Blues Afternoon Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival, The Famous Spiegeltent St Andrew Square Gardens - Aynsley Lister/Black Cat Bone/Stevie Nimmo 12th July 2025

I’ve not really had the blues during the day since I took early retirement, but this cheeky wee three act bill with a 1PM start was just too intriguing to miss.

The venue was also an attraction. Once upon a time, I used to live high above St Andrew Square (the caretaker’s flat of the then GRE building), so the prospect of a proper gig in my former private back yard was too good to miss. It is approaching time for all of the Edinburgh festivals, and the square is providing a temporary home for ‘The Famous Spiegeltent’. The name comes from the Dutch for “mirror tent” and spiegeltents generally feature very ornate décor with lots of mirror and stained glass. Back in the late 19th / early 20th centuries, these were very popular but only a handful still remain in use, of which ‘The Famous’ is probably the best known, and its opulent interior made for a unique and splendid music venue.

On a scorching hot day, both the gardens and the tent were absolutely rammed and the various bevvy dispensaries were doing a roaring trade. I’m used to attending blues gigs in dark caverns like The Caves, so it was a bit of a shock to see the crusty old Edinburgh blues clientele out in the daylight. There are always a few Middle Earth-looking characters in that crowd and in some corners of the venue it looked more like the Smeagol-tent, but it was good to see every seat taken, including some charming booths around the outside.

Now I’ve never seen an acoustic guitar that I didn’t want to smash, and I’m firmly in the PIFO group (“Plug-in or F**k off”), but Stevie Nimmo was a warm and engaging presence and his shortish unplugged set was actually very good, especially as he wove in some amusing stories and anecdotes to his delivery.

I was a bit worried at the outset, as the first song, a cover, rhymed “baking bread” with “Old Bill was dead” and I don’t really enjoy stereotypical miserabilist blues, but the tempo went up and things got really good when Stevie started mixing in some of his own songs. Stevie is a big, scary-looking bear of a guy but his sentimental white-lie song ‘Coming Home to You’ was a beauty, as was what he called “a wee quiet gospely thing”, ‘If You Need Me Just Call my Name’. We are used to seeing Stevie solo, or with his kilt-wearing sibling in The Nimmo Brothers or King King, but one song that he always tries to play regardless of which formation is Storyville’s ‘Good Day for the Blues’ from 1996. It was good to hear that live on what turned out to be a very good day for the blues indeed.

Next up was a typically pulsating set from local rising stars Black Cat Bone. These boys were very definitely plugged in and they got the tent rocking with their swampy, groovy blues-rock and americana vibe. They fairly motored along but there was plenty of variety, including a song that had a Lizard King Doorsy vibe and another that captured some Stonesy ‘Made in the Shade’ ambience. The 3rd song featured a full-throttle harmonica assault and I think it had some kind of “p*ssy’s on fire” lyrics. I don’t know about that but, despite wearing shorts to a gig for the first time, I was definitely enduring an attack of the Betty Swollocks! Each of the four band members played a blinder and kudos to singer Ross Craig, who was a very proficient front man. Their song ‘Up to No Good’ really is a riff-driven belter and the band will be back in the tent for their own show on the 26th of August during the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Aynsley Lister is a worthy headliner of any event and he really showed his class at the top of this bill. Aynsley and his band are regular visitors to Edinburgh and seem to pop up every December during panto season (“oh yes, they do”). Behind him today are Craig Bacon (drums) and Jonno Martin (bass) as the Aynsley Lister Trio. The tent was booked out for a strict 3-hour timeslot, so it was a slightly shorter set than usual from the Midlands man, but packed with juicy goodness like Aynsley’s Life on Mars TV show-inspired ‘Hyde 2612’. There is plenty of light and shade in a Lister set. A short guitar interlude introduced a rampaging and skilful version of ‘Hurricane’ and in some other quieter moments you could even hear the tram bells clanking through the open windows of the tent.

I had been following medical advice to stay well-hydrated during the sweltering weather conditions but my cider intake eventually overtook my bladder’s capacity and I needed to nip out for a quick “hit and miss”. Unfortunately, the bogs were actually outside the tent so it meant leaving the gig. On my way back, I bumped into one of my favourite cousins and his family, so I ended up having some more ciders and a blether in the gardens outside the venue and never made it back in. Through the open windows, I could hear Aynsley wrapping things up with his iconic extended version of ‘Purple Rain’. It was a shame to miss it but hopefully I will get another chance when Aynsley and the full band come back to The Caves, Edinburgh on 14th December.

The Jazz & Blues Festival runs until 20th July. I will certainly be avoiding that annoying plinky-plonky twat Jools Holland on Monday but I’ll be back for the delightful Elles Bailey on Tuesday. Review to follow.