Wild Fire/Bad Actress /Lixx /Scotland Rocks Radio at The Banshee Labyrinth, Edinburgh. Romeo's Daughter/Sweet Crisis at Bannermans Edinburgh. Friday 25th March 2022

I started off at the first of Scotland Rocks Radio’s Friday night ‘Live and Loud’ sessions at The Banshee Labyrinth, half-way up Niddry Street, which connects The Royal Mile and The Cowgate in Edinburgh’s Old Town.

Now, you probably associate Galashiels with sheep, rugby and in-breeding more than rock music, although that is where Neil Murray is from and The MacArts Centre is good, but Wild Fire are here to change all that with their very fine metal noise. They also do a nice line in self-deprecating wit, as they have boldly declared themselves as ‘the best dressed band ever to come out of the Scottish Borders’ – I’d hate to see the worst dressed! The singer is definitely the culprit who would most offend the fashion police, with his unbuttoned blouse and spandex trousers combo. They are just young lads though, so his pecs and chest hair may still develop but, in the meantime, a sock or two in the pants might help if you want to pull off the Samson-era Bruce Dickinson look properly.

The band go for a vintage NWOBHM sound, and they nail it with some aplomb. They feature a particularly tasty twin-guitar assault from Keir Ballantyne and Nick Smith and, despite – or perhaps because of - his sartorial crimes, Mikey Roberts can really hit some high notes and has a likeable stage presence. ‘Gimme A Kiss’ is a strong song and the title track of their ‘Screaming for Mercy’ EP is a 7-minute epic. All of this helped them win the Dreadnought heat of M2TM and they should have a great chance in the Glasgow semi next month. Theirs was a really decent and enjoyable set to open the evening and you can catch them during April on a short Scottish tour with Dolarhyde and Medusa Touch, and they’ve got a support slot with Twister at Bannerman's on 23rd April.

As soon as the lads were finished, I fired down the hill to my spiritual home at Bannerman's. Usain Bolt could probably do it in less than 3 seconds but it didn’t take me much longer, although my times got worse as I became ‘impaired’ over the course of the evening (pints at The Banshee start at £2.50!)

I don’t think I missed much of Sweet Crisis and I’m glad about that. They’ve been getting a bit of a buzz off the back of their new album ‘Tricks on My Mind’ and they’ve been described as ‘the missing link between Free and The Black Keys’. Their chilled-out bluesy vibe presents a big contrast to the young lads up the road; they are clearly seasoned musicians and to a man, they’re fully bearded, hirsute and coiffed! The first full song I caught was ‘Black Magic’, which features some nice keyboard work, although sadly not from Don Airey, who plays on the album version. Unusually for Bannerman's, the band have stationed their own drum kit in front of the headliners’ kit so there is a definite physical barrier between band members on the small stage. That does not impact the music though, as they work seamlessly together with brilliant harmonies and slick interplay, particularly between Victor Robarts on vocals and guitarist, Piers Mortimer.

‘One Way Traffic’ has a very cool feel and I was relieved not to have missed their signature song ‘Ain’t Got Soul’. They let this one grow and develop, so it gives them the space for all the players to flourish - a very tasty tune which has had some well-deserved recognition. Their ‘Love Me Like Sugar’ was, I think, my favourite song of the whole evening. It’s got a lascivious, below-the-belt feel, with soulful vocals over the top of a sumptuous bass line, along with some sweet guitar and keyboard work – very lush. The title track of the album was another highlight. You can tell from the fuzzed-up intro that this is gonna go the way of the Kravitz and it does, in irresistible style. Fortunately, I was able to find a dark corner of Bannerman's so that I could get my dad-dancing groove on largely unnoticed. At that point, I had to cut and run again, pausing only to buy a copy of the album so that I can give them a proper listen later.

The Live and Loud show had sold out earlier that day so a good crowd had already heard a couple of songs from Highland lads, Bad Actress by the time I got back in. They are defiantly and unashamedly glam, so lots of spandex, headbands and hairspray and they ram that home with a cover of Poison’s ‘Talk Dirty to Me’ alongside their own song ‘High Speed Heartbreak’. The Banshee Labyrinth has been described as ‘Scotland’s most-haunted pub’ with banshees, ghosts and ghouls. On the night, there was no sign of any ghosties but I clearly saw a couple of ghoulies in guitarist Chick’s too-tight trousers – definitely not a chick! I’ve really enjoyed watching these guys progress through the StormBreakers heats to the WinterStorm main stage and they’ve already developed so much in a short time. Vinnie on vocals must now have reached peak rock star status and confidence, as he’s wearing shades indoors all night and they’ve even got their own book on the merchandise stall, I think written by the dad of the three brothers. You’d be hard placed not to smile and enjoy one of their sets. Tonight, they include the imminent single ‘She’s Got Fire’ (and ‘balls’ apparently) and presumably they’ll be playing that when they support Marco Mendoza at Bannerman's on 5th April. They might look a bit like Bad News but it’s good news all the way for these guys and there’s much more to come in the future.

As soon as they’re finished, it’s back down to Bannerman's for me and there’s just time for a pish and a pint before Romeo’s Daughter come on. It’s always a pleasure to see them and they go top-heavy by opening with a couple of their best numbers, with Leigh Matty still promising ‘Heaven in the Back Seat’ and then ‘Attracted to the Animal’. Leigh is delightful as ever with her ‘posh-totty’ charm – she’s definitely a national treasure- and she explained that this was meant to be their 30th anniversary tour but, of course, it’s been delayed a few times. It’s a more modest post-covid crowd than they deserve but apparently, they’re just pleased to be out there again and they clearly enjoy being in each other’s company and playing together. Don’t forget that they’ve released a couple of cracking albums this century too, with another to come this year, and I was very pleased to hear the exquisite ‘Alive’ and ‘Bittersweet’ from ‘Rapture’ and ‘Radio’ from ‘Spin’ before bolting out the door and up the road again.

My biggest blunder on the evening was mis-judging the stage times at Live and Loud. The event FB page indicated an 11PM finish but I should have guessed it would be an earlier curfew. Just as I was heading down the steps to the Banshee basement at about 10:15, I heard the dreaded words “this is our last song”. When I turned the corner, there was clearly an air of euphoric mayhem in the jam-packed room with the crowd rocking out in a frenzy, ‘taps-aff’ on the stage, and singer, Joe, giving it the full Iggy Pop on ‘Chills’. I think I might have missed something a bit special here.

Fortunately, the black-eyed compere, Paul Moss, popped up on stage to facilitate one more song, which turned out to be ‘Zero Zero’ which, like the previous song, is from their 2021 album, ‘V8’. It’s another well received belter, even if the countdown singalong bit was arithmetically beyond me by that point. Hearing only two songs from these guys on the night was a travesty, especially as they specialize in sub-3-minute, punky salvos, so I will definitely have to prioritise seeing them at the next available opportunity.

I was very impressed with the whole Live and Loud experience, especially for only £8. I gather there are monthly events planned, with the next one on 29th April, involving Tantrum, Victorius and Profitzero. It’s well worth supporting.

The only plus point of my Lixx blunder was that I got to sneak back into Bannerman's for the end of Romeo’s Daughter’s set. I’m just in time for Craig Joiner to introduce ‘I Cry Myself to Sleep’ with that familiar guitar motif. It’s the signature song that contains the band’s name, and tunes like that and ‘Wild Child’ can’t help but give you a warm and fuzzy nostalgic feeling.

It all makes for a delicious contrast on the night between the bombast and excitement of the Banshee gig, compared to the stylish, laid back and classy performances we were treated to at Bannerman's. Both gigs were great, all the bands were very enjoyable and, although a bit hectic at times, it was a really brilliant double-header and I’m glad I squeezed them both in.