The FudBlog

Saturday, November 1, 2025

ROBOT DEATH MONKEY, ROYAL BRITISH LEGION, DUNBAR, OCTOBER 31 2025

The 'hardest band in Scotland' bothering the locals.

Scene veterans and a handful of noisy local youth combos. It's a small town, and I guess the pool of available talent is quite shallow, so some faces crop up in several bands.

Things I learned today: Young people don't use Facebook, so I have to include Instagram links instead.

Line-up:

THE MOTLEY: The youngest band on the bill tonight. Inexperienced but enthusiastic, with a solid

'don't care' attitude and raw garage rock sound. Impressive drummer.

VIDEO: https://www.instagram.com/_the.motley_/

THORNE: 'Pure Scottish rock'. If, by 'Scottish', we mean 'grungy, Smashing Pumpkins/L7 influenced. I have it on good authority that their singer is, in the practice room, pretty solid, but she is struggling to hold it together tonight for some reason. I guess more gig experience will sort that out.

VIDEO: https://www.instagram.com/thorne_band_/

INFERNAL SLAUGHTER: It should come as no surprise that these folks play 'old school death metal', and play it pretty well. I fail to get any video of these lads, due to a combination of technical issues (mine AND theirs) and an irritating photographer who would insist on standing right in front of me every time I tried to record. Extra irritating as this is their very first gig, and it would have been nice to get a record.

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61581653782342

HAZED: fka ATOMETAL. Neither name is particularly appropriate, to be honest, as they both imply some kind of stoner/doom sound, whereas we actually get decent standard thrash.

VIDEO: https://www.instagram.com/hazed_band/

THE REIVERS: These'll be the 'hardcore punks' then. No, they won't really. Punky, yes. Hardcore? Not really. Chaotic? Definitely!

VIDEO: https://www.instagram.com/the.reivers_/

ROBOT DEATH MONKEY: We all know who they are, surely. Short notice addition to the bill, as the original headliners - whoever they were - pulled out. Fortunately, our favourite turbo-stoners have a long association with The Space, and were happy to step in.

VIDEO: https://youtu.be/vxVnU9Y0Md4 https://www.facebook.com/RobotDeathMonkey

Monday, October 27, 2025

VEXATIONS, WEE RED BAR, EDINBURGH, OCTOBER 25 2025

A double EP release show. This one's going to be chaos. With any luck.

Line-up:

OCH VEY: Joyous Yiddish folk-punk, keeping the klezmer spirit alive. Seditious, anti-authoritarian and pro-Palestine. And quite right too. Much dancing happens.

VIDEO: https://youtu.be/hmM-U5-55N0 https://www.facebook.com/ochveymusic

SHINLIFTER: Another new band for me, in-yer-face post-punk this time, angular and spiky. Attitude by the bucketful, and always teetering on the verge of chaos but never quite falling in. Joined at one point by friendly heckler Colin, cheerfully improvising along to a song whose words he does not know.

VIDEO: https://www.instagram.com/shinlifter/?hl=en

VEXATIONS: Local 'off-kilter post punk' quartet giving THEIR new EP a run-through. I HAVE seen these folks before - at THE HOME BAR up the road - and they haven't got any less intense since that gig. Fierce,

VIDEO: https://www.facebook.com/vexationsedinburgh

BONUS CONTENT!

At the end of VEXATIONS; set, they are joined for a chaotic rendition of THE STOOGES' 'I Wanna be Your Dog'. Bodies everywhere, Enormous fun.

VIDEO: https://youtu.be/hmM-U5-55N0

Saturday, October 25, 2025

ACID REFLUX, LEGENDS, EDINBURGH, OCTOBER 24 2025

Sludge-metal, sludge-crust, sludge-doom and sludge-jazz. Sludge. Apparently 'The Kurgan' is the bad guy from the 'Highlander' movie. I know that because I looked it up.

Shamefully under-attended gig, despite heavy promotion from Ali at The Kurgan. Those of us who DO show up are treated to some good stuff.

LINE-UP:

AAC TRIO: Their first ever Edinburgh gig. Experimental doomjazz trio featuring Andrew Cairns of Acidsaurus Bong on baritone guitar, a drummer and someone playing an enormous saxophone. I expect some combination of bonk, thud and parp. I might even find out their names.

They are excellent, despite my initial reservations. After all, I like neither jazz nor saxophones. But they're less jazz and more kraut/psych, and that giant sax is more like a weapon of war than a musical instrument.

VIDEO: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61579736272396

FOREVER MACHINE: Glaswegian 'funeral thrash' combo. Seen them before, but not for a wee while. I remember liking them. I still do, although their sound seems to have edged somewhat towards the 'post-metal'. Perhaps they have been listening to a lot of NEUROSIS in the intervening years.

VIDEO: https://www.facebook.com/forevermachine

A.V.L: Anybody's guess whether we'll get A.V.L sludge or A.V.L drone/noise, because they can do either. Or perhaps both.

What we get is more like a set of turbo charged sludgegrind, and it's very very good. Not overly fond of our current government..

VIDEO: https://www.facebook.com/avlband

ACID REFLUX: Somewhat enigmatic Glaswegians. Possibly sludge, possibly doom, possibly stoner. Definitely from Glasgow. Turns out to be tar-thick absolutely filthy sludge. Played by very young people.

VIDEO: https://www.instagram.com/acid.reflux.band.official/

Well, there you go. Friday night in Edinburgh, a line-up of interesting new(ish) bands, and only a handful of punters show up. Ali is feeling a bit disheartened, as well he might, but the band folks I speak with are philosophical about it. '2 or 200, doesn't matter, ' says the lad from A.V.L, 'If one person leaves having enjoyed the gig, then I'm happy.' Or words to that effect. Fair enough.