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!)

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!

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.