Live music is back and it feels so good! On the 24th of last month I was pleased to finally see Glasgow’s Baby Strange live for the first time as they graced the stage of The Caves in Edinburgh, with support from The Roly Mo and put on by Edinburgh Uni Indie Music Society.
The Roly Mo
The Roly Mo kicked things off and warmed up the crowd with an energetic, no nonsense set that got the blood pumping. Frontman Joe Mortan’s smooth vocals kept the crowd captivated through the duration of the set, while Lewis Jaoui kept the rhythm on drums, Jack Livingston was formidable on the electric guitar, and Andrew Noble delivered rippling basslines. Always a pleasure to see live, their performance was slick as ever.
Their set featured established fan-favourites like ‘Control Yourself’ and the massive ‘I’ll Be Happy When You Die’, and tracks off the EP like the melodic ‘Count to Ten’ and the swaggering ‘Diamond Doll’. We were treated to a few new tunes too, all of which are excellent tracks and I am looking forward to their release. The Roly Mo have a lot to offer and are definitely an act worth catching live!
Baby Strange
Then it was time for the headliners to take the stage; Baby Strange played a hard-edged post-punk set packed with dark lyrical wit. They opened with the noisy fan favourite ‘More! More! More!’ which was infectious with its rumbling basslines and huge chorus.
They tore through the set with relentless energy, and performed a selection of tracks off this years ‘Land of Nothing’ EP such as the funk infused ‘There’s Something There’, the visceral ‘Over n Over’, thrashing ‘I Want To Believe’, and the gritty ‘Club Sabbath’ which filled the dancefloor. An absolute anthem.
Other highlights included the snarling ‘Job In The City (Working for Nothing)’, the blistering ‘Pure Evil’, which is an old favourite, and infectious mid-tempo rock number ‘VVV’ was electrifying.
The grand finale closing the set off was the euphoric ‘Pleasure City’. This track took no prisoners, the atmosphere was thrilling, and the whole crowd was singing along with their pints in the air. The perfect closing track.
Overall
In all it was a class night filled with strong Glasgow punk from the scenes finest. Both bands are at the top of their game right now and are extremely accomplished, especially when it comes to live performance. Thank you to both bands for a brilliant gig, and for injecting some much-needed life back into Edinburgh’s live music scene.
