SLOTH, FRINGE BY THE SEA, NORTH BERWICK, AUGUST 5 2025

FRINGE BY THE SEA is a 10 day multi-arts festival in the normally sedate seaside town of North Berwick, East Lothian. It's also only a few miles away from my house. It would, therefore, be rude of me to not pop along for a sample. The list of bands appearing includes the likes of BOOMTOWN RATS, AIR, THE BLUEBELLS, SANDI THOM, EDDIE READER, etc. so, obviously, I choose to see local ambient post-rocky shoegazers SLOTH. 

The festival takes place in, around and near North Berwick, but the main events happen in two tents in the Lodge grounds. A big tent - to the right of the picture below - and a not-so-big geodesic dome of a tent - to the left. SLOTH are in the latter. You should note that the picture was taken BEFORE the tents were erected.

Today's event narrowly escaped Storm Floris, which passed by yesterday shutting everything down for the day.

But it's all OK now.

This is, possibly, one of the oddest audiences I've ever been in. It's quite busy, half of the crowd looking like -no offence intended here - middle class holiday makers and parents, and the other half  being a few dozen small children, ages maybe 4 to 10-ish. Oldies at the back, kiddies on beanbags at the front.  I have my doubts whether the kids have the patience for SLOTH's ambient hypnotic post-rock style and, indeed, there is a lot of fidgeting and chattering, but it's all pretty good natured and nobody minds. I do, however, get the impression that the band is holding back, and would be happy to get all Mogwai on us if they had a chance. Also, as we are surrounded by food stalls, the whole tent smells faintly of popcorn and fish.

VIDEO:   https://youtu.be/1e1OBqYKGhE

SLOTH don't do Facebook, or the socials generally, but you can find them on Instagram if you look hard enough - @sloth._band, I think... They also have one song on Bandcamp, coincidentally the song on the above video.

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

GOBLINSMOKER, LEGENDS, EDINBURGH, JUNE 28 2025

Newcastle's premier Toad King worshippers return to Edinburgh for RED CRUST PROMOTIONS' last gig before Duncan takes a well earned break.

Line-up:

SOLAR SONS: Old school hairy heavy metal from Dundee with an evident fondness for IRON MAIDEN, which will become clear. For fans of galloping riffs, beards, etc. Slightly extended set tonight, because of the below.

VIDEO:  https://youtu.be/PXjbPlcI65M   https://www.facebook.com/solarsonsofficial

CULT OF SOBEK:  Sadly pulled out, because it seems the singer has picked up some heinous lurgy from the fetid swamps of the Nile, or something.

GOBLINSMOKER: Out on tour promoting their new album, part 3 of the Toad King trilogy, 'The King's Eternal Throne'. Slightly extended set tonight, because of the above. As expected, new tunes are played. Not, to be fair, radically different from the OLD songs. But, then, why would they be?

VIDEO:  https://youtu.be/Xo8iJ3ARp8s   https://www.facebook.com/Goblinsmoker

And with that, Big Duncan at Red Crust takes a step back from gig promotion, to have some well-earned family time. But he'll be back, eventually. He has plans...

WILD AGAIN, LEITH DEPOT, EDINBURGH, JUNE 21 2025

 Typically wonky selection from FUZZBAT in the sweatbox that is Leith Depot. 

Line-up:

ERRANT BOY: Not exactly in the first flush of youth, these jangly indie types have been away for a while, but are back with new material. Sitting somewhere in the space between the Smiths and Talking Heads, but sounding like neither of them, the songs have a whiff of wistful nostalgia about them.

VIDEO:   https://youtu.be/0E2-bVMiSv8    https://errantmedia.bandcamp.com/album/memory-fractures

PORTABLE HEADS: Insanely skilful lads from Dundee. A rousing blend of prog, psych, noise, and post-punk, and very, very sweaty, despite some interesting trouser choices. Drummer appeared about to spontaneously combust at any moment. Caught them a few times now, and this was probably the best set I've seen them play.

VIDEO:   https://youtu.be/61DZRNMqfkI   https://www.facebook.com/portableheads

WILD AGAIN:  Hard to classify, these folks. Formed from the remains of DEAD WHITE MALES, they're not quite post-rock, not quite prog, not quite folk, not quite dream-pop, not quite shoegaze, not quite a lot of things. Mostly, but not entirely, floaty and ethereal, they retain the use of Just Intonation which so characterised the sound of DWM, but now with added violin and no drums.

VIDEO:  https://youtu.be/5bqh7M9BH7Q    https://wildagain.bandcamp.com/album/wild-again

ACCEPTANCE, BANSHEE LABYRINTH, EDINBURGH, JUNE 20 2025

What better way to get back to gigging than an evening of pure filth and beautiful noise in a tiny room? On possibly the hottest night of the year so far.

Line-up:

A.V.L: Pulling a double shift tonight, with a sludge set and a noise set. Seen them very briefly once before, and very happy to get the chance to see them again. They start with a lengthy noise/drone piece and segue into a bruising drums/bass/vocals sludge/grind set, many songs and lots of sweat. 

VIDEO 1, Sludge set:  https://youtu.be/jzXn_uQyaQo    

VIDEO 2, Noise/drone set:  https://youtu.be/F89WPZA-MO0

CANAAN BALSAM: Ambient/electronica knob twiddling. Spoken word vocals with added violin and hand-saw. Eerie and unsettling, and quite beautiful. Not that it's particularly relevant, but the man himself looks like a blend of Limmy and Thom Yorke.

VIDEO:   https://youtu.be/TVKPEM_SIxg    https://www.facebook.com/canaanbalsam

ACCEPTANCE: Black metal from Leeds, fka FATALIST, not to be confused with the other Fatalist or, indeed, FATALISTS. Appearing tonight as a trio, their bass player being ill. Doesn't seem to phase them though, and they are spectacular. Not sure if that drill-like guitar sound is deliberate or just a consequence of the lack of a bassist, but it all seems to work.

VIDEO:   https://youtu.be/xoPDp4qDBK8    https://www.facebook.com/Acceptance.Leeds

A belter of a gig, quality from start to finish. Cheers to The Kurgan for bringing Acceptance to Scotland for the very first time, and special thanks to the sound man for doing a cracking job and making everything crystal clear.