The night starts with Falkirk 3-piece Primes bringing their melodic alt-rock, complimented by two strong singers in Sarah and Ollie. The former coming to the fore as they kicked into their second track Faces. The highlight came with latest single and penultimate track of their set Haunted - with it’s moody vibes, various tempo changes and soaring vocals throughout. Hard to believe their debut gig was in March - a band with bags of potential.
Energy, the word which immediately jumped into my head as Blackpool’s Nana White Pepper kicked off their set. Relentless energy, barely stopping for air. Racing though tracks like Come Alive and Dark Room - encapsulating what NWP are about - fuzzy guitars, commanding vocals and face-melting solos. Not just content with their own impressive tunes, they seamlessly transitioned into a Fatboy Slim cover, as they performed a punk-rock version of Praise You. By the end of their 30mins set, you could sense the crowd was in their pocket. Despite forming in 2016, this was their first visit north of Hadrian’s Wall, and what an impression they made.
The great thing about a This Feeling gig is they aim promote local, there’s always an Edinburgh band to get behind. Tonight, we were treated to indie rockers Whitehill Grove. Forming in 2015, it’s clear they are a band at the top of their game with a tight performance full of attitude and a lovely shirt. Future single Holy Water sounded incredible, a track to keep an eye on. Clearly a fan favourite was Get to Know You, a ferocious indie track with a hook other bands would kill for. They hit the road in October, don’t miss out!
On the back of a sold out Broadcast the previous night, Voodoos were next up. I’ve managed to catch them on numerous occasions, each time progressing and tonight was no different. Keeping chat to a minimum, they tore through their terrific Late Night Early Morning EP, with Turn Me Into Juice proving an early set highlight. On stage, they make everything look effortless, dodging between melodic indie while recapturing some of the lost 90s - it’s clear to see why bands like Slaves rate them so highly.
As the band walked off after final track, Natalie, chants of “one more tune” bounced around Sneaky Pete’s. Not to disappoint, the boys jumped back on stage and fired into Lily Allen’s Smile. An unexpected end to the evening, but somewhat appropriate. I was certainly beaming from cheek to cheek.
Words: David Campbell