Reviews Page

Peat Loaf Sat 7th April Town Hall Penicuik

Peat Loaf has regularly been coming to Penicuik Town Hall for many years now. I’ll be honest I’m not personally a fan of the real Meat Loaf. BUT let me say here & now Pete Rossi (Peat Loaf his self) is a fantastic performer. I’ve even heard Meat Loaf fans say they’d rather go & see Peat Loaf than the real thing! Because they know they’re going to hear all the tunes without the attitude of the real thing.

Saturday night was no exception, as I say I’m not into the real thing. But even I have to openly admit Peat Loaf put on a great show. I even found myself silently singing along to a few of the tunes whilst snapping away in the background. But it doesn’t really matter what I personally like or don’t like. It’s all about the band and the audience. Well if a busy dance floor, happy sing a long smiley faces are anything to go by. It was a great night. No it WAS a great night.

Peat Loaf always put on a great show. Pete Rossi really is the No1 Meat Loaf tribute act in the UK. What’s more he always has great musicians playing with him. Tonight was no exception. This was a whole new band & supporting female singer (Elaine Withers). They were as always top class. Great night for the fans & to be totally honest even I enjoyed it!

The Redstarts & The Skababs Sat 31st March Shottstown Miners Club

It’s not often you get a combination of two great bands playing on one night. But The Redstarts & The Skababs playing on the same bill are just that.

I’ve personally not been to the Shottstown Miners Club for at least 25 years. I was very impressed with the size of the venue. It easily accommodated the eager crowd of over 150 people very comfortably. Everyone had a seat & it was a fantastic atmosphere. I’d personally like to thank the Miners & especially Frank Martin for organising the event.

The night started off with The Redstarts playing a great set of Motown, 60’s, 70’s & 80’s Modernist classics. Everything from The Who to The Velvettes. Yes you read correctly an all-female Motown hit performed by blokes, & to be honest it sounds even better than the original! These lads just get better and better every time I hear them play. I don’t think the dance floor was empty at all during their set. If you want to hear good well executed tunes seriously go and see this band play live. You will not be disappointed.

The Skababs played the second set of the night. The Skababs are a Scottish Ska influenced band from the Dalkeith area. They encapsulate the whole fun good time feeling of Ska. I was a bit derisory of them in a previous review. Because I thought they sounded too Scottish, almost Proclaimers meet Ska. I’m going to apologise & take back everything I said about them. They were brilliant! They have improved 1000%, a selection of guitars, Trumpet, Trombone, keyboards and drums they totally hit the correct vibe. The ever so slight Scottish twang actually adds to the whole sound of the band. Gives them something unique & different, makes them stand out from the crowd. To show testament to the fact they are so good, the dance floor was heaving all night.

Yes tonight I really, genuinely enjoyed ALL of the music. It hit the goodtime spot. A fantastic night & I genuinely recommend if you see these two bands on the same bill to GO & SEE THEM. You will not be disappointed.

Ruff Cut - Sat 10th March Roadhouse

Along the top of their poster Ruff Cut has a rather bold statement “The Borders Best Live Rock Blues Band”. Well I tell you what; I may not have heard all the Borders Rock Blues bands in existence. But the statement certainly rings true in my eyes.

I like the Blues; I’m not going to tell lies. Without the Blues, in my own humble opinion, you wouldn’t have a lot of modern day music. Mixed with a little Rock and played well, it’s one of the best sounds you can listen too. I defy anyone to try NOT tapping your feet to the infectious beat of a good Rock Blues band. Ruff Cut is a very, very good Rock Blues band. My toes never stopped tapping.

I saw the first set which was excellent. Sorry I couldn’t stay longer (I’m getting over a bout of Sinusitis, aw wee shame everyone cries). But it was a cracking set! I was standing beside a young trendy lad. You know the type? Designer jeans, jacket immaculately quaffed hair etc, etc. Well this young lad stands there trying to look cool, aloof and unaffected. Within five minutes he’s tapping his toes just like the rest of us. THAT’S the Rock Blues effect! You can’t help yourself.

Yes I’m well impressed with Ruff Cut. Great musicians, I only recognised two songs but that didn’t matter. Because that’s the beauty of this genre of music. You don’t NEED to know every line of every song to enjoy it. You just let the music flow over you. Ruff Cut are excellent pourers, just sit back and let the music flow right over you. Definitely a band NOT to be missed. 10/10 lads. Hopefully next time I’ll be feeling 100% and stay for the whole set.