Friday Night, Saturday Afternoon

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Yay! Normal service has resumed on my telly! Well, I got a man in. New aerial and cable, apparently it’s a great view from the roof of my tenement block (not sure that will ever tempt me up there). I stayed inside and watched for the cable reel when he dropped it down the front of the building (in case there was anyone passing below!), the bit when he was more outside my window than in the flat, trying to put the cable neatly by the downpipe was unnerving, honestly, I had a strong urge to grab hold of his legs, convinced that he was going to tip right out! He didn’t.

I celebrated with a Strawberry Shortbread snacking bar I bought at the Farmers Market last Saturday from the wonderful Co Co Co. Oh, my goodness, Rob has come up with another masterpiece, they are divine! White chocolate, strawberry mallow and blondie shortbread with a dash of strawberry white chocolate for decoration. All those flavours and textures in every bite!! He’s a chocolate alchemist.

I thought I could do some clever twist there, something about music alchemists turning the same old notes, instruments and voices into a magical, awesome sound. Would you have gone with that or is it only me?! I googled alchemy in music for some validation of my thoughts, hmmm, yeah, no. So anyhoo, Awkward Family Portraits played the Speakeasy at the Voodoo Rooms a couple of weeks ago.

Pure gold, an enchanting, other world atmosphere! Their sound transports you on whims of fancy, a tour through a golden age Hollywood movie lot; there’s some soft shoe shuffle on one stage, a hoedown next door, a charleston, americano, every scene a gem with light and shade, wit and melancholy. The mixture of AFP‘s upright bass, violin and guitar along with Julen Santamaria’s very distinctive voice and the harmonies, all blended to perfection in the intimate setting of the Speakeasy. Oh, my heartses 💛

I floated out afterwards with a contented grin and a need to stroll in the Edinburgh night air. My meanderings took me by the Jolly Judge and through the Grassmarket, where bless my soul, if I wasn’t catching a faint strain of Babestation somewhere nearby! Ah yes, Mr Marah was in Maggie Dickson’s, I’ve never been in before, so obviously it was time I gave it the once over! Not really my style, but I liked it and the bar staff were great, and it’s always fun to hear Carl in pub singer mode. We had a wee chat in his break, then I headed home, er, via Whistlebinkies where The Full Kitkat were in full swing rocking the joint. Yes, one more for the road. Hey, as Friday nights go, it was up there.

The following afternoon I was back in Whistlebinkies to catch the Scat Rats but not until the around the start of the second set (it was a sunny day outside). Now I regularly turn up into the second or third song of the first Scat Rats set, which, by coincidence is often Babestation, a fact that had made Friday night’s encounter extra amusing to me; so imagine my complete surprise that I walked into Binkies and they were playing, yes, you’ve guessed it Babestation! They never play it in the second set, never. I was freaked, but not as much as them…

It being a lovely sunny Saturday afternoon, Binkies was dead, so the guys decided to have fun, mix things up, play whatever came to mind (wish I’d bloody turned up earlier now!) When I still hadn’t appeared by the second set, Carl jokingly suggested they play Babestation as it was a surefire way to conjure me up. Yes, they were more freaked than me when I sauntered in, hahaha!! I was treated to In The Morning (not played in ages), Give It To Me a Logan’s Close classic that I don’t think I’ve ever heard the Rats play before, and newby White Lies played at the last Logan’s Close gig ( I’ve put a reel on my Instagram with two very bad splices between the two versions).

I’ll leave you with one more picture taken on that Friday evening, the old Bank of Scotland building has never looked lovelier. Toodle pip!

Mobsters, movies and music

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Did you watch Boardwalk Empire when it was on the telly? I didn’t, hey, I’m just fifteen years late. One of the many charity shops on South Clerk Street had the first two seasons on dvd for £2 each, hell yes! Steve Buscemi was the man! The first thing I saw him in was the film Miller’s Crossing, another mobster tale, back in 1990 (well worth seeking out if it’s still available). From then on he was forever popping up in my film choices through the ’90s, we’d give a little cheer whenever he appeared, haha.

The whole cast of Boardwalk Empire are excellent (Stephen Graham pops up as Al Capone!). Oo, the whole thing, the attention to detail, mind it is a Martin Scorcese project, so yeah. Honestly, if you even vaguely enjoy gangster stories then check it out; I’ll be keeping an eye out for more of the series. I’ve also been watching the second season of My Name is Earl, I noticed the boxset at a friend’s in a pile bound for a charity shop, it will get there, just a bit later.

Earl Hickey, such a wonderful anti-hero, he’s fallible and flawed, not the brightest spark, he can be downright selfish and mean, but he tries so hard to do good and there is a kind, generous heart in there, and he loves his brother. Earl’s trying to level up his karma by doing right by everyone he’s wronged in his past; I loved this show at the time and yeah, I still love it now (especially his ex-wife Joy, pure trailer trash). And on anti-heroes, I picked up Wreck-it Ralph in a charity shop today, such a great movie, must get me some popcorn!

Meanwhile on the big screen, I went to see Death of a Unicorn last Thursday, just the title had me. A comedy horror with unicorns, Paul Rudd and the guy who played Victor Zsasz in Gotham in the cast? Yes, please (Victor Zsasz was awesome). Hmmm, I did kinda enjoy it, the unicorns were great, but the dialogue and acting felt a tad hammy and lame in parts, such a shame considering all the acting talent involved. The idea was great but the execution was lacking, this should have been so much better; maybe a European re-make could take it there?!

Thursday night this week I saw Novocaine, I’m not really sure what enticed me to go, the film poster looked really naff to me, but hey, I have my Unlimited pass. Wow! To paraphrase Bo Diddley, you can’t judge a film by looking at the poster. Novocaine is funny, well-crafted and extremely violent, I won’t lie, I was flinching and squirming a fair bit, and occasionally just shut my eyes. Hey, the main guy doesn’t feel pain, a clear indication that the violence will be ramped up!

As I just mentioned, our guy Nathan Caine is a mild-mannered assistant manager with a disorder which prevents him from feeling pain and discomfort (including having a full bladder, he has an alarm go off on his phone to remind him to go to the bathroom every three hours). He lives life very carefully and quietly, by day in the credit union office, then straight home to game; he’s also well-versed in medical first aid in case of injury. Enter a new girl at work who persuades him out to lunch and to even try a bit of her cherry pie (Nathan hasn’t eaten solid food in years for fear he might bite his tongue without realising). Our boy feels so alive! They go on a date, have sex, he’s on top of the world! The very next day the credit union gets robbed and she gets kidnapped by the gang….

…. So, a man who doesn’t feel pain, who has just had the best 24 hours in his life, has his new love snatched away by ruthless killers (they kill a lot of cops while making their escape). You just know how this is going to go!! Oh, and one of the gang has left his place booby-trapped to the max (not really sure why, but it sets up a very painful, gory scene). This is a wonderfully madcap violent film, I fully intend to see it again, without shutting my eyes!

The past two Thursdays have also seen me at Whistlebinkies for the midnight band, the same both weeks, the Louis Crosland Trio, he’s rather good, you know. Louis is another fine blues guitarist on the Edinburgh music scene. Besides his own band, Louis has also been playing with the Moanin’ Bones recently; a few of his own compositions can be found on Spotify. The crowd in Binkies last night were loving all the Jimi Hendrix covers, I also recall some Dylan, Stones, and Zeppelin (or maybe that was last week?) As yet I find his vocals a bit lacking at times, but hey, the voice will come with experience and a few more years knocking about; definitely worth seeing if you like your blues with a tinge of rock.

It’s now very late and I notice I’ve prattled on quite enough. I shall leave the other musical notes for next time, hopefully tomorrow?! ‘Til then, a pic of Louis Crosland doing his thang in Binkies. G’night!

Only in Yorkshireland

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A couple of weeks ago I went down to Yorkshireland, but not the old hometown, first I spent a few days by the seaside, well, mainly in the Scarborough Beer and Cider Festival. Twas a rather jolly occasion, ciders, perries and the occasional beer. If you ever happen upon a Camra beer festival I would highly recommend going in, that is, if you would like the opportunity to try a wide range of beer styles (and real ciders too).

Had a quick stop in Robin Hoods Bay on the way, love it there!

At one time I would have stuck with apples and pears, but these days I like to explore some of the hoppy ales. There’s always a list with a few tasting notes to help folk navigate through the choices on offer; well, there is for the beers, ciders just have numbers between 1 and 7 to denote sweet to dry, but cider bar volunteers are usually very good with extra details to help cider novices (they will have sampled them all!) While the cider bar selection was broad and fine, nothing really stood out for me, unlike As Within, So Without a pale ale from The Meanwood Brewery in Leeds, wowzah! Grapefruity and biscuity, almost chewy, I’d definitely have some of that again!

Scarborough – it has it’s ups and downs

Then, I headed inland to deepest, dampest Yorkshire, actually apart from the day I travelled across, it wasn’t too damp. A lack of muddiness inspired me to head to Mytholmroyd to complete the Cragg Vale Coiners’ Walk, the plan was to start at the end, get up to where I copped out last time, then head to the road back down into the town. Yeah, no, that map, it’s a tad vague when you’re following it, nevermind doing the route in reverse (last attempted in 2023, you can read about it in A walk through the Vale). As last time, I didn’t quite follow the route but I was roughly in the right area; I think I found Scout Rock, well, there was a gate next to it and a bit further along was the beacon. At that point I had run out of time and had to head back to my car. Hopefully one day I’ll get to do the whole thing in one go!

That is, indeed, a beacon. Outstanding panoramic views up there

I know just where to get some great snacks for that day. Now, I’m probably wrong but I’m sure the butcher called it a naked egg, yeah, surely that’s just an egg? This was a scotch egg but instead of the breaded outer layer it’s wrapped in bacon, bloody tasty bacon – a breakfast egg? Well, there’s egg, bacon and sausage (meat), by gum, it’s substantial. In the same place I spotted a sign saying Yorkshire Scoundrels, obviously I had to enquire about them; a bit like a cross between a cake and a scone (ahem, pronounced like cone with an s in front, rhymes with stone) and there’s dried fruit in it, the man said, okay, one please (I don’t actually like scones but I was feeling daring). Yummy! Apart from the three nuts, but they were whole and very visible so easy to take out. I feel like I’ll need to find some old-fashioned cloudy lemonade to wash it all down!

Wickedly tasty (sorry, no photo of the egg)

It’s late, I must away to my bed, I shall leave you with an snippet from the letters page in last Saturday’s Times. Honestly, this is the most bizarre combination for a curry – banana and spaghetti curry. Huh? What? The letter ends “I still serve sliced bananas with curry”, sure, fine, I can go with that, but spaghetti in a curry?!? G’night.

Time to squeeze in a quick one

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Eight minutes left of March, quick update from yours truly. Honestly, I would have written before, but well, you know!? I was down in Yorkshireland, first deepest eastest Yorkshire. Scarborough to be precise. After that across to deepest, darkest West Yorkshireland, where I encountered a Yorkshire Scoundrel and did a little bit more of the Coiner’s Walk. I would have done more of but that map is terribly vague!

Honestly, I will fill in the details in the morning – or will I?

Moose movie musings

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I notice that I haven’t mentioned seeing any films since Conclave in December, hmmm, maybe they weren’t worth mentioning? Certainly, the latest Bridget Jones film isn’t; a friend wanted to see it, how bad could it be, I wondered. Pretty bad, oh there are good moments, moments. I also saw Anora back in January, I knew nothing about it, just went on a whim, no sweat with an unlimited card.

Anora, for the first twenty minutes or so, I sat there feeling like I should be wearing a dirty old mac, ye gods, I knew it was an 18 but that was a lot of flesh (and to think I felt a bit seedy at parts of The Substance), after taking an inordinate time to set the scene and main characters, the action began. I did quite enjoy it, even as I found it a tad flawed, but yeah, it really didn’t help that I kept seeing Andy Samberg at his most slappable every time Ivan (rich Russian man-child) was on screen. And how could a streetwise girl like Ani not see what a shallow, selfish brat he was? Okay, maybe not at the start, but certainly by the time he ran off; that really irked me, it didn’t ring right; that aside, it was quite amusing, I would probably watch it again on the telly.

A few nights ago I went to see Mickey17, a film written back in 2021 and shot soon after; that it’s been released now, at this present time is wickedly funny! If you thought Mark Ruffalo was bit ott in Poor Things his character in this, hahaha. Two things though, one, at times I thought Ruffalo piled on the grotesque too heavily, maybe some subtle nuance might have been nice; two, a ridiculous villain or three (I include the wife and his assistant here) may seem comically hideous, but the power they yield is scary, know what I mean? (for those reading this sometime in the future, bear in mind I’m writing this in March 2025). Yes, Mickey17 is a wee bit clunky but worth seeing, especially on the big screen, Robert Pattinson is amazing; it’s a sci-fi action comedy on the surface with a dark, provocative and satirical undertow.

Back a few weeks for my favourite film so far this year, A Real Pain, so good I saw it three times. Okay, so two of those times I missed the beginning, part of the reason I went back again, and indeed seeing the very start did give an extra context that I’d missed, Jesse Eisenberg really makes every minute count in this movie. All the nominations and awards Eisenbreg’s won for Best Screenplay are well deserved, as are Kieran Culkin’s Best Supporting Actor awards for playing Benji, that is one complex guy.

Interestingly, Eisenberg wrote the screenplay thinking he would play Benji, thank god Emma Stone persuaded him not to! For one, he’s quite obviously more like the David character in himself, and, well, I really wonder that his Benji would just have been annoying and irritating (is that what Stone reckoned?) Then, when his sister suggested Culkin for Benji, Eisenberg took him on without meeting him, let alone auditioning him; he was vaguely “aware” of Culkin, enough to realise that Culkin had the right essence for the role (like, absolutely!). David and Benji are cousins on a trip to Poland to see to the homeland of their grandmother (recently deceased). Two guys who were really close when they were kids, now reconnecting, it’s awkward at times, caring, messy, bittersweet, exasperating. I’ve had a Benji in my life, lovely, lovely person but god, half the time I didn’t know whether to strangle or hug them!!

Whilst there is plenty of humour in A Real Pain, it does have serious and thought-provoking times, as well as a backdrop of historical trauma; Eisenberg’s excellent writing keeps the film buoyed up but also sombre and respectful. Most of the music through the film is Chopin (chosen as that’s what Eisenberg was listening to as he was worked on the screenplay), wow, it fits beautifully and sets the tone of the film so well; and then the silence during the visit to Majdanek concentration camp was stark, quite emotional. It could be some time before I see another film that will beat this as my film of the year.

Well, it’s late and my bed is hollering at me. Coming! G’night, sweet dreams.

More on Marah

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And the world keeps turning – into what it’s difficult to say but it’s not looking very pretty right now, unlike Mr Marah who’s continuing to delight audiences across the UK with his Siren Song Single Tour. This week it’s been Birmingham on Tuesday, down to London town on Wednesday, tonight it’s Round The Corner in Liverpool, a circuitous route home! Next weekend he heads back up north to Inverness and then over to Ullapool on the west coast – if the weather’s good that will be a stunning drive! But for now, last week…

Last Wednesday evening Carl Marah took his solo show over to Glasgow, a venue called the Red Door Club. Put the name into Google and it takes you to a pub called The Old Toll Bar, a bit confusing initially (especially when you’re glancing through the details without your reading specs!) The pub itself is a real gem with the original Victorian decor and a good range of beers, while the club is down in the basement with a wee stage and walls covered with murals of famous Scots, though it’s a tad odd to have Billy Connelly constantly looking over a performer’s shoulder at you!

See what I mean? It’s a tad distracting

It was originally Julen Santamaria as the support, but he had to pull out (a shame as I’d been looking forward to seeing him playing solo), so instead it was one Adam Thom who I thoroughly enjoyed, a worthy replacement. A great voice, some cracking lyrics and a country sound, all nicely set up a warm vibe in the room; and after another drink up in the pub, it was back down for the man.

Really, I’m looking at this thinking, but what can I actually write about it? Yes, I know that sounds daft, but for me Carl’s music is so right, the sound grabs me, swamps me, defying me to describe it adequately. I can’t but here’s a few moose musings….. first off, his voice has such wonderful tone and timbre, occasionally reminiscent of Bobby Goldsboro. And when Carl performs You’re Always Right it’s like hearing an old Gilbert O’Sullivan song, sweet, quirkily honest with a teensy plaintiveness. Lost and Found would make a great second single, at least a studio recording (on an album?), it is rather scrumptious; Cat’s Eyes would be a fine edition to anyone’s driving playlist, especially in summer, hint, hint!

On a more serious note, Carl’s song 39 is his tribute to the 39 Vietnamese nationals who were found dead in a refrigerated trailer in Grays, Essex in 2019. Such a beautiful song, Carl’s poignant lyrics will still you, and the ending, the room paused, before a warm applause. How to follow that and bring the mood back up? A harmonica, apparently sales have soared since a certain recent biopic in the cinemas! And Mr Marah couldn’t possibly not play some blues, come on, so there’s I Don’t Wanna Love You No More (potentially an LC song when it was first written some years back, when the boys were beatniks) with some juicy, snappy lyrics along with some shredding.

A big favourite of mine is Stags and Hens another fine example of Carl’s lyric-writing, it may be based on Edinburgh pubs but the pictures he paints will be familiar in many towns (I did find that particular song popping in my head a lot as I walked around Newcastle on Saturday). Siren Song is like the cherry on top of the icing on top of the cake by the end. Yes, this show is too good not to be seen a third time – I went to Newcastle at the weekend.

I’ve only ever been to Newcastle once before (passed through plenty times on the train), that was many years ago to see Stevie Ray Vaughan at the City Hall. Time for another visit, cheapest trains there and back, a bunk in a hostel, breakfast, just about sixty quid; oh, and Nando’s before the gig, sweet. Had a great time wandering round, admiring the architecture, browsing in shops, chancing upon Newcastle’s vampire rabbit. Yup, a vampire rabbit!! How have I not heard of it before?! How is it not famous, or infamous? Neither was I particularly aware that there’s a castle in Newcastle, well, the keep and gatehouse are still there, worth a look round.

Behold, the Vampire Rabbit!

The gig was in the Head of Steam a fine boozer close by the train station. Again, like in Glasgow, the gig room was in the basement. Support was AJ Potter, a good northern lad complete with flat cap and a pocketful of great tunes, one of which I’ve found on Spotify One Night, loving the studio arrangement! Interestingly, two other bands, from London and Spain, who had been due to play at a sister pub to Head of Steam were shifted over and played after Carl, four bands in one evening! The London band were good, a tad eclectic for me, they didn’t seem to gel right to me, they seemed to be off in different directions at times, but it was fascinating to watch. Unfortunately the final band had the drums way, way too loud which was a shame as the female singers/guitarists were all very enthusiastic and bubbly, it would have been nice to hear them.

It was another fine performance from Carĺ. This time it was the catchy World Keeps Turning that really snuck into my head, snippets of it still keep popping out! I love the in-between patter of musicians, when some bits will be almost word for word the same every time and other stories may be expanded on or cut to barely more than the title; this is the mark of a relaxed, self-assured performer, this is the Carl Marah who’s worked hard to get to where he is. The lad’ll go far.

Toodle pip!

A siren song to haunt you evermore

bruceonthefringe 2025, Live music, Music in Edinburgh, Uncategorized Tags: , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment

It’s already the last Tuesday in February, whaaat! Not a late one tonight, well, not too late, no midnight rats at Binkies, a rather more reasonable half past nine at Stramash for The Scat Rats. They played that slot last week, naturally I went along, always a pleasure, but oh my, an extra treat – first track as the lads went off for a break, Siren Song! Blimey Charlie! Hearing it like that, totally filling Stramash, just intoxicating! I do hope it gets another play tonight; headphones are fine but through a powerful system in a large room is even finer.

For those unaware, new to my musings (where have you been?!) Siren Song is the debut solo single by Carl Marah co-founder member of Logan’s Close (Scottish psychedelic pop) and one half of The Scat Rats (edgy and dynamic). This is it, Carl has hung up his apron, no more frothing coffees Up The Junction (his mum’s cafe in Leith), it’s music all the way from here on in (in case there’s a biopic in some future year, can I be the first to say, it was a pivotal moment towards his destiny). He’s decided it’s high time that something be done with all his other songs (the nonelsie material), oh yay, even more Marah music, sounds fine to me!

So yeah, Siren Song was released on the usual music streams on Valentine’s Day and there’s also a cd of it available from Carl’s website – yes, of course I bought one. Besides the full studio version, the cd also has an acoustic version, an instrumental version and a wee chat about the song from the maestro himself. His inspiration came from a Roald Dahl short story The Landlady, a tale that spirals down from slight unease to sinister; the sort of thing Edgar Wright could re-visit with style, Siren Song would be the perfect motif through it.

Siren Song has a beautiful haunted quality to it, starting out sparse and eerie, it slowly builds and builds to a glorious, full-on mosh, then ends as it began leaving a feeling of melancholic despair. The production is excellent, such an atmosphere and Carl’s vocals will send a few shivers down your spine. Oh, and there’s a creepy video too, with a great narrative, do check it out.

And besides the single, the lad has a tour to promote it, already two dates in. Naturally, the first gig was in Edinburgh and where else could it be but Sneaky Pete’s, last Wednesday night. You could feel the love in the room! Carl regaled the crowd with the songs’ background stories; he really is a lovely guy, a gentle, unassuming soul with a quiet, easy confidence that’s quite charming. There’s vibes of country, some folksiness, and of course, plenty rhythm’n’blues throughout his songs, all bloody marvellous. The evening ended with Siren Song, and then the crowd called out for more, but what could possibly encore after that? Only getting Scotty out of the crowd to lend backing vocals to Babestation, hell yeah!

… And that was where I ducked out last night to see The Scat Rats, I ran out of time! Sadly no Siren Song in the break but it was a very eclectic mix from Ace of Base to AC/DC. This afternoon I’m off to Glasgow for Carl’s third show, it’s at the Red Door Club (thank heavens for Google maps). Yes, indeed, and why not? Possibly because I’ll see him again on Thursday night?! There’s a thing happening at Leith Arches with good sounds and good food; the sounds are definitely gonna be good as it’s Carl Marah, Jed Potts n Jon Mackenzie and The Moanin’ Bones for a line-up! Yay!

Must dash, more later. Well, hopefully tomorrow. Toodle pip!

Back last month, in a cave…

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As promised last time, my musings on the LC gig, I just didn’t think it would take me so long to write it! I have no good reasons for my tardiness, only feeble excuses that even I’m not buying. I’ve signed up for a hypnotherapy course in an attempt to address things, we should be able to tell if its working in a couple of months. Anyhoo…

So 17th January was the fourth time I’ve seen Logan’s Close headline at The Caves, it is a rather fine venue, very Edinburgh. The first time was way back in November 2017 for the release of their single Girl; second time was for the release of Lost In You in February 2020; third time in May ’23, er, just because?? There had been several single releases in the previous months from the upcoming album Heart-shaped Jacuzzi, momentum? The Close have played in plenty of the music venues around town over the years,

Rather fitting that this headline show was at the start of a new year; setlists can gently morph through time, then wallop, a seismic shift, a new landscape, which in turn will bobble along awhile, yes indeed, this gig showed a new vista to the fans. The Heart-Shaped Jacuzzi songs are now beloved LC classics already, and the lads have a load of new stuff they want to play (yay), so, no Lost In You or Eleonara (fair enough, let her rest, she’s been very busy), and no I Want You! Hey, even as The Scat Rats, Marah and Rough have put Listen to your Mother and In the Morning on the shelf (I do hope they’ll get brought down and dusted off from time to time as both are pure gold). Fair do’s, we were treated to five newbies, eight HSJ toons, and one re-vamp, oh, and Carl doing a bit of crowd surfing!

Local bands Puppy Teeth and Bernstrum and the Men were the supports; I haven’t seen either band play but recognise their faces from Whistlebinkies the last couple of years. Of course, I was in Sneaky’s early on, so still haven’t seen the Pups but did catch BatM’s set, psychedelic garage rock, I think is the right description. The crowd loved them and were having great fun, I watched from up on the balcony taking in the whole dynamic. Whilst not really my bag, I certainly see their appeal, and there’s some interesting stuff going on, worth keeping an eye on, methinks. When the place cleared a tad as folk disappeared outside and to the bar, I mosied down to grab a spot near the front and middle (I’m usually to one side at gigs, not tonight) – no great lummoxes came and stood in front of me! Yay! And then it was time…

They sauntered on to rapturous applause, the atmosphere was electric, ooo, straight in with Hot Blondes In Your Area Tonight, no messing about! Interestingly, to me anyway, last time in this venue they ended with Hot Blondes and began with Lost In You which they’d finished with the previous time; I am rather good at seeing accidental patterns, you know. From blondes to babes, Babestation wove it’s seductive groove around the room, I love Carl’s singing on this, always gives me the chills; which is what the band literally gave us next. Chillz is a newby, and incidentally one that I’ve heard the Scat Rats playing in Whistlebinkies (I have clips of both, so watch out for something!)

Gav always looks chill

Scott was getting hot after Chillz so removed his jacket to exuberant hoots and cheers from the crowd, SeanKeys was in stitches playing through the intro to Dans Le Jardin until Scotty had sorted himself out (he did make rather a palaver of it). I couldn’t help wondering why there was a huge pot plant placed in front of Sean!? Didn’t stop me getting a great shot or two.

From lush loungeyness to the sparser intensity of Half & Half and on to the second new number Costume Changes, where the guitar break conjures up half-formed images of ott theatrics (okay, I have a clip of it that I’ve watched, a few times). Back again to HSJ and the brooding baroque majesty of Curious Terrain followed by some Gouching On The 33. Oh, my heartses!

Mind blown?!

The room was buzzing from euphoric bliss, riding high on the sounds and energy emanating from the stage, and boy, what an excellent spot I had to take it all in! (I would love to know how someone with synesthesia would experience an LC gig, epic or overload?)

As the band could do no wrong, time to bring out more new untested tunes, White Lies tripped poppily along, and by Femme Fatale Carl was feeling the need to bask in the waves washing over the room – the fans obliged and kept him high on a wee crowd surfing.

I think I let out an audible guffaw when Scott introduced the next “new” song, Gallus Laces, it’s been re-vamped from the previous pre-covid version, apparently. So not new to some of us, definitely not if you’ve heard their LimbicTV CD. I still have no idea what the song’s about but I love how it comes across both edgy and lackadaisical at the same time! Falling In Slow Motion completed the set, well, you know, the lads left the stage for a few minutes, as bands do, the crowd hoolers, stamps, claps…. and they’re back on.

After such a great gig, the encore had to be something big – it doesn’t get much bigger than the grand opus that is Mock Marble Linoleum a wild ride to raise everyone up for the final tune Heart-Shaped Jacuzzi. The room sang it’s hearts out, a bloody magnificent end to the evening ❤️

I didn’t go on anywhere afterwards, just took a slight meander home, in the dark, to savour the feelings of unadulterated bliss before they ebbed away. Oh, my heartses.

Holy Moses!

bruceonthefringe 2025, Bands, Live bands, Live music venues Tags: , , , , , , , Leave a comment

I’d pondered on how much I’d enjoy the Amos Moses sound; did a change in lead singer also point to a change musically? Ha, never fear, the lads are every bit as cracking as they were before, different but still the same.

Whistlebinkies was fairly quiet when I rolled in, the band were just setting up, em, not quite all the band, they were one short, one guitarist. No matter, Colm stepped up and played a mixture of both guitar parts. Oh, it was grand, basking in that late 70s rock sound again. It fair took me back to another place and time of heads down, no-nonsense, mindless boogying; friends long gone felt very close by.

The usual Tuesday night eleven o’clock one set suited Amos Moses for a run through of their set on the High Fade tour. The lads were quite obviously enjoying being back in Binkies, almost as much as I enjoyed having them back?! I had thought it would be my one opportunity to see them (not being a big fan of HF I hadn’t bought a ticket), but, well, sometimes, just being my own sweet, unassuming self can bring unexpected joy – reader, I got to see them again on the Friday night in Sneaky Pete’s!

How good was that? Amos Moses before The Scat Rats late Tuesday night in Binkies, then early Friday evening Amos Moses in Sneaky’s before popping along to The Caves for Logan’s Close!! Oh, my heartses!! Manuel arrived in town from Argentina on the Wednesday in time for the HF gigs, so it was a complete Amos Moses that I saw on the Friday. Oh boy, that was such fun! So exhilarating! Some mighty fine rockin’ and rollin’ going on there; really, if you get the chance to see them live, go!!

I couldn’t leave without buying their new cd Live At Oran Mór (from another AM/HF gig in Glasgow last year). Six live tracks to keep me going ’til next time, including my favourite of the band’s new stuff The Lobster it’s a whole heap of fun, I was pleased to see it on there (maybe the next single? Hmm?!) Oh, and new on Spotify is Amos Moses‘ latest single Rock n’ Roll, a great song for that, just waitin’ on summer playlist.

Toodle pip! Next time, that Elsie gig.

I blame Gotham

bruceonthefringe 2025, Photographs Tags: , , , , , Leave a comment

It’s been awesome watching Gotham again, but it is way too moreish. One episode is never enough, despite best intentions to just watch one while I eat, yes, I’m weak. I’m also still mightily impressed by the band Amos Moses, previously known as Ol’Times. More on that tomorrow – it’s one in the morning, another day gone when I fully intended to write (this is just a quick scribble just now).

So, until tomorrow, three pics from the last week…

Delivery by chopper – path repairs in Holyrood Park require lots of rocks

Amos Moses warming up the crowd in Sneaky Pete’s
Band gear, potted plants, carpet, standard lamp – ready to go!