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

DELIVERING THE GOODS, BANNERMAN'S, EDINBURGH, AUGUST 30 2025

Now, it's no secret that I don't have a lot of time for tribute bands, so you might be wondering what I'm doing here tonight. Well, please allow me to clarify. DELIVERING THE GOODS is not really a 'tribute band'. It's more of a 'homage'. Put together by Ali Lauder of  any number of local extreme metal bands, it's a one-off* celebration of JUDAS PRIEST, featuring a set of deep cuts and album tracks. None of the 'greatest hits'. It's also Ali's 40th birthday**, and this is how he wants to mark it. And it's in aid of CATS PROTECTION, which is a very good thing.

* - Yes, I know they've played before, but it was just the once and I wasn't there.

** - Coincidentally, it was Rob Halford's 74th birthday a few days ago.

INTERESTING FACT (and yes, it absolutely IS a fact) - my next door neighbour's name is Judith Priest.

FULL DISCLOSURE: I don't actually like Judas Priest, but I DO like cats.

Line-up:

TYMVOS: Edinburgh-based death metal. Does exactly what it says on the tin. Got some new songs to play tonight, one of which you can find below.

VIDEO:   https://youtu.be/Q-5ehFX1c_4   https://www.facebook.com/Tymvosband

PENNY COFFIN: Glaswegian death metal. Brutal and very, very loud. My ears will still be ringing two days later.

VIDEO:   https://youtu.be/BcmAsxWkcSM  https://www.facebook.com/pennycoffindeath   

DELIVERING THE GOODS: Featuring members of BARSHASKETH, AGELESS SUMMONING, VOID OF LIGHT, BLACK TALON and IRON ALTAR. I wonder how many cows died to leather up this bunch of big lads. Regardless of my dislike for covers bands and Judas Priest, this is great fun. Probably helped by their avoidance of 'greatest hits'. The only title I recognise is 'Hell Bent for Leather', which you can enjoy in the video below. I am also impressed by Ali's remarkable vocal range, hitting heights I've never heard from him before.

VIDEO:  https://youtu.be/2-lzaskObhM

LANTERNS ON THE LAKE, LA BELLE ANGELE, EDINBURGH, AUGUST 23 2025

The second of two actual Edinburgh Festival gigs this year. This one's a band I've not seen for aaaaages*, but the wife quite fancied it, so why not?

* Good grief! Longer ago than I thought. 2013, it was.

 Line-up:

THEO BLEAK: Dundee based singer/songwriter, poetic and emotional, songs about life an' stuff. Not actually called Theo Bleak. Actually called Katie Lynch. Chap with the guitar is called Mark. Not overly active on the socials, but you could try Instagram.

Video:  https://youtu.be/JH2LqyjAN0I    https://www.instagram.com/theobleak

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LANTERNS ON THE LAKE: Alternative/indie cinematic dream-poppy almost-folk with a social conscience from Tyneside, they've been around since 2007, which is quite a long time ago. Last time I saw them I'm sure they had a violinist. No sign of her tonight. Never mind, they're still very good indeed, showing off a mix of old, new and rarely seen songs. 

Video:  https://youtu.be/RmrwDQTigqg   https://www.facebook.com/LanternsOnTheLake

CLOTH, LEITH DEPOT, EDINBURGH, AUGUST 12 2025

The first of two actual Edinburgh Festival Fringe shows this year. This one is part of a series of conversations with Vic Galloway combined with live sets. Tonight's show features indie kids CLOTH, fresh from their tour supporting the mighty MOGWAI. 

Incidentally, the ticket price for this gig included a £1.00 levy to help out independent venues. This is a VERY GOOD THING, and everybody should do it.

Line-up:

SIOBHAN WILSON: The wispiest of indie/alt-folk singer-songwriterism. Gentle and beguiling and absolutely lovely. Siobhan is SUFRECS, the organiser of this series of events. Her Bandcamp page would suggest that she has been doing this singing-songwriting thing for a number of years but she still displays a charming schoolgirlish excitement at doing it in front of an audience. A delight.

VIDEO:  https://youtu.be/sNwln8sTf2c   https://siobhanwilson.bandcamp.com/music  https://www.facebook.com/siobhanwilsonmusic

                                    

Next, we get the interview with Vic Galloway, well known DJ and presenter. Interesting, I guess, and a large part of the event concept, and even a chance for the audience to put a few questions to the band. However, the chat limits the band to a brief 5 song set, and I'd like to see more of them.

CLOTH: Glasgow-based but Borders-born twins Rachel and Paul Swinton, fresh off a big tour supporting Mogwai. They don't sound like Mogwai. Subtle, low-key indie, they're normally a three-piece, but they're playing without their drummer tonight. Which is odd, because he's here, at the back of the room, his duties being covered by a little box apparently called Roland. 

VIDEO:  https://youtu.be/GNFMzXI7GEM   https://www.facebook.com/clothband

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