@ Summerhall, Edinburgh, on Thu 21 May 2015

The Dissection Room at Summerhall proves once again to be the perfect venue for an evening of eclectic and electric music in Scotland’s capital city. Providing the soundtrack for tonight’s gig, which is part of the Nothing Ever Happens Here series, are Honeyblood, Jesus H. Foxx and MC Almond Milk.

Scottish Hip Hop appears to be heading from strength to strength, and Govan’s MC Almond Milk agreeably follows the trend set by Loki, Young Fathers and countless others currently on the scene. The rapper demonstrates why the Scottish accent and sense of humour are ideal for hip hop, using clever rhymes and subtle (and at times not so subtle) sarcasm. The MC was joined by Jay Rolex on the mixing desk, with the audience nodding their heads along to the beats throughout the set.

Jesus H. Foxx have been fairly quiet of late. Several years have passed since the release of the album ‘Endless Knocking’ on Song, By Toad Records, heightening the anticipation of tonight’s performance. This is quelled as the Edinburgh six piece play a short set of shoegazey pop songs that grab the audience’s attention through an enthusiastic delivery and the players’ ample abilities.

Honeyblood’s rise to become one of the Scotland’s best loved live bands was quick, but that ascent is definitely justified. Their debut self-titled album (currently long listed for the SAY Awards) came out just last year, and the band have been relentlessly touring since its release.

Honeyblood make a lot of noise for a duo. Lead singer Stina Tweeddale’s voice has a sugar coated raspy-ness, and this complements the thunderous drumming of Cat Myers. It’s loud and boisterous rock at its best. A clear standout of the performance is set closer Killer Bangs, a pop classic with a catchy hook and blistering pace that captures a sound not too distant from the Ramones at their most manic. The reception of the couple of new songs played by the band suggests that the best may be yet to come from Honeyblood.

With Summerhall completely packed this evening, and all three acts receiving a warm reception, the Nothing Ever Happens Here series of gigs proves itself to be a much needed and irreplaceable platform for established and emerging Scottish bands.