CHELSEA WOLFE, QMU, GLASGOW, OCTOBER 27 2024

 In which Google Maps saves the day. Mostly.

OK, this was supposed to be at St Luke's. So I turn up at St. Lukes, only to find out that it had been moved to the QMU. I have no fucking clue where QMU is, or how to get there. Fortunately, I have a phone and a passenger who learns quickly how to follow a route on Google Maps, and we get there eventually. I miss most of MARY JANE DUNPHE's set, so there's no accompanying video. She's American, a poet/visual artist/singer who does her thing to a recorded backing track. She sounds a little like a certain diminutive Icelander. She's not terrible, but there's not much more I can say. I'd have liked to have seen more. Still, I got one of the weirdest photographs I have ever taken.

Anyway, turns out that the QMU (Queen Margaret University, if you didn't know.) is a pretty decent venue. Good sound, nice elevated spot at the back for those of us who turn up late. Or who just like a nice elevated spot at the back. There's a VERY brief change-over, which is a VERY GOOD THING, and after only 15 minutes, here's CHELSEA WOLFE.

Not unexpectedly, for the actual queen of gorgeously gloomy industro-goth, it's all quite dark. Less smoke that anticipated, which is nice, but still enough to make pics from the back a bit hit-or-miss. She's not very chatty, and there is a shocking lack of cheery banter, but she is absolutely glorious. In turns, fragile and delicate and harsh and pulverising. Breathtaking stuff. 

VIDEO:  https://youtu.be/lCdeKKHaI_g     https://www.facebook.com/cchelseawwolfe

So, now I know how to get to the QMU. 

WOE, BANNERMAN'S, EDINBURGH. OCTOBER 16 2024

 Is it Black, or is it Death? 

Line-up:

SIDIOUS: A couple of posts ago RAISED BY OWLS made some reference to the inherent silliness of metal. You may have seen the video. Anyway, with that in mind, here's SIDIOUS, a black metal band from London. Corpse paint, studded leather, songs about death and torture and war and plague and disease. They're all there. They do the black/death metal thing very well. The singer grimaces and snarls with the best of them. But, being honest, it's hard to take them seriously. Also, judging by the pics, this black metal lark is very hard on the knees...

WOE: On the other hand, New Yorkers WOE have more of an air of menace about them, perhaps down to the LACK of the standard black metal uniform, and the bass player who throws himself about with a lack of restraint rare within this genre. Sure, they're apparently as grim and humourless as you might expect, until a bass string is broken and some banter ensues. Singer Chris Grigg asks us to promise never to mention the fact that he smiled on stage, telling us that he knows where we live and he WILL hunt us down. Bring it on, Grigg, you'll never find me!

VIDEO:   https://youtu.be/AcQGwN9qmCs    https://www.facebook.com/woeunholy

THE FIERCE AND THE DEAD, SNEAKY PETE'S, EDINBURGH, OCTOBER 2024

It's been a while - twelve years, in fact - since I last saw these lads. About time for another look, I reckon...

Line-up: 

BIG HOGG: Glaswegian five-piece, a melange of styles and genres from the 70s including - but not limited to - prog, soul. jazz. blues, folk, r&b, funk and good ol' British rock. The last song of their set even features a driving space-rock-esque bass line that Hawkwind would have been comfortable with. Includes trombone and flute but, fortunately, manages to avoid the honking monstrosity that is the saxophone. Great fun.

VIDEO:  https://youtu.be/VFYWWMIw6Os    https://www.facebook.com/bighoggband

THE FIERCE AND THE DEAD: Like I said above, it's been 12 years since I saw these lads and, coincidentally, 12 years since they last played Edinburgh. That's not where I saw them, though. That was in Leeds. And they've not changed much. Or they've changed quite significantly, depending on how you look at it.

They still play a hard-to-classify blend of mathy post-rock, prog, and straight-up rawk, same as they always did, but they have now added vocals into the mix. Because why not? Guitarist Matt Stevens still throws some impressive rock shapes, but has lost the beard he had last time. Bassist Kevin Feazey now does the singy stuff, and has gained a few beard inches. There's a keyboard player now, too, at the back where nobody can see him. As you might expect for a band that has been together for 14 years, they seem supremely comfortable with each other, the banter comes easily and naturally, and it's all effortlessly entertaining. The new songs are received as enthusiastically as the old instrumental material, which is nice. Great stuff.

VIDEO:  https://youtu.be/x_Cu9t3-L4k    https://www.facebook.com/fierceandthedead

By the way, apologies for the lateness of this post, but I managed to delete the whole thing just as it was ready to go and I've had to redo it from the start.

RAISED BY OWLS, LEGENDS, EDINBURGH, OCTOBER 4 2024

 Things don't always go entirely to plan...

Line-up:

ENUCLEATE: Brutal death metal, featuring members of VOID OF LIGHT and CODESPEAKER, amongst others. Singer Ali Lauder seems to be able to turn his hand to all kinds of heavy stuff and to excel at them all. This is no exception.

VIDEO:   https://youtu.be/YP4VJuUuDqo   https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61555156483734

INIQUITOUS SAVAGERY: More of that Scottish brutal death metal stuff but these guys, unlike ENUCLEATE, have been around for ages. Well, they should know what they're doing by now. And they do. Also, it's really hot in here now, and there's a good crowd in.

VIDEO:   https://youtu.be/1PP9qRp7oBo     https://www.facebook.com/iniquitoussavagery

HELLFEKTED: Up from something called Stoke, the first foreigners of the evening. A step away from the death and towards the thrash, HELLFEKTED are keen to get us all involved in a circle pit. The crowd isn't entirely convinced but, y'know' this is Edinburgh.

VIDEO:  https://youtu.be/gAegEdTuTbU    https://www.facebook.com/@Hellfekted

RAISED BY OWLS: And here's where the plans went awry. Comedy death metal from Derbyshire. And, yes, they're actually funny. Silly, yes, but not stupid. Quite keen on cult TV personalities. We're only four songs in and we've already encountered Ainsley Harriott and David Dickinson, and have been treated to some musings on the ridiculousness of metal generally, when it all ends on a power cut. Not just us. The whole street. You can see the final moments in the video below.

It's a shame, really, because they are actually very entertaining and very good at what they do. Still, they promise us that they'll be back.

VIDEO:   https://youtu.be/EHmwlBlCtjI   https://www.facebook.com/RaisedByOwls