Support from – Big Iron and Honey Badgerz
MacArts, Galashiels
13th April, 2024
Review and Photographs by Linda McDermott
MacArt is a great venue nestled in Galashiels in the Scottish Borders. It puts on great live performances from varying arts, but it’s the way it embraces rock music that makes it a venue I love to go to.
Honey Badgerz
Starting the night off are the Honey Badgerz, who have released a self-named EP and five singles; the latest single ‘Maze’ was released just last week. Their songwriting is influenced by a wide range of genres, and that’s what gives them their unique style.
With the room filling up nicely they opened the night with their six-song set to a great reception which was well deserved. Having seen the Honey Badgerz play in a local pub I feel their confidence comes across more in a larger venue with a professional sound engineer giving them the platform they deserve.
Set List
On The Inside
Better Man
Maze
Fire And Rain
Maybe Lately
Sin Generator
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/thehoneybadgershawick
Big Iron
I first saw Big Iron when they supported She Burns Red at their album launch in Glasgow last September and I knew then that they were brilliant! This band, comprised of five uniquely talented members, are carving a path in the heavy rock scene with their powerful tracks.
The guys are going from strength to strength and steadily gaining a devoted following, drawing listeners in with their energetic performances and raw energy. With influences coming from the likes of Alter Bridge, The Darkness, and Faith No More, they have a great melting pot to produce their creative music.
Set List
Tiny Little Pieces
Miles Away
Teach
River Runs Dry
The Mask
Daiquiri
Gay Bar
Denizens
Even though Ollie announced he had hurt his chest through coughing and was finding it a bit difficult, the crowd would never have known that he was struggling as he danced about the stage singing, I hope he didn’t do himself any further damage! The rest of the band, Jack, Aaron, James and Kieran musically just seem to bounce off each other and they all bring something to the table.
Playing all the songs from their EP ‘It Gets Bigger’ and then their new single ‘Daiquiri’ which is due for release next month they were rewarded by loud cheers from the audience. Then they launched into their rendition of Electric Six’s ‘Gay Bar’, which went down a storm with the crowd who were having the best time.
Their set was over way to quickly, but they ended on a high singing their debut single ‘Denizens’.
They’ve got a few dates in the diary so get yourself along to a gig and experience Big Iron for yourself.
Videos.
Denizens https://youtu.be/ASlWxtvzkMY?si=bA3IH6x_IWgPGC95
River Runs Dry https://youtu.be/JTe3aUAu1VU?si=263BJl2vCoZO02GO
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/bigironisbig
Instagram https://instagram.com/bigironisbig?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
Wild Fire
Playing to a packed room on home turf, Wild Fire had the audience eating out of their hands as they were treated to a set of old and new songs and a few covers thrown in for good measure. With their latest single ‘Scattered’ just released they are developing a slightly heavier sound that builds on their previous singles and EP and I think it suits them.
The band have a way of telling an emotive story through their lyrics and music, one of my favourites being ‘Buried Deep’ that takes you on a journey of love, hate, jealousy and murder, what’s not to like about that?
Set List
Against the Tide
Buried Deep
Blackened Heart
Gimme a Kiss
Truffle Shuffle
Scattered
Stronger
C*ntmuncher
War Pigs
Blood for Blood
Encore
Painkiller
Hell bent for Leather.
The bands’ ability to fuse Mikey’s distinctive vocals with the intricate musical skills of Liam, Keir and Lewis is what makes them stand out. With around two hundred people in the room, the gig had a great atmosphere. Wild Fire had the room jumping and singing back the lyrics to Black Sabbath’s ’War Pigs’ which was a sight to see from where I was now standing at the back of the room. As the night came to an end, we were treated to another couple of covers this time from Judas Priest which the band skilfully performed to an audience that just didn’t want to leave.
What a great way to spend the night, it was full of exciting heavy rock music from three bands that just wanted to entertain, and that’s exactly what they did.
Website for gigs and info: https://wildfirescotland.com
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/WildFireScot
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/wildfirescotland_?igsh=bWtubmdrNmk4dXI1
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