The Damn Truth / Parker Barrow - MacArts, Galashiels Sunday 16th November 2025

Tonight, two very fine feel-good rock & roll bands from Montreal, Canada and Nashville, Tennessee respectively have brought their own good times and sunshine to the Borders and, in turn, that drew in discerning music fans from Edinburgh, Cumbria and other parts for what turned out to one of the best music nights of the year.

First up were Southern rockers Parker Barrow; named after Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow, the infamous outlaws and mass-murderers Bonnie & Clyde. Like them, Parker Barrow have also been rampaging across state lines (and international borders) causing mayhem everywhere they go, but in their case, they are spraying good vibes, good music and good times around rather than bullets, and I think they’ve got much better things ahead of them than a couple of bullet-ridden corpses.

There are six good folks in this band, with twin-guitars, Allmans Brothers t-shirts, keyboards, long hair and a fully-opened can of whoop-ass. They also feature our first husband-and-wife duo of the evening. Dylan Turner is the big, hairy drummer and out front is his wife Megan Kane, who dazzles with her tambourine, great teeth and cheekbones, a sunny disposition, typically-Southern “y’all” chat and bonhomie, and above all, a cracking voice that covers a whole range of blues, soul and hard-rocking emotions.

Their intro tape was a song by Robert Johnson, a contemporary of Bonnie & Clyde with a similar life-span, before the band smashed into life with a couple of very good songs from their latest EP in ‘Make It’ and the especially fine ‘Glass Eyes Cryin’’. They’ve also got a full-length album ‘Jukebox Gypsies’ and some songs from that included ‘Good Times Gone Away’ and ‘Throwin’ Stones’, delivered with an extended jam with Megan saddling up as a third guitarist, and there was a glorious retro-rocking feel throughout but with contemporary chops and original tunes. ‘The Healer’ and ‘Novocaine’ were other highlights from the new ‘Hold the Mash’ EP and they definitely impressed a lot of folks with their show, as they have been doing all over the country by all accounts.

After a couple of UK visits this year, the band will definitely be back next year. They share a lot of the good traits of the headliners, who are maybe a year or two ahead of them in terms of UK visits and recorded output, but both bands should be on a star-spangled dual-carriageway to even greater success if there’s any justice left in the world.

The Damn Truth have arrived in a really good place – and I don’t mean Galashiels. After four albums, and touring their asses off all over Europe and the UK, they’ve paid their dues and built up a devoted following that probably includes just about everyone who’s ever had the privilege to see them play – I can’t imagine anyone not wanting to go and see them again after leaving a DT show with a guaranteed smile on their face.

They released their latest and best album this year; a self-titled effort that seems to signify that their prime-time is now, and they shared most of its prime-cuts, starting with the absolutely fantastic ‘Be Somebody’ – a joyous romp of a song about striving to be loved that rides a wave of glorious harmonies and fills your very soul - definitely one of the best songs I’ve heard this year.

Again, theirs is a wonderful retro-rocking sound and the four band members rock up a storm in front of an audience that was with them from the start. ‘The Willow’ is the one with the Led Zeppelin feel, ‘This is Who we Are Now’ sets out their mission statement and they let their free spirits flow on the fuel-injected riffage of ‘All Night Long’ before the emotional heft of ‘If I Don’t Make it Home’ makes you stop and think, but you somehow feel that “the road” actually might just be their home.

The core of the band is a married couple and they share the spotlight. Lee-La Baum does the lead vocals and she is smart, funny and loveable, with great charisma and a very fine voice indeed. Lee-La told the story about how she and husband / guitarist Tom Shemer first met - naked in a field jamming on acoustic guitars. Now wouldn’t that make a great reality TV first-date show? I might even have a go at that myself if the guitar was big enough, but to be honest, a ukelele would probably suffice!

Tom leaves most of the talking to Lee-La, but he did share a few words about the music we love, emphatically reinforcing that rock & roll is definitely not dead. That’s just as well, as I can’t think of any other job that this dude could possibly so. Dressed from head to toe in red, from strategically unbuttoned skinny red shirt to even-skinnier red trousers and red boots and nail varnish, and with the most rock & roll of barnets, the self-styled “Red Bastard” is every inch the cool rock star and some guitar player too. In fact, the whole band look the part. Lee-La and Tom travel with their young son but I think they are also going to have to adopt psychedelic gypsy bass-player PY and drummer Dave, who are integral to the look and sound of the band.

They might be French-Canadien but their music is rootsy rock and soul without borders and it translated just perfectly in this corner of Scotland. From a spot at the front of this converted church, I am here to testify that this was one of the finest rock & roll shows of this year, or any other year, and that’s the damn truth. There were certainly no non-believers left in Galashiels by the end of the night.