The Moanin Bones

I’m beginning to feel christmassy

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It’s late on a Tuesday evening, not one of those Tuesdays, last Tuesday was meant to be, but it didn’t happen as Mr Rough was unwell, the next of those Tuesdays isn’t ’til the 30th, boo; but the Scat Rats are playing Stramash at the more reasonable time of 9.30pm on Tuesday 23rd, yay. The night before, Marah and Rough will be in Glasgow with the rest of Logan’s Close at the Hug and Pint for the band’s annual Christmas bash; I’ll be there too, of course. Just one downer (apart it being in Glasgow), sadly it’s the same night as Blue Christmas 2025, a wonderful evening of blues, r’n’b and rock’n’roll festive tunes performed by Jed Potts (curator of the event) and a bunch of his friends (honestly, the amount of talent in that one room, wow, only for LC will I miss it). It’s like a warm fuzzy hug of Christmas cheer (and it’s happening at La Belle Angele off the Cowgate, Monday 22nd).

Aw sweet, the night before again (so that’s Sunday 21st), the Louis Crosland Trio are on the midnight slot at Whistlebinkies, well, that’s what the poster says. Oh, but that would be a great three night run of great music, please Binkies, don’t screw it up! At least I know they’re definitely playing Stramash on the 18th, but not as a trio, no, there’s gonna be keyboards too! I’m looking forward to it, I’m intrigued. Up until then things are a tad quieter, no bad thing, I’m recovering from a bad cold and there’s a number of films I want to see. Oh, I may wander into Binkies on Saturday afternoon for Louis Crosland solo; I wonder if there’ll be any Bob Dylan covers. Instagram says the Moanin’ Bones are playing there this Sunday midnight, go on, I’ll believe them.

There’s four films that I want to catch before they disappear from the big screen, The Running Man is a definite, being Edgar Wright’s latest, well, I’ve loved everything else he’s done. It could be good, it could be awful, but I’m willing to give Fackham Hall a shot. The cast looks fun, but will it be funny or a tad cringey? Would I go see it if I didn’t have an Unlimited card? Probably not. Another that I’ll see just because I can is Now You See Me: Now You Don’t, I enjoyed the previous films, how will this one measure up? Annoyingly, Benoit Blanc’s latest investigation, Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery is not on at Cineworld (I’m so not impressed), but it’s still a definite for me. There’s a second Five Nights at Freddy’s coming out on Friday, the first was okay, I thought about it but then I looked it up on Rotten Tomatoes, hmmm, don’t think I’ll bother. Fitting the four in will be interesting enough.

In other pre-christmas news, I’ve finally made jam from this year’s harvest of park brambles, my fridge freezer needed defrosting so it made sense. There’s also new batch of bramble wine just started fermenting! That made sense too. I’m a tad nervous about the jam but my previous attempts have always been well received, so hopefully this lot will be just as delicious. It’s the frozen plate test bit that never works for me, but afterwards the jam sets perfectly well anyway!?

I’m doing another Advent Calendar of music from the last year on Instagram, it’s fun going back over stuff, picking out what to include has been fine so far but I know it’s gonna get harder, too many to choose from, too few days! Haha, I just can’t help going in deep with my silly notions. They’re all still available to view in my highlights, including a clip of Carl Marah singing his new Christmas tune at the Auld Hundred last week! I’m looking forward to hearing it in all it’s full glory!

Anyhoo, it’s very late, I must away to my bed. I’ll leave you with a pic….

My box of jars is now somewhat depleted

Sounds and visions and pies

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Last time I wrote I was on a bus down to Newcastle, well, ultimately Gateshead to see Carl Marah doing his solo thing at Station East, the lad did not disappoint, and neither did the pub! Station East is only just on the other side of the Tyne, and definitely worth a wander over. It’s a smashing pub, the bar staff were great, plenty of beers and ciders, and a fridge full of pies!! Okay, it being a Sunday the fridge wasn’t full but there was still plenty of choice. A couple of hours in, I refuelled myself with an Aberdeen Angus Steak Mince & Onion pie, oh my lord! It was sooo good. I had fancied a Mexicana but was warned that it was quite spicy, yeah, no.

Local musician AJ.Potter (he played support when Carl was last down in Newcastle) was in and delighted the crowd with a few of his tunes before Carl stepped up to the mic. Sunday afternoons don’t come better than this! Seven songs, including a new one Fountain of Youth, then two favourite covers (one by Squeeze, natch), a short break, then plenty more, with a couple of brand new songs in the mix. All the while I was enjoying the great range of ales on offer, and a couple of halves of cider, it was an interesting trek to the train station afterwards! Oh yeah, I bought one of the Mexicana pies to take home, had it with a yoghurt dip to cool it down, definitely the right thing to do! Do try a Pitman Pie if you’re ever down that way, bloody tasty.

I did said at the end of that last post that the following week wasn’t looking up to much, how quickly things change! Louis Crosland posted about three gigs on Instagram, yay, then Carl Marah was playing the Three Marys in Leith (I’ve never been in there, so it seemed like a good reason to go), and Power Denim playing Binkies on the Friday evening turned out to be another of Mr Potts’ sidelines (just the band name had my moosedar tingling with suspicion). There was also a few films that I fancied catching on the big screen …. I took myself off to see the Bruce Springsteen biopic on Wednesday evening, hmmm. It was okay-ish, very long, the actor playing Springsteen was very good, but it was for the more ardent fans, methinks. Roofman and Good Fortune were both way more my thing, hey, two out of three, you know. It’s great having an Unlimited card! The new Emma Stone film will be next.

Halloween had the town packed with all manner of weird creatures, but none so strange as seeing Jed Potts on stage sans guitar! I surely wasn’t the only one mumbling, what? huh? wow, really? Yes, Power Denim had Jed centre stage with just a microphone (I wonder if he kinda felt naked without his guitar?), oh, and a guitarist, bassist and drummer, playing classic rock; they’ll be back in Whistlebinkies at the end of the month, or so the gig guide says. I left after the first set to catch a number 14 down to Leith to see Carl at the Three Marys, what a lovely bar! It wasn’t very busy so, yay, more Marah’s Originals in the mix, sweet. The weekend saw Louis Crosland out twice with his trio and once with the Moanin’ Bones (two of those in one evening), naturally I was out to catch the vibes.

And now I’m about to pop out again, it’s nearly midnight, on a Tuesday – if you don’t know where I’m going you haven’t read enough of my musings! Time for another Scat Rats top-up fix, it’ll take me through nicely to tomorrow evening when Mr Marah takes to the stage in the Voodoo Rooms with a band too! It’s gonna be bloody, bloody brilliant, oh, my heartses.

Toodle pip!

Shut up you tiny fool!

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Is something I should say way more often to my monkey mind; it’s also something I was singing last night at The Stand (along with the rest of the audience, it wasn’t just me doing a musical heckle, that would be weird). Yes, John Robertson was back in Edinburgh for one evening as part of his UK tour. It was a toss-up between him and some band playing at The Hive (it popped up on my Instagram and looked intriguing), I didn’t decide til early evening. Hey, one hundred minutes of manic glee? It had to be.

The Stand was packed but it’s not too difficult to find a single seat close to showtime. Being British I felt bad plonking myself on a stool that would ruin the view of the person behind me, on the otherhand, the stool was clearly visible, if not me then someone else would have most likely sat on it as the room was very full. Being me, seeing a Fringe show outside of the Fringe initially feels slightly wrong, a shake of the head and I’m rejigged.

Fringe shows are generally an hour long, so two hours with a twenty minute break is a real treat, and that long with John Robertson was almost overload. I have to mention his hair, it looked amazing last night, so fine, so silky, sorry, but it was. The show is called John Robertson Plays With The Audience, and yeah, that’s basically it, anyone, anywhere in the room is fair game, he scans the room for anything that tickles him and then pulls it into the narrative, weaving it in amongst the other threads. There was plenty for him last night, we were all howling with laughter (and a pinch of relief), no idea where he’ll go next (I’m not sure he did either); and of course, there was the raucous, fuzzed up ukulele tunes (not sure George Formby would make of them!)

If you’ve not heard of John Robertson before, are reading this thinking, oo, I’ll pop along to one of his shows, Brucie likes him, a few points for the uninitiated …. it’s adult content, I do mean, adult content, and not a show to take your parents or maiden aunt to, unless you intend to disappoint them (on the otherhand, a disgusted walkout always delights Robertson) or are prepared to be shocked when they roar with laughter. One thing though, he maybe shouty and manic and out there, but he’s also a lovely human being who knows when to back off and does so (there was a real bunny in the headlights moment last night but a skilful swerve and the show revved away from it).

I’ll leave you now, but just one thing, totally unrelated to the above. You know how I regularly check social media so that I don’t miss any music I like …. hmmm, this Saturday evening, who to see? There’s the Louis Crosland Trio at Stramash at seven o’clock or The Moanin’ Bones at Whistlebinkies at seven o’clock. I know these details to be correct at time of writing this, maybe I’ll catch a set of each? I am very intrigued to see who’ll playing guitar with The Moanin’ Bones!! Hahaha.

See! the Old Town Pub Co calendar

When Harry met Louis

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After a day of sorting and cleaning Chez Bruce, I took a stroll up to Whistlebinkies sometime after ten to catch the second set of the Louis Crosland Trio, mighty fine as usual, and the floor show was a joy! Those folk who just get up and do their thang, and with such style and ease, last night there were a few in. One young couple were so in tune with each other and so fluid, at times I felt I applauding them as much as the band!

There was a new beer on tap to try, Golden Hour from Natural Selection Brewing, a rooibus infused blonde ale, and also a very quaffable ale. What more could a moose want? Great beer and great sounds. Those bass lines were sounding so good, I realised I was zoning into them quite a bit, such a sweet balance of sound, but then it was Nico at the desk, I’d expect nothing less. Oh, and it was my preferred drummer, I like his style, for me it seems much more in keeping with what the band requires; for me the other drummer is too bombastic for the LCT (oh, I can appreciate he’s a great drummer, I’ve seen him plenty times, just, well, my opinion).

The band following on at midnight was The Moanin’ Bones, so a double shift for Louis, but as midnight came and went there was no sign of main man Mr Buckley. I wondered that the rest of the band might play as a trio, time ticked on …. then in came Harry Higgs with two guitars! Oh yeah! Like, hell yeah! This was going to be something else, and I was there to see it (usually I hear about these sort of things later).

We were treated to a mix of blues and rock covers from Louis’ and Harry’s sets, so there was the likes of Sharp-dressed Man, Crossroad, Miss You, some Hendrix, of course (there’s a reel and stories on Instagram). The drummer and bassist were well up for it, they know their stuff, a good solid rhythm section for Harry and Louis to play above, swap roles, riff off each other; a little bit of musical alchemy 💛

Both guitarists are back in Whistlebinkies later this week with their own bands, the Louis Crosland Trio at midnight on Friday, and the Harry Higgs Trio at midnight on Saturday. I’m not planning on seeing any morning Fringe shows this weekend!

G’night, sweet dreams!

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!

A siren song to haunt you evermore

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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!

Rhythms, blues ‘n’ balls

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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

A quiet weekend….

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No Rats, Bones, Buccaneers or mild-mannered janitors this weekend, suppose I’ll just get on and write to you guys. I have a chicken leg roasting in the oven (along with tatties, carrots, red onion, garlic and rosemary, all sloshed with olive oil), so fifty minutes to spare! At least I think none of my favourites are playing nearby, some website calendars have gaps in them and others, well, are not necessarily right by the night (if you read this blog much then you’ll know which local hostelry I’m referring to here).

Next weekend’s better, I believe the Scat Rats are at Stramash on the Friday early evening slot (well, Mr Marah thinks they are), then at midnight the Moanin Bones are rattlin’ and rollin’ at Whistlebinkies. Saturday sees the Scat Rats at Binkies at seven o’clock, a fine way to start a Saturday evening, folks. And it’s the Handsome House Band’s 100th gig at Stramash next Sunday! It’ll be featuring Tim Elliott (Blues’n’Trouble frontman, harmonica and vocals) and hopefully more unannounced guests. Come on, the 100th has to see a few “previously featured” getting up there for a jam!

Earlier this week I went to see Empire of Light at the cinema, there’s been mixed reviews but I loved it. Olivia Coleman is always great to watch, and with Toby Jones, Colin Firth and Micheal Ward in there too – well, it ticked plenty boxes. What a cinema it’s set in! Apparently it’s the Dreamland Cinema in Margate (first opened in 1935 with a very chequered past, like many old cinemas), almost another character in itself. The story takes place in the early 1980s, a time I remember, the good and the bad, I thought Empire of Light portrayed it well.

In other news, show registration for Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2023 is now open. I don’t know about anyone else but I do know Accordion Ryan has registered, yay! So that’s one show on my list to see, sweet.

Well, my tomato timer has ticked round to almost zero, I’d best go check on my chicken.

Toodle pips!

I feel better, thanks for asking

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Finally I feel moose again! That lurgy was a real mean one, I hope you haven’t had the misfortune to start your year with such as I had. I’ve been battling mine with turkey curry! January is a great time for buying turkey carcases and frozen turkey legs from Brewsters Smalling at Edinburgh Farmers Market. Hurrah for folk who just want turkey crowns for Christmas lunch, that leaves extra legs and wings for later. A turkey carcass I bought last weekend made a splendid broth; a long, slow simmer allowed all the meat to be stripped from the bones. I left out the leg I bought yesterday morning to defrost and roasted it in the evening, oh my, it was really hard to stop after a little taste!

With my health just about restored, I finally caught up with The Scat Rats at Whistlebinkies on Friday evening, yay. It was fairly quiet – dry January? Personally I prefer to support my local drinking establishments, someone has to when so many abstain for a month, it was my duty! The Moanin Bones played the late night shift at a packed Stramash (the students were well up for a party before the next term gets under way), I had a quick peek in on my way home.

Oo, other news from Friday, Logan’s Close released another single Dans Le Jardin, do check it out! There’s clips of Messrs Marah & Rough looking very come-hither in Dr Neil’s Garden to help promote it on Instagram and Facebook; I’m not sure about the beret, though (why?! well, see for yourself do). I felt inspired to take a walk round there for myself. The garden used to be closed during the winter months, it’s good to be able to visit all year round now.

Dans le jardin du Brucie

Earlier in the week I was delighted to see that Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan both won Golden Globes for Everything Everywhere All At Once (Jamie Lee Curtis was nominated but sadly didn’t win), the weirdest film of 2022, probably the decade too. The Banshees of Inisherin did well too, picking up three awards and Austin Butler won one for playing Elvis (though Bill Nighy would have been equally deserving for his brilliant performance in Living). Not that I need my film choices to win awards to feel vindicated or anything, but it’s nice when they do.

Anyway, there’s a cooked turkey leg in my kitchen calling out to have a few slices removed and placed between two chunks of bread. Toodle oo!

Long-forgotten but well-remembered

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Dusk yesterday found me at Powderhouse Corner in Holyrood Park with Lady Evil blasting in my ears. What’s that? Lady Evil from Black Sabbath’s first album with Ronnie James Dio singing. Why? I’d been in Fopp on Rose Street earlier and as I moseyed around I started wondering what I was singing along to, I seemed to know all the words, Rainbow, perhaps? No, then it dawned, omg, it was Sabbath’s Heaven and Hell, god knows when I last heard it! There was a time when I loved that album, it was one that I used to “borrow” from my older brother (he had no idea and to keep it that way I handled his records very carefully). He like many others had bought it but then hardly played it because “it wasn’t real Sabbath without Ozzy” it just wasn’t right.

Just listening to it by my young self, outside of the rock fraternity, I had no idea how it had fractured the fans. I remember later on confusing folk by liking that but nothing by Dio (it was much later again before I finally appreciated the earlier albums with Ozzy). Hearing Heaven and Hell again wandering round Fopp was amazing, I remembered why I loved it so much, I would have bought it but at £15 for the CD, no, I’ll have a ganders in some second-hand record shops for it, meanwhile there’s Spotify. And that’s why I was listening to it when I went up into the Park to take some photos. When the last track started I suddenly remembered that was the one that really caught my attention, Lonely Is The Word, bloody brilliant it is. I never did care for anything else Dio did, or much of Ozzy’s own stuff, they don’t move me.

The Moanin Bones didn’t move me on Hallowe’en – they weren’t there to! I heard that apparently someone was still on holiday, well, I hope he’s back as they’re meant to be playing Whistlebinkies this evening. Oh, it’s been posted on Facebook today so there’s a good chance! The post also said Jed Potts & The Hillman Hunters are on at 21:30, yay, twice in one week! Yes, I got me a ticket for the Leith Dockers Club show, definitely was worth going, though an odd venue for them (mind, being a club bar, the drinks were cheap). The band were on fine form, playing some from the new album, some old and some to just mess around with, mighty fineness!

Such a good evening couldn’t end yet, so I headed up to Stramash to catch the Scat Rats second set. They’re playing the midnight slot at Binkies on Sunday but I doubt I’ll be there. I did see them at Hallowe’en as they were pulled in late on to play the seven o’clock set at Stramash, so at least it wasn’t all disappointment that night, and I got to see Carl Marah two nights in a row. On the Sunday evening he was playing with the Handsome House Band being very bluesy (and rather excellent too), I haven’t yet but I’ll put a clip of something up on Instagram.

Stramash really went to town with their Hallowe’en decorations, they looked brilliant, folk with severe arachnophobia would have had a few problems! The bar staff dressed for the occasion too, one guy accessorising with a blow-up chainsaw (first time I’ve seen one of those). Tonight is Bonfire Night here in the UK, I can already hear fireworks exploding in the distance. Ah, for the long-gone years of the village bonfire, firing rockets across the valley out of milk bottles stuck in the ground, Catherine wheels that rarely spun round as well as they should, treacle toffee and parkin.

Its almost time to trot up to Whistlebinkies, best eat first. Toodle pip!