Gig Review Fireheart - Dreadnoughtrock, Bathgate Saturday 24th May 2026
Where was Bret Barnes?
He was probably deep undercover on a top-secret mission. He might have been breaking into a hollowed-out volcano and beating up dozens of bad guys with his bare hands, while saving damsels in distress. I asked Carly Simon and she said “he’s where he should be all the time, and when he’s not, he’s with some underworld spy or the wife of a close friend.” She also said “Nobody Does it Better”, which is true, but fortunately, Daniel Hundson out of For the Forsaken was able to stand in on bass for this gig supporting Cassidy Paris in Bathgate.
Fortunately, Bret’s backing band Fireheart were on great form as usual. They had made a few friends in these parts supporting Dan Byrne in Edinburgh, so there was a good turnout down the front for their set and they certainly made a few more new friends after what was only their 16th show ever.
At first, I thought Fireheart was maybe a naff generic random-generated name, but now that I’ve seen them twice, it is clearly very appropriate as they play with fire and passion and a lot of heart. They are very good and already have some monster songs with big hooks, even bigger harmonies and some euphoric melodies. That starts with ‘Wild Hearts: Wild Nights’ which sets the tone, and continues with more great and uplifting songs from their ‘Rise’ EP like ‘(Good is) Good Enough’ and ‘I’m Not Dreaming’.
There is a soul to this band and a sense of fun too. They’ve been making some hilarious social media videos with Cassidy and her crew on the tour and they carry that onto the stage. Russ Grimmett is an engaging presence and he can certainly hit some notes. He’s backed up by Kev Baker on “woah-ohs”, jokes and wacky facial expressions. Russ later joined Cassidy for a song and they’ve got a playful ‘sneak a specific word into the stage chat’ game going that Russ won for the first time with “eyebrows” while young Cass failed on “carburettor”.
At this stage, Fireheart are recognisable faces but still relatively unknown as a band, but everywhere they play they get a great response and that leads to repeat customers, good vibes and word-of-mouth recommendations. They are making a name for themselves in the best way. Tonight’s set featured some unreleased new songs and there is an album in the works, so the path to global domination seems clear.
Just don’t ask Bret Barnes where he’s been. If he tells you, he might have to kill you.
