SKAM/Deadfire/Jeanice Lee/Pyroclast/The Number 9 - Bannermans, Edinburgh 2nd & 3rd August 2025

Saturday night has already been reviewed, well almost, the gig started a little bit earlier, so our reviewer missed the opening band. I am reviewing the Sunday leg of the two gigs, but as I was there, early on the Saturday, so I'm kicking off with mentioning the opening band on Saturday night. 

As it's the opening weekend of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, I decide to catch an earlier bus from Glasgow, because of previous experiences, I know Edinburgh is going to be very busy. The bus takes half a hour longer than usual, which to be honest, is still quicker than expected. Getting from the bus station to the venue however takes more than twice the time it usually does. I still get into Bannerman's with plenty of time to spare before the gig I am there for. There is already a covers band playing when I arrive. An empty table is available, so I sit in the bar until the covers band finishes. I give them about 20 minutes before I head through to the staged area. I spend some time catching up with Pyroclast. A few minutes later members of the opening band arrive, It's handshakes and fist bumps from Jaimie, Tony and Marco and a hug from Jeanice, the band are obviously named after Jeanice, Jeanicelee are in the building! As they are first on, they are usually the last band to soundcheck, but as there are a couple of the lads from Pyroclast still caught up in a traffic jam coming into the city, Jeanicelee soundcheck, and gives the band members who are there, a taste of what is coming up later.

Jump ahead to show time. There is a very healthy crowd for Jeanicelee, so kudos to Skams fans for coming early. Jeanicelee describe their sound as a unique blend of modern melodic, guitar-fuelled heavy rock and metal with a progressive edge, a fair description indeed, but doesn't mention the dark edge their lyrics have. Jeanice tells us that her lyrics are dark, bordering on disturbing, all about people throughout the world, especially in todays time with the amount of wars and hardships that people face.

Jeanice is rather petit in size, but the power from her vocals makes tonight's crowd take notice. In the photos, it looks like Jeanice has several guitar changes, however, she uses one, which has a metalflake paint, which like some car paints, changes colour when the light changes direction.  The band have a five song set "Overhaul", "Walk Away From Me", "Displaced", "Cradle To Grave", which will be the bands next single, and ended with "Gone Too Soon".  I have to mention the last two songs, for me, they were two very emotional songs, "Cradle To Grave" is about the devastation of war, and living through it, well that's my take on it, I actually had goosebumps with this one, "Gone Too Soon" is self explanatory, a song about loosing someone! 

It's easy to say, the band made a few new fans from this performance. The rest of Saturdays review is elsewhere here on Rockfiend.

It is now Sunday, because of yesterdays traffic chaos in Edinburgh, I am on another early bus, however, I miss the one I'm booked on, and the one after, because the taxi that I had booked a whole hour before the bus left, never showed until the time the bus left, for the record, it takes twenty minutes from home to the bus station. So, yeah, I get off to a flyer...….NOT! The journey to Edinburgh wasn't as bad as yesterday, also Edinburgh streets where no where near as busy too, so once again I was in Bannerman's very early. It was "open mic" when I got to the venue, there was a rather eclectic mix of songs, it actually wasn't bad sitting in the bar listening to the mix, but I was here for round two with Skam. The two support bands were, The Number 9, a band I have not heard anything about, plus another Rockfiend family band, this time DeadFire, a band I know really well.

Like last night, I was there for the soundchecks, so got a little taster, especially from The Number 9. They sounded different, and I mean in a good way, Souncheck over, Skam and The Number 9 lads went out for food, which left myself and the Deadfire lads alone in the venue, usually, this wouldn't be the best of plans, Charlie, frontman from Deadfire, was feeling a tad unwell, so the usual amusing antics were rather curtailed.  

After a misunderstanding on my behalf, doors opened bang on eight o'clock, quite a few bodies from last night were here again for tonight show! So once again, there was a healthy crowd there for the opening band. I am going to contradict myself here. I hate when people pigeonhole bands, especially if they get it wrong, but I do it with consummate ease! The only time I show any sort of ego is when I go into DJ mode, I have DJ'd for over forty years, so when my ego pigeonholes, you can take it as fact! which in reality is complete nonsense, pigeonholing is a personal opinion and individual.  

The Number 9 take to the stage and play a set which contains a multitude of musical styles, a fusion heavy rock, metal, funk and jazz. Their set is very entertaining. As with many other opening band that I have no knowledge of, there is no setlist, and I'm too busy with the camera to take notes. An eclectic bunch of lads with an eclectic style and well worth checking out. I spoke with the bands frontman after the gig and told him, that for once, I could not pigeonhole his bands style. He then said that my comment was the greatest compliment his band has had! 

After The Number 9 finish their set, there is a mass exodus, to the bar, the loo and or smoke break? Which actually makes the changeover a lot easier, and quicker. DeadFire are up next, a band I have shot and reviewed several times, so by now, you should have a fair idea of what is about to happen. Charlie enters the stage clutching a bottle of cough mixture instead of his usual Jack & Coke, he announces to the crowd that he's "no feelin weel" An early excuse of a poorer performance maybe? Oh hell NO! The only difference in Charlies performance was that he wasn't as mobile about the stage as normal, but that could have been down to five guys on the stage to their previous four, and the Bannerman's stage isn't as big as some of the stages they have played before, or just because Charlie was actually ill! 

As mentioned above, the band are now a 5 piece, these days now sporting a Dave and an Eck, alongside a Tunk and Oi  and  Charlie. Their sound is a lot fuller, because of the second guitar, but still sound like Motorhead. Even although Charlie is poorly, you wouldn't know it with the way he powered and sweated through their setlist, containing usual favourites "BMF", "Anxiety", "DILLIGAF" and their own personal rendition of "Ace Of Spades"

The final change of the night sees the return of Skam. Skam promised that they would have a completely different setlist from last nights set. Playing two nights in the same venue has to be a challenge to come up with two completely sets, even with half a dozen albums to choose from.  Having seen both setlists, they managed just fine. The only thing that was the same as last night, as you can see in the photos, was their shirts!

I usually pick out a few really stand out songs when writing a band review, this time, I don't know which ones to mention, obviously not knowing any of the songs before, it's quite difficult, not that any of Skam's songs were filler tracks, every single song they played rocked the venue from the very first note, to the very last.Matt Gilmore, the bands bassist was the more flamboyant on stage, playing his guitar above his head and pointing it like a gun into the crowd. The other two, brothers, Steve & Neal Hill were not statues on stage, frontman Steve came off stage and played right in the middle of the crowd, I know many guitarists do this, Dave from DeadFire did it earlier in the evening too, it makes the performance a lot more personal, especially if that band member is standing next to you. Now it is a bit more difficult for a drummer, even if he plays like Animal from The Muppets, its harder to see, being surrounded by his drum kit, but Neal stood up a few times and took his accolades. And then, all too soon the band reached their last song, the song was either "Soldiers of rock" or "No lies". Forgive my lack of knowledge, those were the last two songs on the setlist, but there were little arrows between those two songs, possibly meaning they switched places. As stated before, I concentrate more with photography than taking notes etc lol.

Before last night, I had no idea who Skam were or what they sounded like, I was there primarily for three of the four support bands. Now that I have left the venue and heading home, I'm a happier person having seen Skam, plus the other support band The Number 9. 

As always, if you have not heard any of the bands mentioned above, head on over to your favoured streaming social media platform and look them up, you might find something new that you like!