KURNEL FIST, BANSHEE LABYRINTH, EDINBURGH, JULY 4 2026

Celebrating US Independence day with an evening of psych/stoner stuff from North of the river. Fortunately, no orange shitclowns involved.

Line-up:

THE UNDERNEATH: '3-Piece pineapplepizzapop extravaganza', apparently. Whatever THAT means. Judging from the rest of the bill, these lads come from Dundee. 

Reality: they're from West Lothian, there's only 2 of them (bass player absent for the evening - off seeing MCR apparently), and they play excitable fuzzy noisy rock. They're very good.

VIDEO:  https://youtu.be/-5K5okNY-ac   https://www.facebook.com/UnderneathFuzz

CRUISE ELROY: From Dundee, with a fondness for Lemon Fanta. Most of them used to be in SPEEDRUNNER, which tells me nothing at all. Fizzy, mathy alt-rock kinda thing

VIDEO:  https://youtu.be/ON7M6jL8IvY   https://www.instagram.com/cruise_elroy_band

INDICA: Cosmic desert rock trio, also from Dundee. They don't get out much - this is their first Edinburgh gig in 6 years. (Henry's Cellar Bar, supporting UNDER. I was there, to nobody's great surprise.)Worth the wait, though, because they are dead good.

VIDEO:  https://youtu.be/_JotXpwLcWg   https://www.instagram.com/indica.dundee

KURNEL FIST: 3-piece alt/stoners from - you guessed it - Dundee. Tonight's hosts. Something of a belated album release show for 'Seat With A View' from which most of tonight's set is taken. Plus a cheeky wee ALL THEM WITCHES cover.

VIDEO:  https://youtu.be/oTeeF9usUlI   https://www.facebook.com/kurnelfist

Quality gig, poorly attended. The hazards of trying to run a DIY gig in Edinburgh when you're in Dundee. I had fun, though.

DAY SLEEPER, SNEAKY PETE'S, EDINBURGH, SEPTEMBER 9 2025

 A quick dip into indie-land before next weekend's Core Fest metal overload

Line-up:

DEEP SEA CREATURE: Usually solo singer-songwriter project of LIAM DEMPSEY who, by sheer coincidence, is also in DAY SLEEPER. Joined tonight by a couple of friends for the latter half of his set. Emotional stuff, but with a side of wry humour.

VIDEO:  https://youtu.be/zDlYtqvscuo   https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61566873721151

GOODNIGHT LOUISA: 'Dark pop' artist, FKA  Louise McCraw. Because that's her name. Fragile and beguiling and entirely lovely. 

VIDEO:   https://youtu.be/FlS77OtGLKU   https://www.facebook.com/goodnightlouisa

DAY SLEEPER: Robust indiepop, featuring the impressive voice - and enormous trousers -  of LEO BARGERY. They battle against chronic technical issues throughout their set, but soldier on like true heroes despite their evident frustration, and put on a fine show regardless.

VIDEO:  https://youtu.be/k96zTDS2C0g    https://www.facebook.com/daysleeperisaband

SOLITARY, LEGENDS, EDINBURGH, SEPTEMBER 21 2024

One of two simultaneous RED CRUST gigs happening in Edinburgh tonight. Being a hero, I shall endeavour to be at both of them.

Unlike the other gig tonight, this one DOES have supports. However, due to the early start I miss the first and, due to being elsewhere, also miss the third. So, with that in mind...

LINE-UP:

CHECKHOV'S GUN: One day, I WILL see you.

REVELATION 23: The only band on tonight's bill that I've seen before. Local gothy alt-metal duo, the least 'metal' of tonight's bands - well, the two I managed to see, anyway.

VIDEO:   https://youtu.be/fjjgJFMTtcs    https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61555304594170

Have to skip out at this point (to see this https://thefudlip.blogspot.com/2024/09/dirty-sound-magnet-mash-house-edinburgh.html ) and miss the next band, but I'm sure they are awesome.

FATAL COLLISION:

And I'm back, in time for:

SOLITARY: Out on tour, Preston, Lancashire's thrash veterans can't quite believe how hot it is on stage in Legends, and seem surprised to be playing in front of a substantial crowd. Declare London crowds to be a bit 'soft'. Being Scottish, I can find no argument with that.

                                    

VIDEO:  https://youtu.be/ighex6Thl0A   https://www.facebook.com/Official.Solitary

Two gigs in one night, done. Wish I'd seen more, but you can't have everything, eh? Anyway, Duncan at Red Crust says he won't be doing THAT again. And who can blame him?.

STRANGEFORMS FEST, BRUDENELL SOCIAL CLUB,LEEDS, DAY 1, APRIL 6 2024

Leeds' premier math/post/etc-rock festival returns for its 9th outing, seeing the return of some old favourites and introducing some new ones.

VENUE: BRUDENELL SOCIAL CLUB, LEEDS

Line-up:

LOVE RARELY: Local mathy alt-rock. Energetic and good fun.

VIDEO:  https://youtu.be/6fwWTeytdMI   https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61550628900569

DIN OF CELESTIAL BIRDS: Hefty post-rock lads from Leeds. I've been hassling Stewart at BAD OWL to get these onto the StrangeForms bill for ages, and here they are. How much influence I had on that I can't say, but I choose to believe that they're only here because of me. Because I'm important. Yes.

VIDEO:  https://youtu.be/AHBFVDggTmE   https://www.facebook.com/DinofCelestialBirds

PLEIADES: Another chance to see these post-everything chaps from Manchester after last week's appearance at the RED CRUST fest in Edinburgh, and another chance to get a decent sounding video. Success, I think, on both counts.

VIDEO: https://youtu.be/9h09wtpfWLM  https://www.facebook.com/pleiadesuk

DEMCATS: 'Experimental' duo, difficult to define. Intricate, and a bit jazzy, perhaps. I have the impression that they hadn't played together for some time, but they seemed to manage. Mostly.

VIDEO: https://youtu.be/qnMENuH40qo   https://www.facebook.com/demcatsband

OTHER HALF: Spiky and good fun, indie-punks from Norwich. I might have been tempted to dance to this, if I weren't an old fat bloke who dances like a collapsing sack of potatoes.

VIDEO:  https://youtu.be/MfQZkzlHvnY   https://www.facebook.com/otherhalfuk

FALL OF MESSIAH: French screamo/post-rock veterans, they were at StrangeForms in 2016, 2017 and 2019, and still look exactly the same as they ever did. Guitarist on the left, white t-shirt, was apparently playing with a broken neck, which seems inadvisable at best.

VIDEO:  https://youtu.be/AHJoI-0Cmp8  https://www.facebook.com/fallofmessiah

FALSE ADVERTISING: From SF regulars to SF newbies - boisterous indie-math popsters from Manchester are enormous fun. 

VIDEO:  https://youtu.be/msx1otbnn9E   https://www.facebook.com/falseadv

CLT DRP: Uncompromising Brighton electro-punks. They sound a bit angry.

VIDEO:   https://youtu.be/mndAZApQiTo   https://www.facebook.com/CLTDRP

EMPLOYED TO SERVE: No nonsense heavy metal from exotic Woking. Not standard StrangeForms fare, to be sure, but very popular with the punters in the room, many of whom are, I think, here just to see them.

VIDEO:  https://youtu.be/YZMlfqcZFA0   https://www.facebook.com/employedtoserve

Day 1 over, and it's time to bugger off. Been a mixed bag of a day, but there's been nothing I hated, which is always nice. It's started to rain, so it's a 15 minute sprint-walk down the hill to the overheated hotel to try and get some rest for tomorrow.