Arriving at the venue, it appears that the gig has been downgraded to the Voodoo Rooms’ smaller Speakeasy venue rather than the gothic magnificence of the main hall upstairs, which would have been a suitably grand venue for these two survivors from the original ‘posi(tive) punk’ (as we called it back in the day) wave of the early 1980’s, but with the former full to sweat-drenched capacity, it turns out to be a wise decision as the cramped confines of the Speakeasy make for an intimate show reminiscent of the genre’s golden age.
The March Violets with suitably purple backdrop at the Speakeasy @ The Voodoo Rooms, Edinburgh
Twisted Nerve squeeze onto the small stage in ebullient form, fresh from a triumphant Halloween gig in Milan (where singer Craig is keen to remind us that the weather was warm and sunny as opposed to the dreich greyness of this Edinburgh evening), the band reinvigorated by the one-off return of legendary guitar maestro Dunsy, filling in for the unavailable Mike.
Whilst the setlist contained no surprises for anyone who has seen the band over the past decade (which would seemingly be the case for almost everyone in the room, there being no premature applause during the ‘surprise’ pause in the middle of Air Krasha), Twisted Nerve in ‘live’ mode are a finely-tuned punky goth’n’roll machine: Dave Grave’s precise and frenetic drumming laying the beat for founder member Norbert Bassbin’s iconic basslines, with Dunsy’s virtuoso riffing and Craig’s confident vocal completing the potent musical mix.
Twisted Nerve on the small stage in the Speakeasy @ The Voodoo Rooms, Edinburgh. Shutter speed to slow to keep up with Dave’s drumming!
As ever, the frontman is in great humour as he leads the band through a set heavy in songs from their mid-80’s goth phase, opening with the stunning pairing of Scaramouche and Medusa, with dancefloor classic Seance and the band’s signature tune Twisted Nervosa following Magick of Trance, before ending their all too brief set with Air Krasha, the Spiritwalker vibe of Lost Souls and the inevitable dark punk set closer 5 Minutes of Fame, all of which are hugely appreciated by the knowledgeable audience.
Twisted Nerve play the opening section of the iconic Twisted Nervosa at the Speakeasy, Edinburgh. NB As with my other videos, this clip is the maximum length permitted by Blogger.
Talking of ‘ringer’ guitarists, it’s forty-five years this week since The March Violets’ own guitarist Tom Ashton played his one and only gig as a stand-in with an early iteration of The Sisters of Mercy for a gig at Leeds University’s Tartan Bar, and these days it seems that the Violets are always mentioned in the context of their more illustrious Merciful Release labelmates.
But back when I first saw the Violets live, in May 1983 in another Leeds University Union venue (the Riley Smith Hall, a gig which was incidentally released on video shortly afterwards), it was by no means clear which of the two acts would go on to have the more stellar career, as the Sisters had only recently caught up with the Violets who had been the first to secure a John Peel session and indie chart success.
The last couple of times I had seen the current version of the band, the set had been a 50/50 mix of 80’s favourites and tracks from their recent and rightfully critically-acclaimed album Crocodile Promises, but on this occasion, just a couple of nights after their support slot to fellow old Leodensian stalwarts The Mission at the Tomorrow’s Ghosts festival in Whitby, the balance was firmly tipped in favour of the former.
Beginning with Long Pig, a song “from back in the 1790’s”, as Rosie Garland wryly quipped, the band ripped through a rapid succession of tracks from their early days including deep cuts like Slow Drip Lizard as well as the more expected Strangehead, Fodder, Radiant Boys and 1 2 I Love You from their early compilation album Natural History.
The opening part of Grooving In Green as played by The March Violets at the Speakeasy, Edinburgh. Kudos to the sound tech for sorting out the green lights!
Commanding attention as much for her stunning image and stage presence as for her strong vocals, Rosie Garland is every inch the confident gothic ringmistress dispensing humour and inclusive banter to her adoring crowd, ably supported by bassist Mat Thorpe on co-vocals, a role in which he is much improved in recent years, and of course Mr Tom Ashton himself, the longest-serving Violet of them all.
Often unfairly overlooked when lists of the great goth guitar legends (Ash, McGeoch, Geordie, Hussey et al) are recounted, watching Ashton live in these intimate confines allows the audience to appreciate the full extent of his six-string genius. Derided for his alleged “ambulance guitar” style (a comment jokingly referred to on this occasion by Garland), Ashton in fact effortlessly switches between many different styles often within the same song (for example the funky ACR-esque section of the otherwise punky Religious As Hell), producing such a full guitar sound that I had assumed that (like many of their peers) the band had two guitarists before seeing them for the first time.
Into the well-paced set are interspersed the best tracks (Kraken Awakes, Hammer The Last Nail, Headed For The Fire and This Way Out) from the 2024 comeback album, as well of course as the classic run of 1980’s indie singles Grooving In Green, Crow Baby, Snakedance and the encore Walk Into The Sun, all played to rapturous acclaim.
Whilst younger acts like Mouth Ulcers and (the late, lamented) Social Youth Cult are breathing new life into the UK goth scene, both The March Violets and Twisted Nerve continue to show their younger counterparts how to put on a stellar live show full of energy, enthusiasm, engagement and musical excellence.
The March Violets’ tour continues with shows in Huddersfield, Bedford, London and Brighton.
Twisted Nerve support Inkubus Sukkubus at Bannermans, Edinburgh on Friday 13th (naturally) November
