DAY SLEEPER, MASH HOUSE, EDINBURGH, NOVEMBER 30 2024

 Yet another show featuring too much smoke and hostile lighting. But not any kind of 'metal', this time.

Line-up:

ANNIE BOOTH: Local singer/songwriter, understated and melancholic. She has a heavy cold today, but still gives us a fine show, fragile, delicate and simply lovely. The only set of the night NOT to feature the skills of Edwin McLachlan, drummer of DAY SLEEPER, SCARRED LIP, YOUNG FATHERS, and SHUDDER(anybody remember them?) but probably best known for his work as vocalist in hip-hop trio BRITNEY.  She'll be back later.

VIDEO:https://youtu.be/cHDF6pThfgU    https://www.facebook.com/annieboothmusic

SCARRED LIP: Singer/guitarist Matthew reckons this is an amalgamation of everything he has done in the past, particularly A FIGHT YOU CAN'T WIN and HALF FORMED THINGS, and it's hard to disagree. Quality alt-rock with a hint of Americana. Features the drum skills of E McLachlan of DAY SLEEPER, etc (see above) and, most notably, singer of blackened bluegrass trio BRITNEY*. They bring ANNE BOOTH back to join them for one song, which is becoming something of a tradition(It was MAGPIE BLUE last time I saw them) 

I'll add a Facebook link below as usual, but there's not a lot happening there.

* Is this joke getting boring yet? 

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

DAY SLEEPER: A local band I have managed to avoid - unintentionally, by the way - until now. Seeing them now makes me regret that. More of that alt-rock stuff with, to my ears at least, definite flavours of the likes of WATERBOYS and BLUE NILE. But what the fuck do I know? I'm a post-metal guy. 

I've seen - and liked - singer LEO BARGERY doing his solo piano stuff, so it's nice to hear his rich'n'creamy voice with a full band. Which, incidentally, features the drum skills etc etc...but most notably of three man chamber orchestra BRITNEY**.

The show ends with a reappearance of the delightful ANNIE BOOTH with an acoustic song out in the middle of the crowd. Which is nice.

** OK, that's the last time. Even I'm bored now.

VIDEO:  https://youtu.be/Meel8nTXf40   https://www.facebook.com/daysleeperisaband

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.