“An enthralling and encapsulating environment“
To celebrate the release of their latest single ‘Lighter‘, Scottish five-piece Pedalo put on a sell out show in the Scottish capital at the memorable Sneaky Pete’s. There are many reasons that Sneaky Pete’s is so memorable. It’s sell out sets like this one that make the venue so iconic and admired. Supporting Pedalo were Ryan Harley and BOOTlace. They energised the audience and, I’m sure, provided themselves with new fans, myself included.
Support 1: BOOTlace
In August 2023, BOOTlace played a set supporting Harry Miles Watson at this iconic venue. To support Pedalo, BOOTlace make their return to Sneaky Pete’s to play yet another impressive set. Having additionally played in other venues like King Tut’s, Mash House and La Belle Angele, the local talents are quickly building themselves a positive name and reputation for live shows.
Their setlist was filled with primarily original indie-rock tunes. These ranged from tracks like ‘Maybe Today?‘ taken from their debut “The Haar EP” to songs from recent EP “Basement Ball“. BOOTlace’s sound is definitely distinctive, with power and energy evident in vocals and individual instrumental input.
At times, however, it was difficult to understand the words being sung over the music but that’s quite an easy thing to happen during live shows. Regardless, BOOTlace filled the intimate Sneaky Pete’s with an initial long-lasting energy for the later acts to follow. I definitely think everyone should catch them live if and when you can, their energy for playing their original material live is infectious and they absolutely appear to belong on stage.
Support 2: Ryan Harley
Singer-songwriter Ryan Harley is no stranger to providing an impactful set. When Pedalo put on a launch show for debut single ‘Better‘, Harley was one of the supports for this too. In yet another sold out single launch, Harley returns to support Pedalo with in this show in the Scottish capital.
Harley stunned those in the audience, including myself, with his vibrant vocals. With a raw, raspy and powerful sound, he sang his way through his set without any issues. The foundation of his setlist consisted of original material including his 2018 debut album “Mountain, River, Road“. The playing of this debut record included his first ever single ‘The Otherside’.
I was amazed by Ryan Harley’s set. The music provided by his live band perfectly accompanied his lively lyricism and the vivacious vocalisation of them. I’m intrigued to see what he does next and would highly recommend that if you see his name on a gig lineup, go and catch his set!
Headliner: Pedalo
As the lights dimmed and the chatter around the room died down, ‘Psycho Killer‘ by Talking Heads began to play. Pedalo took to the stage one by one to the mixed sound of the sell out audience cheering and singing along with the popular track. Normally when bands walk onto stage, the song eventually fades out or ends and their set begins. Instead, Pedalo played a partial cover of the anthemic tune, initiating a set full of immense instrumental talent.
The Scottish quintet are fronted by vocalists Charlotte Stuart and Callum Geddes. They are accompanied by drummer Beth Mackenzie, bassist Nick Eadie and guitarist Calum Steel. While they previously sold out a single launch for debut track ‘Better‘, this particular gig debuted latest single ‘Lighter‘ for the first time since it’s release. This track was played throughout a mixture of previously released as well as currently unreleased songs. With each song, Pedalo demonstrated their ability to create an enthralling and encapsulating environment, with most of the crowd being brought into their mesmerising musical trance. It was a shame, however, that more people didn’t appreciate the impressive nature of the music in front of them.
Pedalo further emphasised their eclectic style as they were able to maintain attention through a switch between popular released tracks and those yet to be released. Fans can look forward to incredibly distinctive and wonderfully written future releases like ‘Stranger‘ and ‘Trapdoor‘. For their encore, they performed one of their most popular tunes yet, ‘Halfway House‘. While Charlotte was the primary vocalist for the set’s entire duration, she swapped roles with Callum who sang the encore track. With twists like this and Charlotte also playing the flute, Pedalo created an stellar surrounding for musical discovery.
They are, by far, one of the most exciting emerging bands in Scotland at the moment. I don’t have a single negative thing to point out about them. It won’t be long before they’re back, headlining and selling out bigger venues.
