If you’re an Edinburgh local and looking for a gig to go to, it’s safe to say that Sneaky Pete’s will always be a good bet. They seem to have a real talent for picking out the up-and-coming bands on the local music scene, and the night The Edi Magazine went to review one of their shows last week (Harry-Miles Watson & The Union, supported by The Overalls and Chell and the Vetos), was no different. If you want a night that will blend country music and sounds from film noir, that will alternate between swaying and slow-dancing and a manic mosh-pit scene (and why would you not want that?) then Sneaky’s will always be the place to be. Georgie McNamara tells us more:
Photography Credit: Hope Holmes (IG: @hopehphoto).
The Overalls:
It’s no easy feat to be the opening act of a three band line-up, but The Overalls rose to the challenge with impressive gumption. Though you could tell they were slightly nervous when the show began, they soon settled onto the stage and got more confident as their set developed – and with good reason, because they put together an amazing show. Lead singer, Niamh Martin-McGarrigle, had really good stage presence and was great at getting the audience moving, something that can be really challenging for a performer at 7:30pm on a Monday night. They produced five original songs and two covers (‘Psycho Killer’ and ‘Call Me’), with a gentle hush falling over the room, a real accomplishment at Sneaky Pete’s, when Niamh sung acapella during one of their originals, utilising her sonorous alto voice to chilling effect. This was followed up by a great guitar solo from Oliver Berry, who was hands down the most assured band member on stage and easily the most entertaining to watch!
Chell and The Vetos:
Chell and the Vetos performed an eclectic set, their sound combining an alternative mix of Lana Del Rey and The Cranberries. Their set was strong and ran smoothly, with a sense of unspoken communication and comradery between the four; there was a moment where a drumstick went flying out of the drummer’s hand and the singer threw it back to her, yet the song continued and the show didn’t stop. If you hadn’t seen the drumstick fall, then you would not have been able to tell anything had happened. Speaking of the drummer, a shoutout is needed for Florrie and her amazing performance and adaptability in a situation like this. For the night overall, it was also amazing to see a set with two out of the three drummers being women.
Chell and the Vetos released an EP earlier this year called ‘Give Me A Hand?’ which is available to stream on Spotify and Apple Music. They also put out a single, ‘Train Song’, along with ‘TWO ODD CAT’ earlier this month which is available to stream as well.
Harry-Miles Watson & The Union:
Let’s just say that this band was the headlining act for a reason. You would be forgiven for thinking they invented the concept of ‘organised chaos’, presenting an astonishing fusion of genres and instruments that really pushed the boundaries of what you would expect from your typical ‘rock band’. They careened onto the stage with a significantly amped-up version of the Scooby-Doo theme song, which quickly merged into ‘Under the Sea’ from Ariel (that’s right, the Disney movie). This band has a true talent for rearranging songs into something fun and exciting that you’d want to hear on a night out. They even got us jumping to Ricky Martin’s ‘La Vida Loca’ at one point, a song which, while not exactly a musical masterpiece, really emphasised this band’s defining strength – that ultimately, they are there for a ridiculously fun, headbanging time, and taking themselves too seriously isn’t going to ruin that for them or their audience.
That’s not to say, however, that they weren’t producing some impressive music. The different genres they encapsulated in quite a short set was wonderful, managing to move from hardcore rock sounds, to music that sounded like it came from the soundtrack to film noir, before following this up with some smoky jazz and even an original Christmas country song – at no point, however, did the changes feel abrupt or jarring. Their inclusion of a horn section also really helped to set them apart from the other acts, with saxophonist Ben Evans doing a seriously impressive (and dare we say, sexy?) saxophone solo that, for us at the edi magazine, was the highlight of the night. All in all, for a group that has only been working together for a relatively short span of time, they put on an incredible show that has definitely got us excited to hear what they do next.
Harry Miles-Watson has a new single out, ‘Feline Debonair’ - available to stream on Spotify.