@ Summerhall, Edinburgh, 27 May 2015

Indie record label Lost Map and new music blog Gold Flake Paint have teamed up to curate this evening’s three band bill at Summerhall in Edinburgh.

Poor Things are a new Glasgow pop noise act who make a quite a racket for a three piece. Loud anthemic choruses are present in pretty much all of their songs, which definitely bodes well with the crowd, who have made a punctual arrival. A single is due to be released in June on Gerry Loves Records that will hopefully capture the energy of their live set.

Bruising have been doing a lot of touring recently to promote their split vinyl release on Art is Hard Records. Their indie sound certainly fits with the label’s roster of bands and their brand of pop rock is loud, brash and captivating. Tonight is the band’s first gig in Scotland, and with any luck they’ll be back as headliners soon with their blistering songs that are raw, passionate and very, very catchy.

Drawing the evening to a close are Tuff Love, whose compendium of releases consists of two EP’s (Junk in 2014 and more recently Dross) and a seven inch Record Store Day single on Lost Map Records. However, even with such a slim back catalogue they fill a 45 minute set with lo-fi pop tunes that already feel like classics. Their sound falls somewhere between riotgrrrl and post punk, and the effortless and effective songs take organically to a live setting.

Throughout the set Julie Eisenrstein (guitar) and Suse Bear (bass) share vocal duties to create summery harmonies that soar above the fuzzy guitar sound. This formula works well for a band that performs song after song with enthusiasm and joyfulness. Having found success with their short form releases, the band take a bold step by concluding with a new song: a satisfying end to a fine evening of music.

This tripartite gig was part of the Nothing Ever Happens Here live music nights at Summerhall. Any future collaborations between Lost Map and Gold Flake Paint to showcase music in Edinburgh would be most enthusiastically welcomed.