EMPTY SPACES, MASH HOUSE, EDINBURGH, APRIL 24 2026

Irish rockers on tour. Poster running order not entirely correct. Still, a wildly assorted range of stuff on the bill.

LINE-UP:

PAEIZI: Something a bit unusual to start us off - a fusion of western metal and Iranian classical sounds. Plus an ALTER BRIDGE cover. Things were running a bit late and the sound man tried to cut them off after only 3 songs. They were having none of it. Crowd unreasonably chatty.

VIDEO:  https://youtu.be/JomiMqpONcY   https://www.instagram.com/paeiziproject/

RETROSKEPTIC: Local youths playing a kind of indie/alt rock. There isn't a video for them, as my sound recording was terrible. Very popular with a certain section of the crowd, one of whom attempted to 'break dance', with only small success. Not, to be entirely fair, my cup of tea, but good luck to them anyway.

https://www.instagram.com/retroskeptic.band/

EMPTY SPACES: Technically, this was their gig. From Northern Ireland, playing Edinburgh for the first time. Sturdy old-school twin-guitar rock. Pretentious rating : 0/10.

VIDEO:   https://youtu.be/7O6nrIdGaB4  https://www.facebook.com/emptyspacesuk

SCARRED LIP: Local alt-rock 'veterans', topping the bill despite the running order on the poster. Featuring, for the very first time, their new drummer and bass player, and a guest appearance from former drummer Edwin, now on guitar.

VIDEO:  https://youtu.be/D3yCV0HgCNU   https://www.instagram.com/scarredlipband/

YOWL, SNEAKY PETE'S, EDINBURGH, JANUARY 20 2026

2026 continues to be a year of bands I've never seen before, have never heard of, and have no clue about.  Here's another three. The only thing I know about these bands is how to spell their names.

Please excuse the appalling pics, but the smoke machine was working overtime and the bands were barely visible much of the time.

Line-up:

SAVE FACE: Gentle indie-pop. With a trumpet. At the merch desk they have many t-shirts for sale, but no recorded music. Nice stuff, though, even if it's very hard to see them at times, due to the ridiculously thick smoke on stage.

VIDEO:  https://youtu.be/bk1RsMVg3Zg   https://www.instagram.com/savefaceband/

3P SLOT MACHINE: Psychedelic alt-folk oddness featuring lap-steel guitar, something which might be a djembe, and slacker-esque vocals. And a very tall bass player. They have an EP available, but they don't play any of the songs from it, for... reasons. Great fun.

VIDEO:  https://youtu.be/LqfJxmAxmyE   https://www.instagram.com/3pslotmachine/

YOWL: Robust indie/post-punk balladeers based in, but not actually from, London, not unlike a rougher DAY SLEEPER. They go down well with the crowd, and quite rightly so.

VIDEO:  https://youtu.be/vO-qglILw1k  https://www.facebook.com/yowlmusic

DR. SALAD, SNEAKY PETE'S, EDINBURGH, DECEMBER 16 2025

OK, so the HAMMER gig wasn't the last gig of the year after all. A last minute invitation brings me this. I have no idea who these people are. Or what they do.

LINE-UP:

SCARRED LIP: Last minute replacements for THE RAEBURN BROTHERS. You should know who they are by now. Cinematic, alt-country, grunge, indie, alt-rock - all of these and more. I'm only here because their man Matthew asked me along. 

VIDEO:  https://youtu.be/kbam7MD3Gxc   https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100093419917600    https://www.instagram.com/scarredlipband/

THE RAEBURN BROTHERS: Unable to play, Replaced at the last minute by them up there. So I still have no idea what they do.

DR. SALAD: Having seen them in action, I STILL have no idea what these guys do. They call themselves 'Heavy Romance', which is as good a descriptor as any, I suppose. 'Jangly, melodic, salady, spicy, saucy, sultry, sxc, stringy strong, succulent, seductive, saoochay, smoky, silly, silky...' in their own words. All of that, I guess. They're actually very entertaining, definitely silly, but smart and very skilled musicians. They remind me of a Cambridge Footlights version of indie-pop. Featuring the skankiest Strat I think I've ever seen. Looks like it's been used to remove somebody's burst appendix before digging a hole to bury it in.

                                       

VIDEO:   https://youtu.be/uayUQZAsGXY   https://www.facebook.com/DrSaladBoys

BIG IRON, LEGENDS, EDINBURGH, JULY 19 2025

Dang, this was a sweaty one! Loud people in a sold-out LEGENDS.

My stills camera died a couple of days ago and the video cam stills are horrible, so there are no pics from this gig. Just to fill the space, I'll add some pics of my cat, TRICO. 

Line-up:

BAMBITOS: Very young, very bouncy, local alt-rock kids. An appropriately kittenish pic of Trico.

VIDEO: https://youtu.be/KmT26x1-phQ

NOTHING SPEAKS: A band I've not seen before and know nothing about. Local, hard rockers, a bit grungy in parts. Not grungy at all in other parts. Trico, showing his teefs.

VIDEO:  https://youtu.be/TaLehidCYpY    https://www.facebook.com/Nothingspeaksuk

BIG IRON: More local hard rockers, fronted by the wild-eyed and unpredictable Oliver Wardell, and here promoting their brand new EP. Interestingly, they wear the very same woollen garments displayed so fetchingly in the poster pic above. Trico looking wild-eyed and unpredictable.

VIDEO:  https://youtu.be/TTZ-48atZ-M   https://www.facebook.com/bigironisbig

BAMBITOS, BANSHEE LABYRINTH, EDINBURGH, MARCH 8 2025

 A step away from the recent spate of death-metal. Something a wee bit different from RED CRUST.

I'm entirely used to being older than most of the people onstage at gigs, but tonight even my children are older than everybody up there. Also, all of the bands featured here tonight are clearly far too cool for Facebook. I suspect that Instagram would be the place to look for them. That's where all of the young people hang out these days, is it not?

Line-up:

SOL MORTIS: The first of tonight's young hopefuls. It's not easy to work out exactly what it is that SOL MORTIS do, because they play only a few originals and mostly do covers, including the likes of THE CRANBERRIES, PARAMORE(I think) and, rather ambitiously, TOOL. Some kind of proggy alt-rock perhaps? This might well be their first proper gig, and their singer is clearly nervous. They're still finding their way, and just need more experience, and more original songs.

SERPENT: Confidence is something not lacking with these young fellows. Again, though, it's mostly covers - the usual kind of stuff you'd expect from a young 'groove-metal' band, including METALLICA, MOTORHEAD, PANTERA, BLACK SABBATH, LIMP BIZKIT, etc - with a smattering of sturdy originals, all delivered with the bravado of a band with years of experience. If I could offer one piece of advice, it would be for the singer to ditch the tie around the forehead. 

VIDEO:  https://youtu.be/QDVjA_ynw9E

BAMBITOS: Tonight's headliners, alt-rockers absolutely bursting with youthful energy. A set of mostly original songs barring, I think, just the one cover - a turbulent version of the DEAD KENNEDYS' 'California uber Alles' for which they are joined by SERPENT's singer, and during which I get punted onto the stage by the seething crowd. And a 'crowd' it certainly is, in a sold out Banshee. These kids are POPULAR and, if there is any justice, have good things ahead of them. 

VIDEO:  https://youtu.be/4t7QASz3E6Q