Marc Valentine / Logoz - Bannerman’s, Edinburgh Saturday 13th July 2024

I decided to brave the cold and wet July night and head to Bannerman's. As usual, the bar area was busy. Members of Edinburgh’s alternative scene were to be found having a beer and catch up whilst sitting next to tourists who had taken shelter and decided to stay.

I got a beer and cash back for the cash only tickets at the venue door and paid my £13. I arrived to see first band of the night Logoz part of the way through their set. Logoz were a punk-pop outfit from the North East of England. Tonight, they were a three piece, two guitars and a drummer. No bass. I think they may usually play with a four stringer but those strings were absent tonight. Although I really enjoyed their set, I did think they missed out on having a bit of bottom end to give a grounding to their sound. If they come again I will definitely head along, they had all the vibes I enjoy, I’d just have enjoyed it more if there was a bass player.

I grabbed a beer and waited for the headliner, Marc Valentine. I had done no research and absolutely no idea what to expect, although the sounds of the openers did give a hint.

Around 9:30 a four piece hit the stage led by a diminutive figure in a floppy cap and scarf.

The start was no messing and this beat combo bounced into their first tunes of the night “Complicated Sometimes” from Marc’s current album, Basement Sparks, then into “Linear Slopes” from 2022’s Future Obscure. I was liking this! This was really well put together power pop.

After a brief ‘hello’ Marc and his mates jumped into “Break My Heart Away” another from Future Obscure and then single released in January this year, “Strange weather”.

By now, I was sold. This was a great set of musicians playing some banging tunes. I was standing near the front of the Bannerman’s concert room and looked over my shoulder to see the crowd. I didn’t have to strain my eyes. Here we were in Edinburgh on a Saturday night and only 17 people had turned up to see a live band, who were playing for the price of a one and half pints. Now, I appreciate we were under the shadow of the Castle which was full that night as it played host to The Jam’s former singer, but come on; could we not raise more than 17 on a Saturday night. I am sure Marc had counted the size of the crowd, but he didn’t let on. I always think a mark of a performer’s passion is to be found in small crowds in small places. Marc and his band played like it was they who were performing at the Castle. They put in the effort, the tunes and the determination.

On with the music, 2023’s “Jinx of Finchley Road” took us into “Dancing in the Fire” and “I Wanna be Alone”.

“Last Train Tonight” brought the set to an end. As always, there is nowhere in Bannerman’s for bands to escape to for a quick break and, so the band hung about on stage for a few moments before breaking into The Shirelles classic, “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow”. A cover is often a nice way to end the show and it worked well tonight.

This was a night were nobody was going to make money from the performance, there were just too many overheads and too few tickets sold. What Marc and his mates did, however, was make memories and, certainly in me, found a new fan.

Wandering back though the July rain, I reflected on a really good night. It’s nice to find new bands and to leave them smiling. Music is under more pressure now than ever before and for people like Marc Valentine, it’s a real labour of love. If you are reading this, then you are a music fan. What about next time your out with mates, why not buy tickets to a Bannerman’s gig as your round…the bands would love you for it and your mates just might enjoy a great night of power pop that leaves them smiling!