The Pictish Trail released his latest album Future Echoes on Lost Map Records in September 2016. Since then, he appears to have been touring non-stop – this evening he is in The Caves in Edinburgh to give the audience a taster of the album.

The Caves is an atmospheric venue. The brick walls and musty smell give it an eerie feel and make it seem like the sort of place where something special and out of the ordinary could happen. Support act for the evening is the electro-pop duo Happy Meals.  The venue is almost two thirds full and the crowd take a little while to get into the upbeat and exciting music that Happy Meals create. By the end of their set the entire audience is shaking their heads, moving their bodies and watching as singer Suzanne Rodden sways around the stage and ventures into the crowd with unabashed confidence. Happy Meals are a mesmerising and engaging live act and set the bar for the evening very, very high.

The sound of the theme tune of the television show The Crystal Maze fades away and the headline act take to the stage. The Pictish Trail is the pseudonym of musician Johnny Lynch. Occasionally he performs solo and other times a band backs him up. Tonight there is a drummer, guitarist, violinist and bass player behind him and the sound is loud, brash and at times thunderous. Pictish Trail albums can be lo-fi affairs, but tonight the sound has more in common with a rock band who are letting loose onstage and improvising something new and exciting. The set is mostly made up of tracks from Future Echoes, but older songs such as Winter Home Disco and Words Fail Me Now fit neatly into the performance.

Onstage banter is a big part of the set, with Johnny being on top form. Tonight he is also promoting a new cassette (with download code) which was recorded live at The Stand in Edinburgh while on tour with comedian Josie Long. Comedy along with music is very much integral to a Pictish gig and tales of making music videos while living on the Isle Of Eigg raise laughs from the crowd. The gig ends with a loud and ferocious version of the Silver Columns song Brow Beaten. Silver Columns were a electro/disco side project of The Pictish Trail, along with the musician and producer Adem. The sweeping repetitious lyrics and the powerful guitars take the song to new heights and makes an ideal ending to a phenomenal show.