Moanin Bones

I don’t reckon I’ll forget this September

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Sadly there was no gold

September has been quite balmy in Edinburgh, great for some late afternoon brambling in the park; well, just for idling in the park generally, making the most of the end of summer. I haven’t picked as many brambles as last year, but then I’m not going to make any wine this time, just lots of jam! Time for a terrible segue, Jed Potts was the guest host at the Handsome House Jam at Stramash on the first Sunday of the month, a fine evening of the blues. It was the second time seeing him that weekend as he and Nicole Smit were doing their thing in the Jazz Bar early Saturday evening, an interesting change from Binkies!

The next HHJ is this Sunday evening, I haven’t seen who the guest host will be; but I do know the Scat Rats are playing after that at ten o’clock, yay! That’s the only music noted on my calendar now until the end of the month – unless something pops up soon. I had toyed with the idea of a wee Highland trip up around Inverness to coincide with Carl Marah‘s gig at the Market Bar (this Saturday), but by the time I thought about it again everywhere cheaper than very expensive was gone, Inverness is obviously going to be very busy this weekend!

Ho hum, shouldn’t grumble, last week was ridiculously great fun; Glasgow on Wednesday for some blues harmonica, the Scat Rats twice on Thursday night (early in Stramash, midnight in Whistlebinkies), they were back in Binkies on the Saturday afternoon, mid-evening spot was Louis Crosland plus two, he was back in Binkies Sunday midnight with two others, that was after he’d played the ten o’clock slot in Stramash with the Moanin‘ Bones; and I didn’t miss a thing (apart from a few opening numbers, as per usual).

Saturday night
Sunday midnight

Friday evening I was in Peebles for Show Don’t Tell, an evening of five short films from the Tweed Valley, by rural filmmakers, with live music afterwards. Okay, so the live music was a short set by Logan’s Close, they also starred in one of the short films, of course I went along! It was held in the Eastgate Theatre, an arts centre in a converted church. Wow, what a great place they’ve created! The auditorium is the actual church (there’s a studio area and cafe too) with well tiered seating (with plenty of leg room!) that can all be retracted back leaving the floor cleared, stairs on both sides up to the three-sided balcony. After the films were shown there was a long break while the band set up and the seating was just taken back a few rows, so that there was room for standing and sitting. I mean, what an amazing use of space! I would definitely go back.

Logan’s Close: Live at Maryhill was up first, quite a gothic feel to it, the lads performing in an old empty theatre, flouncy shirts, and a freaky, disturbing side storyline involving Scott and a surgeon (I would tell you more about it, but it was just really odd, okay?) The songs in it were Costume Changes, Chillz and Dans Le Jardin, beautifully shot in a slightly disorientating way. It was directed by Aidan Duckworth, our host for the evening and also director of GIMP the last film shown (his party, so why not two?). The others were Antlers, Cover-up and Cernunnos; short films, they throw you in at the deep end and expect you to survive confusion, gore, drama, BDSM, old gods and antlers (not just in Antlers!). Fun, but I definitely needed a drink afterwards!

I took a stroll down the main street to the Bridge Inn, a real ale pub that I visited some years ago, yay, they had a Stewart’s ale in. Just a half for me seeing as I was driving, then the stroll back to the theatre took me to almost time to head back into the auditorium and some music. Due to the first part of the evening lasting longer than expected, it was a shorter set than planned just five songs, opening with Babestation on to Costume Changes, Hot Blondes, very new one Cuck Chair, then with the crowd yelling for one more, the lads got the nod to go ahead, so they went out with the bloody magnificent Mock Marble Linoleum, yay! Needless to say, my soundtrack for the drive back to Edinburgh was my Logan’s Close Live at LimbicTV cd. All in all, a damn fine evening!

Ha, since I started this, then paused a while for my tea, I’ve discovered that Louis Crosland (and whoever!) is playing the half nine slot at Whistlebinkies on Saturday, yay. Ha, a Binkies usual, a band was listed as playing that slot on the month’s list poster and the website, and then this week it was TBC on social media – but hey, that’s me happy! There was also confusion over last Sunday’s midnight slot; towards the end of the Scat Rats Saturday afternoon set Carl announced they’d be back the following night, a back and forth ensued between the Rats and George on sound as he was down to play bass with Louis then, I piped up that he was right, erm, they ended up playing Rock, Paper, Scissors for it, hahaha. All friendly banter, the Rats were having a great afternoon, a good, appreciative audience, they never sounded better (in part, thanks to George, he really knows his stuff), Funnel of Love was particularly exquisite 💛 Oh, and we even got an encore of two extra songs over time, sweet!

And on that note I shall bid you goodnight, bonne nuit, gute Nacht, buonanotte!

Blossom ‘n’ Blues

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Yay! The tree in Gullan’s Close is back in bloom, beautiful as always. Had a wander past in today while the sun was out, almost springlike. The temperature is forecast to drop to -1° tonight, just to catch out those fooled by the sunshine, jackets will be required. I’ll be toddling up to the Jazz Bar to catch Louis Crosland, he’s the featured musician at tonight’s Blues at the Jazz Bar, a monthly do to showcase Edinburgh’s Blues scene.

Louis will be on stage at seven for an hours set, then there’s an Open Blues Jam until eleven when Louis returns plus the other two of the Trio to play the night out. Should be fun! I’ve only seen him at the Jazz Bar once before a while ago, it was after midnight, I seem to recall it was one of those bit odd nights, the feeling just wasn’t quite right, know what I mean? Ah, haha, yes, I’ve just remembered more about that evening, no, I’m not going to share.

After this evening, he’s next back playing with the Moanin’ Bones at Whistlebinkies on Saturday at seven, and then the following Saturday at midnight. That’s after supporting the Cinelli Brothers at the Voodoo Rooms, should be another great evening of blues, I have my ticket! Louis’s also supporting Giles Robson on the Scottish part of his UK tour (and playing guitar for him), eight dates from the 7th through to the 18th April, with a Louis Crosland Trio date at Stramash slipped in halfway. I’ve seen that the Inverness gig is at the Castle Tavern (14th April), a cracking pub I discovered when I was up there last year, and the food was divine. I’m almost tempted to pay Inverness another visit!!

After that busyness there’s two more midnight appearances for the Trio at Whistlebinkies in April. I know all this because the dear boy put up a list of his gigs up until the end of April, on Instagram, very handy to know. Of course, there may well be additions towards the end of April, as is often the way of things. I do know Louis is stepping into the studio in May to get some of his new material recorded (apparently twenty new songs to date), nice!

Anyhoo, I need to eat if I’m going to be in the Jazz Bar ’til the small hours. Toodle pip!

Of course, I had a photo took, duh

What’s ahead this weekend?

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It’s Friday late afternoon, another weekend of excellent sounds and a little rugby looms. Kicking off with tonight’s 7pm slot at Stramash is Louis Crosland plus trio, yes, the keyboards are back! I’m looking forward to that (not that I don’t always enjoy the band! but, you know). Louis plus two will also be rounding off the weekend in the midnight slot in Whistlebinkies; and in-between, he’s playing there at midnight on Saturday with the Moanin’ Bones. Busy guy!

Tomorrow afternoon sees Jed Potts and Nicole Smit and their assortment of blues, country, jazz, rock’n’roll numbers in Whistlebinkies. A delicious pick’n’mix of music genres, you never know what’s coming next but you do know it’ll be something great. Yeah, definitely Jed and Nicole over the first Six Nations game (England v Ireland), the later game is Scotland v Wales, much more interesting! Can Scotland play like they did last weekend?!

Last weekend Edinburgh went nuts after Scotland soundly beat England, and as Stramash shows the rugby there was a buoyed up crowd ready and waiting for the Moanin’ Bones. Bloody excellent it was to see them again!! The usual bag of great covers with the occasional original thrown in. And we’ll do it all again tomorrow night, yay. Thank goodness the matches alternate, so Scotland are away in Cardiff this time (though it’s always fun when the Welsh are up), town won’t be quite as mental. I say, not quite, but there’s still many, many out to watch in the pubs, it’s tradition!

I’d thought after the Saturday night madness, that Binkies wouldn’t be so busy last Sunday midnight for the Scat Rats, it wasn’t, but the ones that did come out were loons. Honestly, it was one of those times, like a very strange Fringe show when I haven’t a clue what’s happening or why, or is there nothing to comprehend, I’m meant to just appreciate the oddliness?! I ended up surmising that Valentine’s Day had been a disappointment, so each was out determined to finish the weekend, erm, with a bang?!

Oops, time to eat before heading oot. Enjoy your weekend, folks. Toodle pip!

It’s gonna be a fine weekend

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It’s been a while, I know, miss me? I was down in the old country (Yorkshireland) for a while, to catch up with family, seeing how I stayed in Edinburgh for Christmas. Like most of the country just now, it was very wet and very cold, but it was lovely to see everyone. After a very dry summer the weather changed with a vengeance, as illustrated below…

So low for so long the banks became like meadows
Back to it’s darkest, dankest self

Anyhoo, this is merely a quick wave before I head out into the wet night. Carl Marah is playing at the Auld Hundred this evening and at midnight the Louis Crosland Trio are at Whistlebinkies, yay. It’s quite a weekend ahead, plenty good music and a Six Nations Rugby weekend too (the Scotland v England game, yikes). Louis is solo at the Canons’ Gait tomorrow evening, I may pop along, or save myself for Saturday…

There’s Chris Buckley in Binkies at two, he should be fairly buzzing as he’s got a new single out tomorrow. The Scotland v England game is late afternoon, watch at home, or in a pub? Hmmm. Seven o’clock Chris will be down at Stramash with Louis and the rest of the Moanin’ Bones, wow, it’s been ages since they last played together, or it feels like it. Midnight it’ll be back up to Binkies and the Louis Crosland Trio, yes, twice in one week!

Sunday may be quite a lazy day, get myself recovered enough for the Scat Rats to round off the weekend in Binkies midnight slot. Oh, and they’ll be back in 48 hours later, it’s one of those Tuesdays.

I do intend to write more tomorrow, honest. Now where’s my brolly? Toodle pip!

A bit about Elsie, a bit about Eileen

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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 Christmas 2023 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!

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!

Happy New Year to you

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Just a quick one to wish my readers a Happy New Year and all the best for 2023. Unfortunately I have succumbed to the lurgy that was hovering, at least I managed to dodge it until the 2nd of January, so I made it up to Arthur’s Seat, yay. No rain just extremely low clouds, but hey, I know what the view looks like.

I went up mid morning when not many were there, and my long-held belief seems to bear out – earlier birds are much more convivial, new year’s greetings with other walkers were plentiful and with smiles attached! I did well to be up so early considering I didn’t leave Whistlebinkies ’til sometime after two. The Moanin Bones were on fine form, as were Three Wise Monkeys who played up to and just past the bells (some real throwback tunes from Citrus Club nights).

Maybe sitting atop the rather damp trig point didn’t help! By midday yesterday I knew I was going down rapidly; no seeing Potts and Smit at Binkies tonight, damn. Can I pick up in time for the Scat Rats late tomorrow in Binkies?

I’ll leave you now, head off to bed. Normal service will hopefully resume very soon with my best bits from 2022. I may even get round to putting a clip or two from Hogmanay on Instagram. Oo yeah, do check out Accordion Ryan‘s clip of Auld Lang Syne!

Twas the night before Hogmanay

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…. 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.

Not the best-looking but by’eck it tasted good!

I’m just a tad excited

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It’s finally here!! Logan’s Close are back in Sneaky Pete’s tonight! Yay! And what a build-up to it over the weekend, couldn’t move without bumping into good music! Friday was the Scat Rats in Binkies, plenty folk were in after office parties, so plenty dancing, myself included.

Saturday evening was back to Binkies for The Moanin Bones on excellent form. After their first set I headed down to Stramash for Black Cat Bone, they were fine but I just wasn’t feeling it so back to Whistlebinkies I headed to catch more of the Bones. As if that wasn’t enough of the talented Mr Buckley, I caught his second set in Stramash the following evening, solo this time. There’s a clip of a rather fine bit of California Dreamin’ on Instagram.

After he was done I nipped over the road to Bannermans for Jed Potts and Nicole Smit playing in the front bar. Yay, another pub with Stewart’s ales and they had Kilted Kiwi on, sweet! (much preferable to Stewart’s festive offering this year). Bannermans is not a place I go in much, I’ve seen the odd band there and if you like your’s metal it’s definitely worth a visit. It was quite a cosy setting on Sunday evening, not metal instead blues and honky tonk, marvellous.

Sometime after ten I trotted back over to Stramash for The Buccaneers, see it pays to keep a watchful eye on social media for who’s playing where. I noted Mr Marah had a new shirt on, apparently he found it in Armstrong’s an emporium of vintage clothing, well-known in Edinburgh for the place to look for something with style.

Well, it’s time to have a nibble or two before I head along to Sneaky’s. Do check out my Instagram @bruceonthefringe for clips of my favourite Edinburgh bands. I’ll leave you with the lovely Nicole and Jed….

Christmas is coming ….

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…. 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 Buckley is 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!