Dan Byrne/Fireheart/Kit Trigg - Voodoo Rooms, Edinburgh 27th March 2026 live review

This tour was originally booked in modestly-sized venues, but with increased airplay and the strategic addition of some great support bands, the “sold out” signs have been going up early. This Edinburgh show was upgraded to the main hall in The Voodoo Rooms and was still close to capacity and he also had a sold-out show at Glasgow’s Attic venue the following day to complete the now-rare Scottish double-header.

Whilst Dan and his band lived up to the hype in every way, the addition of both Kit Trigg and Fireheart made this a very entertaining triple-bill. Kit is a bright and breezy young lad from Farnham with great hair and a backwards baseball cap and he made a few new friends with a varied, interesting and enjoyable set. ‘Snake in the Grass’ (“you can kiss my …”) ran through a variety of styles; starting with some swampy guitar, then moving through some on-point band harmonies to a skate-punky rhythm and some Kid Rock-style rapping. Mixing old, recent and brand new songs, highlights included ‘Light at the End of the Tunnel’, which raced along like an oncoming train with the headlights on, an anthemic glass ceiling- themed new song with a heavy groove that might have been called ‘Breaking Through’ (“just do it”), and the punchy ‘Goin’ for Glory’ which totally rocked and ended the set in fine style. Kit and his band have plenty live work planned, including festival appearances at Mayor’s Fest, SOS and Maid of Stone this year and are well worth checking out.

Fireheart are a brand-new name but feature some familiar faces and they made a massive first impression with a gloriously energetic and skilled set. They absolutely exploded out of the blocks with the anthemic ‘Wild Hearts; Wild Nights’ which quickly grabbed the audience’s attention and wrapped them up with the “woah-ohs” and a clap-a-long in a thrilling ride. It was impossible not to be sucked in by the band’s enthusiasm, particularly Kev Baker and his gurning facial expressions – unless my granny was lying, he’s going to be fucked if the wind changes direction!

Russ Grimmett was on great form on vocals. He also sings with Sons of Liberty but he is especially in his element with this band and seemed to be really enjoying himself. From the band’s bio and social media, it is clear that the individual members come with some emotional baggage, demons and mental health challenges. They address that in their songs and also through their fan chat group and initiatives like ‘Heartmeet’ which is a banner they place beside the table displaying their immaculately designed merchandise to encourage solo fans to interact with each other.

I should imagine that the music is also very therapeutic, as this band rock up some absolutely joyous sounds with life-affirming positivity. Amongst others, they play tunes from their 5-track EP called ‘Rise’ and the songs on it are as good as its colourful art-work, including the soaring and harmonious ‘I’m Not Dreaming’ and ‘An Hour to Forget’. The inter-play between the men on stage is also heart-warming and highly entertaining, not least the musical tribute to hirsute and handsome bass player Bret Barnes, who is surely the logical successor to Chuck Norris in the ultimate legendary icon stakes.

It is a while since a first-sighting of a new band has made such an instant impression on me and I am far from alone in thinking this. Fireheart feel like a movement as much as a band and their music is capable of putting a smile on any face. Edinburgh patrons will have another chance to see them on 23rd May at Bannerman’s supporting Cassidy Paris and we’ll be hearing much more from these fellas in the near future. Get on board.

Dan Byrne had won before he even appeared on stage. Tickets had been sold and debut albums pre-ordered; the crowd were ready, and his band were already rocking up a storm by way of an intro. He opened with ‘Saviour’ and appropriately, he’s already being trumpeted as the new saviour of traditional blues rock in this country. He looks suitably messianic with his long curly hair and beard and sounds the part too, but things take a more demonic turn with the instant classic ‘She’s the Devil’ and the uber-funky ‘Praise Hell’. Other standouts include ‘Cherry and Leather’ and ‘Sober’ plus ‘Easier’ from his earlier ‘Beginnings’ EP. Between songs, Dan constantly refers back to his journey and expresses gratitude for the love and support he has received; it’s almost as if even he can’t quite believe that the struggle has turned out to be so worth it and he seems genuinely thrilled to have a big room full of people singing his songs back to him. He has certainly paid his dues and deserves every bit of acclaim that’s coming his way.

With several of the prime cuts from ‘This is Where the Show Begins’ already well-known and popular from radio play, there’s a good chance that the album will chart highly when released on 22nd May. On that day, Dan will be back in Scotland for promo shows and signings at Assai Records in both Edinburgh and Glasgow. It will be fascinating to see what number the album charts at and after all the hard work and slogging around the country, album release day might just be the best day of Dan’s musical life so far.