A night packed with good vibes, energetic performances and even a little chaos was had when Fate Has Favourites headlined Ivory Blacks.
With five bands making up the bill this was a night packed with emo, punk and alternative sounds. Even with the earlier start time to fit all the bands in people eagerly showed up early to enjoy the music from the Scottish artists.
Taking to the stage first was Edinburgh’s Science Made Us Robots, with their pop-punk leaning sound they combine fast riffs and a strong Scottish vocal. Their high energy performance got the steadily growing crowd wanting to move. I think these guys were a great choice for an opener as their fast punky sound seemed to catch the attention of everyone in Ivory Blacks that made it down early.
Second act of the night Low Level Monk were the first to bring the silly factor to the stage, with a couple of the members even wearing Mario and Luigi hats that before long ended up in the crowd. The four-piece deliver a unique alternative sound that fits their humorous personalities. With big chorus’s that are guaranteed to get everyone that knows the words singing along these guys were enjoyable to watch.
For Pony! are a band that from basically the second they took to the stage, I knew I was going to like. Not only is their music ridiculously infectious but so is their stage presence. This is a band that will make you want to stick around and watch their whole set. The group from Dunfermline create songs that are made to dance to while you drink your pint, the pop-punk melodies are more than likely to get stuck in your head. This is especially true for their popular track ‘Don’t Blink’ that saw the frontman joke you might recognize it, as it almost rips off about every popular Blink 182 song.
I got the feeling that a lot of people in the audience may have been there to see For Pony! which isn’t surprising their fun set has me wanting to see them again. Their tracks aren’t too serious with ones like ‘Danger Wank’ a clear fan favourite making its way onto the setlist, which is apparently a rare occasion. The frontman of the band made jokes about the track and its meaning making me and I’m sure many others even more eager to hear the silly yet catchy track. As they made their way through their set they even threw in a pop-punk version of Lewis Capaldi’s ‘Someone You Loved’ which was originally met with apprehension but before long everyone was singing along with the energetic version of the song.
I actually found myself a little sad when For Pony! reached the end of their set and if you get a chance to see these guys I’d fully recommend doing so.
The night progressed on, and it was time for the second last band Calico Palace. At the time of writing this, these guys have recently broken up meaning this gig at Ivory Blacks was their last time together as Calico Palace. I was a big fan of these guys sound, they may not have been as energetic or silly as other bands on this bill, but they definitely made up for that with their melodic and modern take on alternative music.
Even with a few technical issues the trio powered through letting their powerful sound take hold of the room. While they took a few moments to speak to everyone and crack a couple of jokes the thing that stuck with me was how great they sounded. Each song was catchy in it’s own way especially an unreleased one near the end that I want to say was called ‘Always The Same’, that if it had had the chance to be released would one hundred percent have made its way onto my playlists, the chorus was huge.
The night closed with what I can only describe as one of the most chaotic sets from Fate Has Favourites, and I mean that in the best way. I am a big fan of this band and their anthemic emo sound that is somehow fresh and modern while clearly pulling from early 2000’s emo influences.
Early on in their set the bands frontman warned that he had lost his voice earlier in the week, but he somehow still delivered an incredible performance. The bands big riffs with the harsh emo vocals is gaining them attention within the alternative music scene and their show further cements that this is a band to be excited about.
The more chaotic side to the show started when whispers in the audience began saying that the lead vocalist looks like Daniel Radcliffe and the heartfelt teasing continued throughout with someone at the end even asking why the vocalist was carrying a bottle of Listerine in his pocket.
Aside from the jokes which this band took in their stride even jabbing some remarks at themselves Fate Has Favourites gave a pretty unforgettable performance, this was my second time seeing them and my first time seeing them headline and they really brought their all. Performing popular tracks like ‘Modern Age’ and ‘Embers’ which any Fate Has Favourites fan would know, to some from further back in their discography, each and every moment captured my attention completely. The five-piece are easily one of my favourite live bands in the up and coming Scottish scene at the moment.
Five bands packed into a night felt like a lot going into it but the second night hosted by Another Life Promotions felt like it was over too quick. The line up of bands perfectly suited each other with each one leading perfectly into the next and every single person on that stage gave a lively and enjoyable performance.