Wales, not a consolation to my Scottish friends but I’m happy with that. Ireland beating Italy was pretty much presumed, at least Italy had a valiant try. They face Wales in the next round, mind, the Welsh won’t want to lose yet again!

No Six Nations next weekend but plenty of good music, on Friday 3rd there’s The Scat Rats in the seven o’clock (or half past six, or going on for eight o’clock) slot and The Moanin Bones in the after midnight slot at Stramash. Also, if my memory is correct I’m sure Logan’s Close mentioned on Instagram that the new single is available to play on the 3rd, alas it was on their storyline so gone now, I could have dreamt it!

Saturday 4th sees Nicole and the Back-up Crew in the ten o’clock slot at Stramash, yay. I had the pleasure of catching Nicole and Jed Potts playing an awesome second set at Whistlebinkies Tuesday gone. I was quite annoyed with myself for turning up so late – what delights did I miss? They really were on excellent form, riding on a country vibe for much of the set, yes, I should have just left the washing-up!

Actually, thinking about it, the line-up for last Tuesday at Whistlebinkies was very confused, the Edinburgh Gig Guide, Binkies own website and Facebook posts were all saying different things, Jed Potts was also publicising a time which was right by one account but wrong with another! Ah ha, yes, it hard to tell what was happening up until quite late on. So far in March Whistlebinkies have The Scat Rats playing twice, I may check that with Mr Marah closer to the dates.

The second weekend in March (the next round of the Six Nations Rugby) has a Carl Marah double on the Sunday night in Stramash with The Scat Rats at seven and The Buccaneers after midnight. Also, the later bands listed for Whistlebinkies look interesting – a possibility for some of the time between nine and half past midnight.

I’ll not see the Saturday matches but I may catch the second half of Scotland v Ireland on the Sunday afternoon if I’m back in time. I’m off on a wee jaunt! No, not to the mother ship, I’ll be heading there the following weekend for Mothering Sunday, but it is down to Yorkshireland (and lots of real cider, oh yay!)

Oh, that rant I mentioned last post has subsided to a grumble, I’ll tell you about it next time. For now I’ll leave you with a couple of pics taken in Dr Neil’s Garden this week. Toodle pip!

Cherry pink……
…. and apple blossom white

An unexpected treat

I do like an unexpected treat, especially of the musical variety, so I was delighted yesterday morning to see that The Buccaneers would be playing Stramash at ten in the evening. The band listed to play must have had to cancel late on, three out of the four Buccaneers were available – no complaints here!

They were great, obviously having fun, I even saw the bass player smiling (bass players don’t tend to smile much, really they don’t). The phrase “while the cat’s away, the mice will play” sprung to mind, hahaha, not sure what that would imply about the keyboard player?! It did seem the three were really letting loose but I’m sure a lack of keyboardist had nothing to do with it. More likely because this was the first time in a while that they’ve played together at Stramash, certainly the first time I’ve seen them this year.

I took the opportunity afterwards for a quick catch-up with Carl Marah on Elsie’s antics. Well, there’s been some filming going on in the Voodoo Rooms which apparently did not go as originally planned but possibly worked out better for it. More filming coming up, set accessories are being sort out today – my mind is boggling overtime as it knows which song’s being filmed!! The next single from Heart-shaped Jacuzzi will be available from early March, I’m really really excited about this one!

On the album front, the lads are now in possession of the test pressings of Heart-shaped Jacuzzi, teensy tiny snippets can be heard on their Instagram. There’s still a lot to be done, er, any record companies keen to get in with the awesomeness that is Logan’s Close?! Have I mentioned LC have a show lined up in May? That’s Thursday 18th May at The Caves in Edinburgh, tickets are available now, so if you were thinking of visiting Edinburgh sometime soon …. why not?! (be warned, it’s very likely to be a sell out)

That’s all for now, coming up soon, Fringey bits and a rant. I could have ranted any time in the last week but I thought best to breathe first and see if I still felt annoyed – I do! I’ll leave you with the pic of the pressing and it’s proud parents….

Wetting the baby’s head in The Waverley

Some hearts were made to be eaten…

Was Cupid kind to you today? Did he fire one of his little arrows on your behalf? Have you been pricked by one? Nah, me neither, but hey, I have chocolates and another evening with Bryan Cranston, I’m fine. Indeed, CoCo Co. have come up with another delicious recipe, the strawberry and cream hearts are delectable 🩷

Would you like a heart?
What becomes of the brokenhearted?💔

A good score and mellow beats

Another rugby weekend is done, the Welsh will all be back home, plenty probably still nursing their hangovers. They do like to party, it’s always a great atmosphere when the Welsh are in town for the Six Nations Rugby. Even at noon when I was just heading to the Farmers Market on Saturday, the Three Sisters pub was already busy with a queue waiting to get in. I suspect some of them may not remember anything about the game, not after five hours drinking before the match got under way!

Of course, all the pubs in the Grassmarket were busy as I walked along to Castle Terrace, red-topped folk everywhere, not all would be heading to Murrayfield later in the afternoon, some do just come up and watch in one of the many pubs that show the games. Six Nations Rugby weekends are great for pubs, especially the home game weekends; Stramash had a band on at noon to attract folk in before the first match.

It was a gloriously sunny morning, a tad chilly but hey. The Farmers Market was nicely busy, Annanwater had almost sold out of fresh produce but they usually have some frozen cuts too, just as well when I’m so often quite late getting there. I got the last fresh lamb fillet which I had for tea tonight as a pasta sauce (with enough leftover for another meal) and some frozen lamb’s liver for later in the week.

Next to Brewsters Smallholding to stock up on more honey for my daily morning porridge, plus eggs and chicken thighs. I was tempted by the Hometown Cheesecake stall, but held off as CoCo Company were finally back (first time this year), back with some gorgeous new chocolates for Valentines Day. I say gorgeous, they look yummy but haven’t actually tasted them yet, I just take it for granted they’ll be as excellent as I’ve come to expect. Yes, I bought myself a small box, well, they do say you have to love yourself before you can love others (that’s my excuse, anyway!)

Once home, I stayed in to watch the rugby, I was saving myself til the evening to have a drink. The final score of 35-7 to Scotland ensured a very lively night out, the town would be buzzing! I’d seen that the seven o’clock band at Whistlebinkies were called The Breeze which I correctly guessed was a reference to the JJ Cale song Call Me The Breeze, I love that song, his original version and Lynyrd Skynyrd’s, so I was intrigued enough to pop along. Oh my, they were good, the female singer (and guitarist) has a great voice. I don’t really know too much about JJ Cale aside from his album Naturally but I do like his kinda lazy mellow sound.

Indeed, Binkies was hooching, god knows what it was like by late evening! I was quite happy to quit the place after The Breeze finished their second set as I was feeling peckish, so wandered home grabbing a chicken shawarma for my supper on the way, humming Cocaine (a hit for Clapton but written by Cale) deciding to go with that theme – I would finally get around to watching the boxset of Breaking Bad that I received, oo, a couple of Christmases ago. Just three episodes so far, yeah, I can see why folk rave about it. So, a pretty good day, all in all!

G’ night, sweet dreams!

say it with scrumptious chocolates ❤️

Some salad with my blues, please!

Last week was Independent Venue Week here in the UK, I don’t know much about it except that it champions small independently-owned venues and helps organise events across the country to increase awareness of how important these small venues are to live music. Living where I do, I’m spoilt with the number of music venues around me, you may have noticed from my scribblings!

As part of Independent Venue Week Whistlebinkies focused on bands playing their own original music; in a whole week something was bound to take my fancy! Thursday night saw me going along to witness the spicy, saucy, sultry, stringy, succulent uniqueness of Dr Salad; genre? they call it bad romance (which actually makes some kind of sense when you see them). Dr Salad are a lot of fun, with deep, heavy, infectious rhythms, guitars wandering their own mysterious ways and the words, they’re the saucy, sultry bit! Oh, and there’s some Velvet Rough in the mix helping the medicine go down.

Scotty boy was back out again on Friday evening with his fellow Scat Rat in Stramash, but huh? they were billed as Logan’s Close, well, yes, they are LC as well, but as a duo they’re usually the Scat Rats certainly on early Friday evenings. Last Friday evening was a ticketed event at Stramash, I had my ticket booked for The Black Diamond Express, a local band who play blues with celtic strains and an Americana twang. It was an unexpected bonus to later read that the lads would be on as support, just a short sweet set of delights.

Definitely in Logan’s Close mode – both were looking very smart (Carl always likes to look smart, but, well, Scotty goes for a much more relaxed look as a Rat), and Carl had his electric guitar for that LC sound. All their own songs apart from the usual finale You Can’t Judge a Book… ; including the latest two singles Dans Le Jardin and Heart-shaped Jacuzzi, sweet. The lads went down well with the crowd, as only to be expected, and had Stramash nicely warmed up for the main attraction.

The Black Diamond Express, are a band of many, the stage looked packed out after the sparseness of LC. With that many musicians about, there had to be one I’d seen elsewhere – yes, the bassist, Ewan Gibson. He’s a Buccaneer, one of Nicole’s Back-up Crew, a Blueswaterman, and that’s just the ones I’m aware of, probably a few more, I’m sure.

When The Black Diamond Express came on the place was buzzing and there was soon some jigging about going on in the crowd. For me the fiddle-playing really enhanced the mood of the music and sounded great against the singer (great voice there). Oh, it was all great, I just like a touch of fiddle to add a little pathos and melancholy.

Back in Whistlebinkies on Saturday evening Jed Potts and the Hillman Hunters were playing some of their originals, always a pleasure! Binkies was buzzing, well, Scotland had just beaten England in this year’s Six Nations Rugby Championship, I’m guessing quite a few folk were a few pints in already!

No, I didn’t go to the Handsome House Jam on Sunday evening, I stayed in with the telly. Mind, the video is out and the setlist looks very interesting, I shall have a watch at some point. It was a good night for telly, last episodes of His Dark Materials (god, I’d forgotten how sad the end is) and the utterly brilliant Happy Valley which, happily, finished perfectly! All the coffee shops and cafés in Hebden Bridge will be looking forward to another influx of tourists on the back of it.

The sun’s beckoning me, must head out. There’ll be clips of the bands up on my Instagram later, please do check them out. Cheerio!

The Black Diamond Express