“Their setlist boasted how far their musical talents go.”
Recently, The Edinburgh Collective announced a series of shows each week known as “See You On Thursday“. On October 26th, Edinburgh’s Cabaret Voltaire hosted local talent James Low and four-piece The Fat Stacks.
James Low
Edinburgh based singer-songwriter James Low filled the intimate venue with his welcoming vocals. Low, who began writing his own material in 2018, performed a set that boasted his incredible voice. It was a set filled with mesmerising melodies which seemed to entice all of those there.
Low’s intricate guitar playing and delightfully clear singing would float anyone away on a musical trance. While he has no singles currently released, but demos available to listen to via his Instagram page, he is definitely still an artist to watch.
You can often find James Low busking in various settings around the Scottish capital. However, I highly encourage you to see him if you ever see his name on a gig poster. With a voice as remarkable as his, it will be a show you won’t regret going to.
The Fat Stacks
Also playing a hometown set were Edinburgh four-piece The Fat Stacks. While the band itself is a relatively new formation, each member of the group brings with them impressive talent that shines through especially well when playing live together. The Fat Stacks involve the work of guitarist Tom Walker, bassist Patryk Grzonkowski, and drummer Conor McPhilips, as well as frontman Declan Gibson on vocals and guitar.
Their setlist boasted how far their musical talents go with tracks that ranged over different genres including blues and rock. This accumulation of sounds came from a collection of covers as well as some original material. Elvis Presley’s ‘Jailhouse Rock‘ and ‘Boys In The Better Land‘ by Fontaines D.C. were just two of the covers the band performed. These aren’t easy songs to try and perform, and Declan’s voice particularly really sold these songs to the audience. He was able to adapt his vocals to be more suitable for the different styles they played.
As well as covers, The Fat Stacks played some original material too. These included ‘Baby Blue‘, ‘Billboards‘, and ‘Rebel in You‘. The latter of these tracks was released as an acoustic song and hearing it in a live setting as more of a rock ballad was really intriguing and it went down very well with the crowd. It was really interesting seeing how different the two versions sound, yet the key foundations and melody of the track remained consistent. The entire band played each song with great enthusiasm, showcasing how passionate they all are about their own work, and putting their own twists on popular tracks.
Upcoming Shows
Apart from this incredibly electric set at Cab Vol, The Fat Stacks have already been making their mark in the local music scene. They played their first show as a band in Sneaky Pete’s and have performed a couple of memorable sets in live music bar, Whistlebinkies. On December 4th, the quartet return to Sneaky Pete’s as a headliner. They will be accompanied by local support from alt-rock band The Academics and artist Niamh Corkey.