New York indie pop band Diet Cig are stopping off in Edinburgh on their current UK tour. The band recently released their debut album Swear I’m Good At This on French Kiss Records and have a band familiar with Edinburgh audiences in support. Local act The Spook School are the opening act on this tour and seem like the perfect band to open the show.
Tonight’s gig is sold out and the venue is packed by the time The Spook School take to the stage. They are in a typically energetic mood and perform with power and passion. Punchy punk rock tracks such as Burn Masculinity and Binary get the audience moving as the band breeze through their half hour set. The Spook School always seem to be on tour and playing gigs in Edinburgh. This has made them a fantastic live act with songs that tackle important subjects in their own unique and engaging style.
Duo Diet Cig consist of Alex Luciano on guitar and vocals and Noah Bowman on drums and despite only having two band members on stage, they make a lot of noise. Alex is lively and full of excitement and enthusiasm. She is an engaging performer who leaps around the stage in joyful abandon. From the get go Alex is a warming stage presence and is clearly happy performing in Edinburgh for the first time.
The set is made up of songs from the aforementioned debut album and their EP Over Easy. Apricots is a quiet and fragile song which sounds beautiful and delicate in a live setting. This track is followed by the pop brilliance of Maid of The Mist; a song that builds and builds until it reaches it’s vigorous and passionate conclusion. The set ends in style with the track Harvard. This is another indie pop classic in the making and exemplifies what makes Diet Cig a brilliant and compelling band. It is a track filled with catchy hooks, interesting lyrics and tonight it is performed with unabashed excitement.