Maiden Scotland, The Bungalow, Paisley. Saturday 22nd February 2025

I didn't get tickets to Iron Maiden's gig at the Hydro later this year, so I figured I'd try these wannabes instead. The tickets were cheap, and the gig was on my doorstep, so no big loss if they were shite.  

We'd booked for four people to sit, but the space reserved for us could only accommodate three. I wasn't feeling 100%, so I made sure I was one of the lucky ones. Beside us, a party of three under the name McFarlane was also tight for space. Even more so when the second party of three with the same name turned up looking for their seats. The Bungalow hadn't left space for both. It all got sorted amicably.

I bumped into one of my former customers but couldn't remember his name. His heavy-metal-patched denim jacket was a nostalgic beauty. When his pal heard I was retired, he decided to regale me with his own plan for early retirement involving cryptocurrency. Given that his portfolio had only a couple of grand, I reckon he'll be working for a long time yet.   

The support act, Kieran Hepburn, was an odd choice for a heavy metal gig as he only plays Scottish music (his upcoming album is one of Rabbie Burns's songs). However, he enjoyed himself, ignored the crowd's jibes, and played his full set. If he'd pulled out an accordion, I'd have left. I really didn't enjoy his set one bit.

Maiden Scotland have been going for twenty-two years. The last time they played in Paisley, the venue stiffed them, failing to pay their fee (much like many acts who got conned into playing Rocknrollas reportedly). 

They were amazing. The singer's voice has such a great range, perhaps not quite matching Bruce Dickinson in his heyday but far better than he sings nowadays. The sound was not-perfect, of album quality. The Grim Reaper paid a visit for Number of the Beast, and a Funko-style Trooper Eddie cut his way through the audience onto the stage for the eponymous track. The band played a few of the early Dianno numbers, which were less familiar to me, but welcome nonetheless. 

It was a fun night.  

Ticket Price £15.

Setlist (all Iron Maiden covers)

The Ides of March

Prowler

2 Minutes to Midnight

Wrathchild

Killers

The Prisoner

Wasted Years

Remember Tomorrow

The Number of the Beast

The Wicker Man

Transylvania

Strange World

The Trooper

Fear of the Dark

Hallowed Be Thy Name

Iron Maiden

Encore:

Phantom of the Opera

Run to the Hills

Foo Fifers (with the Red Hot Chilipinos), The Bungalow, Paisley. Saturday 18th May, 2024

As a prelude to seeing Foo Fighters next month, I took up an offer to see these tribute bands playing locally. To my surprise, my wife wanted to come along too. I am not much of a fan of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, but I figured I would suffer them as I would any support act, always prepared to be surprised. 

The venue was far from sold out, with maybe sixty or seventy people present. A work colleague and her friend had kept us seats so at least the night would be comfortable. My back was still fragile and prone to spasm if I wasn't careful. Put it this way, I wasn't going to be jumping about.

My first impression of the Red Hot Chilipinos was that they'd eaten the Peppers. Not in the sense that what they produced was fiery poo. It was just that RHCP are lean and muscular, whereas these English lads are not. The band did a great job of sounding like the Peppers, though the singer lacked Anthony Keidis's tone and range. Partway into their set, I checked my phone and was surprised it had only been twenty minutes. The longer they played, the more I wished my earplugs were noise-cancelling. They finished strong, but I can't say I enjoyed their hour-and-a-quarter-long set. It didn't matter, though, as I wasn't here for them.

Initially, I was disappointed by Foo Fifers. My wife said afterwards my expectations were too high. The singer was no Dave Grohl. He sang the words but lacked the Grohl growl, his impression more of a rasp. But then, there's a reason Dave Grohl is a rock icon. His talents lie way beyond his songwriting ability. This guy obviously loves the Foos but couldn't go far enough to capture his spirit and charisma.

The night wasn't a total bust, though. The more songs they played, the better they became. By the end, everyone, including myself, was standing, rocking along. The band was good. The less I compared them to the real Foo Fighters, the more I appreciated them. It was a shame they only got to play for an hour and a quarter, too, the gig finishing at 11 p.m.

Would I go back to see them? No. 

Was it a waste of money? No. 

I had a good time, but these tributes only left me craving to be in the presence of the real thing. (Rock'n) Roll on June.  

Ticket Price: £10 (plus BF 1.55).

Fred Macaulay and Bruce Morton Comedy Night, The Bungalow, Paisley. Sunday 20th November, 2022

I had tickets to see this pair at The Bungalow in 2020, a gig that got postponed because of the first lockdown. I took a refund then and didn't even realise that gig had been rescheduled to last year. So, it was a pleasant surprise to see on Friday a Facebook ad promoting the pair at the Bungalow tonight and for there still to be tickets available (at the bargain price of £12 no less, plus fees of £1.52).

Another surprise was to see Parrot, a comedian from Greenock I first saw back in the nineties, jump on stage to introduce them. I think it was a surprise to him too because he'd only made the journey along the M8 to see his old pals perform, not expecting to compere the evening. It showed too. He was not so much a warm-up man as a let's kill this gig stone dead man. I think Monty Python might have been inspired by his performance. To be fair though, he hadn't been on a stage in nine years and was as rusty as an iron nail left exposed to the elements for that length of time. 

The same could be said of the first act, Bruce Morton. He admitted he also hadn't been on stage since last year's Bungalow gig. His material came across like a work-in-progress, especially as he kept referring to his two pages of scribbled notes.  Some jokes landed, others died. He salvaged the set by throwing in some old material I recognised from the nineties. Given the circumstances, I'll forgive him for the unevenness of his performance.  

Fred has been touring so his material flowed well, although, given he opened with his COP 26 material, he might have been using it for a while now. His set was good, despite the interruptions of Helena, a forty-year-old woman from Falkirk, who'd come through with her family and friends to see him, even offering to drive him home if he performed for longer (there's a joke in there somewhere but, as a male of a certain age, I'd never be able to find it).  

This was my first time in The Bungalow since it has been refurbished and I liked it. The raised stage provided good visibility and the sound was good, despite Parrot suggesting the 'music' microphone turned down the funny. My only complaint was that the LED spotlights pointing at the audience were kept on during the show causing me eye strain. Comedy gigs work better when the audience isn't illuminated. Just saying.

The offending spotlight