RITUAL KING, THE HIVE, EDINBURGH, OCTOBER 22 2026

Heavy psych/stoners on tour, in an oddly lightless Hive. Not sure why it was so dark. Maybe somebody forgot to put 50p in the meter...

Line-up:

ARDUA: Local metalcore lads. Their first ever gig, it seems. Confident and clearly well-rehearsed. Singer sometimes seems unsure of what to do on stage when he's not singing. 

VIDEO:  https://youtu.be/eKE7S3qcz6g   https://www.facebook.com/ArduaUK

KURNEL FIST: The first hefty psych/blues stoner power trio of the evening, this one from Dundee.

VIDEO:  https://youtu.be/7xrJi_qNatQ  https://www.facebook.com/kurnelfist

OBSIDIAN SAND: Sludgy post-metal trio, mostly very loud, occasionally less so. Fond of long songs.

VIDEO:  https://youtu.be/wlTbHqbLy98   https://www.facebook.com/ObsidianSand

RITUAL KING: Tonight's main feature, and the second hefty psych/blues stoner power trio of the evening. All the way from Manchester. Didn't let a couple of feedback gremlins spoil the fun.

VIDEO:  https://youtu.be/QHH6kLfjSTg   https://www.facebook.com/ritualking

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.

CAPSULA, BANNERMAN'S, EDINBURGH, MARCH 10 2026

Sadly, I lose a couple of gigs from my schedule. One is lost to the closure of LEGENDS, and the other due to a last minute pull-out. Never mind, we've got this next. Never seen a band from Argentina before...

Every time. A Bannerman's event page says 'Doors at...' and I believe it. Every fucking time. And I KNOW that, every fucking time, I'll get there and have to stand at the door waiting for an hour. Every. Fucking. Time. Because one day, one glorious day, they'll open the doors at the advertised time. And I will, having expected the usual delay, arrive an hour late and miss half the gig. But not today. Once again, I have been misled.

Line-up:

RESPONSIBLE ADULTS: Local outfit, about whom I know nothing beyond what Instagram tells me : alt-rock/grunge/punk apparently. Well, sort of. More of a dad-rock wedding band, doing a mix of covers and originals. To be fair, the covers they do are a bit more adventurous than most, including QOTSA(but NOT one of the 'greatest hits'), ADELE, and JOY DIVISION (yes, THAT song). Anyway, it's only their second ever gig, and they'll probably get better with practice.

VIDEO:  https://youtu.be/3qO-A8_lWjQ  https://www.facebook.com/responsibleadultband

CAPSULA: The aforementioned Argentinians. Heavy-duty retro-psychedelic power trio, in Edinburgh for the very first time. They've been around for ages and know exactly what they're doing. They're very good, and the modest crowd loves them. When they come back - hopefully very soon - they should fill the place.

VIDEO:  https://youtu.be/yD49fXJPcVg  https://www.facebook.com/CapsulaBand
 

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.