The Gaslight Anthem/Fatherson/Emily Wolfe - O2 Academy, Edinburgh 19th March 2024

We rocked up bang on 7:30 and grabbed a quick beer before heading into the hall. Tonight’s opener, Emily Wolfe, had already started. By the time we walked through the doors she was bedecked in a double necked white guitar that gave her the option of twelve or six string riffage; she made good use of both. She certainly can play guitar and I very much enjoyed the couple she played with that beast. Emily let us know she had 10 minutes left and decided to do some ‘rock bangers’. She certainly delivered. The last couple of tunes really hit the mark and many, in the growing crowd, were starting to bang their heads in time with it all. Her short set over, this diminutive, black clad, American walked off, I hope, happy. She’d left us with a lot to smile about.

Next up were Scots rockers Fatherson. I’ll start by saying what I said to my mate as soon as they finished…how have I never heard them before! Wow, they gave us 30 minutes of a lot of rock, a good bit of jangle and a big wall of sound. They describe themselves as a three piece but had a fourth member playing rhythm guitar last night, they sounded great for that. Their opening number, “Open Book” was a ripper, “Charm School” and “Better Friend” kept the heavy vibe going and they finished strongly with their 2018 single “Making Waves”. It was great to see a Scottish band having an opportunity to play for an audience of this size. I think they made the most of it and really left their mark. I will be making a point of turning up Fatherson though the speakers at home and very much hope to see them again soon. If you get a chance to go to one of their gigs, go; you’ll not be disappointed.

Now for the main event, The Gaslight Anthem. They were here as an add on having sold out the O2 in Glasgow the night before, the Edinburgh date was slotted in. That can be a high-risk strategy. Many east coasters will have committed to heading west and may not plan to go twice. Others may think, ‘well, the setlist will be the same, so what’s the point”? And, as I mentioned, it's still a Tuesday night in Edinburgh.

So, lets start with the crowd size. This gig was not sold out, but it was pretty close and the atmosphere was buzzing. Here’s my unscientific observation about Gaslight Anthem crowds; they are unusually tall! This is the third time I’ve seen them and on every occasion it's felt like there must be basketballers conventions taking place at the same time. My other observation is that tonight it is couple-tastic. That’s not something that is usually notable at gigs, tonight it was. Date night at a concert is a very good thing I reckon.

It's also clear from the get-go that a large part of the crowd are die hards. The jumping starts immediately, there are hands in the air from the off and the words are sung by so many around me it could be a choir. All great things to see.

Finally, the setlist thing. This is a band with the back catalogue that offers them plenty of options. It's also pretty clear they have rehearsed the nuts out off their tour. Tonight’s set brings in all the tunes you want to hear from The Gaslight Anthem but is so different from the previous night’s set in Glasgow as to be almost unrecognisable. So for those who paid for two tickets, it's really good value for money. This is an approach other bands could take a useful lesson from.

When The Gaslight Anthem come on it’s for a full thrusters start. “Positive Charge”, “Hand Written” and “Old White Lincoln” set us off. There is no room for chat or a breather for the first 45 minutes of this 22 song set. Instead, “Great Expectations” “Blue Dahlia” and “The Spirit of Jazz” help whirl us to 10PM and time for a breath.

Band leader, Brian Fallon, is a witty guy and knows how to play a crowd. He pronounces Edinburgh wrongly, as a good deal of Americans do, before asking the crowd to shout it back to him which we do with enthusiasm. The next communal chant is for Irn Bru…only in Scotland. The role the Scots played in preventing a Roman invasion of America is the next thing Brian shares with the crowd. Whilst we were left a little perplexed, with many of us wondering if we were off sick the day Scottish history was taught in school, we were also left smiling. Fallon is a warm guy and his interaction with the crowd demonstrated an authenticity which we all enjoyed. This was also the moment he chose to reintroduce Emily Wolfe who returned to play along with a couple of songs. “The Weatherman” and my favourite of the evening, the 2008’s EP cut, “Blue Jeans and White T-Shirts” benefitted from her harmonies and guitaring.

Emily said goodnight, so she could wave off her wife, who was due to return to the States to pick out a rescue dog – see, once the chat flowed it took many more unexpected turns; we got the feeling we were at the business end of the gig.

“American Slang” and “Michigan, 1975” featured in the final few songs. Like so much of The Gaslight Anthems work, there were songs reflecting on times gone by. Not all good times but times that shape the present and help us to be who we are now. I’ve always found The Gaslight Anthem songs to prompt my own memories. Some to smile to, others to learn from.

At 10:45 there was no time to head off for an encore, so the band cracked on towards the finish. “45”, “The 59 Sound” and “The Backseat” took us to a fantastic close. The band left us with a wall of feedback before the PA burst into Thin Lizzy to help us get to the door.

The evening produced three bands who were all at the top of their game and who each, in their different ways, really grabbed the crowd by the scruff of the neck and gave them a good shake.

If all Tuesday night gigs in Edinburgh were like this, life would be much be much improved. I reckon this is the sort of thing Brian Fallon could write a pretty good reflective song about. There’s a challenge for you Brian!