Fuzz Fest Episode IV @ Leith FAB Cricket Club (review)

Fuzz Bat Gigs’ DIY festival Fuzz Fest returned last weekend, 10th January, for three nights and an afternoon of local bands doing their thing in some of Edinburgh’s cosiest grassroots venues. I was invited down (by SNACK faves Dragged Up) for the festival’s closing session at one of Leith’s most inconspicuous venues, the Franklin Academicals Beige (FAB) Cricket Club. Here’s how it went.

Tucked off to one side of Leith Links, it turns out (perhaps unsurprisingly) that the Leith FAB Cricket Club is something of a time warp – like your Grandad’s local – so stepping through the front door to be met by a wall of bleak industrial noise and distorted screams (courtesy of one man opening act R. Denham – listen to ‘Orphaned Machines’ if that sounds like your thing) was both jarring and an oddly welcoming confirmation; I was indeed in the right place. Immediately weird, and surprisingly packed for such a divisive act, the night was off to a good start.

Next up, The Chunks (feat. event organiser Stu Fraser on bass) dished up a delightful set of awkwardly catchy alt-rock to an eager audience. Some friendly heckling from the crowd (involving missed child maintenance payments and cringe-inducing birthday wishes) contributed to a fun, welcoming atmosphere that set the tone for the rest of the evening. If like me you’re new to The Chunks, ‘Golden Crown’ from their album Digital Dust is a great place to start.

Dragged Up were not far behind, and their particular brand of doom-laden post punk and cursed vocal harmonies was just the ticket. Despite some early apologies for cold-related vocal issues from guitarist/vocalist Eva Gnatiuk (honestly, we’d never have known), the band were tight AF, their grooves inescapable – check out ‘Professor Boo Boo Invents The Plague’ for the full spectrum of what they do – and the cherry on top was support from Shinlifter vocalist Olivia Furey for the last two songs.

The final act to grace the FAB’s tiny stage was Cuttings, a four-piece that crossed experimental post-rock instrumentals with bursts of jagged indie and morose vocals. For me, it was a style that took a while to bed in, but by their last song, I was fully on board (check out ‘Otto’ from their EP tact); a solid ending to a brilliant night.

Fuzz Fest Episode IV was proof that Fuzz Bat Gigs remains A New Hope (sorry!) for local bands. See you next year for Episode V (Fuzz Fest Strikes Back? – double sorry!!).

Fuzz Bat Gigs here