On a rainy night in the Scottish capital, the beautiful Voodoo Rooms hosted two sets full of immense talent. From the moment the music began, it was difficult not to get transported into a new world of genre-fusing and mood-changing tempos.
North Orbital
Scottish quintet North Orbital were the first to take to the stage in the intimate venue. Adding to an ever-growing list of hometown shows, this support slot was another intriguing opportunity to boast a variety of musical talents. Their talent and maturity shone through when one of their guitarists encountered an issue with a broken guitar string. This was quickly resolved, though. With quick thinking and a guitar replacement, the group were back to performing in no time.
The band’s debut gig was very recent, they played at Edinburgh’s Home Bar in October 2023. Since then, the group have documented their short, yet continuous journey so far as a band. Recently, they have played venues like Sneaky Pete’s supporting Kyoshi Station as well as Leith Depot and Wee Red Bar. North Orbital’s next gig is also in Edinburgh on Saturday 27th April at the Mash House. As part of the Pressure Waves 3 lineup, the band are set to play along with fellow Edinburgh based acts Fat Stacks as well as Woody and The Dogs. This is a lineup full of local talent and isn’t one you’d want to miss.
This set from North Orbital is one I really enjoyed. Their genre-combining setlist was full of original material like currently unreleased ‘Small Print‘ and ‘Sparkle Motion‘. With funk, indie and pop being merged together, their set was one that catered for a range of musical tastes and preferences, something not a lot of bands do. While it can be useful to stick to a couple of genres when making music, North Orbital demonstrated with this performance that they’re not afraid to step outside of this and create a live show for as vast an audience as possible.
Hospital Corner
In his debut headline gig, Hospital Corner initially took to the stage with a band of musicians to start off an incredibly successful set. Hospital Corner is a musical project from artist Christopher Finn. With his already released material, he has taken listeners on journeys of musical escapism, something showcased perfectly with this set.
Describing his work as “melodic alternative rock“, this accurately depicts the kind of environment that the set promoted. With a setlist of primarily original material, Hospital Corner showcased a range of released and unreleased tracks. Halfway through the set, the live band left the stage and local singer-songwriter Kirstie Maclean joined Hospital Corner instead. Kirstie is a vocalist who has been part of a wide range of musical projects including bands Attic Days and The Vennels as well as the recently formed group Fishbowl.
Together, the duo debuted their upcoming release ‘I Remember Everything‘ and performed a cover of Art Garfunkel’s ‘Bright Eyes’. Both tracks allowed the two of them to boast their beautifully bright vocals, singing each word so clearly. Art Garfunkel’s ‘Bright Eyes‘ was a perfect choice for them too, the slow, intricate melody further pushing their voices and angelic harmonies to the forefront.
Hospital Corner‘s live band joined him on stage again after this to finish the show off with more of his own tracks. Not only was this his first ever headline show, this gig also acted as an official launch for second EP “Speaking New Languages” which was released in October 2023. This included tracks like the popular ‘Waiting For Me‘ and ‘Every Sensory Pleasure‘. They also played older tunes such as ‘The Ink Won’t Take to the Page‘ from 2021 debut ‘The Itchy Eyes EP‘.
I’m so glad I attended this Hospital Corner debut gig. It showcased just how talented local people are, and how you don’t have to look very hard at all to find such talent. With the room being packed out too, the environment and atmosphere was electric. It was also really inspiring to see so many people supporting local talents and venues, regardless of whether they know the acts or not.
