Words & Photo: The Captain

It’s a Wednesday night and what better to do than go to a gig on the Cowgate! Out of the line up, I’ve only ever heard Echo Arcadia before because they were on the final episode of “The Captain’s Log” the week before. However, I have heard great things about the two other bands so I am very excited.

First up are Echo Arcadia and as the smoke machine hisses and releases a cloud of smoke a voice comes through it from the stage… “we get it you vape” which makes the audience, myself included, giggle a little. The lead singer, Leigh, introduces the first song called “Even the voices in my had hate me” which he follows up with “don’t worry haha. Echo Arcadia have an amazing stage presence and know how to please a crowd. Each song is perfectly executed and each one sounds different. You can tell which song is which (you know when some bands make songs that all sound the same, yeah they don’t do that). The vocals are perfectly harmonized and the lead guitarist can really shred the hell out of his strings.

About half-way through their set they have to tune their guitars so Leigh trys to fill that space with some jokes. One of which was “I tried to make a watch out of a belt once… it was a waist of time” *cue loud groan from everyone in the audience* it does mean they’re interacting with the audience and it is quite funny.

Ooooh, wait, I forgot a really exciting bit. THEY HAVE A VIOLA! (I thought it was a Violin until the player told me afterwards what the difference one). If a band has a violin/viola/cello I immediately love them. There’s something quite magical about strings with rock. If I had to choose a favourite song from their set it’s probably “Into the Shadows” with strong bass and drums starting slow and getting rockier and faster and then fading out again leaving only the vocals lingering in the air.

You should 100000% check these guys out and go and see them live.
You can find all their music and social media through their Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/echoarcadia 

Next are L-Space. These guys are pretty awesome! Think if Doctor Who and Red Dwarf got together and made a band, this would be it. Soft vocals, layered together with guitar, bass and synth and occasional viola. Each song has a story, which I find impressive. It’s all about space and travel and it’s pretty damn cool. They speak about travelling to Mars and ask who would go (about 3 hands go up). They talk about what astronauts have to do in order to be able to go into space. They’re very knowledgeable about space which is very impressive.  It’s a bit out there, but really interesting and I’d definitely go and see them again!

If I had to choose a favourite song from their set I’d have to say the song “Brother Mars”. It was incredibly beautiful with the lead singers soft, quiet voice, no-one is talking, everyone is watching with awe. However, they also do a cover of Radiohead’s “Motion Picture Soundtrack” where they bring in the viola and it’s so slow and peaceful and very moving.

You can find all their music and social media through their Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/lspaceband/

 

Last, but not least, Eyre Llew from Nottingham hit the stage. Please excuse my language here but.. OH MY FUCKING GOD THESE GUYS ARE INCREDIBLE WHY HAVEN’T I HEARD THEM BEFORE I MUST NOW GO AND GET ALL THEIR MUSIC!

It seems as if all the songs flow perfectly into each other with no space in between. It’s loud, it’s powerful, it’s incredible.! These guys are an ambient/instrumental rock band. Little or minimal vocals with driven guitars, drums, piano and allllllll the reverb! If you’ve read some of my previous reviews you’ll know I really do have a soft spot for this kind of music… well actually I ADORE it. I often like to quote Andy Johnson from the project “Windsor Airlift” when I speak about instrumental music because it rings so true.
“The beautiful thing about instrumental music is that we aren’t telling the listener how to feel, or what to think. But rather we’re letting them conjure up in their minds their own vision of what this song could mean to them.”

These guys are so so so so so so so so SO worth seeing. Do it, do it now! They are playing in Glasgow TONIGHT and Inverness TOMORROW and then a few more dates back in England.

You can find all of their music and your dates on their Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/eyrellew/

Go to top