DUNBAR MUSIC FESTIVAL, SEPTEMBER 26/27 2025

In which I sample some of the goods on offer a lot closer to home than usual.  A bit like North Berwick's FRINGE BY THE SEA, but  just music. And not in North Berwick.

FRIDAY VENUE:  HARBOUR CHAPEL Formerly the DUNBAR METHODIST CHURCH, it's not much to look at from outside. Plain and utilitarian, painted a rather fleshy shade of pink. Right across the road from a big free car park.

But inside it's lovely. Original features include fancy tiled floors, stained glass windows, wooden pulpit, exposed stonework, and so on. Oddly, though, the pews (on wheels) are all set perpendicular to the stage, so we all have to twist around to see the action. 

Line-up:

GAZE IS GHOST: East Lothian based Northern Irish solo pianist and singer LAURA McGARRIGLE, now with added guitarist for the first time(Luke Sutherland, frequent MOGWAI collaborator). Classically trained, with roots deep in folk territory, her music is absolutely gorgeous. Also the first time I've ever seen her pick up a guitar. Wearing a suit apparently made of William Morris floral pattern curtains.

VIDEO: https://youtu.be/BYD5AONvU_A    https://www.facebook.com/GazeisGhost

DARA DUBH/HARRY HIGGS: Another young Irish lady, Dara Dubh (Government name D. WATSON) and her lovely harp. She was here last year as a solo artist, but she's back with jazz guitarist HARRY HIGGS, playing a mix of her stuff, his stuff, collab. stuff and covers. Even a mash-up of one of Dara's songs and Cher's 'Bang Bang', which you can see below if it takes your fancy.

VIDEO:    https://youtu.be/X6WSByi3MKg     https://www.facebook.com/darawatsonharpist   https://www.facebook.com/harry.higgs.31

SATURDAY VENUE:  ROYAL BRITISH LEGION  Down a dark little close off the High Street, you'd find it easy to miss. Recently re-modelled, it's a standard social club inside. Clean, bright and functional.

Line-up:

THE SOUND RAYS: Hypnotic psych/kraut-rock guitar/bass duo with a drum machine. I THINK I like them, but they're quiet and hard to hear over the VERY chatty audience. 

VIDEO:    https://youtu.be/AvmlPSMDfB8   https://www.facebook.com/thesoundrays   https://www.instagram.com/the_sound_rays/?hl=en

SCARRED LIP: Edinburgh based alt-rock folks, doing their best to drown out the background conversation and, mostly, succeeding. They draw a pretty big and enthusiastic crowd, and there is some dancing. They play a mix of old stuff, current stuff and some rather fine new stuff.

VIDEO:  https://youtu.be/-xAZf_-4dRg   https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100093419917600   https://www.instagram.com/scarredlipband/

RACECAR: I know nothing of these folks, but research would suggest that RACECAR are a trio. Clearly this is not the case. There are EIGHT of them. They do a nice line in perky alt-pop. And they appear to share a drummer with SCARRED LIP.

VIDEO:   https://youtu.be/5GTpCIyq_Y0   https://www.facebook.com/racecarband   https://www.instagram.com/racecar.band/

There's plenty more to see at the Festival, and a whole third day, but that's all for me. It's a nice wee thing, very mixed and very friendly. And very free! Anyway, now that I know it happens I'll look out for it next year and try to see a bit more.

QUADE, SNEAKY PETE'S, EDINBURGH, SEPTEMBER 25 2025

I have no idea who QUADE are, or what they do. What can possibly go wrong? Apart from mis-spelling 'SNEAKY'...

Line-up:

ELLIANA CRAIG: Apparently, ELLIANA CRAIG is not a person, but a band. Local lads. I'm finding it hard to describe what it is that they do. It seems to have it's origins in post-punk, but it went off the rails somewhere and hooked up with noise rock. And some kind of warped post-rock. There's quite a bit of instrument swapping, and there's a violin. Some of it is quite gentle, and some of it is a discordant scraping noise. I'm not sure if I like it or not. Probably I do.

Video:  https://youtu.be/EmnztJNNacw   https://www.instagram.com/ellianacraig_band/

QUADE: Like the lads above, QUADE are difficult to pin down. They are, as previously mentioned, from Bristol, but that's about the only thing I can definitely say about them. Let's try. They don't talk much, and most of what they do is very quiet. It's a bit folk, a bit ambient, a bit post-rock, a bit jazz, a bit prog. There's quite a bit of instrument swapping, and there's a violin. Wait, that sounds familiar... Well, yes. They are made from a kit of parts similar to the one used by Alliana Craig, but assembled in quite a different way. Less chaotic. The sensible adults to AC's unruly teenager.

VIDEO:   https://youtu.be/pfzr_-vB3tQ  https://www.facebook.com/quadebanduk

JO QUAIL, VOODOO ROOMS, EDINBURGH, SEPTEMBER 17 2025

Second time seeing Ms. Quail and her support in two days. Video camera is now working again, but new technical issues arise.

Line-up:

MRS FRIGHTHOUSE: Having just seen this harrowing duo in Glasgow yesterday, I am more than happy to see them again tonight, and to have another opportunity to make a video. Uncompromising and defiant, songs of survival and reclaiming body autonomy. Not, perhaps, 'entertaining' as such, but essential listening. The pics are dark and gritty and entirely appropriate.

VIDEO:   https://youtu.be/qtnIKe7X084

JO QUAIL: And now for something completely different. Electric cello, loops and delays and JO QUAIL's friendly informative chat between pieces. Top class modern classical in a Georgian townhouse ballroom. We get a mix of new material from the 'Notan' album, some old pieces, a lovely little thing based on a lullaby for her daughter, and some raw acoustic stuff from a stool in the middle of the floor.

Unfortunately, sometime between the end of Mrs Frighthouse's set and the start of Ms Quail's, my microphone decides to end itself, so I cannot get a recording. However, I still have an audio recording from the night before in Glasgow, so I can use that and tonight's pics to create some kind of chimaera. If you read the post from Day 3 of the CORE Festival, you might have seen it already. 

VIDEO:  https://youtu.be/u8GfbsAKUOY   https://www.facebook.com/JoQuailCello

CORE FESTIVAL, DAY 3, WOODSIDE HALLS/HUG & PINT, GLASGOW, SEPTEMBER 14 2025

 Last day of CORE '25. Will anything else go horribly wrong today?

Line-up:

MRS FRIGHTHOUSE: Wife and wife duo, unsettling electro-industrial noise. No lights, images of surgery, definitely uneasy listening. Uncompromising and defiant. Brilliant stuff.

https://www.facebook.com/MrsFrighthouse

BELGROVE: Glasgow metalcore, appearing tonight with a pair of substitute guitarists who seem to know what they're doing.

VIDEO: https://youtu.be/PO4arKdo1fo   https://www.facebook.com/p/Belgrove-100086966032264/

VIOLENCIA: Rapid fire hardcore/powerviolence from far away Mexico, playing the UK for the very first time. Fine stuff.

VIDEO:  https://youtu.be/speuTvNz0J8  

ASHENSPIRE: Local progressive black metal, With a saxophone. Been around for ages, but I've never seen them before now. More than happy to remedy that now, because they're excellent, and seem to be having immense fun. No video because my audio recording was terrible.

SHUTTER: Veteran post-rockers from the Scottish highlands, back together after many years away. One side of the most annoying clash of the weekend, forcing me to choose between them and MACHUKHA. I'm swayed by the fact that I've seen the latter much more recently than the former, but it's still a bit frustrating.

VIDEO:   https://youtu.be/wbzJIb0bEDc   https://www.facebook.com/shutterscotland

AGRICULTURE: Absolutely one of the highlights of the weekend, ecstatic black metal from Los Angeles. Simply stunning, and very deserving of the hype currently surrounding them. Another band that seems to be enjoying themselves enormously. They've got a new album out soon which you should all go out and buy.

VIDEO:  https://youtu.be/AG_TSeUAhug   https://www.facebook.com/agriculturemusic

BENEATH A STEEL SKY: Last minute addition to the bill, with POOR CREATURE pulling out for some reason. Pleased to see these local post-metallers, though, because they're excellent.

VIDEO:  https://youtu.be/n2B8buhEy4k   https://www.facebook.com/beneathasteelskyband

FRONTIERER: Mind-melting extreme metal, back again this year after laying wate to the place last year. Got some new material to show off, too. Which is nice.

VIDEO:  https://youtu.be/0pBMv4Psn3Q   https://www.facebook.com/frontiererband

JO QUAIL: A radical shift in direction now, with solo celloist JO QUAIL soothing our souls with a few pieces of virtuoso looping and song building. It's too dark for good pics, but I'm going to see her again in Edinburgh tomorrow, so I'll add some stuff from that gig.

VIDEO:  https://youtu.be/u8GfbsAKUOY   https://www.facebook.com/JoQuailCello

CAVE IN: The one everybody has been waiting for. Legendary metalcore/alt-rockers out on tour celebrating the 25th anniversary of their 'Jupiter' album, which they play in full tonight. Class way to end the festival.

VIDEO:  https://youtu.be/E07b_zC5eB4    https://www.facebook.com/CaveIn.Official

Bands who played, but I didn't see:

ALLMYLIFENEEDEDWASASENSEOFSOMEPLACETOGO

MACHUKHA

THE HIRS COLLECTIVE

DEATH GOALS

NO KILTER

UNMAKING were scheduled to close out the show at the Hug & Pint, but sadly had to pull out because of illness.

So, did anything go wrong today? Well, not really, beyond a few line-up changes that we were given plenty of notice of. No further technical failures - that will come tomorrow, but that's for another post.

These pics-only videos are quite fun to do, and upload VERY quickly, but I'll be happier when everything is back to normal.

And the final verdict on the weekend? Perfect honesty? It's been, shall we say, a bit mixed. Friday was excellent, apart from the terrible clash of headliners, but these things are inevitable and must be lived with. 

Saturday was, in my opinion, the weakest day of the Festival, with not enough variety on offer. Individually, each band was fine, but too much of the same thing can be wearing. Band of the day was GOUT, with MONI JITCHELL a close second.

Sunday wins the DAY OF THE WEEKEND, with quality and variety from start to finish. I can't really pick band of the day. There are no weak links. Put a gun to my head, and I'd have to choose between AGRICULTURE, FRONTIERER and CAVE IN, with MRS FRIGHTHOUSE getting bonus points for their uncompromising and somewhat terrifying set early in the day.

CORE will, it seems, be back next year. New date, new venue, but back.